During the past week, we were all reminded of the significance of Sept. 11th, not only because of the attacks on the World Trade Center in NYC, but for another much more awe-inspiring reason, the birth of Christ, that took place Tishri 1 on the Hebrew Calendar, [Sept. 11th] in 3 BC. The birth of Christ was marked astronomically by a triple conjunction of Jupiter-Regulus in Leo, the first of which began Sept. 14th, 3 BC, three days following Christ’s birth on the 11th. This triple conjunction took place over about a 7 month period from Sept. 3 BC, including Feb. 2nd of 2 BC, to May 8th of 2 BC.
For some time now, I have wondered about this 3-day gap between the actual birth of Christ, and the astronomical marking of it on Sept. 14th, and it seems to make sense in light a panoramic view of the life of our Saviour, bracketed by the 3 days following his birth compared with the 3 days following his crucifixion, death and resurrection, as he arose from among the dead on the third day. These 3-day periods at the start and finish of his earthly life certainly frame the impact of the Life and sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus Christ, which was so earth-shaking that it was literally documented by two earthquakes, the first with the rending of the Veil of the Temple from top to bottom, [Matt. 27:50-51] signifying among other things the opening of the way to the Holiest of all in the Temple, to all who would come to God through Christ. Secondly, when the angel of the Lord rolled back the stone to Christ’s tomb, witnessing to his once and final, conquering of death for all mankind, for those who come to and accept the Salvation wholeness inherent in Christ, as seen in Matt. 28 below.
Matt. 28:1-7
He Is Risen
28 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; [seismos] for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone [a]from the door, and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.
5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is Risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”
In verse 2 above this earthquake may have resulted from the “ angel of the Lord descended from heaven” when he rolled back the stone from the entrance of Christ’s sepulchure. As the angel sat on this stone it signified that nothing could hold Jesus in the grave, because he had conquered death for all mankind once and for all. During his ministry in Matthew 24, Christ prophesied that increasing earthquakes, like the labor pains of child-birth, would be a sign and marker of the end times.
As we consider the Jupiter-Regulus triple conjunction in Leo, marking Christ’s birth in 3-2 BC, we should also be aware of the stellar context wherein these signs took place, which I call the [celestial prelude]. With this backdrop we can better grasp how the specific signs of Christ’s birth, like those of Balaam’s great prophecy in Numbers 24, where the star, also identified with the scepter, is coming out of Jacob.
Num. 24:17 I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh, there shall come a star out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and he shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.
“Star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel“- Star = [H3556-kowkab],1 Figuratively an illustrious Prince who is the star rising out of Jacob, holding the scepter as ruler over Israel. We notice the figure of speech utilized in this verse regarding the authority of the sceptre held by the Prince. This “star” linked with the sceptre rising out of Israel, is a celestial reference to the sign of Leo the Lion with specific implications first for it’s brightest luminary, Regulus the king star, and the brightest star on the ecliptic also known as the “heart of the Lion.” The King’s sceptre is the symbol of his power over the heathens and those who oppose his purposes, as he will rule over them with unbending authority or a “rod of iron,” [Ps. 2, Rev. 19:15].
Regulus was known by the ancients as the fixed king star that is linked with this scepter. This fulfills Jacob’s prophecy, that one holding this scepter would arise out of Judah according to Gen. 49. Secondly, the regal authority of this star is established in the king planet–Jupiter, whose authority as we have just seen, was symbolized by Leo the Lion, of the tribe of Judah that provided the regal stock from which the kingly line of Israel arose, first in King David, and ultimately in Jesus Christ from the “root of David” [Rev. 5:5]. The triple planetary Conjunction of the king planet-Jupiter, with the king star-Regulus in
Leo from 3-2 BC, thus aligns with the prophecy of Genesis 49: 8-10, showing the maturation of the Lion of the Tribe of
Judah. Balaam’s revelation here in Numbers 24:17 provides the Scriptural basis for the connection between the “star of Jacob” [Regulus] and the “Sceptre–Jupiter,” to the advent of Christ the King, who came forth out of Jacob’s genealogical line. Thus we can see maturation of the Lion from cub to the full prowess of the reigning King in the dual elements of Rev. 12, as they apply both his birth and sufferings, to the full glory and authority of his Kingship, as he establishes his kingdom on earth.
The complete details of the correlation between the triple Conjunction of Jupiter and Regulus in 3-2 BC, and the Gen. 49 record, is available on the DVD of “The Biblical Astronomy of the Birth of Christ,” through our bookstore. This unique summary provides in-depth teaching on the celestial pageantry of the birth of Christ, with the history of the Magi and numerous related Biblical Astronomy topics for those who want a deeper look.
An evident and recurring dual theme in Rev. 12 is not only the birth of the King of Kings, but also the birth of his kingdom of everlasting righteousness. Thus we find clear references to this kingdom, in the authority of he who rules with a rod of iron, symbolized in the king’s scepter-Jupiter. In a previous post [The Blood Moon Tetrad and the Rev. 12 Heavenly Signs] we noted how Jupiter was being “birthed” in Virgo, in the time leading up to the Rev. 12 sign on September 23rd, 2017, when Jupiter exits Virgo’s womb area after 42 weeks in retrograde, a period well within the period of human gestation. This fits with the connotations of the Hebrew word for “rule” in Psalm 110:2, linked with the Talmud’s birth idiom. As this emphasis was evident in the heavens in 3-2 BC, at the birth of Christ, so we also saw a concurrent triple Conjunction of Jupiter-Venus taking place in 2015, all in the sign Leo. A key element of these Jupiter-Venus unions was their alignment with Regulus on the ecliptic in Leo in the summer of 2015, carrying not only the original import of Regulus‘ kingly triple coronation, by Jupiter the king planet, but Jupiter’s marking of Venus the Bright and Morning Star is added also [Rev. 2:27-28]. The planetary symbolism of these conjunctions depict Jupiter-the King planet uniting with Venus-the Bright and Morning Star, in alignment with the star Regulus in Leo the Lion of Judah, [Rev. 5:5], over the following four months of 2015. We have provided a summary of these planetary unions connected with the Plate 1 graphic at the end of this blog post below.
These planetary unions were followed with added Jupiter-Venus unions taking place in Virgo in 2016-17. This Triple Conjunction of Jupiter-Venus, the two brightest stars in the heavens after the Sun and Moon, is notable especially with the addition of Mercury, leading up to their planetary alignment with Regulus in Leo, forming the Crown of Virgo in the repeat of the Rev. 12:1-2; “Great Wonder in Heaven” on Sept. 23rd 2017. The following list dates not only the Jupiter-Venus conjunctions in Leo during the transition from the Hebrew Sabbatical year to the Jubilee year of 2015-16, but other notable planetary conjunctions and heavenly signs in Virgo and Leo during this period:
June 30th- July 1, 2015 [Jupiter-Venus]
July 17th, 2015 [Venus-Regulus]
July 31st, 2015 [Jupiter-Venus]
August 5th 2015 [Venus-Mercury in Leo]
August 6th, 2015 [Regulus-Jupiter-Mercury in Leo]
August 7th [Jupiter-Mercury in Leo]
August 7th [Mercury-Regulus in Leo]
August 11th 2015 [Jupiter-Regulus in Leo]
August 29th 2015 [Venus-Mars]
Sept. 13th 2015 [Partial Solar Eclipse]
Sept. 17th 2015 [Sun clothing Virgo with the Moon at her feet]
Sept. 17th 2015 [Mercury-Spica in Virgo]
Sept. 21st 2015 [Hebrew Jubilee Year opens on the Day of Atonement]
Sept. 28th 2015 [Final Super Blood Moon, Feast of Trumpets]
October 8th, 2015 [Venus-Regulus in Leo]
October 17th-18th, 2015 [Jupiter-Mars in Leo]
October 21st, 2015 [Orionids Meteor Peak]
October 25-26th, 2015 [Jupiter-Venus]
October 28th, 2015 [Jupiter-Venus, Mars unite in a 1 degree triangular massing] in 2016.
October 29th, 2015 [Mercury -Spica in Virgo]
Nov. 2-3rd, 2015 [Venus-Mars]
We can see from this list that the sky was thick with heavenly signs leading up to and including the Final Super Blood Moon of the 2014-2015 Blood Moon Tetrad.
As there were 3 Jupiter-Venus Conjunctions marking the birth of Christ in 3-2 BC, so this triple union of Jupiter-Venus aligned with Regulus in Leo, reflects a similar spiritual light in 2015. In fact the Rev. 12 heavenly sign: the [Sun clothing Virgo with the Crescent Moon at her feet] on September 17th, 2015 is announced by Mercury-Gabriel located just outside the womb area of Virgo above Spica/Al Zimach, 2 years in advance of the repeat of the Great Wonder in Heaven, on Sept. 23rd 2017! However, there will be more heavenly signs involving Jupiter-Venus after this, leading to the birthing of Jupiter in retrograde motion in Virgo. As we compare Jupiter’s retrograde in 2017, with Jupiter’s movements at the birth of Christ, we find some interesting correlations. First, it was the planet Jupiter that led the Magi to Jerusalem in search of the Promised seed. In [Matt. 2:2,9] the Magi saw Jupiter [his star in the east; G395-Anatole] meaning “in the rising.”2 Jupiter’s annual activities including its retrograde motion, began according to Dr. Earnest Martin, on Dec. 25th in 2 BC. As Dr. Martin states:
“Jupiter arrived at its ordinary time for retrogression and it became stationary among the stars. But this time something unusual happened. In 2 BC as viewed from Jerusalem, Jupiter came to its normal stationary position directly over Bethlehem on December 25th…not only that, the planet assumed its stationary position while in the middle of the Constellation of Virgo, the Virgin.“ 6 Thus, according to Martin, the same astronomical movement that initiated Jupiter’s 3 Conjunctions with Regulus, its annual retrogression, or retrograde motion would have caused Jupiter to stand still in the heavens for about six days near the intersection of the ecliptic and the Meridian mid-body in Virgo. This occurred in week of the celebration of the Feast of Dedication in December of 2 BC. 3
As there were 3 Jupiter-Venus Conjunctions marking the birth of Christ in 3-2 BC, so this triple union of Jupiter-Venus aligning with Regulus in Leo, reflected a similar spiritual light in 2015. In fact the Rev. 12 heavenly sign: the [Sun clothing Virgo with the Crescent Moon at her feet] on September 17th, 2015 is announced by Mercury-Gabriel located just outside the womb area of Virgo united with Spica/Al Zimach, on this day 2 years in advance of the rewind of the Great Wonder in Heaven, on Sept. 23rd 2017! There were however added heavenly signs involving Jupiter-Venus in the next 2 years, leading up to the birthing of Jupiter in retrograde motion in Virgo’s womb in 2017. The July 17th, Venus-Regulus conjunction referred to above, started a series of planets including Jupiter, Venus and Mercury, all uniting with the King Star over the next 4 months. To understand the significance of Regulus with the birth of Christ, a primary Messianic prophecy must be considered from Genesis 49 concerning the Lion of Judah.
The Lion of the Tribe of Judah
Genesis 49:8-10
8 “Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be
on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s children shall bow down before you.
9 Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him?
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
These verses break down the maturation of the Lion of Judah, from lion cub, to adult Lion, to aged Lion. The specific relationship of this prophecy with the triple conjunction of Jupiter-Regulus in 3-2 BC was presented as part of my DVD Seminar on the Biblical Astronomy of the Birth of Christ, in the segment provided below. This can also be found on my You-tube channel, with other uniquely informative segments laying out the biblical details and astronomical secrets of the Birth of Christ. Please take a few moments to watch this video segment disclosing unique details of this biblical record.
As we just saw in the video above, the prophecies of Balaam in Numbers corresponding to the Jacob’s prophecies in Genesis 49, because they not only both deal with the destiny of Jacob/Israel in general, but they prophesy of the Promised Seed Jesus Christ specifically. The following verses from Numbers reflect the significance of Balaam’s prophecies related to Israel, in an astronomical context.
Numbers 23:19-24.
19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
20 Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.
21 “He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, Nor has He seen wickedness in Israel.
The Lord his God is with him, And the shout of a King is among them.
22 God brings them out of Egypt; He has strength like a wild ox.
23 “For there is no sorcery against Jacob, Nor any divination against Israel.
It now must be said of Jacob and of Israel, ‘Oh, what God has done!’
24 Behold, the people rise up as a great lion, And lifts himself up like a young lion;
He shall not lie down until it devours the prey, And drinks the blood of the slain.”
The “Shout of a King” here is a direct Messianic prophecy of Christ in verse 21. The references to the 3 stages of the lion’s growth in verse 24 ties into the next chapter in Numbers 24, and relates directly to Gen. 49:8-10.
Numbers 24:9-18
9 ‘He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him?’[a]
“Blessed is he who blesses you, And cursed is he who curses you.”
10 Then Balak’s anger was aroused against Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and look, you have bountifully blessed them these three times!
11 Now therefore, flee to your place. I said I would greatly honor you, but in fact, the Lord has kept you back from honor.”
12 So Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not also speak to your messengers whom you sent to me, saying,
13 ‘If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord,
to do good or bad of my own will. What the Lord says, that I must speak’?
14 And now, indeed, I am going to my people. Come, I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the latter days.”
Num. 24:2 Balaam saw Israel abiding in their tents according to their tribes…
Balaam’s Fourth Prophecy
15 So he took up his oracle and said: “The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor, And the utterance of the man whose eyes are opened;
16 The utterance of him who hears the words of God, And has the knowledge of the Most High,
Who sees the vision of the Almighty, Who falls down, with eyes wide open:
17 “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob;
A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult.[b]
18 “And Edom shall be a possession; Seir also, his enemies, shall be a possession, While Israel does valiantly.
19 Out of Jacob One shall have dominion, And destroy the remains of the city.”
These “star and scepter” prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus’ Birth, Ministry, Resurrection and Ascension, but his kingdom yet remains to be established, when all the Lord’s enemies will become his possession. The Star of the Messiah in Num. 24:17 is linked to Jupiter-the Scepter, since it was the King planet that the Magi saw “in the east,” [Matt. 2:2] or in [heliacal] rising, that led the Magi to the Promised Seed. In the King planet’s regular 12-year [11.86 year] orbit around the Sun, Jupiter also enters the constellation Leo every 12 years. With every 7th cycle of Jupiter’s 12-year visitation to Leo, Jupiter shares 2 unions with Regulus, translating into 2 Jupiter-Regulus triple conjunctions every 83 years; [11.86 x 7=83.02]. These are based on the retrograde motion of Jupiter which appears from earth to crown or circle the King Star on these occasions. As a testament to the Creator’s 7-fold temporal order written in the heavens, when seven of these 83 year Jupiter cycles are calculated, we arrive at a total of 581 years, or 7 x (7×12). The helical rising of Jupiter with Regulus also occurs once every 83 years, during Jupiter’s regular visits to Leo. However, the King Planet does not normally share a triple conjunction with Regulus except when Jupiter is in retrograde motion. As it happens, we were approaching one of Jupiter’s normal unions with Regulus on August 11th, 2015. It has been determined that the birth of Christ took place during the seventh 83-year cycle, and on the seventh cycle of Jupiter’s seven 83-year cycles. This also coincided with the first day of the holiest 7th month on the Hebrew Calendar, Sept. 11th 3 BC. This first day of Tishri was also Rosh Hashannah/Hebrew New Year’s Day, when all the Kings of Israel and Judah calculated the start of their respective reigns regardless of when they actually began. With Jesus Christ as the King of Kings, it is fitting that he should be born on this key day in the 7th and holiest month on the Creator’s divine Calendar, that also holds the 7th Feast of the Lord, the Feast of Tabernacles; [Lev. 23, Luke 1-2].
With a proper Biblical, historical and astronomical perspective of the heavenly signs surrounding the birth of Christ, we can take a detailed comparative look at the heavenly signs highlighted during the 2014-2015 Blood Moon Tetrad. In the graphic below we can see Jupiter, Regulus and Venus formed a large celestial triangle on the western horizon after sundown, which draws closer together with the approach of August 2015. We also find a cluster of signs from the 5th to the 11th of August all around Regulus in Leo. As these planets take their turn in pairs, they each get their chance to dance with the King Star Regulus.
With this emphasis on Regulus it focuses attention on Gen. 49:10, where the “Lawgiver from between the feet “[Regel–Hebrew root word for “Regulus,”] wields the power of his everlasting royal Scepter-Jupiter. The same Hebrew word “scepter” is utilized in both Gen. 49:10 and Num. 24:17, as the authority of the King of Kings, delivered to him who rules the nations with a rod of iron forever. With this planetary line-up paying homage to the King Star-Regulus, it affords those with eyes to see and ears to hear, strong hope for the arrival of the King and his Kingdom of Righteousness. Listed below is the planetary roll-call of suitors for Regulus and the Lion of Zion from July to October 2015, closing out the Blood Moon Tetrad of 2014-2015.
Plate 1. Jupiter and Mercury with Regulus in Leo 8-6-2015
July 17th, 2015 [Venus-Regulus]
The Bright and Morning Star with the King Star
August 5th 2015 [Venus-Mercury in Leo]
The Messenger Planet Mercury-Gabriel and the Bright and Morning Star in Leo
August 6th, 2015 [Regulus-Jupiter-Mercury in Leo]
The King Planet and the King Star announced by the Messenger Planet Mercury-Gabriel
August 7th [Jupiter-Mercury in Leo]
The King Planet and the Messenger Planet Mercury-Gabriel. As the fastest moving planet in its orbit around the Sun, Mercury will close its triangle with Jupiter-Regulus on the 6th of August, until it reaches close union with Jupiter the King Planet on the 7th. Later that same day Mercury reached close conjunction with Regulus-the King Star, forming the tightest of celestial triangles, in the Lion of Judah.
August 7th [Mercury-Regulus in Leo]
The Messenger Planet Mercury-Gabriel and the King Star
August 11th 2015 [Jupiter-Regulus in Leo]
King Planet and King Star
October 8th, 2015 [Venus-Regulus in Leo]
Bright and Morning Star and King Star
This impressive parade of planets on the dance card with the King Star-Regulus in August of 2015, gets our attention as it contributes to our understanding not only of the Jupiter-Regulus triple conjunctions marking the birth of Christ, related to the Rev. 12 sign in Virgo, but also how these signs apply to the victorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ in Glory, as seen in the context of the culmination and climax of the Blood Moon Tetrad of 2014-2015.
Footnotes
1. Strong’s Concordance, H3556-kowkab, James Strong
2. Ibid, G395-Anatole
3. The Star that Astonished the World, Dr. Earnest Martin