Herb Kersten discussed that the ancient Chinese recorded the date of Jesus Christ's birth, the date of His death and the date of His Resurrection
Summary
March 9, BC - Late May BC: Chinese Astronomers in the Han Dynasty recorded a Comet out of the brightest Star Altair in the constellation of Aquila that has been spotted for 70 days. This is supported by the scriptures: Matthew 2:2 KJV - “Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” The Chinese symbolize this event as the "beginning of an epoch, the beginning of a new year, a new month, and a new day"
This concludes that Jesus Christ was not born in December because it was too cold
In 31 AD, Han Historians documented the darkening of the skies and the eclipsing of the sun and the moon during Jesus Christ's Crucifixion, they interpreted this as someone from Heaven died and the sins of all people are now under one man and pardoned was proclaimed to all under heaven.
3 days later they saw and documented the sun having a halo of rainbow encircling it which coincides with Jesus Christ's Resurrection
Full Video
CHINESE EVIDENCE OF JESUS’ BIRTH, DEATH AND RESURRECTION (from the time of Christ)
by Bryan Bissell
WISE THOUGHTS
“And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 8:11
“To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:” Acts 1:3
Noted historian Dr. McCullagh (who wrote extensively on how to find truth in history fairly) writes: “Christian beliefs are of immense value, both to individuals, to society and to nature. They result in a wisdom and altruism that is of benefit to all. That is why I hope more and more people will accept them.” McCullagh, C. Behan. “Credible Christianity”. www.cbehanmccullagh.com/credible-cristianity/
Many scholars have said that based on academic standards, Jesus and His resurrection are one of the strongest and most proven events of history (see this page). But did you know that Chinese scholars from the time of Jesus also were given evidence that Jesus was born, died and rose again as a perfect sacrifice to bring pardon for man’s sin and a whole new era of human history? Pastor Kong Hee from Singapore found some of this evidence and spoke about it (links to his talk are at the end). The evidence dates back to the very time that Jesus was living, but it is evidence from China. I found links to the original Chinese documents with help from a couple Chinese friends and a couple more intriguing facts from China that also are evidence of Jesus life on earth while I was in China.
We already have evidence and proof for Jesus’ resurrection way beyond reasonable about according to many scholars. Even non-Christian scholars like Bart Ehrman agree that the evidence for the resurrection is better than the evidence for miracles in any other religion.
But this evidence from China is unique because it comes from cosmological sources which are beyond any human control and also ancient Chinese classics which have been verified by the atheist Chinese government as reliable history. It is also from a country far distant from Israel and from the same time Jesus lived. That should be logical enough to help eliminate any remaining doubt as to the fact that Jesus was born, died and rose again and that He cares enough to give evidence of His divinity to people in many cultures/nations throughout the world (researchers have documented evidence for God independent of the Bible in at least 300 major cultures).
Whenever we want to figure out if something is true, we need to use the 3 main methods of truth that God used and that science and academics use when they are objective and not controlled by greed/powerful businesses. I’ve written a brief overview of this here.
But remember one thing for this topic. Roy Davies, former managing editor of history programs at the BBC, talks about how he learned to check truth and credibility. Davies is irreligious. (~6:30).
(~3:30) “One of the most important lessons that I learned at that stage was from a senior reporter who said, ‘From now on, do not accept any story that you are told by less than two people…meaning if one person tells you a story, go out and check it with another person who doesn’t know that person.’ “ # 247. Roy Davies Exposes Charles Darwin’s Plagiarism http://www.skeptiko.com/247-roy-davies-exposes-darwin-plagiarism/, www.skeptiko.com/?powerpress_pinw=3693-podcast
So that is a standard practice in journalism and history. If 2 independent people who don’t know each other say the same thing, that’s good enough to publish it as a verified event of history to the best of our knowledge.
This concept of rational thought and proving things by 2-3 witnesses or more to verify accuracy was actually pioneered in the Bible 1000s of years ago (Deuteronomy 19:15, 2 Corinthians 13:1). But it is used in courts all over the world. One reason is that it would require an enormous amount of time, money and resources if we had to go and personally observe everything witnesses claimed happened and it would in many cases be impossible. So for many practical reasons, 2 or more independent witnesses is considered very strong evidence of truth.
This concept of rational thought and proving things by 2-3 witnesses or more to verify accuracy was actually pioneered in the Bible 1000s of years ago (Deuteronomy 19:15, 2 Corinthians 13:1). But it is used in courts all over the world. One reason is that it would require an enormous amount of time, money and resources if we had to go and personally observe everything witnesses claimed happened and it would in many cases be impossible. So for many practical reasons, 2 or more independent witnesses is considered very strong evidence of truth.
The belief in God, Jesus and eternal life is crucial for many reasons. But one is this. Harvard’s professor Dr. Wilson says that sometimes selfish individuals may succeed in certain areas (wealth/fame, etc.). But at the group/nation level, altruistic societies always win. He says
“A group of altruists will beat a society of selfish individuals every time.”
So the progress and thriving of nations depends on many people living with genuine love, concern and sacrifice for others, in other words altruism. The Bible speaks of this in 1000s of verses. The problem is that you can’t get large numbers of people to live with genuine love and altruism for others long term if they don’t have confidence in eternal life. Without that confidence, they think this life is the only life they have and so they better get all the wealth, fame, etc. in this short life which they know they have. This is why faith in God is part of a crucial cycle of nations that many historians have written about (see here for some of the principles that God and history say are foundations of thriving nations).
We can see that it happened in Israel’s history many times. Faith in God brought success and freedom. But time after time, they became proud, abandoned God’s laws, then many became greedy/proud, people began to treat others with prejudice/discrimination of various types and this led to many kinds of suffering and injustice. They soon became weak because only altruistic societies stay strong long term as Dr. E.O. Wilson of Harvard and others have documented and enemies conquered them. This same cycle has been documented in almost every nation in history and also in China too.
Yuan Zhiming was a dissident and co-leader of the Tiananmen Square protests. He later escaped to America, became a Christian and then began making documentaries about belief in the God of the Bible throughout Chinese history. He made a powerful documentary surveying 5,000 years of Chinese history which shows that belief in the God who revealed Himself to them and who is the same as the God of the Bible leads to equality, peace and thriving, while belief in false religions, secularism and atheism lead to greed, violence, crime and much loss of life.
China’s Confession 神州忏悔录 (with English subtitles)
A key section of the documentary says:
“Facts have once again demonstrated to us that as long as the Chinese people worship men instead of God, as long as sinful men act like righteous God, as long as men with limitations hold limitless power, that peace and stability will never last long…Oh China! This is where your misery resides. The one who sits on the central throne is not God, but an earthly man….men who did not know God became gods of men. Is not this the source of all China’s tragedies? Chinese butchered their fellow Chinese and Chinese conspired against their fellow Chinese. They abused each other…until…they became prey for foreign invaders…Oh China, because you firmly believe there is no God, you give full reign to sinful men to carry out their self abuse in hopelessness. Since you firmly believe mankind does not share a common holy nature, you then let human reason negate your God given conscience. Since you believe there is no Savior except yourself, you are left to drown again and again in an ocean of bitterness, a sea of fire and a pool of blood, of your own making”
Rejection of belief in God and eternal life often leads to enormous amounts of greed, injustice and inequality which are the main cause and factor for nearly all evils in the world, according to both the Bible and history and a vast amount of science. Confidence in Jesus’ resurrection gives a person solid confidence that they can have eternal life. Because that is far more valuable than anything earthly life can give, it inspires people to work and live for justice, equality and the good of all mankind more than anything else in history.
CHINESE HISTORICAL RECORDS CORROBORATE JESUS’ LIFE
Now on to the evidence for Jesus’ life from China. The Bible records many events of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection in the gospels as all Christians and many others well know. But what is amazing is that before or about the same time that these things were happening in Israel, the Chinese were well aware of them by completely different means.
This of course was long before telegrams, telephones and all other high speed communication devices. So this information could not have reached them in any of those ways.
Far more important, they understood that events of enormous importance that would bring a whole new epoch to world history were transpiring in the world based on both cosmological events that were far beyond the ability of the Chinese to control, or any other human for that matter, along with Chinese astronomical names assigned long before anything about Israel and its prophecies of the Messiah was known, but which gave incredible significance to these events. This understanding could only have been given to them by a power that had the ability to control and order events in the cosmos and on earth to happen at just the right place and at just the right time. In other words, God.
Some may be skeptical of God sending messages to people through the stars. But the Bible indicates very clearly that He does this in several places.
"1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. 2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. 4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun," Psalms 19:1-4
"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;" Luke 21:25
See more here about God using stars and the heavens to point to Him:
It is also very important to understand that the references you read are from very accurate ancient Chinese historical works. The current published versions of these ancient Chinese classics have been studied and compared very rigorously with the most ancient manuscripts by Chinese scholars from 9 disciplines. They found that the versions we have are very accurate and almost identical to the ancient versions. See ~ minute 12 in this documentary for more on this.
The Sacred Meaning of China’s Altar of Heaven
Here is an overview of what Chinese pastors and scholars discovered about events in stars that pointed to the life of Jesus that has transformed their world and ours.
!!SYMBOLS OF JESUS BIRTH!!
The Chinese were very interested in astronomy. The royal courts hired many astronomers to study the stars and write down important events that happened in the cosmos because they believed they could have major impacts on human lives. The Chinese astronomers recorded an incredible event in 5 BC.
“ 二年二月，彗星出牽牛七十餘日。傳曰: ‘彗所以除舊佈 新也. 牽牛，日、月、 五星所從起， 歷數之元， 三正之始。 彗而出之，改更之象也。其出 久者，爲其事大也.”
(漢書, 卷二十六, 天文志第六) Book of Han 《漢書》 卷二十六 天文志
Volume 26: Treatise on Astronomy
http://chinesenotes.com/hanshu/hanshu030.html (starts at 2nd to last paragraph)
In English, it says
“In the second month of the second year [of Jian Ping, emperor of that time], the comet was out of Altair for more than 70 days…It is said, ‘Comets appear to signify the old being replaced by the new.’ Altair, the sun, the moon and the five stars are in movement to signify the beginning of a new epoch; The beginning of a new year, a new month and a new day…The appearance of this comet undoubtedly symbolizes change. The extended appearance of this comet indicates that this is of great importance.”
Astronomy Records of the Book of the Han Dynasty
Jian Ping was the emperor of China at this time and historians believe his reign was from about 6 B.C. – 1 B.C. And what person was born in that time period and grew up to change history and bring about a whole new era of history? Of course Jesus. This period fits perfectly with the time that nearly all scholars believe Jesus was born (see more specific info on the date in Note #1 at the end).
The astronomers saw the comet for ~70 days. Interestingly, the Bible tells us that wise men from the east saw a star that to them signified the birth of a Great King and traveled to give Him gifts. In ancient times, it took travelers/caravans ~70 days travel from China to Jerusalem. Could some wise men have come from China? It’s a possibility. But others think some of the wise men were from Babylon/Iraq and were remnants of Jews who were exiled there from the time of Daniel (which would explain why they were so intensely interested in looking for a Jewish Messiah). Interesting, but we don’t know for sure.
The Chinese records mention several things in the heavens and these things and their locations have have great symbolic importance.
1) Altair is one of the 15 brightest stars in the night sky in China.
What does Altair mean according to Chinese classic historical records?
“正義牽牛爲犠牲, 亦爲關樑.” (史記 卷 27 天官書)
“The primary meaning of Altair, the key supporting pillar of the heavens, is the Perfect Sacrifice.”
Historical records, Vol. 27, Book of Astronomy
http://www.sidneyluo.net/a/a01/027.htm (near the middle)
https://ctext.org/shiji/tian-guan-shu/zh (line #24 but characters are a little modified)
Who is the only perfect sacrifice who ever lived? Jesus is the Perfect Sacrifice! The Bible tells us:
"But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:" 1 Peter 1:19
And because He is perfect, he can cover our sins and make us perfect with His power too!
"For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." Hebrews 10:14
b) Where does the comet Altair come from? Altair, or Alpha Aquilae, is the brightest star in the constellation “Aquila, the Eagle.”
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What does Aquila mean? The Chinese say it is 天鷹座 (tiān yīng zuò), meaning “the heaven eagle constellation”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquila_in_Chinese_astronomy
Eagles also have a special meaning in Christian symbology. They symbolize rising into heaven or resurrection:
“In Christian iconography the eagle is often seen to symbolize John the Evangelist, the ascension of the prophet Elijah, and the ascension of Jesus Christ.”
What does the symbol of Eagle mean in the Bible?
“Eagle Symbol: Because it soars upward, the eagle is a symbol of the resurrection or ascension of Christ.”
God’s care over his people is likened to that of the eagle in training its young to fly (Exodus 19:4 ; Deuteronomy 32:11 Deuteronomy 32:12 ).
Since eagles fly high and are sharp-sighted, they signify rational things…The eagle first mentioned denotes the rational enlightened by the Divine;
So a bright comet coming from the area of the brightest star in the constellation named eagle has all these features connected to it: 1) Altair means the “Perfect Sacrifice” 2) Jesus is our perfect sacrifice! 3) Aquila means “Heavenly Eagle” 4) Eagles symbolize John the Baptist and Elijah who were closely connected to Jesus in the Bible. 5) Eagles also symbolize Jesus’ resurrection. And it is His resurrection which gives us confidence that Jesus can resurrect us too (1 Cor. 15:1-19). 6) Eagles also symbolize rational thought. It was only those who were studying the Bible prophecies deeply with humility who realized the times that they were in and recognized the Messiah. We should do the same thing now in our time. 7) God’s care for His people is compared to an eagle’s care for it’s young. God cared for His people and wanted to save them from sin (and injustice) with His Messiah!
Is it a coincidence that all these traits from the stars which are beyond human control and different cultures coincide with the coming of Jesus’ as the Messiah? I really don’t think so. I think it is one more powerful message from God telling us that His Messiah was arriving!
!! SYMBOLS OF JESUS’ DEATH !!
Chinese records say:
在那月最後一日癸亥日，有日蝕發生，皇帝在寢宮避免出門，停止兵事，也不過問朝事共有五天，他宣布「是因我德行淺薄導致這災害，使得日月無光，我恐懼戰競，我怎麼說呢？任何人向我上書不得稱聖字，因為我感到不配.”
(後漢書 光武帝第七年) http://chinesenotes.com/houhanshu/houhanshu003.html (~paragraph 29)
In English: “In the day of Gui Hai, the last day of the month, there was a solar eclipse. (The emperor) avoided the throne room, suspended all military activities and did not handle official business for five days. He proclaimed that “My poor character has caused this calamity, so that the sun and the moon were veiled. I am fearful and trembling. What can I say. Anyone who presents a memorial is not allowed to mention the word holy.” History of Latter Han Dynasty, Vol. 1, Chronicles of Emperor Guang Wu, 7th year”
Gui Hai was the last day of the 3rd month in the spring in the 7th year of Guang Wu. Researchers have pinpointed this to A.D. 31.
Another Chinese document says:
“夏四月壬午,詔曰: ‘比陰陽錯謬,日月薄食. 百姓有過,在予一人,大赦天下’.” (後漢書 光武帝第七年)
“Summer, fourth month [of the year], on the day of Ren Wu, the imperial edict reads, “Yin and Yang have mistakenly switched, and the sun and moon were eclipsed. The sins of all the people are now on one man. Pardon is proclaimed to all under heaven.”
History of Latter Han Dynasty, Volume 1, Chronicles of Emperor Guang Wu, 7th year
http://chinesenotes.com/houhanshu/houhanshu003.html (~paragraph 30)
Yet another:
“癸亥日蚀, 天人崩.” (後漢書 志第十八)
“Eclipse on the day of Gui Hai, Man from Heaven died”. History of Latter Han, Annals, No. 18, Gui Hai.
www.readtcm.com/book_GuoXue/3_118.thtml (~5th paragraph from the beginning)
Was there a solar eclipse when Jesus died? Yes!
"Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost." Matthew 27:45,50
45 从正午一直到下午三点，黑暗笼罩着整个大地。50 耶稣又大喊了一声，就断了气。马太福音 27:45,50
Who is the one man that all sin was laid on? Jesus, our perfect sacrifice!
Whose life brought pardon for sin to all? Jesus, our Saviour!
Who is the man from heaven that died? Jesus our Messiah and Redeemer.
There is only one possible answer to these questions. Jesus Christ. The Chinese were given signs from the Creator of the Cosmos to know that God’s Perfect Sacrifice had come to earth and died for the sins of all mankind. They knew about this at the same time that he died. Again, there is no way the news could have gotten to China from Israel this fast.
!! SYMBOLS OF JESUS’ RESURRECTION !!
Chinese astronomers saw something else miraculous at this time as well.
“光武建武七年四月丙寅, 日有晕抱, 白虹贯晕.”
“During the reign of Emperor Guang Wu, on the day of Bing Yin, of the fourth month of Jian Wu, a halo, a rainbow, encircled the sun.”
(後漢書 志第十八) History of Latter Han, Annals No. 18, Gui Hai
www.readtcm.com/book_GuoXue/3_118.thtml (~10th paragraph from the end)
How does this connect to the Bible?
A) This sign in the heavens appears to have happened three days after the eclipse. This was at the time of the resurrection of Jesus.
B) The Bible talks about God in similar terms:
"As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake." Ezekiel 1:28
Jesus is also called the Sun of Righteousness in the context of the final judgement.
"3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts. 4 Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments." Malachi 4:3-4**
C) What do rainbows symbolize? The rainbow was first a symbol of a covenant between God and man that he would not destroy the world with a flood again. Based on this, the rainbow can connect to God’s desire to save everyone from perishing (2 Peter 3:9) if they will accept His way of salvation. The rainbow covenant and Noah’s story points forward to a time of God’s ultimate salvation, that a way to escape the 2nd and final death has finally been definitely established.
A rainbow is also a symbol of Jesus (Ezekiel 1:26–28) and His power, mercy and can remind us of various aspects of the atonement. In Revelation 4:2–3, John saw Christ clothed with a cloud and a rainbow on His head….Bible scholar John Gill states concerning the rainbow,
“as it has in it a variety of beautiful colors, it may represent Christ, who is full of grace and truth, and fairer than the children of men; and may be considered as a symbol of peace and reconciliation by him, whom God looks unto, and remembers the covenant of his grace he has made with him and his chosen ones in him; and who is the rainbow round about the throne of God, and the way of access unto it.”1
This site has some more information about rainbows and how each color has connections to Jesus’ atonement, salvation and sanctification for us.
Rainbows can also be symbols of peace, hope, new beginnings, a gate to the divine realms, mystery, purity, which all connect to Jesus, the peace and new beginnings He offers if we confess our sins and repent and His perfect life will cover our sins and day by day, the mystery of the gospel can help us become more and more pure and perfect like Jesus is (Matt. 5:48, Eph. 5:1), etc.
This rainbow around the sun happened 3 days after Jesus death. What happened then? Jesus resurrection! He resurrected! He’s alive! And the Chinese knew something stupendous happened at that time too!
So to conclude,
A) When Jesus was born, there was a sign in heaven and the Chinese saw it and wrote it down.
B) When He died, there was a sign in heaven and the Chinese recorded it too.
C) When He resurrected, there was also a sign in heaven and the Chinese recorded that too.
God is amazing. He gives evidence and proof of His love and grace to cultures all over the world and throughout history! He controls the cosmos and gives signs to human beings at times through it. The God who created and controls the whole universe is certainly strong and good enough to guide you and give you eternal life as Jesus promised. Why not learn how to be saved and be sure of eternal life today!
God bless as you keep learning about and following the resurrected Creator of all life and the only source of eternal life!
NOTES Note #1: The 2nd month of emperor Ai Jian Ping has been calculated to be ~ March 9th to April the 6th, 5 B.C. according to pastor Kong Hee.
Many Christian scholars think Jesus was born between 6-5 B.C. “the most likely time of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem is 6-5 B.C. “ Got Questions [The evidence] “would suggest Jesus was born in either 5 or 6 B.C.” Bible Light
This date of Jesus’ birth is largely based on Josephus saying Herod died between a lunar eclipse and the following Passover, a lunar eclipse happening in 4 B.C. and Herod killing all babies under two in Bethlehem (which we have secular records of). However some think Jesus’ birth could have been around 3-2 B.C. because there was a much stronger eclipse in 1 B.C. and there is new information from historical records. But the fact is there were major signs in the stars near the time of Jesus’ birth that Chinese astronomers understood signified a whole new era of human history.
REFERENCES
These are 2 sermons by Pastor Kong Hee from City Harvest church in Singapore where I heard some of the above interesting evidences for Jesus from China. I found some more on my own (especially the part about the heavenly eagle constellation and rainbow and their meanings) and then with a Chinese friend found the links to the Chinese classic works online.
God in Ancient China 古代中國人的神 – Part 1 (English & Chinese) 第1部分 (中文 / 英文) (In this section pastor Kong Hee shows how Chinese characters align with Bible history and also convey the gospel of salvation extremely well). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNT82P6JpSM
God in Ancient China 古代中國人的神 – Part 2 (English & Chinese) 第2部分 (中文 / 英文) (in this part, pastor Kong Hee, talks about the influence of Christian missionaries on Chinese culture throughout history and how it influenced some, such as Kangxi, to become Christian, but also some of the mistakes of Catholic missionaries. It also has the incredible section on Jesus’ resurrection.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kkxUyMAMXQ
How to go to Heaven? Find out in the short video below
GOD's Simple Plan of Salvation
If you were to die today for any reason, are you 100% sure you will go to heaven?
This video explains the SIMPLE TRUTH according to the Scriptures. The only way to go to heaven is by:
(1) Admitting that you are a sinner
(2) Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ as your own personal Savior and Lord
(3) Repenting (meaning you are willing to turn away from your sins) of your sins then confessing your sins to God
Jesus Christ willingly sacrificed Himself and shed His precious blood on the cross as a substitute for you, so that you don't have to burn in hell for all eternity because of your sins, and have eternal life in heaven instead.
Watch the video to learn what Scripture says of God's great plan of salvation for you and how to receive His free gift. This is wonderful news. We pray you surrender to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and to know 100% for sure you will go to heaven when you die!
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