The long-awaited answers!!

I'm back.....finally.  I apologize for the delay.  Blogger has been giving me fits, and this is the first time I've been able to log in for a few days.  For the two of you who are waiting with bated breath (and for those of you who questioned me on this previously, it IS "bated" not "baited".  See here.), here are the answers!  Good luck!

1. True.  Joseph WAS from Bethlehem.
2. False.  Mary and Joseph were only engaged when the angel appeared to her and told her that she would be the mother of Christ.
3. False.  Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem to take part in the census that Herod had decreed.  Incidentally, the Bible also never mentions that Mary rode a donkey to Bethlehem.  It never says anything about how she got there, just that she was with Joseph.
4. False.  The Bible never mentions that anyone told Mary and Joseph the inn was full.  It simply states that they placed the baby in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. (Matthew 2:7)
5. False.  Again, the Bible never specifically mentions a "stable", just that Mary laid the baby in a manger.  Jesus could have been born in a barn or even a cave.
6. False.  The date, December 25, was chosen by the Roman Catholic Church in the third century.  December 25 is definitely not the actual date of Jesus' birth.  Because Rome dominated most of the “Christian” world for centuries, the date became tradition throughout most of Christendom.  
7. True.  Although it was just one angel that initially appeared to the shepherds, that angel was soon joined by a "multitude of the heavenly host".
8. True.  The angel clearly told the shepherds that they would find the babe lying in a manger.
9. False.  Seriously?  I hope this one doesn't need an explanation!  Although it is worth noting that the Bible never says the angels sang it all.  It actually says they "appeared praising God and saying....".
10. True.  The star in the east led the wise men to baby Jesus.
11. True.  Their inquiry greatly disturbed King Herod, who felt threatened by the birth of the true "king of the Jews".
12. False.  The Bible never mentions a certain number of wise men; it simply says "magi".  It is generally assumed there were three simply because Scripture mentions three gifts that were given to Christ. This is one of my BIGGEST beefs about Christmas.  Have you ever seen a nativity set that didn't include wise men?  Well, the wise men didn't show up until Jesus was probably two or three years old so their inevitable appearance in every nativity set is not founded on biblical truth.
13. False.  Frankincense is a dried tree sap, or resin, primarily used to make incense.
14. False.  Myrrh is a resinous dried tree sap that was used during Bible times for embalming the dead.
15. False.  The Bible states that "an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream".  It does not say that God himself directed Joseph.

So......how did you do??  I bet you learned a few things, just like I did!  These misconceptions surrounding Christ's birth illustrate again the need to test everything we believe against Scripture--no matter what the source.  The Bible is the final authority. And it doesn't matter how unexplainable these things may seem to us, the truth of Christ's birth is more miraculous than words could ever express.  

Oh the glory of it all is HE came here 

for the rescue of us all that we may live....

and we will never be the same.

Merry CHRISTmas!