Author: Rene Fretz

My first interest in Biblical Astronomy was sparked during the study of the celestial signs surrounding the Birth of Christ in the late 70's and early 80's. This grew into a greater interest in Astronomy, resulting in numerous studies, clubs and activities as an amateur astronomer. Starting around 2003 I began working on the Try-God website, as a venue to publish my various articles and studies in Biblical Astronomy, which in the last 10 years, has garnered interest from an audience around the globe. With renewed effort and energy, we are expanding on our initial efforts with the website, for a more effective outreach to our growing audience.

The Heart of the Magi [Part 2]

Sun of Righteousness

The Heart of the Magi [Part 2]

Happy New Year and God’s Abundant Blessings to everyone in 2017!

In our last blog post in December of 2016, we recalled how the Magi followed the Star of the Messiah-Jupiter to Jerusalem and then Bethlehem. This study will expand on that basis as Part 2 of the study on the Heart of the Magi. We begin here in Matthew, and take a look at some deeper aspects of theses first verses of chapter 2.

Matt. 2:1-2
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ²and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

Verse 1 says the “Magi from the east,” in the Greek east is [G393-anatole] or in the rising, refers to the Sun or a star rising 1 in this and related forms of this word. In this case in verse 2 when the Magi saw His Star-Jupiter rising, it is the same word anatole, where the King Planet first in the Summer of 3 BC, rose in the pre-dawn eastern skies leading the magi to Jerusalem [Matt. 2:9]. It is interesting how the God’s Word uses this word anatole and in another form; [G395] anatello: to cause to rise, 2 referring both to the astronomical light of the rising Jupiter, to lead the Magi to the Spiritual light of the World-the Promised Seed Jesus Christ. We find an example of this in Luke 1, initially referring to John the Baptist, whom Jesus called a “burning and shining light,” [Jn. 5:35] in verse 76.

Luke 1:76-79

⁷⁶And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; ⁷⁷To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, ⁷⁸Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, ⁷⁹To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

The word for “Dayspring” from on high-or heaven above is also anatole, and the next verse reveals some of the mission statement of deliverance that the Son of God, the Prince of Peace would bring to the Earth. The light that Jesus embodies to all mankind is compared to the sunrise many times in the Gospels and Epistles; [Matt. 5:45, 13:6, 17:2, Luke 2:32, Jn. 8:12, 12:3, 5-6, Acts 9:3, 2 Cor. 4:4-6, Pet. 1:19]. Just as the light of Jupiter guided the feet of the Magi to the Prince of Peace and the way of peace, so Jesus will do for all those who believe on his name for the light of salvation. Another verse along this line is found in Matthew 4.

The Magi’s Caravan entering Jerusalem.

Image result for persian magi images

Matt. 4:12-17
12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; ¹³And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: ¹⁴That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, ¹⁵The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;

¹⁶The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. ¹⁷From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

In verse 16 above the word for “sprung up” is also anatello, which again links the astronomical light to the spiritual light of Christ, revealed when he began his preaching on the Kingdom of Heaven. His apostles and disciples expected Jesus to bring his kingdom into fruition as part of his ministry to Israel, but because the kingdom and king were rejected by Israel, the Age of Grace followed, providing the Gentile nations access to the spiritual body Christ. As the Lord Jesus Christ has embodied the deliverance and light and to all who sat in darkness, the believers are able to escape the bondage of the enemy’s kingdom of darkness.

The Caravan of the Magi

Image result for persian magi images

2 Cor. 4:3-6

³But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: ⁴In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. ⁵For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus‘ sake. ⁶For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

It is only in the deliverance brought by the Lord Jesus Christ that empowers us to escape death. In I Cor. 15 below we find a comparison of Astronomical light with Spiritual light that expands on what we have already seen in the Journey of the Magi.

I Cor. 15:40-50
⁴⁰There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. ⁴¹There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. ⁴²So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: ⁴³It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: ⁴⁴It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. ⁴⁵And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. ⁴⁶Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. ⁴⁷The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. ⁴⁸As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. ⁴⁹And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. ⁵⁰Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

Even as the astronomical Light of His Star-Jupiter lead to and is compared to the spiritual light of Christ, so the glory of the celestial bodies is compared to the spiritual glory we will see in the resurrection. We also find this comparison expressed in the banner of this blog post in Malachi 4 below.

^{I Cor. 15:51-58

51}Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵²In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. ⁵⁵O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? ⁵⁶The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. ⁵⁷But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁵⁸Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

John 8:12
¹²Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

As Jesus himself said-He is the Light of the World and even as we bear witness of his light who would lighten the Gentiles [Lk. 2:32] so our labor will not be in vain in the Lord. To only bear his light is truly reward enough, yet the Heavenly Father showers us with everlasting blessings and rewards as we do. As we mentioned above concerning Malachi 4;

²But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. ³And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.

Here the light of the Sun is compared to the light of Christ in prophecy, even as a light brighter than the Sun was seen on the mount of Transfiguration-in the face of Jesus Christ.

As we carry this message into the New Year 2017 we will see the signs, miracles and wonders that accompany the believers walking in the power of the holy spirit.

God Bless!

Footnotes

1. Strong’s Concordance, James Strong [G393] Anatole

2. Strong’s Concordance, James Strong [G395] Anatello

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The Heart of the Magi

Birth of Jesus Christ

Biblical Astronomy of the Birth of Christ

This final message during Christmas weekend of our December 2016 blog is a Big Thank You to all of our new and longer standing readers and supporters. We have some exciting and unique products set to launch in 2017 and we will keep you updated on these events!

During this season of Holiday Cheer, those of us who realize that Christ was NOT born on Dec. 25th, wonder if there is any Biblical significance to the remembrance of the birth of Christ at this time of year. Since much of the information on this blog and website shows proof of Christ’s birth on September 11th, 3 BC, we have documented that the Magi did not arrive in Jerusalem until December of 2 BC as the gospel of Matthew records;

Matt. 2:1-2
2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ²and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

What Star did the Magi see that led them to Jerusalem? It was the King planet Jupiter that in 7-6 BC was involved in a triple conjunction of Jupiter-Saturn in Pisces, that served as a “Celestial Prelude” to the triple conjunction of Jupiter-Regulus in 3-2 BC, marking the birth of Jesus Christ. The Magi were astronomer- kings from the eastern land of Persia, who upon observing Jupiter’s movements, got started on their intrepid journey across about 900 miles of hostile desert territory towards Jerusalem. They did not arrive until December of the next year, when King Herod organized a meeting with his chief priests and teachers of the law.

Matt. 2:3-8
³When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.⁵“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

⁶“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”

⁷Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

As the record denotes King Herod was not interested in “worshiping” Jesus, since he had all the children two years and under killed in Bethlehem. He would not have done this unless the exact time the star appeared to the Magi was close to the start of this 2-year time frame. The gospel also tells us the Magi found a “young child; paidion” in a House, not a new-born; brephos in a manger or Inn when they arrived, [Matt. 2:11]. This is why God warned the Magi of Herod’s treachery in a dream to avoid Herod and take a different route to return to their homeland.

Matt.2:9-10
⁹After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

The King Planet Jupiter guided the hearts of the Magi to be among the first Gentiles to recognize the only begotten Son of God, as it halted in retrograde motion over Jerusalem and Bethlehem-a few miles to the south. The banner heading this blog post shows the skies with Jupiter standing still in Virgo over Bethlehem, during the winter solstice when the Sun, the light of the world was also standing still.
What a joy and thrilling time this was for the Magi to follow with precision, the stars and planets as the Creator set them in their orbits and celestial stations, to find the Promised Seed. Jupiter as “His Star” led the Magi to the Messiah’s dawning day, opening a way through the principles of Biblical Astronomy to the Redeemer-the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Apostles led by Peter, were also eyewitnesses to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ as he opened and served his ministry to Israel, which was validated in a mandate from Heaven with audible words from the Almighty.

Image result for mount of transfiguration pictures

2 Peter 1:16-19

¹⁶For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” ¹⁸We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. ¹⁹We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

The miracles of this Scriptural account of the birth of Christ fulfilled the grand purposes of the Almighty through His only begotten Son, to redeem mankind from the clutches of the adversary. The emphasis here is that the Truth of God’s Word is better than any eyewitness account could ever be; God Said It, that settles it! As the light of Jesus Christ the bright and Morning Star arises in our hearts even greater than it did for the Magi, we are sealed and reserved for an ever bright eternity with our Heavenly Father, in Christ as members of the spiritual body of his Church.

As we walk in the spirit with God in Christ in us, we too are not only “warned of God” when evil is afoot from the enemy, but we have the the freedom to take every step with the Almighty through Christ, enjoying the Abundant life in our complete fellowship of body, soul and spirit; so that we are preserved blameless unto the coming and soon return of our Lord Jesus Christ, [1 Thess. 5:23].

T’is the Season to remember and honor these truths that have called and saved us from this dark and perverse world…

Footnote

1. The Transfiguration by Carl Bloch [picture Credit]

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Biblical Astronomy of the 2016-17 Comets and the Blood Moon Tetrads

2016-17 Comets and the Blood Moon Tetrads

There has been some noteworthy Comet activity in the heavens during 2016, going into 2017, relating to our previous November 2016 blog. We noted significant events in the Nov. 14th Super Moon post, which was the largest Super-Moon since the 1948 Super-Moon, preceding the Blood Moon Tetrad of 1949-50. We should also realize that other heavenly signs like Comets were prominent during this time, with Israel re-forming as a nation-state for the first time in nearly 2000 years.

The 1948 Comet-called the “Eclipse Comet” was a spectacular sight approaching the Sun during the first week of November with a total solar eclipse. This eclipse occurred after Sukkot week at sundown Nov. 1st, leading into the 8th month- Rosh Chodesh Chesvan. It was first noticed as a brilliant object about 2 degrees southwest of the Sun during the total solar eclipse on November 1st, mag. about -2, with a 20 degree tail. Its southwest path through Hydra during November and December as a 2nd magnitude object with a tail up to 30 degrees long, was visible mainly in the Southern and low Northern latitudes. This 1948 Eclipse Comet appeared near the eclipsed sun as if the Sun was holding a sword. With its position passing through Hydra-the Serpent destroyed, this sword was raised against the serpent-enemy persecuting Israel. As a prelude to the 1949-50 Blood Moon Tetrad, this Eclipse Comet brought attention to the luni-solar Eclipse Tetrads that would also take place in 1967-68 marking Israel’s re-taking of Jerusalem, along with the Blood Moon Tetrad of 2014-2015.

The Comet theme is not only consistent with the message of our previous November blog post on the Comets in Perseus, but also throughout 2016 going forward into 2017. Our December blog post will summarize the Comet activity through the year and give us a preview of Comet activity we can expect going into the New Year. The first Comet we will look at in Fig. 1 below is known as Catalina.

Figure 1. Path of Comet Catalina

Comet Catalina [C/2013 US10] is an Oort Cloud Comet that became visible to the naked eye around November 24th 2015, after coming to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on 15 November, just after the conclusion of the 2014-215 Blood Moon Tetrad. In Figure 2 below we can see Venus just prior to its Lunar Occultation.

Comet Catalina was discovered in 2013 by the Catalina Sky Survey, near Tucson, Arizona. The Comet was joined in an a dazzling celestial triad including the waning Crescent Moon and Venus in December 2015.

Figure 2. Venus on the Edge of the Moon.

Venus was seen just to the left- above the Moon, so bright in the sky it was visible to the naked eye in daylight. Around 12:30 p.m., the brilliant light of Venus the bright and Morning Star was covered by the Moon in an occultation, reemerging on from the lunar dark side a few hours later.

Comet Catalina is seen below in Fig. 3 moving northward through Virgo near Spica.

Looking southeast to left of the brightest planet Venus, about an hour before sunrise, Venus the bright and Morning Star, was near the star Spica in the constellation Virgo, very easy to see, out-shining the Comet like a laser beam.

Above Venus is the the-dimmer red planet Mars–Michael signifying the presence of the Warrior Arch-Angel. Also higher up in Virgo-is Jupiter the King Planet, forming a December Planetary Alignment as Jupiter heads towards Virgo’s womb, in the late Summer and Fall of 2017.

Figure 3. Virgo Planetary Alignment with Comet Catalina

On the Morning of Dec. 7th the comet paired with Venus and the waning crescent Moon as seen from the Central US, in Virgo close to her womb. This seems to foreshadow Jupiter’s 2017 “gestation period” in Virgo’s womb. As Catalina passed north at about 1° per day, it left Virgo into Boötes on Christmas Eve, on a beeline for Arcturus on New Year’s Day, 2016-marking the New Year in a solar conjunction as the comet glided 1/2 degree southwest of the Sun, preparing us for a year of unique Comet activity. The Constellation Böötes represents the work of the Good, Great, and Chief Shepherd, laboring to enter into in the promised land resting place (H4496 menuchah, Ps. 23:2, Isa. 28:10,12; Num. 11:33) between the sheepfolds, opening the way as he leads his flocks.

Aratus’ name for Bootes is Arctophylax, ie. the guardian of Arctos, the flock of the greater fold, called today the great bear. This aligns with the name of the brightest star in Böötes, Arcturus, which was probably the name of this sign in antiquity [Job 9:9], providing a conclusive link with the celestial shepherd and his flocks. It is intriguing to see Draco the dragon depicted below, as winding his way down between these two flocks in the northern skies, with the lower coils of his tail under the star Thuban, the archaic pole star.

After the comet came closest to Earth at 66.9 million miles, on Jan. 12, 2016, the Comet swept just 1° north of the star Alkaid, at the tip of the Big Dipper’s handle, on January 14–15. Two days later it sped by the double star Mizar in the handle’s bend, as a magnitude 5 object. [see Fig. 1] After a fairly slow start in Virgo, the comet raced across the sky, becoming a circumpolar object in Ursa Major by mid-January. Then around Jan. 21st Comet Catalina crossed into Draco cutting thru the dragon’s Tail near the North Pole. Sky & Telescope

Figure 4. Comet Panstarrs in Pisces.

A few months after Catalina faded out of naked eye visibility, Comet C/2013X1 (PanSTARRS) stepped onto the stellar stage. Figure 4 above shows Comet PanStarrs moving through Pisces in mid-March near the Pegasus Square. It was seen with the Crescent Moon during this time, with a minimum Earth distance of about 1/2 AU through June 2016. This New Crescent Moon was significant this year as it followed a Total Solar Eclipse 3 days prior on March 9th, 2016 that was also Nisan 1 on the Hebrew Calendar. This was the first of four luni-solar eclipses on Hebrew feast and holy days in 2016, as a follow-up to the Blood Moon Tetrad of 2014-15. The second of these Eclipses was a Penumbral Lunar Eclipse on Passover 3/23/2016, that was also Nisan 14, the very day of Christ’s crucifixion in 28 AD. It is noteworthy first that the four luni-solar eclipses in 2016 mirror luni-solar eclipses marking the Romans destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem in 70 AD. Secondly, Comet Panstarrs in Pisces represents Israel-the Redeemed.

Other comets capturing our interest this month into 2017 include 45P/ Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova in January of 2017, depicted in Figure 5.

Figure 5. Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova in Capricorn.

This Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova should brighten quickly from mid-December into early January as it moves across Capricorn low in the southwestern sky at dusk. Capricorn the Goat calls attention to the perfect Sacrifice of Jesus Christ as he laid down his life for our sins, once and for all, enshrined at Passover. As we head towards the Spring of 2017, another Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak in March 2017, will attract our attention. These are the Comets with a greater potential of being visible to the naked eye in 2017, with the possibility of being close to Earth during these times.

Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak may also reach naked-eye visibility (magnitude +6) in Ursa Major in early April 2017. The comet has a history of outbursts. When Comet 41P/T-G-K passes closest to Earth (0.14 AU) in late March, it rushes across the circumpolar constellations Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, and Draco. The comet’s path in April and May takes it across the Tail and in front of the Head of the Dragon Draco @ the North Pole. Like Comet Catalina it cuts thru the dragon’s tail, but Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresakalso also slices through the neck of the dragon removing its Head. This appears a precursor of the Great Dragon’s coming destruction as described in Revelation with five names:

Rev. 12:9 “⁹The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who deceives the whole world.

All this circumpolar Comet activity going into 2017 is indicative of the disasters that will be inflicted against the Dragon and his minions, in the coming judgment of the world.

Figure 6. Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak

A point of interest here is that one of the namesakes of this comet [Giacobini] was also linked with the parent comet the spawned the meteor shower leading up to the birth of Christ on Sept. 11th, 3 BC. The excerpt below is from my study [www.try-god.com] the Introduction to the Jupiter-Regulus Conjunctions.

“R.H. Allen adds that; “the conclusion of the verse [Rev. 12:4] “did cast them to the earth,” would show a possible reference to meteors.”⁶ This is the earliest reference in print I have found that ties a potential Meteor shower to this section of Revelation 12. This Meteor shower that originates from the tail of Draco, the cast down dragon, is linked to its parent comet, known today as the Giacobini-Zinner Comet. Traditionally comets have been viewed as omens of disaster, perhaps another ironic twist from the Heavenly Father to mark the fall of the archaic morning star with a celestial sign pointing out the dragon’s own disastrous end. As we noted with the previous Comet Catalina, the lunar Occultation of Venus was also apparent leading to Christ’s birth from September 9th to the 12th. The Eta-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.”6

To add to this heightened show of recent comets, according to scientific data regarding incoming Oort cloud comets, they appear to be originating from one localized point of the Oort cloud. This indicates not random influence, but an unidentified specific object, as the cause of comets or asteroids potentially being knocked from their Oort cloud orbits and sent on altered trajectories towards the Earth.

On November 8th, 2016, Earth had a close encounter with a sizable asteroid. The asteroid, designated 2005 YU55, shot by Earth at a distance of about 200,000 miles, just this side of the lunar orbit. Obviously, asteroids have come this close to the Earth before, but not 400 meters in diameter since 1976, and these scientists tell us its likely not to happen again until 2028. Its interesting to note that the “fly-by” traffic in our part of the inner solar system started getting heavier around September 2015, at the conclusion of the 2014-2015 Blood Moon Tetrad.

In summary something may have disturbed an area of the Oort cloud recently, sending a stream of first time comets and asteroids hurtling in our direction that are now starting to arrive. What could have knocked these Oort cloud objects out of their orbits? Perhaps a distant planet from the outer solar system like the mysterious Planet X/Nibiru. We have also heard rumors of a red-brown dwarf star headed our way, or is it a star like Nemesis passing very close to, or even, breaching our solar system? Whatever form it takes it resembles what John described in Rev. 8:8-12.

Rev. 8:8-12
⁸The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, ⁹a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

¹⁰The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water— ¹¹the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.

¹²The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.

This is only part of the wrath that will be visited upon the inhabitants of the earth, during this quickly approaching judgment. The Christian believers as members of the spiritual body of Christ will already be seated with Christ in heaven during this time, so if you want to enjoy the eternal abundant blessings of Christ, with God the Father, you must come to him to receive your inheritance. [Romans 10:9-10]

God Bless!

Biblical Astronomy of the Super-Moon on November 14th, 2016

Biblical Astronomy of the November 14th, 2016 Supermoon

This month’s Super-Moon should provide two good nights of observation depending on local cloud cover and other observing conditions; Sunday evening close to sunset, 11-13-16 and the following Monday evening on 11-14-16. We’ve seen Super-Moons before — this will be the second in a series of three this fall. But the full moon that peaks on Monday, November 14 will be closer to Earth than any other since 1948. According to astronomers, the next full Super-Moon on November 14 will be the largest and brightest since January 26, 1948, and a full moon will not appear closer to Earth until November 25, 2034. There hasn’t been a full moon like this one in nearly seventy years.

What makes this Super-Moon appear so large to us? Scientifically its known as a “perigree moon” referring to when the moon approaches the closest point in its earthly orbit. Also, when a Perigree Moon combines with the full moon, it appears a more magnified, and super lit moon. NASA says the Nov. 14th Super-Moon will appear 30 percent brighter and 14 percent larger than a typical full moon.

We witnessed a Super-Moon just last year finishing the 2014-2015 Blood Moon Tetrad on Sukkot- September 28, 2015, as seen in the graphic below. This followed a Partial Solar Eclipse as we noted in our August 2015 Blog. Although this year’s November Super-Moon is not linked with a Blood Moon Tetrad, there was a Tetrad of Eclipses on Hebrew Feasts and Holidays in 2016 as we summarized in our Sept. 2016 Blog. Also the last time there were 3 consecutive Super-Moons was in July, August and September of 2014 which opened the 2014-2015 Blood Moon Tetrad, providing some super-moon symmetry to this tetrad. When the Moon as Earth’s primary natural satellite is closest in its lunar orbit, its presence can serve as a reminder or heavenly sign of Jesus’ intimate presence since the Moon symbolizes Jesus the Son reflecting the image of His Father, even as the moon reflects the sun-light.” As [II Cor. 4:4-6] tells us;

⁴The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ⁵For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”^[a] made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

The excerpt below provides important context for a fuller understanding of this month’s Super Moon.

[Joel 2:31, Matthew 24:29-34, Mark 13:24, Acts 2:20].

There have only been eight Blood Moon Tetrads since the Ascension of Christ. The modern Blood Moon Lunar Tetrads have consistently happened on Passover and Tabernacles – the first and last of the 7 Biblical feasts, and have always been indicative of persecution and/or war for Israel. These Alpha and Omega heavenly signs linked to the Hebrew Feasts are notable also because they emphasize the entire set of 7 key feasts marking the first and last holy days with the Blood Moons. They have emphasized the order of these feasts in history related to prophecy and the Return of Christ. There is also a long standing Jewish tradition linking the Second Coming of Jesus Christ with the Feast of Tabernacles, since Christ will finally “Tabernacle among us.” During the last 2000 years of the Age of Grace, Israel has been dispersed and persecuted among the Gentile nations, yet the Almighty has protected them even though Israel did not keep God’s Feasts as a unified body. Since the Nation of Israel was reformed in 1948, the Heavenly Father has consistently reminded Israel of His providential protection, restoring them in stages. The Blood Moon Lunar Tetrads and Solar Eclipses have served to mark these feasts, with specific acts of God’s deliverance and restoration that brought Israel back together as a nation, retaking Jerusalem as their holiest capital city. As the citizens of Israel have shared in their national restoration, they have also re-awakened to recognizing the Heavenly Father, and His perpetual Feasts. The Blood Moon Lunar Tetrad and Solar Eclipses, have stood out because they are linked to Hebrew Feast and holy days. The Creator views these convocations as His Feasts. These perpetual feasts are designed for humanity to honor the Almighty as the ultimate Source of Light, Life and Love in Creation.

The previous Blood Moon Tetrad to 2014-2015 took place in 1967-68, the year of the miraculous Six-Day War when Jerusalem and the Temple Mount were re-captured. Prior to that was the 1949-50 Tetrad, just after Israel became a nation in 1948. These were major prophetic milestones fulfilling many Biblical predictions of God’s restoration of Israel. These highly significant events were marked in the heavens, not only by the 1948 Super-Moon, but also tetrad Blood Moons of Soli-Lunar Eclipses. We should also beware that other heavenly signs like Comets were prominent during this time. These time frames, 1967 and 1948, are two of the most important periods in all history marking and fulfilling end-times prophecy.

2. Palestine Post

The 1948 Comet-called the “Eclipse Comet” was a spectacular sight approaching the Sun during the first week of November with a total solar eclipse. This eclipse occurred after Sukkot week at sundown Nov. 1st, leading into the 8th month- Rosh Chodesh Chesvan holy day. Its period of naked eye visibility extended from Nov. 1 to Dec. 20. It was first noted as a brilliant object about 2 degrees southwest of the Sun during the total solar eclipse on November 1st, mag. about -2. It was re-discovered in the morning twilight of November 4th as an object of zero to 1st magnitude with a 20 degree tail. Its southwest path through Hydra during November and December as a 2nd magnitude object with a tail up to 30 degrees long, was visible mainly in the Southern and low Northern latitudes. This 1948 eclipse comet appeared near the eclipsed sun as if it was holding a sword. With its position passing through Hydra-the serpent destroyed, this sword was raised against the serpent-enemy persecuting Israel. This imagery is consistent with the message of our previous blog post this month on the Comets in Perseus.

3. Astronomy Blog- Anurua Guruge

The Nov. 14th Super-Moon, being the largest Super-Moon since 1948, is a special sign concerning the restoration of Israel promised in Scripture prophecy. These heavenly signs are warnings that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is imminent, according to the Hebrew Jubilee Calendar. What follows is from our May 2016 Archive Blog Post on the Judah Ben Samuel’s Jubilee Prophecies.

“From 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 Jubilee just completed from September 2015 to the fall of 2016, God is at work restoring His Blessings to Israel in stages. The Temple Mount seems like the next logical stage of this restoration process, along with the nations attempt to divide the land of Israel.

In Israel’s War of Independence against five Islamic nations, Jerusalem remained a “divided city.” The Jordanian government controlled the eastern part of Jerusalem including the Temple Mount and the Old City of Jerusalem. A strip of land divided Israeli control of Western Jerusalem and Jordanian run East Jerusalem. This strip of land was called “No-Man’s Land” by both Israelis and Jordanians. After the 6-Day War, on June 17, 1967, the Israeli Army controlled the entire West Bank and all of Jerusalem was returned to their possession, 750 years after Judah Ben Samuel made this prediction, these events fulfilled all the conditions of the prophecy. Then came the Rabbi’s last piece of his prediction:

“In the ninth Jubilee, Jerusalem will once again come back into the possession of the Jewish nation – which will signify the beginning of the Messianic end time.”

As we have already seen with our opening verses in Luke 21:24-33, Jesus’ prophecy relating to Jerusalem being over-run by the Gentiles sets the context for the heavenly signs of the Sun, Moon and Stars of the end times. Scholars and Blood Moon enthusiasts have focused on the luni-solar signs, but have neglected their relation to Jerusalem. To understand this better, lets look at added evidence of this in Joel 2 setting the table for Joel 3.

Joel 2:30-32

³⁰And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. ³¹The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come. ³²And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.

This is one of the main “Blood Moon Prophecies” that occurs prior to the victorious return of the Lord, both FOR and WITH his Saints. These verses at the end of Joel 2 provide the immediate context for the prophecy relating to Jerusalem and the Gog-Magog alliance of Gentile nations we can see in current events gathering around Jerusalem setting the stage for coming final battle of Armageddon at the start of Joel 3.

Joel 3:1-2
1 “For behold, in those [climactic] days and at that time,
When I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
²I will gather together all the [Gentile] nations [that were hostile to My people]
And bring them down into the Valley of Jehoshaphat (the Lord has judged).
And there I will deal with them and enter into judgment with them there
For [their treatment of] My people, My inheritance, Israel,
Whom they have scattered among the nations,
And [because] they have encroached on My land and divided it up.

The sensational focus on the Blood Moon phenomena, not only in Christianity but also in the secular media, has detracted from the reason for the Blood Moon Tetrads in the first place, which is the disposition of Jerusalem and specifically the Temple Mount that determines the final stages of God’s deliverance of Israel and the Church-the Body of Christ. The fact that we have completed the Blood Moon Tetrad of 2014-2015, and the Shemitah/Jubilee of 5776/2016 with four more solar and lunar eclipses on Hebrew Feasts, indicating that we are in a final period forewarning of the victorious Return of the Lord Jesus Christ, closing out world history. Do the events of the US Presidential Election have any bearing on this scenario?

Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal published an article entitled “Obama’s Israel Surprise?” which warned that Obama “may try to force a diplomatic resolution for Israel and the Palestinians at the United Nations” before the end of his term.

The options that Obama is reportedly considering include; “a resolution formally recognizing a Palestinian state.” The following comes from CNS News:

The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that according to administration sources, “the White House has asked the State Department to develop an options menu for the president’s final weeks.”

It said the possibilities could include supporting – or not vetoing – a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements; or a resolution formally recognizing a Palestinian state, or setting “parameters” for a final settlement of the long dispute.

With this week’s defeat of Hillary Clinton in the US Presidential elections Obama knows that his time is short to “leave a legacy” in the Middle East, and seemingly at this point the only chance he may have to get something accomplished is at the United Nations.

Obama’s last day in office is scheduled to be Jan. 20, and so he is up against a deadline. Prior to the election he may have been more hesitant to act because he didn’t want to interfere with Hillary Clinton’s pre-supposed re-election, but after her defeat this week he sees the preservation of his “legacy” slipping away, which could embolden him towards potential action at the U.N.

Perhaps that is why the Obama administration recently told the Palestinians to wait till after the elections for something to get done at the U.N.

On the surface, the latest message to the Palestinian Authority from the Obama administration is no different from the past two decades of American policy: the U.S. will veto any resolution attacking Israel or demanding Palestinian independence without them first making peace with the Jewish state. As reported in Haaretz there was one significant caveat to the warning. They were told not to push for any such resolution until after the presidential election.

The rest of the U.N. Security Council has been ready to pass a resolution formally establishing a Palestinian state for a long time. The only thing holding it back has been the U.S. veto power. Thus, the fate of the land of Israel at the U.N appears to be under the influence of Barack Obama, and he only has until Jan. 20 to make his final decision.

If we do see the land of Israel divided at the United Nations, as prophesied in Joel 3:2 above, then we can certainly see the final stages being set for God’s Judgment on the nations arraying themselves against Israel. Thus we should keep a watchful eye on Obama and the U.N. Security Council as he finishes out the “lame duck” days of his second term ending Jan. 20 2017.

We truly do live in critical times, and the events of the next several weeks could go a long way in shaping the events of the near future, paving the way to the Lord Jesus Christ Gathering his Church. As we remain vigilant and prepared for the Lord’s return, we can spread the word to those distracted by the chaotic protests against the orderly transfer of power in this Great Country of ours-the United States of America.

God’s Abundant Blessings to all who enjoy the freedoms we have here to share God’s Word-as we guard against those dark forces who continually attempt to take them from us.

Your Watchful Servants in Christ

Footnotes

1. Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/3673732/biggest-supermoon-in-nearly-70-years-on-november-14-will-bring-jesus-second-coming-online/#tV3VK8F60AuBRKpA.99

2. Palestine Post-State of Israel 1948 [pictue credit]

3. Anura Guruge Astronomy Blog [picture credit]

4. Wall Street Journal

5. www.Charismanews.com/opinion/61040-the-biggest-supermoon-since-israel-became-a-nation-in-1948-will-happen-6-days-after-the-election

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