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Verse:Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” —Matthew 2:1, 2
The Gospel of Matthew speaks of wise men from the East who came to worship the newborn King Jesus Christ.
They did not formally belong to God’s people, but we are told that they studied the Hebrew Scriptures and realized that the time had come for the Messiah to appear. The mysterious star eventually led them to Bethlehem, where they found Jesus.
Likewise, other people have discovered meaningful biblical teachings by studying Scripture for themselves. Francisco Hermógenes Ramos Mexía (1773–1828) was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 11, 1773.
He became a wealthy and prominent landowner in the province of Buenos Aires and a defender of the native Indians.
With a Roman Catholic background, he was devoted to the study of Scripture. His interest in Bible prophecy was influenced by Manuel Lacunza (1731–1801), the Chilean Jesuit, but Ramos Mexía went much further than Lacunza in his understanding of Bible teachings. Ramos Mexía emphasized the Bible as the only source of faith and doctrine, regarded Jesus Christ and the apostles as the only true foundation of the Christian church, kept the seventh-day Sabbath, and even closed his estate for business on that day. He believed in a literal and imminent second coming of Jesus, understood the state of the dead as waiting in the grave for the resurrection at the second coming of Jesus, highlighted salvation by faith in Christ alone, and acknowledged baptism by immersion.
He also rejected transubstantiation, accepted the universal priesthood of all believers, and opposed image worship. Ramos Mexía faced strong opposition from his contemporaries —both religious and political— but he never gave up.
Sometimes referred to as the first modern Seventh-day Adventist, he advocated those Bible teachings though he was a lone voice for truth.
Like Ramos Mexía, let your faith shine like a star regardless of the circumstances.