The Birthdate of Jesus Christ [Part 1.]

 

Birth of Jesus Christ
Biblical Astronomy of the Birth of Christ

The Christmas Holidays and the Birth of Jesus Christ

Entering the traditional holiday season and the historical celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, always raises the question of when the actual birth of Christ took place. Most people realize that the date of Jesus Christ’s birth was not on December 25th, despite the nativity scenes or the historical “Christmas” holiday. In order to distinguish the truth about the actual birth of Jesus from what tradition has held for centuries, we must take a hard and detailed look at what the Bible says about the birth of Christ first and foremost. The Biblical witness to the birth of Christ, along with what history and astronomy tell us about not only the year, but also the day of Christ’s birth, is detailed here.

The birth of Christ as the anointed Savior of the world was a highly anticipated and longed for event, being prophesied not only in the Bible and Biblical cultures, but also non-Christian or Judaic religions. Many world cultures have a rich tradition of the coming of a foretold Savior of the world. Thus the significance of the birth of Jesus Christ has worldwide implications, but we must start with the Biblical record to get a clear understanding of what the Bible says about the birth of Jesus. As we begin our study of the Biblical record of the birth of Jesus Christ in the gospel of Matthew, we notice key astronomical events leading the Magi to Jerusalem in search of the new born King of Kings. It is therefore critical to recognize what the Bible says about Astronomy, along with the heavenly signs that took place from 3 to 1 BC. As we view the Biblical and historical record we will find awesome detail in how the celestial epistles support, compliment and establish the witness of God’s Word. Some astronomers and theologians have tried to link the 12 BC sighting of Halley’s Comet with the birth of Jesus Christ, as seen in the graphic below, but this is much too early to accurately tie into the biblical record of Christ’s Birthday. Comets also have been seen as a sign of evil and foreboding, not marking the coming of a great king. All the kingdoms of Creation truly stand in Praise and Honor to the witness of the Creator, Who founded the heavens, and set their combined beauty in motion, marking the birth of Jesus Christ the King of Kings.

Nativity Scene
Nativity Scene

In earlier posts on this Blood Moon blog, we have seen how the heavenly signs of the Celestial Prelude set the pattern for the birth of Jesus Christ, as recognized by the Magi. As we have noted, the Magi would have perceived the tantalizing detail of heavenly signs from 7 BC to 5 BC, and we can imagine their excitement as they witnessed the heavens come alive with the prophesied signs of the Messiah’s birth. We have also come to realize the significance of the sacred feasts of the Hebrew calendar, marked by the Blood Moon Tetrads of the Age of Grace and the importance of Tishri 1, Rosh Hashannah linked to the first sighting of the New Moon at the feet of Virgo, on the equivalent of our September, 11th 3 BC. This highlighted Hebrew New Years Day in the most sacred seventh month in the Hebrew calendar, marking the birth of Christ.

Matt. 2:1-2, 9-10 Mat 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, [2] 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. Mat 2:9 and are come to worship him When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. [10] When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

When the Magi first noticed Jupiter, his star in the rising, in August of 3 BC, it began a corroboration of the celestial prelude of 7-5 BC, and it set the wheels in motion bringing them to their historic destination, to discover the promised seed of Israel in Bethlehem, in December of 2 BC. In Matthew 2:2 the Magi asked the first question recorded in the Gospels when they said; Where is he that is born King of the Jews? As the only ones aware of the true nature of the heavenly signs of Jesus’ birth, these Gentile Magi set the stage for all the world to salute the King of Kings.

The Greek words in Matt. 2:2, in the east are en te anatole, literally meaning “in the rising, referring to the Heliacal Rising of a star in the dawn before sunrise.” 1 The “east is a Biblical figure of speech called an idiom representing truth, which is appropriate since the Messiah’s birth would bring the long awaited “all truth” [Jn. 16:13] of the ages. An interesting aspect of this word “anatole” is that it’s Hebrew equivalent is translated “tsemach.” This is a direct correlation to the star Al Zimach (the branch) in Virgo, known to us as Spica. This is the stellar representation of Jesus Christ as the promised seed of the woman Virgo, in a constellation representing Israel. Thus, the sunlight of the dawn and the light of “his star”–Jupiter are both seen prophesying the birth of “the branch” Jesus Christ. This witness of the Scripture not only alerts us to the roles of both Jupiter and the Sun in the stellar revelation of the birth of Jesus Christ the Promised seed, but it also reflects the year-month affinity between the cycles of the Sun and Jupiter. As the Sun spends a month in each of the 12 signs of the zodiac, so Jupiter spends a year enlightening each zodiacal sign.

Thus the light of the king planet Jupiter, in it’s Heliacal Rising in Conjunction with Regulus the king star in Leo, signaled the Magi regarding the birth of the Christ the King. With Jupiter in retrograde motion in Leo, it highlighted the king star Regulus in a triple conjunction between 3-2 BC. [triple Gen. 49:9-10]

The accuracy of God’s Word here is truly breathtaking, when we consider that the same word for both the sunlight of dawn, and the pre-dawn light of Jupiter are translated as “the branch” in the Hebrew. This prophecy of Jupiter and the Sun, also witnesses to the 4 dimensions of Christ’s ministry as the branch; the King, Son of Man, Son of God and Servant, as seen in the four gospels; Matthew, Luke, John and Mark. When Jesus Christ matured to full manhood according to Hebrew Law, at age 30, he displayed the full awareness of his place in history, and his local circumstances, by announcing the opening of his ministry during a Jubilee year.

Just as the Sabbatical year was a year of rest and restoration for the land and soil, so also was the Jubilee, which was heralded by a chorus of trumpets. What better year than a Sabbatical year could there be for Jesus Christ to carry out his ministry? What better time could there be for the renewal of all Creation, than the birthday of the promised seed enacting its recovery? 28 A.D. was also the year that Jesus was resurrected and in this “year of our Lord,” Christ Jesus proved his Lordship over both the Sabbaths of days and years, for example by working seven healing miracles on seven Sabbaths of rest during his ministry to Israel. Of special interest in the sacred seventh month, is the lunar cycle which provided the basis of the Hebrew calendar, devoted to the Lord. On Tishri 1 the first-born or New Moon was specially celebrated at the “Feast of Trumpets,” which coincided with the first appearance of the thin crescent moon under Virgo’s feet on this natal day of creation, the Day of Trumpets, our September 11th, 3 BC. We have also noted in previous posts on our Blood Moon Blog, that the birth date of Christ was framed by Blood Moon Lunar eclipses near Passover in 5 BC, and coinciding with the death of King Herod in January 1 BC. [read more]
To grasp the significance of the the birth date of Jesus Christ in Biblical Astronomy terms, we need to take a closer look at the Creation record, when God first set the heavenly orbs into motion.

Hebrew ZODIAC
The 12 Signs of the Zodiac

Gen. 1:14-18
14 And God Said Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven, to divide the day from the night: and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years: 15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: He made the stars also. 17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth. 18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness, and God saw that it was good.

gallery_JUDAICA_SYNAGOGUE_ANCIENT_SYNAGOGUES_4188-Sepphoris-synagogue
Menorah Mosaic

The word for “lights” in the firmament [Gen. 1:14, 16maor“] is the same word used in reference to the lamps of the Menorah, (Ex. 20:27, 35:14). This word shares the same root of the word used for “light” in Genesis 1:3-4, which God divided from the darkness, setting the standards of Day and Night. It is noteworthy that the Day was divided from the Night and the light from the darkness prior to the Creation of the Sun and Moon. Also, the foundational order of Creation seen in God’s command dividing the light from the chaotic darkness, incited by the enemy in his overthrow of God’s original order in the First Heaven and Earth, preceded God’s re-ordering of this light in the Second Heavens and Earth. The verses above also exhibit how the Sun, Moon and Stars regulate the seasons, feasts and years in God’s created temporal order. [read more]

They were also important markers for someone significant to come, in this case the Redeemer of Mankind-Jesus Christ, in both his birth and Second Coming. [Jupiter’s Triple coronation of Regulus video and graphic] As such, and within the context of the dual application of the prophecy in Rev. 12:1-2, and the Blood Moon Tetrad of 2014-2015, with the other heavenly signs and celestial cycles involving the Sun, Moon and Stars, point out a general and even more detailed timing of the Second Coming of Christ, just as they did with his birth and first appearance. This reference from Genesis reveals the links between the cycles of the Sun and Moon, and the light which these two great lights shed upon the earth. The purpose of the Sun, like other stars, is to give light upon the earth, the nature of which is a three-fold light. First, it’s physical light in a literal sense because the stars along with the moon and planets illuminate the earth. Secondly, as we have seen in the study of astronomical cycles, their numerical model is based on the phi ratio, and the base 60 Space-Time standard of the precession of the equinoxes. This is an important aspect of Natural Law, reflected in the symmetry of creation. Phi ratio Symmetry is the basis of the nano-structure of microcosmic matter, the macrocosm of the firmament, and the conceptual world of mathematics. Symmetry is latent in God’s created temporal order, ruled by the regular cycles of the Sun, Moon and Stars, daily and yearly. Thirdly, the stars, planets, Sun and Moon illuminate earth in spiritual light: the eternal light of the witness of God’s Word, a primary theme of our study. The principles of these 2 great lights ruling over the day and night, marking out days, months and years, is also preserved in the luni-solar calendar of Israel, unified according to the phi ratio, in symphony with the 50-year cycle of the Hebrew Jubilee. The phi ratio, also known as the divine proportion, or golden ratio, is a central aspect of the Symmetry and beauty in God’s creation. We find this depicted in the word “Seasons” in Gen. 1:14 [H4150-moed] meaning an appointed or fixed time, signal, an assembly convened for a specific purpose, a solemn feast or festival, place of meeting, or year.2 Thus, as these 2 great lights of the Sun and Moon coordinate with the stars exhibiting special signs on the holy feast days and sacred festivals of the Hebrew calendar, we find the unification of these three celestial calendars in God’s created temporal order exerting a powerful influence as a “mandate from heaven,” over Israel and the cultures of the world. A great example of this is the current Blood Moon mania in the headlines of world media, raising the awareness of end times prophecy and the history of Israel in the collective public mind.

Since Rosh Hashanah as Tishri 1, is the “head” of the Hebrew calendar, New Year’s day and Jesus’birthday, the first day of the 50-year Hebrew cycle of Jubilees, it gets our undivided attention as we realize that New Years Day on the Hebrew Calendar is also marked by the Blood Moons and Solar eclipses over the last 2000 years. Since the Blood Moons embody a state of crises or the bloodshed resulting from War in Israel, we can trace the activities of the spiritual enemies of Israel throughout Biblical and secular history. To gain a true insight into the links in Blood Moon Tetrads with Hebrew feasts, we need to grasp how Christ relates to these Hebrew feastsRosh ha-Shanah on Tishri 1, was the “head” of the Judean calendar as New Year’s day and Jesus’ birthday, the first day of the 50-year Hebrew cycle of Jubilees. This set the foundation temporal pattern of the holy seasons, and feasts of Israel’s sacred calendar. During the “Great Wonder” of Rev. 12:1, the feet of the woman, Virgo fall at the autumnal equinox, one of the so-called four “pillars of heaven,” the four Cardinal Directions on the compass. This celestial point was generally marked on the Hebrew calendar by the Feast of Tabernacles, which occurred later during this Seventh Month. The significance of Tishri 1 the seventh month, is seen in the following from Edersheim:

“Just as age was reckoned from Tishri 1 to Tishri 1, so were the regnal years of Judean Kings. The blowing of Rams horn trumpets was also part of the royal coronation ceremony of these Judean Kings.”3

Thus the inception of Jesus’ reign as King of Kings is marked on his birthday of Tishri 1, the “Day of Trumpets,” with heavenly signs in Virgo near Spica, so we see similar signs with Blood Moon Lunar and Solar eclipses occurring on Hebrew feasts marked by a series Blood Moon Tetrads. The significance of the king’s coronation tied to Rosh Hashanah, New Years Day and the head of Israel’s calendar, is that Christ is the King of Kings presiding over all temporal, civil and sacred matters as the King-High Priest of Israel.

This represents the first installment on our Blood Moon Blog post, on The Birthdate of Jesus Christ, with Part 2 coming later this month.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays Folks!!

 

Footnotes

1. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the NT, Thayer

2. Ibid-H4250

3. The Temple, Alfred Edersheim

4.  Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the NT, H5982, H5975

 

 

 

Blood Moons and Israel

HistBibAstron

Blood Moons and the History of Israel

Have you noticed all the headlines about Blood Moons” in the News lately? Everyone seems to be wondering when the next Blood Moon is?

red moon
Four Blood Moons

It might help if we knew what a Blood Moon actually is, and why its getting so much attention. A Blood Moon is associated with a type of Lunar eclipse,  but attention has been focused on the Moon turning to Blood ever since it was prophesied in the Book of Joel, as this prophet of God gave this  Bible Blood Moon prophecy by divine revelation;

[Joel 2:28-32] v. 31…the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and terrible day of the Lord come.

This provides a foundation reference for Blood Moon Prophecies in the Bible.  There are four blood moons scheduled in 2014 and 2015 that align with Hebrew holy days in the Spring and Fall of the next 2 years. This has been called a “Blood Moon Tetrad,” and has consistently been associated with key events related to Israel in history. The Four Blood Moons are certainly grabbing headlines lately, but we should also remember the Sun being mentioned, as turning into darkness, referring to a solar eclipse, in the first part of Joel’s prophecy. As we can see in the graphic above, the Total Solar Eclipse is central in the midst of four Blood Moons in 2014 and 2015! This should get our full and undivided attention, especially since Blood Moon Tetrads are very rarely associated with a Total Solar Eclipse in the last 2000 years, in view of the celestial signs on Holy Feast days of Israel’s calendar. The fact that Blood Moons are tied to Lunar Eclipses is not that big a deal in itself, but what has captured the public’s imagination is that these blood moons are happening on the feast & holy days of Israel’s sacred Calendar. Also, the fact that this is the final Blood Moon Tetrad occurring on Hebrew Feast and Holy days in the 21st Century has also caused people to sit up and take notice. As a result, the Blood Moon prophecies in the news have gotten a lot of attention recently.

According to NASA the dates for the Blood Moons in 2014 are as follows;

4/15/2014 Total Lunar Eclipse on the Hebrew Passover

4/29/2014
Annular Solar Eclipse

10/08/2014 Total Lunar Eclipse on the Hebrew Feast of Tabernacles


10/23/2014
Partial Solar Eclipse

NASA also gives the following 2015 Blood Moon dates;

3/20/2015 Total Solar Eclipse on Nisan 1, Hebrew New Years Day

4/14/2015 Total Lunar Eclipse on Hebrew Passover

9/13/2015 Partial Solar Eclipse on Hebrew Rosh Hashanah

9/28/2015 Total Lunar Eclipse on the Hebrew Feast of Tabernacles

img6

The interest in Blood Moons has centered around their association with the Hebrew Calendar, since historically Israel has always counted the start of the months of their year based on the sighting of the New Moon, [read more]. Due to this, the naysayers will tell us that the Blood Moon propheciesmean nothing,” which is what naysayers do… But it is hard to ignore the fact that Blood Moons have also been an indicator that something important was about to occur relating to Israel as a nation. For example in recent memory, there was a Blood Moon Tetrad in 1949-1950, which occurred when Israel was reborn as a Nation. There was another Blood Moon Tetrad in 1967-1968, marking their 6-day War with Egypt, when Israel regained control of Jerusalem. This was also the last time a Total Solar eclipse occurred during four Blood Moons on Hebrew
Feast days.  The 1492 Blood Moon Tetrad, that occurred just prior to the 1967 Blood Moons, in this Blood Moon Tetrad series, was also key in Israel’s history, since it marked the Jews being expelled from Spain, during the Spanish Inquisition.

A primary key in understanding these Blood Moon prophecies in the Bible is not listening to the naysayers, but to what the truth of God’s Word reveals to us. One of these keys is found in the immediate context of Joel’s Blood Moon prophecy in [Joel 2:28-29];

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men will see visions, and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit...”

Here Joel’s Blood Moon prophecy refers to a time when God’s gift of holy spirit is available to all who believe, which was not the case in the Old Testament, but only became available on the Day of Pentecost following Jesus’ Resurrection and Ascension to the Right Hand of the Heavenly Father. This opened up a new Spiritual Age; the Age of Grace when, as Jesus told us, the Comforter [Jn. 16:7] could not come unless and until Jesus left to be with the Father. The Comforter of course, is God’s gift of holy spirit, which is given to all who believe in their heart, and confess with their mouths that Jesus Christ is Lord, [Rom. 10:9-10]. As we link the holy Hebrew Feasts with key events related to the first coming Jesus Christ, we will start to notice a pattern developing. For example, Christ was crucified at the Spring Passover Feast the 14th of Nisan28 AD, buried during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, on the 15th of Nisanresurrected at the Feast of First Fruits, on the 17th of Nisan.

The next important date where the Blood Moon prophecy appears in the Bible just happens to be on the Day of Pentecost, the birthday of the Church, in the third month following Jesus’ resurrection in 28 AD, when first, the 12 Apostles spoke in tongues, showing evidence of their new spiritual rebirth, followed on the same day by over 3000 new believers showing the same evidence. As the Apostle Peter addressed the Pentecost Temple crowd in Acts 2:14-ff, he quoted this Blood Moon prophecy from Joel 2! It is important to realize that this Blood Moon prophecy is uniquely associated with the Biblical Age of Grace, which Peter calls the “last days” [Acts 2:17], beginning in 28 AD, wherein we still reside today. It is critical that the Apostle Peter himself quotes this key prophecy in the opening fanfare of his Pentecost address, not only to the 3000 new believers and the rest of the crowd that day, but to all Christian believers since that day, who share in the spiritual gift that God continues to pour out upon his people. A few years later, the first Blood Moon Tetrad in the Age of Grace occurred in 32-33 AD. This started a series of at least 9 Blood Moon Tetrads over a 2000 year period from 32-33 AD to 2032-2033 AD!! Thus we should pay attention to what is happening with Israel in the news during the current Blood Moon signs, and when the next Blood Moon sign is set to occur, just as their appearance has held great import for Israel over the last 2000 years! As the graphic below depicts, Blood Moons/lunar eclipses have historically been a negative omen for Israel, usually indicative of the bloodshed associated with war, as the Talmud teaches. Solar eclipses on the other hand, have been held as bad omens for the Gentile nations.

The blood moon of April 15 passes over the winged figure of victory gracing the cenotaph at Queens Park in Maryborough.

The Angel’s Sword shown cutting across the Blood Red Moon, symbolizing Bloodshed associated with War! 

These Blood Moon signs as Joel foretold, are to occur before that great and notable Day of the Lord, which is the Day Christ will return in triumphal victory over the evil darkness of this world, bringing the believers of his spiritual body-his Church with him in the final defeat of the enemy. This is the second phase of the Lord’s return, preceded by our Gathering together unto him [I Thess. 4:13-18, II Thess. 2:1]. We all anticipate this day as it is our Great Hope, the Hope of his return in ultimate deliverance from the shackles of this world, which will effectively wrap up the Age of Grace, as the Lord gathers his Church together, ushering in the Revelation
Administration. As we pay heed to the next Blood Moons and activities involving Israel, with unquenchable believing do his work, that Christ has called each believer to accomplish in his stead, until the dawning of that Great Day, we will truly show our love for the returning Lord! As the Gospel of Luke tells us;

Luke 21:24-28
24 “And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. 25 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; 26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for lo0king after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, lift up your heads for your redemption draws nigh.”

As the Creator of the Heavens and Earth, it was Almighty God Who originally set the order and significance of these blood moons, coordinated with the Feast days of the Hebrew Calendar, when He spun the celestial bodies in their orbits in the Sky, [read more]. He did all this as a means to shed the light of his spiritual knowledge concerning the appearances of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ on earth. For those with eyes to see and ears to hear, we can discern the signs of the times in preparation for the victorious return of Christ for his saints.