Breaking news from Bethlehem

A baby boy, who was born in Bethlehem, may well hold the future of the world in his tiny hands.

Witnesses report a man and women recently arrived at a local inn, which did not have any vacancies.

"Instead, I offered them a spot in the stable," said the innkeeper.

The young couple agreed to the businessman's offer.

The story of how and why the couple arrived in Bethlehem, and the importance of the baby's birth, is now being told around the world.

According to the young mother, named Mary, an angel, named Gabriel, appeared before her in her home.

"I was frightened, at first," Mary said.

The archangel said he relayed a life-changing message to the virgin, Mary.

"I assured her the Lord is with her and favors her," Gabriel said.

Unsure how to react, Mary expressed her hesitancy to believe the angel's comment.

Gabriel told her not to be alarmed and gave her a message from God.

"Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus," Gabriel said.

Mary reiterated she still did not grasp the importance of the angel's message.

"Your son will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

Mary admitted she did not know how she would be able to bear a child.

"I was still a virgin," she said.

Gabriel assured Mary she would give birth to the son of the Holy Spirit.

"I told her, 'The power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy - the son of God.'"

Gabriel offered proof, telling Mary that her relative, Elizabeth, who was past childbearing age, was now six months pregnant with a son.

"For nothing will be impossible with God,"

Gabriel said.

Mary accepted the news and told the angel,

"Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word," she said.

The young woman knew she must tell her betrothed, Joseph, about the encounter with the angel. She was unsure of his reaction.

"I did not believe her, we have yet to be married," Joseph said, noting he had planned to quietly sever their relationship.

"I didn't want to expose her to public disgrace," Joseph said. "I planned to cancel our wedding immediately."

Instead, God intervened.

According to Joseph, an angel, sent by the Lord, appeared to him in a dream.

"Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit," the angel spoke in the dream.

Joseph admitted the words shook him.

"The angel said we were to name the baby Jesus and he will save his people from their sins," Joseph said. "When I awoke, I knew I could not abandon my Mary or the Son of God."

According to Mary, the pregnancy was normal and the couple went about their day-to-day routine.

"Then, Caesar Augustus ordered that all the world should be registered," Mary said. "Those actions caused concern for us."

Investigations show the emperor's purpose in establishing a census was to create a list of individuals and property owned by each. Such a list would allow Augustus to set tax rates.

According to a free-agent tax collector, speaking on the condition of anonymity, Augustus feared tax collectors were pilfering collections and filling their own pockets.

"For everything in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the yes, and the pride of life - comes not from the Father but from the world," the source said.

Upon hearing the emperor's plan, Joseph knew the couple would need to return to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, since he had family ties to the community.

"So, we left Nazareth, traveled to Judea, and eventually ended in Bethlehem," Joseph said.

Little did the couple know, Mary would give birth shortly after they arrived.

"We weren't prepared," she said. "We were in the stable, surrounded by God's creations, amidst mounds of hay, when Jesus was born," Mary said.

According to Joseph, the new mother wrapped her son in cloth and laid him in a manger.

Around the time of the birth, multiple residents in the region reported sightings of flying angels and a bright, celestial nova guiding them toward Bethlehem.

"I was in the field, with my brothers, watching our flock of sheep in the dark of night, when an angel appeared. It was surrounded by a glowing light," an area shepherd said. "I - we were frightened and did not know what to think."

According to the oldest shepherd, the angel told them not be afraid.

"The angel told us he brought good news of great joy ... Unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord," the shepherd said.

The angel urged the shepherds to travel to Bethlehem, where they would find a baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

"All of a sudden, a group of angels appeared, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace among those with whom he is pleased," the shepherds said. "And just as soon as they arrived to share the good news, the angels ascended into the heavens."

According to the brothers, they agreed to travel to Bethlehem immediately.

"We found Mary and Joseph and the Savior in the stable," the youngest shepherd said. "We told them about the angels' messages. You should've seen the look on Mary's face."

The new mother said hearing the shepherds' words reinforced Gabriel's message.

The shepherds shared the news of Jesus's birth with all who would listen.

Three travelers - known as wise men - arrived later to praise the new king of the Jews.

They reported seeing a brilliant star and followed it as far as Jerusalem, where news of the magi reached King Herod.

During a press conference, Herod admitted he was disturbed with the news of the birth and assembled his chief priests and teachers, asking them where the Messiah was to be born.

They told him, "Bethlehem."

According to the magi, Herod arranged a secret meeting with them, questioning them about the exact moment they saw the star.

"I sent them to Bethlehem to search for the child so I may worship him," Herod reported. The magi were to report to Herod once they found the baby.

The wise men continued to follow the brilliant star, until it stopped, hanging in the dark evening sky over the place where Jesus was.

The magi knelt before the baby and offered gifts.

According to Mary, they brought gold, frankincense and myrrh.

"We were overjoyed when we saw the child with Mary, his mother," one of the magi reported.

The magi said they suspected Herod had malicious intentions, prompting them to return to their homes by a different route to avoid the king's interrogation.