Comet Giacobini-Zinner and the Birth and Return of Jesus Christ
The skies of September 2018 are full of signs for those who are watchful with eyes to see what the Lord has in store for his people! Not only are we recognizing the anniversary of the birth of Christ and all the events surrounding 9-11, but this is also the busiest month on the sacred Hebrew Calendar with the 7th month of Tishri opening on their New Years day, Sept. 10th. This day also marks a celestial event that was witnessed during the birth of Christ, with the appearance of the comet that caused the meteor shower at his birth. So from our initial awareness of this comet it signifies an important symbolism in connection with Israel, and Christianity. For the Christians, the Feast of Trumpets is one of the seven feasts of Israel, with the three spring feasts showing Christ’s coming, the Feast of Pentecost showing the coming of the Church, and the three fall feasts showing Christ’s Second Coming. The Feast of Trumpets is a prophetic representation of the trumpet call of God and the Second Coming of Christ, (1 Cor. 15:52, 1 Thess. 4:16).
Comet Giacobini-Zinner is officially known as 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. The “21P” label means it’s the 21st short-period comet with a calculated orbit. Comet 21P’s orbital period is ruled by the King Planet Jupiter, because the orbits of this class of comets don’t extend outside Jupiter’s orbit. Since Jupiter has the largest gravitational footprint of all planets in our solar system, it has not only captured numerous small comets, but it can also influence the orbits of by-passing comets. Short-period comets return to the center of our solar system in intervals of less than or equal to 2 centuries.
Comet 21P’s orbital period is about 6.6 years, and its closest approach to the Sun — can occur in any month. This takes place due to the changing orbit of the comet as it by-passes Jupiter. This year, Giacobini-Zinner arrives at perihelion on 9-10-18; or New Year’s day on Rosh Hashannah, in the Hebrew Calendar corresponding to the birth of Christ on Sept. 11th, 3 BC. Below we can see the trajectory of this comet moving through the sign Auriga-the Shepherd who provides safety for God’s people in the day of wrath. The chart in Figure 1 below is useful to track 21P/G-Z through mid-September. The comet’s location is shown daily at 0h UT with positions marked every 5 days.
Figure 1. The Path of Comet Giacobini-Zinner 21p through Auriga and surrounding skies in Sept. 2018. 1
from SkyMap software
As the path of the comet G-Z 21p intersects the binary star Capella-the brightest star in Auriga, we find imagery of the Shepherd gathering his flock into his bosom, [Ezek, 34:22]. Another major star in Auriga is El Nath, in the Shepherd’s heel, meaning wounded or slain, which is pierced by the horn of the Great Bull-Taurus. This fact is emphasized in that the star El Nath is also part of the horn of Taurus the Bull, and is included in both signs. This depicts the sacrifice of our Great Shepherd Jesus Christ who gave his life for the Sheep, [John 10:11]. This does not refer to the gathering together of the Church, but to the rescue of the remnants of Israel from the evil persecution of the Beast out of the tribulation. 2
Figure 2. Constellation Auriga from Urania’s Mirror. 3
There is certainly much in current events regarding Jerusalem coinciding with these celestial events. Back on Dec. 6th of 2017 the Trump administration announced plans to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem, causing great controversy among the Islamic nations opposing this recognition of Jerusalem by a major world power in connection with Israel. The timing of this is interesting when we look at the Jubilee calendar that has marked other key events related to Jerusalem in recent history. As we correlate the two previous Jubilees in 1917 and 1967, we find an intriguing history where in 1917, Jerusalem was liberated from the Ottoman Turks under General Allenby, just a few weeks after the Balfour Declaration promised Israel a homeland. This date is key in Dec. 1917 when viewed in a prophetic time span of Shemitah cycles [360 x 7] that total 2,520 years starting in 605-4 BC when the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem, leading Israel away into the Babylonian Captivity. In the Balfour Declaration on November 2, 1917-during the 1917-1918 Jubilee, to the retaking of the Western Wall during the 1966-1967 Jubilee, to the current Jubilee in 2017-2018, God is at work restoring His Jubilee Blessings to Israel in stages. The Temple Mount seems the next logical stage of this restoration process, where we could see provisions for a third Temple in Jerusalem. The new US Embassy was opened on the 70th anniversary of the rebirth of the State of Israel-May 14th, 2018. One key aspect of Biblical Jubilees is the restoration of the land to the original owners, thus it is interesting to see the progressive restoration of the lands of Israel including Jerusalem to the people who have returned to live in modern State of Israel.
This great 2520 year period is called the great seven times of prophecy in Leviticus 26:18, Then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. v.21 Then, if you walk contrary to Me, and are not willing to obey Me, I will bring on you seven times more plagues, according to your sins. v. 24 then I also will walk contrary to you, and I will punish you yet seven times for your sins. v.27 And after all this, if you do not obey Me, but walk contrary to Me, v. 28 then I also will walk contrary to you in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.
God is certainly making a point in this record among other judgments, what He brings upon Israel if they continue to walk against Him in all their ways. After tyhe repetitions of the 7 times of Judgement, it also records the desolation of their cities including Jerusalem, and how their lands will not produce for them because Israel ignored the pattern of sabbaths to rest their lands [Levi. 26:34-37, 42-46] as God commanded-leading to the Jubilees Sabbaths.
Israel lost her sovereignty in 605-4 BC, yielding a perfect 2520-year period (360 x 7), minus the 70 years captivity in Babylon, was fulfilled in 1948 when Israel regained her independence. In 586 BC, the city of Jerusalem was destroyed as well as the Temple. This took place 19 years after 605 BC when King Nebuchadnezzar had removed their national sovereignty and sat King Jehoiakim as vassal ruler, (2 Kings 24:1). Using 586 BC as the start point of another time measurement, when Jerusalem is destroyed, another 2520-year period (again subtracting 70 years for the captivity of Jerusalem) is fulfilled in 1967 when Israel recaptures Jerusalem, June 7, 1967. The eternal covenant of God with His people Israel cannot be separated from the land of Israel (Psalm 105:7-11) and its ultimate fulfillment is in accordance with His precise timing.
The city of Jerusalem and the Temple lay desolate for 70 years. After that period of desolation the 2520-Year countdown began and culminated on June 7, 1967 when Israel regained control over Jerusalem. They also gained control of the Temple Mount, but they had to return control back to the King of Jordan, who still retains control of the Temple Mount today. In the 20th century, the Nation of Israel regained her sovereignty, celebrating her Independence on May 14, 1948. Nineteen years later, the city of Jerusalem came under Israeli control on June 7, 1967. This Gentile dominion over Jerusalem is structured in 2 1260 year periods [1260 x 2 =2520] leading up to the current countdown to the end times, where we will see a transition from 2520 years, to 2520 weeks, to 2520 days, leading us to a period just short of the 7-year tribulation period. As the time periods on God’s clock decrease from years to weeks to days and even hours, so the countdown to judgment of the world quickens as time grows shorter for our deliverance. As we read in the narrative of Biblical history, the nation of Israel did not repent to God for their shortcomings, and only a small minority returned under Ezra to rebuild the wall after the captivity. God anticipated this rebellion from what we see above in Leviticus 26. There, God warned Moses, if his descendants didn’t repent and return after the captivity, His seven-fold wrath would fall upon them. We have already seen [360 years x 7] = 2520 remaining years of judgment in the 1260 x 2 periods of Gentile dominion over Jerusalem in history.
Bullinger believed that these 1260 year periods marking the Gentile’s dominion over Jerusalem and its Temple in history, would foreshadow two 1260 day periods in the end-times, when the final Abomination of Desolation was to be fulfilled, before and during the Great Tribulation. [2 Thess. 2:1-4]. This time of the fullness of the Gentiles is supported in the heavens with findings in the 1260 days from the 1st Blood Moon Eclipse of the 2014-15 Tetrad to the Rev. 12 sign, @ 9/23/17, as a precursor to the 2 periods of 1260 days contained in the 7 year tribulation, [Rev. 11:1-3, 12:6, 14, 13:5].
The last Blood Moon eclipse of the 2014-15 Tetrad on Sept. 28, 2015, as the only Moon in the Tetrad visible in Jerusalem, occurred 2520 weeks from the end of the 6-Day-War, during the previous Blood Moon Tetrad of 1967-68, as Israel reclaimed control over Jerusalem for the first time since 70 AD. This is enlightening when we recall the 7 weeks, or 49-day count between Passover and Pentecost, is also the basis for the 7 weeks of years that form the 50 Year Jubilee on the Hebrew Calendar, as seen in the 50 years between 1967-68 to 2017-18. This gives us a common standard for calculating weeks, days and years in Biblical time-keeping, established in the feasts of Passover, Pentecost and the Hebrew Jubilee. This manner of Sabbath counting can apply to a week of days, as the weekly Sabbath; a week of weeks, such as the counting from Passover to Pentecost; a week of years bringing a Sabbath Year; or even a week of Sabbath Years, bringing a Jubilee. And as we have seen in connection with the two princes of [Daniel 9:25-27] with Jesus it was a literal week of seven days, whereas with the anti-Christ it is a week of seven years wherein he disrupts the temple sacrifices in the 7 year tribulation at the halfway mark of 1260 days.
As a follow-up to the Giacobini-Zinner Comet 21p arriving on Sept. 10th this week at the Feast of Trumpets, the Trump Administration has also announced plans to reveal some details of a Middle-East Peace Plan at the UN, during the Feast of Tabernacles. We will have to wait and see how things develop along these lines, but it sure makes for an intriguing September!!
An interesting truth concerning the meteor shower related to Comet G-Z 21p is that this is the same comet that caused the meteor showers at the birth of Christ. I was first introduced to the concept of a meteor shower at Christ’s birth by Rev. Jon Nessle, when I heard a teaching he did years ago, linking this specific Meteor shower to the second celestial wonder of Rev. 12, relating the Eta-Draconid meteors surrounding the birth of Christ.
According to Rev. Nessle, there are actually three sets of Draconid meteors, two of which show a radiant from Eta-Draconis. One of these is viewed as the greater with the other the lesser of the Eta-Draconids. It is the lesser of these two that occurred during the period of September 9th-12th in 3 BC. What is unique about this Meteor shower is that the lesser Eta-Draconids are best viewed at sunset, or in the early evening, while most Meteor showers are best seen later at night, as stated in the excerpt below from the Oct. 2nd, 98’ Weekly News Bulletin of Sky & Telescope;
“On the evening of October 8th, debris from the Periodic Comet 21P/ Giacobini-Zinner may provide a stunning sky show. The Giacobinid Meteor shower produced two of the greatest Meteor displays seen in this century in 1933 and 1946. Lesser showers arrived in 1926, 1952, and 1985… Unlike most Meteor showers, the Giacobinids are at their best in the evening rather than after midnight. Their radiant is in the tail of the Constellation Draco. This point is highest right after dark at mid-northern latitudes; it moves lower throughout the night and is near the horizon by dawn.”6
This is a key because of the signs in Virgo at sunset on 9-11-3 BC, marking the birth of the promised seed occurred at the same time that these meteors were falling from the sky, signifying the casting down of the dragon from his former place of honor.
Even though the Earth’s passage through the comet’s trail can be predicted, the resulting intensity of the Meteor shower activity cannot be, with such certainty. It seems dependent upon how close the comet’s by-pass of the Earth is, and this year is one of the closest in modern history. It is intriguing that there were no Draconid Meteor Showers seen for over 1800 years since the birth of Christ until the year 1900.
Skywatchers first noticed these meteors in October 1926, two months before the comet itself passed by, coming from the direction of the head of the constellation Draco, the dragon. So, the meteors were christened the October Draconids, or Giacobinids. Stupendous meteor “storms” with rates of 4,000 to 6,000 meteors per hour accompanied the visits of 21P in 1933 and 1946. Nowadays, the
Draconid meteor shower peaks around Oct. 8, but usually only in those years surrounding 21P’s return, especially very favorable ones (such as this year). Let’s take a closer look at the reference to the crooked serpent in Job 26.
Job 26:12-13 He divideth the sea with his power, and by His understanding he smiteth through the proud. [13] By his spirit He hath garnished the heavens; His hand hath formed the crooked serpent.
This record in Job is a unique reference to Draco, due to Thuban’s position as the pole star sighted down the descending passage of the Great Pyramid, garnishing the heavens. It was the omnipotent Hand of the Creator that formed the crooked serpent, garnishing the Heavens, with Draco the dragon originally at its pinnacle. We should also realize that even though the north-pole of the Equator has been wrested from the dragon, via the precession of the poles, he still holds sway over the pole of the ecliptic, the celestial center point around which the circle of the equatorial pole revolves. This is the still point in the heavens located in the core of the dragon, between the stars Grumium and Chi Draconis. A note of interest on the star Grumium, also spelled Grumian, meaning the subtle or deceiver, is that Denning: “considers it the radiant point of the Meteor stream seen about the 29th of May, also called The Draconids.”4 This probably identifies one of three separate Meteor showers emanating from Draco, with this one being the only one whose radiant is not Eta-Draconis.
- September 9th to the 12th. TheEta-Draconid Meteor Showers, with their radiant in Draco, the Dragon cast down. The Moon was mid-body with the Sun in Virgo occulting the planet Venus, starting at 11:50 PM.
Revelation 12: 3-5
3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. 5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
“And there appeared another wonder in heaven”- “Another” is a Greek word indicating that this heavenly wonder was different from that described in Rev. 12:1. Even as the first heavenly wonder involved the Constellation Virgo, so this second heavenly wonder also involved a celestial Constellation, not a planetary Conjunction this time, but a Meteor shower. Since the Draconid Meteor shower historically began on the 9th of September, there were already some meteors falling two days before the big show came on the 11th. How do we know this was the Constellation Draco? God’s Word details it for us:
“and behold a great red dragon“- Although there are several celestial candidates for this sky dragon, including Hydra that also spans a third of the stars of the ecliptic with its massive size, it becomes apparent that Draco is the sign that is referred to here in Revelation. This is the first of 13 occurrences of the Greek word “drakon” in the book of Revelation, with the first 8 uses of this word here in Rev. 12, [Rev. 12:3,4,7,7,9,13,16,17, Rev. 13:2,4,11, Rev.16:13, 20:2].7 The number 13 is symbolic of rebellion and the dragon embodies the idea of spiritual warfare in the heavens. As we inspect the details of the Biblical record of Revelation 12, the characteristics of Draco the dragon come to the surface. The Constellation Draco the dragon, has 4 stars of the 2nd magnitude, one in the tail is Thuban the subtle; [Genesis 3:1]. The other second magnitude stars are located in the Dragon’s head, first; Rastaban meaning the head of the subtle, second Ethanin, the long serpent, referring to its massive size, that originally enclosed both Ursa Major and Minor. It is intriguing to note that the head and tail of the dragon are specifically marked by the second magnitude stars of this Constellation. As we will recall, the dragon’s head and tail came up in our study of the lunar eclipse cycle, as it was symbolized in the Old World. A point of interest in that study was how this lunar cycle indicated the workings of the serpent’s seed in a situation. As the dragon’s head tells it’s tail what to do, the desires of the dragon, contrary to the purposes of God, are carried out by both the serpent’s seed in the human realm, and in the spirit realm. The graphic of Draco the dragon shown below, winds his way down between the two flocks in the northern skies, with the lower coils of his tail beneath the star Thuban, the archaic pole star. Here the fallen Morning Star, in its first estate formerly lead the chorus’ of heaven in joyful praise of the true God, now is depicted as the source of division, sedition and destruction between these flocks, now pictured as bears. R.H. Allen notes the important point that for the ancient Chaldeans “Draco, a much longer Constellation than with us, is seen winding downwards and in front of Ursa Major, and even into later times, clasped both of the bears in its folds… with the combined title: Arctoe et Draco.“2
Figure 3. “Arctoe et Draco“
This depicts the spiritual battle for God’s people between the spirit realms of light and darkness that still rages today. These battles in life in which we are engaged all take place in time and space of this world, where the enemy has coveted to take as many people with him into destruction as possible. God through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ has provided our only way of escape and salvation to be victorious in the spiritual warfare where our lives hang in the balance. Only in Christ are we victorious, and we can find this illustrated in the perfect biblical numbers. The Bible speaks of four numbers that embody perfection:
First the number three speaks of divine completion as seen in Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd and the Chief Shepherd. We also find this in his role as Prophet, Priest and King.
Second the number seven embodies spiritual perfection like Seven Churches of Revelation, seven Spirits of God, the Menorah, many other examples.
Thirdly the number ten represents ordinal perfection as in ten toes, ten fingers, astronomical decans, etc.
And fourth the number twelve speaks of governmental or organizational perfection, as in the Twelve Tribes of Israel, the Twelve Apostles, etc.
What is interesting is that when you multiply these four perfect numbers, their product is 2520: 3 x 7 x 10 x 12 = 2520
E. W. Bullinger called 2520 “Chronological Perfection,” but there is also an element of universal mathematical perfection here since 2520 is the numerical least common multiple because it is the first number that evenly divides the first ten digits,
1-10.
As we approach the last days, we can always be sure that The Word of God will be vindicated; its prophetic truth will be verified; God Himself will be glorified; and His people saved with an everlasting salvation.
Meanwhile the members of His Body will “wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come”(1 Thess 1:10). They will live “looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people (RV, a people for His own possession) zealous of good works”(Titus 2:13,14). They will “look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ,” from heaven, believing that there is no hope either for “the Jew, the Gentile, or the Church of God,” or for a groaning creation, until “the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus Christ, whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of ALL HIS HOLY PROPHETS SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN”(Acts 3:19-21).
Stay Strong in the soon returning Christ and our dawning eternal victory!!
Footnotes
1. Picture credit from Skymap software.
2. Witness of the Stars, E.W. Bullinger, ppg 134-135.
3. Picture credit on Auriga from Urania’s Mirror
4. General reference; www.twenty5twenty.net
5. www.try-god.com/introduction-to-the-jupiter-regulus-conjunctions.php
6. Oct. 2nd, 98’ Weekly News Bulletin of Sky & Telescope
7. Strong’s Concordance on “drakon”. James Strong
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