Three Wise Men are depicted presenting gifts to the baby Jesus the night he was born in Bethlehem in 2006's "The Nativity Story." However, the Bible is clear that no wise men ever saw Jesus in the manger. They showed up later when Jesus was a young child in a house.

Chances are, you've probably heard baby Jesus was visited by some wise men the night he was born and lain in a Bethlehem manger. (Whether it was three wise men or some other number, we're never told.)

Millions of people are under the impression that such a birthday scenario is recorded in the Bible, and it's been reproduced in countless movies, television specials and Christmas cards.

Would it surprise you then that not a single wise man ever made it to the manger scene the night Jesus was born? And would it surprise you that there's lots of scriptural proof to substantiate such a claim?

Yes, it's stunning, but true nonetheless.

"If people would just crack open their Bibles to read the accounts of the young Jesus in detail, they'd realize that what they've been told all these years is simply not what happened, and there's plenty of evidence," says Joe Kovacs, author of the Amazon.com No. 1 best-seller "Shocked by the Bible: The Most Astonishing Facts You've Never Been Told."

If you want to know the real truth of the matter, here it is.

Yes, the Bible does say Jesus was born in a Bethlehem manger. It's one of the most famous accounts in history. But who was actually present that night to see the Son of God being cared for by Mary and Joseph?

"The Gospel of Luke tells us shepherds were there," says Kovacs. "But interestingly, Luke doesn't mention a single wise man present. The story about the wise men coming to see Jesus is told in Matthew, and Matthew's account is very different from the events in Luke. Matthew never mentions wise men visiting a babe in a manger. Instead, he says they saw Jesus for the first time as a young child in a house!"

Here's the actual verse from the New Testament regarding their initial glimpse of Jesus as a young child:

"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)

The fact of the matter is that the wise men saw a young child in a house. There's no mention of a barn, stable, manger or shepherds.

OK, so you may have already heard that evidence before. But there's even more to demonstrate the wise men came later, perhaps even a year or more after Jesus was born.

"Matthew tells us that God specifically warned the wise men, as well as Joseph and Mary, to go nowhere near Jerusalem because King Herod was looking to slay Jesus," says Kovacs.

Here it is direct from the King James Bible:

"And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him." (Matthew 2:12-13)

Note again that Jesus is described here as a "young child."

But here's the critical, astonishing part in case you never put the pieces together. Luke indicates that Joseph and Mary went directly into Jerusalem just after Jesus was born!

Read it in your own Bible:

"And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; ... And to offer a sacrifice." (Luke 2:22-24)

"How come no one ever talks about these two very different scenarios?" asks Kovacs.

"In Matthew – the account involving the wise men – Jesus' mother and father are fleeing with their son for their very lives to escape the assassin-wannabe named Herod. But in Luke, Joseph and Mary are shown leisurely taking baby Jesus directly into the hornet's nest of Jerusalem where Herod himself lived and was looking to murder Him! It's more than obvious that Luke's Gospel talks about the newborn Jesus, but Matthew is recounting events perhaps many months later, when Jesus was a young child, what we'd call a toddler!"

And to top it all off, remember the reaction of Herod, when he realized the wise men were not coming back to him to tell him where Jesus was.

"Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men." (Matthew 2:16)

"The Bible goes out of its way to indicate Herod clearly believed that Jesus was not a newborn babe by the time the wise men had arrived," says Kovacs. "He slaughtered all the young boys up to two years old."

So, add up the Bible evidence for yourselves:

• No verse ever mentions any wise man at the manger the night Jesus was born
• The wise men met Jesus for the first time as a young child in a house, not a babe in a manger
• Jesus and his parents are shown in Luke to be offering up a sacrifice in Jerusalem where Herod lived within 41 days of Jesus' birth
• Jesus and his parents are shown to be fleeing from Herod for their survival by direct instruction from God
• The wise men also heeded God's warning and avoided seeing Herod in Jerusalem after they met Jesus
  
• Herod slew all the male children up to two years old

"I think it's absolutely clear the wise men never made it to the manger the night Jesus was born in Bethlehem," says Kovacs. "It's time to return to the Bible facts and put away the nonsense fables once and for all."

Be a champion for the absolute truth of Scripture! And use this incredible information to educate your friends, family and other people seeking God! Get "Shocked by the Bible: The Most Astonishing Facts You've Never Been Told" personally autographed by the author. If you prefer ordering by phone, call WND's customer service line toll-free at 1-800-4WND-COM (1-800-496-3266) between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern, Monday through Friday.

"Shocked by the Bible" has become an instant smash since its release, skyrocketing to No. 1 in three Bible-related categories several times on Amazon.com with readers giving it high praise, and the author being interviewed on dozens of radio shows. It also zoomed to No. 1 on the WND Best-Seller list, and has already been translated into the Korean language.

It's a fun, fresh, journalistic look at what's actually found in the pages of the greatest book of all time, as well as what's not there. For instance, did you know:

• The ultimate destiny of human beings is much more glorious than just gaining eternal life and floating around on clouds all day
  
  
• The Bible never specifically mentions the day, month, year or even season Jesus was born
  
  
• The Bible doesn't say Jesus died on a Friday, or rose from the grave Sunday morning. (Jesus Himself said He'd be in the grave for three days and three nights, not one day and two nights. Remember, Jesus' followers found an empty tomb Sunday morning. He was already gone!)
  
  
• There were not just two of every kind of animal aboard Noah's Ark, and the vessel is not said to have landed on "Mount Ararat." It was the "mountains of Ararat."
  
  
• Jesus made appearances on Earth in the Old Testament
  
  
• Jesus said no one has gone to heaven except Himself

"Yes, I'm a Bible-believing Christian and am among the biggest fans of the Bible of all time," says Kovacs. "My goal is to educate people about the solid truth of Scripture and to stop the spread of erroneous information. I want people to crack open their Bibles and see with their own eyes what's actually printed on the pages, and what's not. It's shocking!"

Those who have read the entire book are jumping for joy over "Shocked by the Bible." Just look at these glowing reviews:

• "I'm drawn to this book. It is so well put together. I started reading it and didn't put it down for two days to finish it. ... This guy is incredible." - Peter Boyles, KHOW radio host, Denver

• "Kovacs has done his homework. In 'Shocked by the Bible,' he explodes certain common concepts, brings shocking stories and revelations to light and gives the reader motivation to dig deeper into the very Word of God. A valuable resource for today's jaded but biblically illiterate audience." - Carolyn R. Scheidies, Author's Choice Reviews

• "Since the professing church is unwilling to look intently at the Scriptures, embrace it all in context, [God] is using a believing investigative journalist to apply his gift and experience to be a witness to the Truth of what He said and established in His Word. Joe Kovacs is that man. ... I recommend 'Shocked by The Bible' by Joe Kovacs because of his journalistic approach to the Bible. He is not trying to proselytize anyone to his particular brand of religion. His agenda appears to not go beyond just a journalistic look at Scripture in order to get straight facts into peoples' hands that they might make an informed decision." - Banner Kidd, Torah Perspective

Kovacs holds nothing back as he quotes directly from the Holy Bible to address incredible issues.

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For instance:

• The word "Easter" has vanished from modern Bible translations. And you won't find a single mention of Easter eggs, but you will find God warning His people not to have anything to do with a pagan fertility goddess, whose name is synonymous with "Easter"
  
  
• The practice of decking a tree with silver and gold is actually condemned by God
  
  
• God sought to kill Moses, shortly after telling him to lead the Israelites to freedom
  
  
• Animals had meaningful discussions with people
  
  
• The Bible calls the devil "god"

"Shocked by the Bible" will even make you laugh as it dares to look at the issues you'll rarely, if ever, hear in church or on TV or radio shows:

• 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

And these are merely the beginning of hundreds of facts that will stun even those who thought they had a strong knowledge of the Bible.

"If you've never been into the Bible, or even if you have, there's no need to fear," says Kovacs. "I make it quick, easy and fun for you to find out the juiciest, most interesting stuff that never seems to get mentioned in church. And I'm not talking about trivial facts and difficult names no one can pronounce."

Kovacs, the executive news editor of WND, has written countless reports in his 26-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.

He 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.

Find out what you've been missing. Get "Shocked by the Bible: The Most Astonishing Facts You've Never Been Told" personally autographed by the author. It makes a brilliant gift that will be remembered for a lifetime.

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To interview Joe Kovacs, author of "Shocked by the Bible," please contact him.

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