Biblical Cosmology and the Precession of the Equinoxes

Biblical Cosmology and the Precession of the Equinoxes

Biblical Cosmology is focused on the Godly origin and structure of the Universe, viewing he laws of causality and Space-time in the context of the Creator as the First Cause. The traditional concept of the history of Cosmology reads as a timeline of the “discoveries” of the greatest scientists. Men like Ptolemy, Galileo, Copernicus, Kepler, Newton, Einstein and Hubble are the beacons of scientific progress, and certainly human science owes these men much. According to conventional history, the idea of a heliocentric “universe” or solar system, originated with the ancient Greeks, specifically Aristarchus of Samos back in the second century BC. This idea however, did not catch on in a big way until Copernicus, who while reviewing some of Aristarchus’ ideas, seized upon this concept and ran with it. He did this at his own peril due to the prevailing worldview of his time, especially that of the Roman Catholic Church, based on a geocentric view of the solar system espoused by Ptolemy, which held sway in intellectual and religious circles for over 1500 years. The graphic below from Harmonica Macrocosmica [A. Cellarius, Amsterdam 1660] depicts a Sun centered Copernican view of the cosmos.

harmonica macrocosmica

This post on Biblical Cosmology will show that the idea of a heliocentric “universe” predates the 2nd Century BC and Aristarchus, by at least 1300 years, and its genuine roots are found in the Scriptures of the Old Testament. From a strictly historical perspective, this is somewhat of a radical statement, sure to have many critics, but once the following Biblical evidence is viewed in light of the principles of Biblical Astronomy, the foundations of this statement are inescapable. The subject of this blog states the case of potential revisionist power that Biblical Astronomy can have on the conventional view of the History of Astronomy. For Christian believers, knowledge of these truths provide a key historical view of the impact of the Biblical Patriarchs on the ancient world, which has been obscured by thousands of years of Astrology, pagan myth and yes, even human science. By restoring some of the original historical luster to these heroes of the Faith, [Heb. 11] we gain a fuller perspective of their mighty stand on the truth of God’s Word, as they upheld its general precepts including the Principles of Biblical Astronomy.

Our awareness of the history of Biblical Astronomy gains new insight as we consider the Biblical context of the Patriarchal astronomers, starting with Adam regarding their view of the heavens. God’s revelation and His Intelligent design of the cosmos, was taught to Adam personally and was handed down to the Biblical Patriarchs during Adam’s 930 year life span. In the Creator’s Revelatory Astronomy, the Patriarchs viewed the polesecliptic and Equator all relative to the orientation of earth’s axis, showing an aspect of precession as part of the Creator’s plan to depict a figurative geocentric position of earth’s central importance in the firmament. The earth, is not the literal center of the firmament, but because it is the object of the light shed by the other celestial bodies [Gen. 1:14-16], it is the figurative focal point of God’s Creation as man’s garden home. This is an aspect of the idea of the Sun’s dual year, since the solar year depicts a heliocentric, or sun-centered solar system, noting it’s daily illumination from earth’s view, as the central light of heaven. Thus the key implications of precession are seen, not only in the ages decreed by the Sun’s residence in one of the 12 signs of the zodiac, but also in the Biblical message that each zodiacal sign holds in relation to the returning Promised seed-Jesus Christ.

The Earth is thus the figurative center of Creation, as the object of the three-fold celestial light shed from the heavens. The purpose and beauty of this three-fold heavenly light is to illuminate the Earth, which God initiated with the two aspects of the Sun’s annual and precessional cycles, as seen in Joseph’s two dreams in Gen. 37:6-11. Joseph’s dreams reveal the basic correspondence of the 12 signs of the zodiac with the 12 tribes of Israel, among other things. Since the ancient view and knowledge of the Solar cycles, celestial signseclipses, and asterisms were based on line-of-sight relationships, that only have meaning from an Earth-bound view,  over time this devolved into the view that the Earth was the literal center of all Creation, forming the basis of later geocentric theories, like those of Ptolemy. Similarly, as the figurative representation of the Sun as source of life, became literalized by the heathens, it resulted in the idolatrous Astrology of Sun worship inherent through much of ancient mythology and religion.

Plate I. Jupiter-Saturn Conjunction cycle

Related image

Another major influence on precession in the History of Astronomy was the Jupiter-Saturn Conjunction cycle. This was thought to open a window on the precession of the equinoxes, according to the base 60 mathematical pattern. The ancient Astronomy of numerous cultures including the Maya, Romans, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Chinese, and astronomers of ancient Egypt, calculated precession using this conjunction cycle in Pisces. The Chinese Zhuanxu Calendar is thought to have started in 1953 BC, linked with a significant predawn all-planet alignment on March 5th. According to astronomers Kevin Pang and John Bangert of the Jet Propulsion Labs, in an ancient text written by Liu Xiang [77-79 BC], this alignment took place near the Pegasus Square, [Plate II, below] between the two fish of Pisces. Pang stated: “While the beginning of a day is dawn, a five-planet conjunction occurring at dawn, with a new moon, and the start of spring would truly be the beginning of all cycles. For calendar makers, such a moment would also be an ideal starting point for counting days, months, years and planetary periods.” 1 The idea of a Jupiter-Saturn triple union taking place with a planetary alignment, indicates a possible termination point, where all solar system planetary cycles were in agreement early in their cycles. This idea agrees with Jupiter-Saturn triple unions occurring in Pisces only once every 800 years, showing how this Conjunction series subdivides the 25,920 year precessional cycle. Since 30 cycles of Jupiter-Saturn triple unions taking place in Piscestotals a period of 24,000 years, it serves to generally break down this long cycle of precession, into 2000 year ages.

Figure 1. The Precession of the Equinoxes

bi-polar world axis

There was also a greater 260year cycle based on Jupiter-Saturn Conjunctions, anciently utilized by the Mayans to break down the very long cycle of the precession of the equinoxes. Thompkins states that: the “Maya also had a cycle of 942,890 days, or 2,582 years, equlling 130 Jupiter-Saturn Conjunctions.”2

Twice this cycle [5,163 years], not only gave the equivalent of the greater 260-year cycle of Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions, but 100 of these greater 260-year cycles was equal to 26,000 years, often reckoned the length of the precession by the ancients, as seen in Figure 1 above. This agrees with evidence from Egyptian astronomy via their Dendera Zodiac.

The graphic of the Dendera Zodiac below shows the Pegasus Square, as a square scroll laid between the two Fishes, of Pisces with “Axis E” of this famed Egyptian Zodiac running through the corner of it. As we stated in our website study on the Stars of the Dendera Zodiac: the main Taurus-Scorpius Axis of this zodiac, with the Leo-Aquarius axis, match the main axes that identify the Age of Taurus in the Bible, in Numbers 24:7-9. The context of Numbers 2 shows us the order of 12 tribes of Israel in their wilderness encampment, matching the zodiacal order of the 12 signs/constellations on the ecliptic. In this way, the Dendera Zodiac not only provides key archaeological evidence that the ancient Hebrews and Egyptians both utilized a practical understanding of the precession of the equinoxes, but in the Hebrew’s case, they applied it directly to their belief in the prophecy of their coming redeemer, with Nature’s verification of their stellar gospel, in support of their Old Testament Holy Scriptures. Thus, the Zodiac of Dendera [See poster in the upper right margin of this blog Page] also provides strong supporting evidence from the history of Biblical Astronomy as to the belief in a coming redeemer, since this ancient Egyptian zodiac prophesies in very specific ways not only concerning the time he would appear, but also concerning his unique sacrifice via the very same celestial imagery utilized in the Bible. This important theme is set forth in John Lash’s realization of the presence of a 5th axis on this Zodiac, seen in Spica, the brightest star in Virgo. 3 The Hebrew name for Spica [Al Zemach]-the Branch/offspring of God, [Jer. 23:5-6] is embodied in God’s only begotten SonJesus Christ. Spica is only one of just two stars specifically marked on the Dendera Zodiac, the other being Sirius, the central star linked with the flood stages of the Nile, and the Sothic Calendar, registering one of the oldest historical calendar dates, 4241 BC. The 1461-year Sothic calendar also conforms to the 260-day pattern of the Tzolkin Calendar [260 x 1461] the same as 365.25 x 1040 days, adhering also to the pattern of Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions, as they break down the windows of the precession of the equinoxes through the ages.

Plate II. Axis “E” on the Dendera Zodiac

Lash’s comments concerning this 5th Dendera Axis are enlightening when viewed in context of the history of the Hebrew’s in ancient Egypt with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses, as a forerunner of Christ, and Lawgiver of Israel, who lead them through the wilderness unto the Promised Land. As Lash states in his unpublished
book, The Skies in Memory:

Whoever designed the Dendera Zodiac was looking ahead in time to our [Piscean] age, when the spring equinox occurs under the tail of the western fish, because this is the time that the entire cycle culminates. With the spring equinox at this position in Pisces, the axial cross locks into unique alignment with the Galaxy.” Lash goes on to say that he considers the star “Spica… to be the master key to the Dendera Zodiac…” 4

The Dendera Zodiac marks our Piscean Age with the first appearance of the Branch and offspring of God, seen in how the axis referenced above, coincides with the star Spica and the opening of the Age of the Fishes.

The following chart shows how precessional ages correlate to the Biblical Administrations, revealing a consistent progression of themes as God’s Plan of the Ages unfolds. This provides the overarching context for God’s plan of redemption and restoration of Mankind and Creation, through the redeeming work of Christ-the centerpiece of the Ages.

Plate III.

Precessional Ages Aligned with Biblical Administrations
 Zodiacal Sign  Biblical Administrations  Heavens & Earth  Precess Age Start Dates Scripture
 Sirius  Angels First Estate  First    Gen.1:1-2
 Gemini  Original Paradise  Second  6480-4320 BC  Gen. 3:8ff
 Taurus  Bible Patriarchs  Second  4320-2160 BC  Gen. 3:23ff
 Aries  O.T. Law  Second  2160-7 BC  Ex. 19:16ff
 Pisces  Christ/Grace/Revelation
/Millennium
 Second  7BC-now  Matt. 3:11ff
Acts 2:1ff
IThess. 4:13
 Aquarius  Final Paradise  Third  2153 AD  Rev. 21

This march of the precessional ages is recorded in certain ancient star maps like the Dendera zodiac, from ancient Egypt, in a recognition of the axes built into its structure. God designed triple Conjunctions of Jupiter-Saturn as individual markers and movements in a grand celestial Symphony of the Ages, ultimately leading to Christ’s Birth. The 1953 BC triple union of Jupiter-Saturn took place in the sign Aquarius, marking the Birth of Abram. As the Father of Many Nations, and progenitor of the believer’s line, Abraham via his offspring, Isaac and Jacob would bear the promised seed. This triple Conjunction confirmed that Christ came out of the nation of Israel, constituting the 12 tribes of Jacob, whose name God changed to Israel, to reflect their spiritual inheritance.

This is the spiritual message the heavenly Father intended to be communicated over the face of the Earth, a far cry from the “astrological ages” promoted in various cultural myths throughout history. Only with a Scriptural view of the precession of the equinoxes in its true Biblical context, can we gain the wisdom that God has stored for us in Creation’s master temporal cycle. Although at times we see the true light shining through the broken symmetry of mythology and sometimes even Astrology, we gain an unobstructed view when we take heed to the two part harmony of God’s written Word, with His celestial gospel. This approach truly provides the missing history that archaeo-astronomy has longed for.

Figure 2. Earth’s Axis and Precession

precession of the poles

As part of the Creator’s grand design, the 25,920-year precessional cycle of the sun’s apparent retrograde motion against the backdrop of the tropical zodiac, depicts the Sun’s dwelling in successive zodiacal signs, dictated by the earth’s shifting axis and equatorial pole. Thus, with the precession of the vernal point, or vernal equinox in mind, the Earth is centrally located, depicting the earth’s figurative geocentrism referred to above, but not merely with respect to the solar system. The centrality of the Earth involves a much larger cosmic district than our community roundabout of the solar system. As Genesis 1:16-17 states, not only the Sun and Moon but also the Stars were to shed their light upon the Earth. This encompasses the entire zodiacal structure, the stars of the ecliptic, the Equator and the poles.

With the earth as the figurative center of Creation and the object of the three-fold celestial light shed from the heavens, the purpose and beauty of the cosmos is to shed its threefold light upon the earth, and God began with the dual year of the Sun, as we will see in Psalm 19 and in Joseph’s two dreams in Genesis 37. We find this dual year, in the Sun’s annual and precessional cycles.

Similarly, as the figurative representation of the Sun as the source of life became literally deified by the heathens, a result was the idolatry of Sun worship inherent in much of ancient world myth and Astrology. The Earth, of course, is not the literal center of creation, but God created it as man’s garden home and as the object of God’s Love and care for His human family, He showers humanity with His greatest Love as witnessed in this threefold celestial Light. Let’s take a more detailed look at what Scripture tells us about the precession of the equinoxes.

We can see how the geographic and magnetic poles on Earth are reflected in the North Poles of the ecliptic and the Equator, in the heavens as seen in Figure 3. below.

magnetic poles

The Sun’s Cycle of Precession

Let’s begin with some initial Biblical evidence of precession in Psalm 19, as an introduction to the significance of the Sun’s “dual year,” or its annual and precessional cycles, the two prime standards for astronomical time. This differentiates the Sun’s dual year, first seen in it’s annual cycle, spending one month in each sign of the 12 Zodiacal signs, versus the retrograde precessional cycle, where it spends a “great month” or 2,160 solar years in the 12 signs of the ecliptic. As the Sun moves through all 12 signs of the tropical zodiac, the Sun completes its cycle of the “great year,” in about 25,920 solar years. The sixth verse of the 19th Psalm briefly refers to this apparent retrograde motion of the Sun:

Psalm 19:6 
His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

“His going forth is from the end of the heaven… a reference to the Sun’s path through the ecliptic, so called because all the solar and lunar eclipses occur on this course. The words “going forth” in Hebrew are mowtsa [*H4161], meaning the dawn, the east, a gate, the rising of the sun. 55

Thus it refers to the place or gate of the rising of the Sun, also known as the vernal point of the Spring Equinox, the sign of the zodiac where the sun rise occurs, indicating the sun’s retrograde precessional movement, because the sun rises in a different “gate,” or successive zodiacal house on average every 2,160 years. The sun’s annual cycle, or solar year is seen in “his circuit” above, which in the Hebrew is (*H8622) tequphah: rendered, “at the end of the year” [2 Chron. 24:23],6 an obvious reference to this annual solar cycle. Thus we have in brief, a Biblical contrast between these two solar cycles. The record of Joseph’s dreams in Genesis 37 will take us into greater depth on the Biblical testimony of precession. Joseph’s second dream in Gen. 37: 9-11 reveals a precessional context, with its use of stellar terms, especially the “eleven stars making obeisance” to his star or sign of the Bull, Taurus. These 12 “stars” of Joseph’s dream correlate with Jacob’s 12 sons in Gen. 49 forming the Sidereal zodiac. One can also view the precession of the Vernal equinox as the Sun in retrograde against the fixed background of the sidereal zodiac of the stars. Thus, Joseph’s second dream reveals astronomical truth that his first dream with an agricultural theme, does not.

Genesis 37:5-11 
And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. [6] And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: [7] For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance [H7812] to my sheaf. [8] And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign [H4427] over us? Or shalt thou indeed have dominion [H4910] over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. [9] And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance [H7812] to me. [10] And he told it to his father and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down [H7812] ourselves to thee to the earth? [11] And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.

hebrew zodiac

Taurus the Bull, as Joseph’s sign in the Hebrew zodiac was split into its two horns, representing his sons Ephraim and Mannasseh [Num. 2:18-20 & Deut. 33:17]. This was done to substitute for the rebellious tribe of Dan, made in the circle of the twelve Hebrew tribes, the twelve signs of the Sidereal zodiac. This allowed for the Levitical 13th tribe to be placed in the center of the zodiac’s circle, with the pattern of the stars mirrored in the seed of Israel, as they camped around their Tabernacle in the wilderness of Sinai during their forty years of wandering. This relation of the Levitical 13th tribe to the Sun, could be a symbolic reference to the Intercalation of a 13th month to align the solar and lunar cycles in the Hebrew Calendar. The Levites, being the priestly tribe, had the charge of the affairs for the Tabernacle, housing the Ark of the Covenant. An aspect of the Tabernacle’s celestial plan can be found in the edifice of the wooden framework that provided a foundation upon which the Tabernacle’s curtains [H3407]7 (Ps. 104:2-3, Isa. 40:22, Ex. 26:26-36), hung. They were assembled from 48 units, each ten cubits high, and 1.5 cubits wide…6 This implies the structure of these 12 zodiacal signs including their 36 decans, (12+36=48) divided into ten degree decans, showing not only God’s celestial order in the tabernacle of the Sun [Ps. 19:4], but also marking the earthly Tabernacle as the focal point reflecting the spiritual light of God’s presence among His people during the Old Testament. This was established in the priestly order of service instituted in the Temple by King David, with 24 courses of priests, each serving two times during Israel’s calendar year, totaling 48 weeks. When the three weeks of Passover, Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles are included, wherein all the priests served, we have the 51 weeks of Israel’s luni-solar year, divided according to sacred and civil standards. The sacred year began in Nisan, the month of the spring Passover, while the civil year in the fall started with the seventh month Tishri 1, the Day of Trumpets signaling the onset of Israel’s holiest month. This depicts the Creator’s light reflected in the celestial structure of creation, ruling over the Hebrew timekeeping, manifest in the sacred priestly service and architecture of the Old Testament Tabernacle and Temple, fulfilled in Jesus Christ as the King and High Priest, after the order of Melchizedek.

The Ark represented the fullness of the presence and power of God that could be manifested on Earth, amid the men of the Old Testament Law. As the “Sun” of the Hebrew Zodiac, the risen Morning Star will enliven humanity as their Savior and enlighten them as the light of the world. Here we see the Sun functioning as a “solar collector” as it moves through the various 12 houses in precession, reflecting the stellar light of their age upon the Earth. Once again we find Biblical evidence regarding the Hebrew zodiac, structured as the earliest known heliocentric model, as seen in the Menorah Solar System, far ahead of Aristarchus of Samos (270 BC), the first of the ancient Greeks to re-submit the idea of a Sun centered cosmos. With the light of the world at the center of the Hebrew zodiac, we see the roots for a Sun-centered solar system that Copernicus gets credit for, in spite of the neolithic antagonism of the Roman Catholic Church centuries after his death. This idea was first put forth and established with the Hebrew Menorah, which was structured on a celestial plan of the ancient solar system of seven celestial bodies, with the Sun as the central candlestick [Rev.1:20], embodied in Christ as the light of the world, always enlightening the Earth.

The Hebrew Menorah

Menorah

A key to understanding this part of Genesis 37 is found as we take notice of details in the record, specifically the obeisance made by the sun, moon, and the eleven stars to Joseph’s sign of Taurus the Bull. The first dream makes no reference to Joseph’s parent’s who are represented as the Sun and Moon in the second dream. Their praise of Joseph’s star is added to that of the eleven stars of his brothers. The meaning of the Hebrew word (*H7812 shachah) to bow down, is to depress, prostrate oneself (in homage to royalty or God), to bow oneself down, to humbly beseech, worship or to do obeisance.This word is used as indicated in verses 7, 9 & 10 above, in reference not only to the sheaves of the field, but also to the sun, moon and eleven stars, with Joseph being the twelfth. Here we can see an image of the Hebrew zodiac foreshadowing the prophecy of Jacob over his twelve sons in Genesis 49, as an image of the Sidereal zodiac, seen as both the sheaves (earthly seed; Gen. 13:15-17) and stars (heavenly seed; Genesis 15:4-6), both relating to prophecies concerning Israel. Here we can see a record where the witness of the Stars lines up with the witness of the Scriptures according to the revelation of God to Joseph, to preserve the line of the promised seed of Israel, that the enemy was trying to wipe out with the famine that took Jacob to Egypt. We also find these two seeds mirrored in the horizontal and vertical fish of Pisces.

Joseph’s first dream had a terrestrial interpretation which was seen in [Gen. 45: 8 & 26], where the same Hebrew word used in verse 8, for “dominion” (maschal), is used with an immediate application to Joseph’s political position as “ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.” This was fulfilled when Jacob brought his family to Egypt according to God’s direction [Gen. 46:3-4], where Joseph was Grand Vizier.

The second dream however, being celestial in nature, shows a clear distinction from the first dream, indicating that there is another aspect of these signs of the ecliptic that we, as students of Biblical Astronomy, need to be aware of. The usage of (*H7812) here in Genesis 37, in relation to Joseph’s sign of Taurus, is distinctly different than in Genesis 49:8, where it states regarding Judah that: “thy Father’s children shall bow down (*H7812) before thee.” Obviously, even though the same Hebrew word is used for the homage that Jacob’s children would give to both Judah and Joseph, it cannot mean for the same reason.

The homage due Judah in Genesis 49 has a distinct celestial significance since the Messiah came from this tribe [Rev. 5:5]. You can view my Biblical Astronomy DVD for added insight in a detailed look at Gen. 49:8 in the triple Conjunction of Jupiter-Regulus marking the birth of Christ. For our purposes here Judah’s dominion refers to the Sun’s annual cycle through the zodiac seen in the Great Sphinx, where the woman’s head in Virgo, and the body of Leo the Lion are married, joining the two ends of the zodiac in this famous guardian of Giza. This also depicts one way that the Great Sphinx prophesies of the birth of Christ.
[What does this say for precession?]

The regal lion represents the homage due to Leo, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the king of the Hebrew zodiac, seated on David’s throne; [Luke 1:32], born from Virgo the Woman and queen-Israel the earthly seed. Conversely, Joseph’s dominion refers to the Sun’s cycle of precession, and its dominion over the Sun, Moon, and the eleven Stars. The rule of the precessional cycle as the master cycle of the heavens is seen here in its Biblical context, as the Sun, Moon and Stars are interpreted in light of where the Sun rises at the vernal equinox in each precessional age, setting the over-arching context for each of the 2160 year ages. The precession of the equinoxes occurs due to the Sun’s annual path on the ecliptic in all 12 signs of the zodiac taking a solar year to complete, but at the end of that year the Sun does not return to the same point in the sign where it began the year, but is a little behind it… about 1 degree every 72 years. This takes about 25,920 years for the sun to complete this vast retrograde circle through all 12 signs on the ecliptic.

Genesis 37:10b-11 “Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.

Jacob’s response to Joseph’s dream is enlightening because Jacob himself and [Rebecca] are represented by him, to be the Sun and Moon, who together “made obeisance” to Joseph’s sign–Taurus, in his dream. This shows the Sun’s solar year and Moon’s lunar year, along with the star’s sidereal year, all in subjection to the base 60 standard of the Sun’s abode in precessional cycles. Jacob’s reference to the Sun and Moon in the dream as, “I and thy mother” shows the marriage of the solar & lunar calendars, harmonized according to the phi ratio, synchronized to the fifty-year Jubilee cycle of Israel. This accents the custom of Intercalation by the Biblical Patriarchs, Jacob and Joseph prior to Moses. When we consider the influence of Joseph as the Grand Vizier of Egypt in this record in Genesis 37, we find some of the earliest recorded incidents of Intercalation of the luni-solar calendar harmonized according to the phi ratio. Thus on one level, this record of Joseph’s dream underscores the kinship between the cycles of the Sun, Moon & Stars in view of both precession, and in light of the annual feasts Hebrew calendar. This sets the stage for later Biblical evidence of the Intercalation of months according to the Mosaic standards set in Num. 9:11ff. The record of the second Passover carried out by King Hezekiah in II Chron. 30:1ff, is an example of the insertion of a second Adar (13th) month. This was done usually when the two years had gotten too far out of synch.8

This insight into the record of Joseph’s dreams in Genesis 37 provides a basis for the Astronomy of the Biblical Patriarchs, especially their knowledge of the twelve signs of the zodiac, the harmonizing of the solar and lunar years, all in the ruling context of precession. We must be mindful that the Biblical Patriarchs were the experts of Biblical Astronomy because their gospel was the Stars. They had not received the written Scriptures as of yet, but they knew the “Covenant of Day and Night,” as Jeremiah [33:25] called it, better than anyone and were privy to its hidden mysteries, whose surface we are only scratching! Their astronomical expertise was carried into ancient Sumeria in Ur of the Chaldees, as seen in the “Tower of Babel,” [Gen. 11] record as the basis of ancient Babylonian Astronomy and was later perverted in their Astrology. This astronomical expertise of the Biblical Patriarchs like Abraham is one reason why Jacob “observed the saying,” of Joseph’s dream as Genesis 37:11 says.

The Hebrew word for “observed” [*H8104shamar], means: “to keep, guard, preserve, protect, retain, to observe as a covenant the commandments of God [Gen. 17:9-10, 18:19], and to revere.”9 It refers to the careful attention paid to the obligations of a covenant, as Abraham gave orders to “Keep the Way of the Lord.” The details of this Covenant of day and night, written in the stars are exactly what Jacob was protecting. When he noted the details of his beloved son’s celestial dream, he took great care to scrutinize the Word of the Lord as it came in this dream. After all, he was only following his Grandfather’s instructions, to keep the way of the Lord, for their Patriarchal Administration. In the oracle of Balaam in [Num. 24] below he is beholding the glory of Israel’s wilderness encampment, and he identifies three of the four tribes at the cardinal points of the compass; Aquarius in verse 7, with the water buckets, Taurus the wild Ox in verse 8, and Leo the Lion in verse 9.

Num. 24:2-9 [ESV]

 And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. And the Spirit of God came upon him, and he took up his discourse and said, “The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,[athe oracle of him who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down with his eyes uncovered: How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel! Like palm groves[b] that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that the Lord has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters. Water shall flow from his bucketsand his seed shall be in many watershis king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. God brings him out of Egypt and is for him like the horns of the wild oxhe shall eat up the nations, his adversaries, and shall break their bones in pieces and pierce them through with his arrows. He crouched, he lay down like a lion and like a lioness; who will rouse him up? Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you.”

The cycles of the Sun and Moon bowing down to Taurus tells us that the precessional Age of Taurus is indicated, which is consistent with the witness of Numbers 23-24, that detail the precessional markers or cardinal points for this age. This precessional knowledge filtered through ancient Egypt and was applied along with the Sothic Calendar, during the Age of Taurus, as many archaeo-astronomers have documented. Even as Abraham is historically recorded among the first teachers of the ancient Egyptians, there were others before him. As Jacob’s grandfather, Jacob also would have been schooled in this Academy of Patriarchal Astronomy. This exerted a powerful influence on the Astronomy of the ancient Near East. We find this knowledge applied in the stellar alignment of many ancient Egyptian temples oriented to zodiacal signs signifying the related precessional age, providing strong evidence that the Biblical Patriarchs not only knew of the precessional cycle, but also applied it in a spiritual context, like their wilderness encampment around their Tabernacle.

As the discovery of the Antikythera Device has rewritten the modern understanding of astronomy in ancient Greece and Rome, so the mysteries of God’s Word will continue to transform human knowledge as more light is shed on these long hidden truths…

Footnotes

1. Pang and Bangert-Jet Propulsion Labs
2. Secrets of the Great Pyramid, Peter Thompkins
3. Atlantis Blueprint, Colin Wilson and Rand Flem-Ath, ppg. 171-172.
4. Skies in Memory, John Lash
5. Strong’s Concordance [H4161], James Strong
6. Ibid, [[H8622]
7. Ibid, [H3407]
8. Ibid, [H7812]
9. Ibid, [H8104]

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Celestial Symbolism of the Cherubim in Ezekiel’s Vision

Celestial Symbolism of the Cherubim in Ezekiel’s Vision

This blog post is a response to a recent question from one of the online forums I participate in. Since this involves one of the more mysterious sections of Scripture concerning Ezekiel’s visions at the River Chebar, I thought it might bless some folks to hear a Biblical Astronomy perspective on Ezekiel’s vision.  Lets begin with a view of Moses’ OT Tabernacle, to set the context from the earthly Tabernacle representing God’s actual heavenly Temple.  

The eastern door to the Tabernacle represents the way, the truth, and the life, of John 14:6, which is embodied in Jesus Christ as the light of the world, and the door of the sheep, the Good Shepherd [Jn.10], the true way which leads unto life.

The truths of Jesus as the Shepherd are vividly seen in 3 Psalms 22, 23 and 24, showing the sufferings and glory of the Lord. As Prophet, the Good Shepherd gave his life not only for the sheep, but for the safe-keeping of all people who would come unto him [John 10:11]. As the High Priest and the Great Shepherd, he is the first, last and only door, the Alpha and Omega, which provides the way of access through his blood and resurrection [Heb. 13:20] unto life, into the true spiritual fellowship with our Heavenly Father. As the King and Chief Shepherd, his return will exhibit his final glory, coming as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, [I Pet. 5:4, Rev. 19:16].

Thus, like the eastern shepherd, Jesus Christ embodies Jehovah-Nissi: the redemptive name for God protecting His people, [Ps. 23:1].

The Door, or gate giving access to the holiest of all was covered by a veil in both the Temple and Tabernacle. The veil of the Tabernacle, which hung on four pillars, separated the holy of the holies, the central point of God’s presence among His people, from the holy place. Woven into the fabric of this linen veil, the Cherubim were depicted, a special class of angels who are always prominent in God’s throne-room. They are uniquely pictured as having four faces that correspond to the “four royal signs” of the zodiac, ruling the four-corners or celestial pillars of heaven, previously seen in Num. 24.

Figure 1. Hebrew Tabernacle Ground-plan 
Hebrew Tabernacle layout

Numbers 24:5-9;
How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O IsraelAs the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river’s side, as the trees of lign aloes which the Lord hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters. He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows. He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.

In verse 8 above the Hebrew word for “unicorn” is [reem] also found in the Song of Moses, where it refers not only to a single horn but two horns of a bull.

Figure 2. Taurus the Bull from Bayer’s Star Atlas [1603] 1.

star names

   Taurus the Bull is evident in Deuteronomy 33.

Deut. 33:13-17

13 And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, 14 And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, 15 And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, 16 And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren. 17 His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.

Here in Moses’ Song, he uses the same language found in Numbers 24 in the horns of the “reem” or “Unicorn,” as the KJV renders it. It is common knowledge that the popularly imagined unicorn, the mythical beast, is not pictured with more than one horn, but the Bull is. These Bull horns are identified with the sons of Joseph in verse 17. The Bull’s head is also one of the four heads of the Cherubim.

 [Ezek. 1:5-6Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings

According to Ezekiel the Cherubim each had four faces and four wings. Since angels operate as intermediaries between God and men we can see this symbolism in the Cherubim, first with their four wings at the four corners of heaven. They also had four hands of a man under each of their wings, depicting their service from God in heaven to men on Earth.

Figure 3. The four Heads and Wings of the Cherubim

Image result for Cherubim of Ezekiel's vision images

There is another element of dominion seen in the Cherubim in it four faces. In Man who is created after God’s image, with the Lion we have the king of the non-domesticated animal kingdom. With the Bull as the king of domesticated animals, the Eagle as the king of the fowl of the air, [Gen.1 26-28]. As we can see from this picture above the Cherubim embody these four signs of the Hebrew Mazzaroth in the four Cardinal Directions.

Exodus 36 gives us details of the colors utilized in the veil of the Tabernacle depicting the Cherubim. Let’s consider some of this color symbolism in the services of the Tabernacle and Temple.

Exodus 36:35-36 And he made a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubims made he it of cunning work. And he made thereunto four pillars of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold: their hooks were of gold; and he cast for them four sockets of silver.

The veil hung from four pillars, representing the terrestrial number, and the earth’s orientation to the four Cardinal Directions and points of the compass. The symbolism of the number four is prominent in the imagery above, not only in the four pillars holding the Tabernacle’s veil, but also in the four colors of the Tabernacle shown in the veil. The four colors are blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. Blue represents peace, showing us the presence of God and is seen in the Son of God as the Prince of PeacePurple represents royalty, and is seen in Christ the King of Kings. Scarlet or Red represents blood, and is seen in the Man Jesus Christ, the high priest offering the perfect sacrifice and sin offering of his own life for our redemption. The linen was White, symbolizing the purity and righteousness of the Servant of God. Thus the four colors of the Tabernacle collectively embody the four-fold ministry of Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone in the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, showing his dominion over all Creation. As we have seen, these four pillars correspond to the four Cardinal Directions, known as the equinox and Solstice  seen on the ecliptic and Equator at the four-corners of the heavens.

Figure 4. The Four Celestial Signs at the four points of the Compass; Man, Eagle, Bull and Lion.

The Four Cardinal Points

These four cardinal points correspond to the tribes, zodiacal signs and colors as follows:

Eagle/Aquila [replacing Scorpius below]
North/Scorpion/Scorpius/Dan/White (omitted in Num. 24, Ps. 75:3ff)
East/Lion/Leo/Judah/Purple. (Numbers 24:9)
South/Man/Aquarius/Reuben/Red. (Numbers 24:7)
West/Bull/Taurus/Ephraim & Manasseh/Blue (Numbers 24:8)

Figure 5. Aquila the Eagle above the Serpent-Serpens.

Image result for constellation Aquila images

Ezekiel’s vision at the river Chebar describes these living creatures, specifically their four faces, matching the signs at the four Cardinal Directions of the heavens. As we have noted regarding the North, it was omitted for various reasons, one of which may have been due to the tribe Dan’s idolatry (Judges 18:30-31). Manasseh was added to replace Dan to maintain 12 tribes, but Dan’s exclusion was not only due to their idolatry, but also because this tribe led the ten northern tribes into idolatry. This is why in the four faces of the Cherubim, the serpent is replaced with the Eagle-Aquila the natural enemy of the serpent. We can see this in the graphic above with the decan Aquila pictured directly above the tail of the serpent-Serpens, held by Ophiuchus. This also explains why Ophiuchus, the serpent holder is not usually included in the 12 Signs of the Hebrew Zodiac. 

In the North we find the face of the decan Aquila the Eagle [Ezek. 1:10], replacing that of his natural born enemy, the Scorpion/serpent, as is evident in the triple sign of the man Ophiuchus, as he wrestles Serpens the serpent, while stamping out the light of the star Antares, in the heart of Scorpius the scorpion. Ezekiel’s vision is recorded below.

Ezekiel 1:3-11
The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him. 4And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire5Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man6And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings7And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot: and they sparkled like the color of burnished brass. 8And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings. 9Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward. 10As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.11 Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.

Figure 6. Artist’s Rendition of Ezekiel’s vision at the River Chebar. 

Related image

The matching of the faces of these four living creatures with the four signs at the cardinal points in Numbers 24, is worth a closer look. First, this correlation between the four Cardinal Directions of the horizon seems an obvious celestial reference, supported by the celestial wheels within wheels connected with the Cherubim, [Ezek. 1:16, 20-22, 10:1-22]. These wheels relate to the celestial structure of the ecliptic and the Equator, as one wheel is pictured within the other, and the points where they cross are the equinoxes. One Hebrew word for “wheel” in Ezekiel, [10:2, 10] is galgal [*H1534],2 a variation of Gilgal [*H1536],3 the “Hill of God,” [I Sam. 10:5] where Joshua set up an altar of twelve stones [Josh 4], one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. The word galgal is also the root of our word “Galaxy,” showing a celestial application of these wheels even into the modern day. Similar to the stellar reference of the 12 precious stones of the High Priest’s breastplate, as symbols of the twelve signs of the zodiac, Joshua’s altar marked their entry into the promised land, which was first deeded to Abraham [Gen. 13:14-15]. God marked the end of the Israel’s sufferings in the wilderness even as He had marked their exit from Egypt, with a miracle of parting of the waters, both of the Red Sea and of the Jordan River. He also marked the beginning of Israel’s reign of kings both in the anointing of Saul, along with the first Passover in the Promised Land at GilgalJosh 5:9-10 has a figurative portrait of this initial Passover, as these “wheels of God’s justice” rolled over the heathen that stood in Israel’s way. The first Passover was a prophecy of Jesus Christ the King of Kings from the regal line of David, who would rule instead of Saul. Thus when we view the two phases of the return of the promised seed, first in his sufferings second in his glory, we can see the following division along the lines of Jesus’ ministry as seen in the four gospels:

Sufferings 

He came as a man/Son of Man/Luke/Aquarius
He sacrificed his life/Servant/Mark/ Eagle for Scorpion

Glory

The Son coming in judgment/Son of God/John/Taurus
The Lion-king of Judah rending his prey/King/Matthew/Leo


Figure 7. MacDonald’s Conception of Ezekiel’s Vision [Ps. 18:6-19]

Image result for Cherubim of Ezekiel's vision images

These four royal celestial signs or “Stars” forming the four faces of the Cherubim, have a long history. They are mentioned together in a Sumerian-Akkadian Cylinder Seal going back as far as 3150 BC. 5 These “Royal Stars” at the Cardinal Directions, represent implied archaeological evidence that knowledge of the entire zodiac existed in ancient Sumeria-Akkad, due to the symbolism of these four key stars relating to the entire zodiac. The celestial reference, to the stellar wheels within wheels linked with these Cherubim, [Ezek. 1:16, 20-22, 10:1-22], however goes even deeper. These wheels not only relate to the general celestial structure of the ecliptic and Equator, as one wheel is pictured within the other, with their points of crossing at the equinoxes, but the entire Hebrew Mazzaroth is pictured here.  This not only includes the regular solar cycle where the Sun  circles in the 12 signs of the zodiac for a month each, providing the 365-day calendar of the year, but also includes the Sun’s retrograde motion where the Sun rises at the vernal equinox in each of the 12 signs/tribes for 2160 years. Thus while the annual Solar cycle moves forward, the backwards or retrograde motion of the Sun, called the precession of the equinoxes, spends 2160 years in each sign of the Mazzaroth. This is the mystery of Ezekiel’s “wheel within the wheel,” with the simultaneous motion of these solar cyles, the longer of which is 25,920 years. Since Ezekiel was a contemporary of the Prophet Daniel who was the President and High Court “astrologer” for the kings of Babylon and Persia, they could have had opportunities to interact concerning the principles of Biblical Astronomy.

Figure 8. The Hebrew “wheel within a wheel” from Ezekiel’s vision. 6

As symbolic references to the four quarters of heaven, the 4 unified faces of these living creatures [Rev. 4:6] represent a composite of the celestial narrative, witnessing to the return of the promised redeemer, and his judgment on the assembly of the wicked.

The 22nd Psalm reveals more details of this evident celestial pattern, in the context of the Lord’s sacrifice, in Golgotha’s foreboding shadows. This is the record of the assembly of the wicked passing their depraved judgment on the Lord, as they orchestrated the events that surrounded Jesus’ crucifixion. But as his immanent return speeds towards us, the mighty conquering judge will execute his righteous verdict with everlasting consequences for the evil ones.

Psalm 22:11-23 
11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
12 Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
13 They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
19 But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.
20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.
21 Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns. [reem]
22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.

Figure 9. Idols at the four winds of heaven, from  ancient Egypt shown with four heads and four wings.

Image result for Cherubim of Ezekiel's vision images

In this Psalm, the wicked natures of those who brought about Jesus’ crucifixion are discernible in these obscene caricatures of the four winds of the host of heaven. These dark shadows of the Cherubim rejoiced in the Lord’s demise and death as they encircled him like dogs, ravening Lions and gaping bulls, embodying the idol masks of Astrology, as seen in some renditions from Egyptian idols above.  This was the peak of the power of this wicked assembly, but their time is past and their doom is sure. As verse 14 above tells us: Christ was “poured out like water,” which depicts him in this celestial context as the man of Aquarius, who pours the living waters of the gift of holy spirit into the saints. This also agrees with aspects of the common Hallel, as the last words of Psalm 118 rang throughout the Temple, during the Feast of Tabernacles in the last days of Christ’s ministry. We find this Biblical record in John 7.

John 7:37-44 
37In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) 40Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet. 41 Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? 42 Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was? 43So there was a division among the people because of him. 44And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him.

Thus Christ himself embodied the fulfillment of the rite in which the believers had just taken part during this feast, that was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost when these rivers of living water flowed from the twelve apostles, as they first spoke in tongues. The context of John 7 was the last and great day of the Feast of Tabernacles, revealing a deeper significance to the priestly ceremony involving the waters from the Pool of Siloam, which the priest retrieved in his golden pitcher. Alfred Edersheim enlightens us on these details:

   “It was on that day, after the priest had returned from Siloam….and for the last time poured out the water to the base of the altar; that the Hallel had been sung to the sound of the flute, the people responding and worshiping as the priests three times drew the three-fold blasts from their silver trumpets– just when the interest of the people had been raised to the highest pitch, that from amidst the body of worshipers, who were waving towards the altar quite a forest of leafy branches as the last words of Psalm 118 were chanted-a voice was raised resounding through the Temple, startled the multitude, and carried fear and hatred to the hearts of their leaders. It was Jesus who stood and cried saying (the words of John 7:37-38). Then by faith in him should each one truly become like the Pool of Siloam, and from his inmost being rivers of living water flow….” 7 [emphasis mine]

All the resistance of the enemy, nor the stiff-necked leadership of Israel could stop the long prophesied and inevitable Will of God, from coming to pass. The authority of God’s only begotten Son is close to being fully realized, and the evil ones will reap the full judgment awaiting them. Psalm 22 illustrates this important element of the Hebrew cosmology, that was corrupted even further by idolatrous Israelites, who followed the examples of heathen star religions in Sun worship in the adoration of pantheons of celestial heroes, in mythos of ancient Astrology. This corruption degrades the truth and purity of the theme of eastern access, to the holy of the holies in the Temple and Tabernacle, replacing it with a form of man’s works, the basis of all false religion.

As we honor the Biblical Astronomy inherent in Ezekiel’s vision at the River Chebar, much astrological confusion falls away to reveal beautiful and sagacious Scriptural truths  that prophesy of the Lord Jesus Christ. These are the truths we can adhere in honor to Him.

Footnotes

1. Picture credit Figure 2. Constellation Taurus from Bayer’s Star Atlas [1603].
2. Strong’s Concordance, notes on H1534, James Strong
3. Ibid, notes on H1536.
4. Picture credit for MacDonald’s Concept of Ezekiel’s Vision.
5. The Sumerian World, Harriett Crawford.
6. Picture Credit [Jewishenclopedia.com]
7. The Templeits Ministry and Services, Alfred Edershiem ppg. 222-223

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Moses’ Tabernacle Colors and the Phi and Lucas Ratios

History of Biblical Astronomy

The Tabernacle Colors and the Phi and Lucas Ratios

The Bible tells us God gave Moses certain colors relating to the construction of the Tabernacle.

As it says in Exodus 26:1, “Make the tabernacle with ten curtains of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, with cherubim worked into them by a skilled craftsman.”

This reference to the combination blue, purple and scarlet in the construction of the tabernacle appears 24 times in Exodus 25 through 39, describing not only the colors to be used in the Tabernacle curtains, but also waistbands, breastplates, sashes and other garments of the High Priest.

Exodus 36 gives us details of the colors utilized in the veil of the Tabernacle depicting the Cherubim. Let’s consider some of this color symbolism in the services of the Tabernacle and Temple.

Exodus 36:35-36 And he made a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: with cherubims made he it of cunning work. And he made thereunto four pillars of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold: their hooks were of gold; and he cast for them four sockets of silver.

The veil hung from four pillars, representing the terrestrial number, and the earth’s orientation to the four Cardinal Directions of the horizon. The symbolism of the number four is prominent in the imagery above, not only in the four pillars holding the Tabernacle’s veil, but also in the four colors of the Tabernacle shown in the veil. The four colors are blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. Blue represents peace, showing us the presence of God and is seen in the Son of God as the Prince of Peace. Purple represents royalty, and is seen in Christ the King of Kings. Scarlet or Red represents blood, and is seen in the innocent blood of the Man Jesus Christ, the high priest offering his perfect sacrifice and sin offering of his own life for our redemption. The linen was white, symbolizing the purity and righteousness of the Servant of God. Thus the four colors of the Tabernacle collectively embody the four-fold ministry of Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone in the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, showing his dominion over all Creation. We also find a relation in these four pillars corresponding to the four Cardinal Directions, known as the equinox and Solstice seen on the ecliptic and Equator at the four-corners of the heavens. These four cardinal points correspond to the tribes, zodiacal signs and colors as follows:

Eagle/Aquila [replacing Scorpius below]
North/Scorpion/Scorpius/Dan/White (omitted in Num. 24, & Ps. 75:3ff)
East/Lion/Leo/Judah/Purple. (Numbers 24:9)
South/Man/Aquarius/Reuben/Red. (Numbers 24:7)
West/Bull/Taurus/Ephraim & Manasseh/Blue (Numbers 24:8)

The Four Cardinal Points

The vision of Ezekiel at the river Chebar describes these living creatures, specifically their four faces, matching the signs of the four Cardinal Directions of the heavens. As we have noted regarding the North, it was omitted for a number of reasons, which we will handle in more detail shortly. In the North we find the face of the sign Aquila the Eagle [Ezek. 1:10], replacing that of his natural born enemy, the Scorpion/ serpent, as is evident in the triple sign of the man Ophiuchus, as he wrestles Serpens the serpent, while stamping out the light of the star Antares, in the heart of Scorpius the scorpion. Ezekiel’s vision is recorded below.

Ezekiel 1:3-11
The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him. 4And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. 5Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. 6And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. 7And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot: and they sparkled like the color of burnished brass. 8And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings. 9Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward. 10As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.11 Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.

Hebrew Armillary Sphere  1

The matching of the faces of these four living creatures with the four signs at the cardinal points in Numbers 24, is worth a closer look. First, this correlation with the four Cardinal Directions of the horizon seems an obvious celestial reference, supported by the celestial wheels within wheels connected with these Cherubim, [Ezek. 1:16, 20-22, 10:1-22]. These wheels relate to the celestial structure of the ecliptic and the Equator, as one wheel is pictured above within the other, and the points where they cross are the equinoxes. One Hebrew word for “wheel” in Ezekiel, [10:2 & 10] is galgal [*H1534], a variation of Gilgal [*H1536], the “Hill of God,” [I Sam. 10:5] where Joshua set up an altar of twelve stones [Josh 4], one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. The word galgal is also the root origin of our word “Galaxy,” showing a celestial application of these wheels even into the modern day. Similar to the stellar reference of the 12 precious stones of the High Priest’s breastplate, as symbols of the twelve signs of the zodiac, Joshua’s altar marked the entry of the 12 tribes into the promised land, that was first deeded to Abraham [Gen. 13:14-15]. God marked the end of the Israel’s sufferings in the wilderness even as He had marked their exit from Egypt, with a miracle of parting of the waters, both of the Red Sea at the start of the 40 years in the wilderness, and of the Jordan River at the end. He also marked the beginning of Israel’s reign of kings both in the anointing of Saul, along with the first Passover in the promised land at Gilgal. Joshua 5:9-10 has a figurative portrait of this initial Passover, as these “wheels of God’s justice” rolled over the heathen that stood in Israel’s way. Thus when we view the two phases of the return of the promised seed, first in his sufferings second in his glory, we can see the following division along the lines of Jesus’ ministry as seen in the four gospels:

Sufferings

He came as a man/Son of Man/Luke/Aquarius
He sacrificed his life/Servant/Mark/ Eagle for Scorpion

Glory

The Son coming in judgment/Son of God/John/Taurus
The Lion-king of Judah rending his prey/King/Matthew/Leo

The 4 primary colors of the Tabernacle not only embody the ministry of Christ, but also a Phi relation to the color spectrum and to the musical scale. As we investigate this field of study we can perhaps gain insight into movements of the Creator’s symphony of sound and light.

For example Fibonacci numbers appear in the musical scale and in pure harmonic intervals like the octave [2:1], the fifth [3:2], and major and minor sixths [5:3] and [8:5]. Also the entire overtone series is based on golden ratios. The octave divided by a perfect fifth, (13/20), produces the golden ratio. The perfect fifth divided by an octave, (8/13), produces the golden ratio. The perfect fourth divided by a major sixth, (6/10), produces the golden ratio. And The major third divided by a perfect fifth, (5/8), also produces the golden ratio. The overtone series appears across various forms of music, and is a natural order of notes that is played by horn instruments. The phi ratio not only rules over the musical scale but also over the structure of musical instruments.

Phi Ratio in the Construction of a Violin

Stradivarius violin design using phi, the golden ratio or golden section, in its design

In Part 1 of this study seen in our May 2017 Blog post, we noted a correlation in the structure of DNA both to the Fibonacci and Lucas number series. As Jean-claude Perez suggested there is a strong link between DNA and golden ratio in 1991,[1] then later in 1997 in his book l’ADN décrypté[2]. His work shows that relative proportions of nucleotides within coding DNA sequences like genes or RNA strings are governed by specific Fibonacci and Lucas number sets. The resulting “DNA supracode” is revealed by computing sets called “resonances” within any DNA sequencespecific nucleotide clusters like FFF (Fibonacci Fibonacci Fibonacci), LLL (Lucas Lucas Lucas), FFL (Fibonacci Fibonacci Lucas) or LFF (Lucas Fibonacci Fibonacci). An example of elementary FFF resonance: 144 contiguous TCAG bases contain exactly 55 bases T and 89 bases; A, C or G. This kind of screening is processed along the DNA sequence, for all possible Fibonacci/Lucas combinations, and for all possible values (example here 144-89- 55 are 3 consecutive Fibonacci numbers). There appear many “resonances”. For example, in the HIV whole genome, of about 9000 bases, there are more than 50,000 significant Fibonacci/Lucas resonances. The longer resonances (several hundred resonances) are overlapping about 2/3 of the whole HIV genome (6765 bases which is the 20th Fibonacci number-see chart below). 1

The Fibonacci and Lucas number series as reflections of the Golden Section are both additive, since each number is the sum of the previous two in the series, and the product of the previous term, multiplied by phi. No other number series displays these traits of geometric growth fusing both addition and multiplication. Yet it is also capable of division and subtraction as the Creator installed limits on the positive entropy of disorder and death in His reordering of the kingdoms in the fallen world. Thus like the nautilus that grows into the form laid out in the perfect geometry of its shell, various life-forms in the Kingdoms of Life follow the pre-ordained geometric patterns of growth, as built-in limitations to their species and genus. We find this stated in Romans below.

Rom. 8:19-23
19 For [even the whole] creation [all nature] waits eagerly for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration and futility, not willingly [because of some intentional fault on its part], but by the will of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will also be freed from its bondage to decay [and gain entrance] into the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been moaning together as in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only this, but we too, who have the first fruits of the Spirit [a joyful indication of the blessings to come], even we groan inwardly, as we wait eagerly for [the sign of] our adoption as sons—the redemption and transformation of our body [at the resurrection]. 

The world is captive to sin and the destruction of entropy, as it groans for the redemption and deliverance of the Lord Jesus Christ, at his return. As the High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, Christ represents not only the restoration for all mankind, but all Creation. We can begin to see the impact of the Fibonacci number series as the determinant of the patterns of geometric growth in the 4 kingdoms of life, in the first 20 Fibonacci digits provided below.

Fibonacci Spirals in Nature and Science

“ Eu, eu mesmo… Afinal tudo, porque tudo é eu, E até as estrelas, ao que parece, Me saíram da algibeira para deslumbrar crianças… Que crianças não sei… Eu… Imperfeito? Incógnito? Divino? Não sei… Eu… ” — Álvaro de Campos 4-1-1935 Poesias de Álvaro de Campos. Fernando Pessoa. Lisboa: Ática, 1944 (imp. 1993). - 76.

Table A. The First 20 Fibonacci Numbers
n 1       Fn 1
2                1
3                2
4                3
5                5
6                8
7                13
8               21
9               34
10             55
11              89
12             144
13             233
14             377
15             610
16             987
17             1,597
18            2,584
19            4,181
20           6,765

Each [F number] represents the approximate geometric mean of its two adjacent numbers in the series. This geometric mean between the two numbers equals the square root of their product. In the numerical progression of this series, alternative [F numbers] require a +1/-1 correction. Lucas numbers operate on the same geometric mean principle, with a +5/-5 correction under the square root. This depicts how both series progressively converge on the Phi ratio to higher degrees of accuracy. A more direct relation between the two series is also apparent in that any 4 consecutive [F numbers] add up to the Lucas number linked to the 4th [F number]. Also odd [F numbers] sum to the next even [F number], while even [F numbers] converge to -1 of the next odd number.

Lucas series number values; [Ln] appear together with the first 10 Fibonacci numbers in the chart below for comparison: 4

n: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Fn: 0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 55
Ln: 2 1 3 4 7 11 18 29 47 76 123

The Lucas numbers share many similar properties with the Fibonacci Number series. As we note the numerical relations between the Fibonacci and Lucas Number series, perhaps further insights will come to light. Thus it is noteworthy that every 3rd Fibonacci number is an even number since it is divisible by 2. Every 4th Fibonacci number is divisible by 3, and every 5th Fibonacci number is divisible by 5. Also every 6th Fibonacci number is divisible by 8.

As we consider the spiritual unity of the body of Christ, with each member reflectinging the spiritual abilities of Christ in them [Col. 1:27], each Christian believer embodies a unique aspect of Christ in the spiritual body of his Church. God has called this church together as it has pleased Him, and its perfect union is likened to and centered around the love in Christian marriage, [Eph. 5:22-31]. As we find the phi ratio expressed in the Temple & Tabernacle of Israel, not to mention the human body ideally expressed in the perfect man Jesus Christ, we can see the elegance of the divine expression of this unity geometrically portrayed via the proportional symmetry of the golden section.

Footnotes

1. Jewish Encyclopedia.com
2. Wikipedia on the Phi ratio in the Human Body and DNA
3. The Golden Section, Nature’s Greatest Secrets, Scott Olsen
4. [www.maths.surrey.ac.uk/hostedsites/R. Knott/fibonacci/lucasNbs.html]

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Biblical Astronomy of the Phi Ratio in the Temple/Tabernacle of Israel [Part 1]

NaturalLaw

Biblical Astronomy of the Phi Ratio in the Temple/Tabernacle of Israel

The Infinite and Eternal perfect wisdom of the Almighty is illustrated for mankind perhaps most beautifully on earth in the sacred Architectural principles governing the structure and dimensions of the Temple and Tabernacle of Israel. The manner in which the Creator set the symbolic mathematical and geometric structure of Israel’s Temple and Tabernacle to portray the order of His Creation, is a key element of this present study. A prime example of this includes the application of the Phi ratio in God’s Creation.

This study endeavors to illustrate aspects of the application of the Phi ratio in the Temple and Tabernacle by the Almighty, and how Christ embodies these principles at the pinnacle of Creation. It is important to realize at the outset that as we study these appearances of the Phi ratio in the Word of God, their application as seen in Scripture far out weighs any application in Greek philosophy or history, or any human application of these principles for that matter, because the perspective of the All-powerful Omniscient Creator of Heaven and Earth, has purposes far beyond those of mortal man, as the Prophet Isaiah tells us.

Isa. 55:7-11
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LordFor as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

The Science of God is not science for the sake of science itself, but as we study the application of scientific principles from the Hand of God, we can see how the Works of His Hands are manifested from His Spoken and Written Word. Many hold that the Bible is not a book of Science, yet where the Scriptures speak on Science and the Laws of Nature, they embody the inerrant perfect wisdom of God. Judaism practiced in Israel of the Old Testament had many feasts and sacrifices ordained in Scripture. These symbolic Old Testament sacrifices practiced in the Temple and Tabernacle were not just rituals without internal meaning, but ceremonies having true spiritual import. In this context, the Passover Lamb was a symbolic type of Christ, who embodied not only the benefits of the Old Covenant, but also the blessings of the New Testament, even those beyond in the third Heaven and Earth. The symbolism of the Temple and Tabernacle of Israel also provides a very strong case for the Intelligent Design principles utilized by God, in His temporal, physical and spiritual order of the Heavens and Earth.

As the old order of Aaron’s priesthood was fulfilled in Jesus as the High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, God reveals His perfect society, with Christ Jesus as the Head of his Body-the Church. Since Jesus Christ is the perfect man, he embodies an inclusive relevance for the entire body, soul and spirit of man, [I Thess. 5:23]. Only the fool chooses to ignore the inherent harmonies found throughout the Natural World, portraying these truths from the Spiritual World. A goal of this study is to help the reader grasp the potency of the Godly symbolism in Israel’s Tabernacle and Temple. As our study progresses we will note an emphasis on divine celestial order, revealed at a time long before like knowledge was asserted by the ancient Greeks, Babylonians or Egyptians. However, since the Creator was truly the source of the divine design of the Temple and Tabernacle, then we may expect to find unique symmetrical functions in their geometric order, related to kingdoms of life on multiple levels of God’s Creation. When we look to the witness of God’s Word we find these harmonies in their primary and divine context, as opposed to how these principles were applied later in mysticism, secular science, or cosmology. A basic pattern that emerges involves the plans for Israel’s Temple and Tabernacle as divine architectural expressions the gospel of the coming redeemer, written in the stars, serving as a sacred architectural fulcrum between the witness of the stars and God’s written Word. As we will see the divine patterns in the celestial structure are reflected on earthly levels in ultimately as they are embodied in Christ. Let’s begin by looking at a key application of the Phi ratio regarding the blueprints of the Temple and Tabernacle.

Ground-plan of the Tabernacle of Israel

Hebrew Tabernacle layout

In Exodus 25:8 God commands Moses to make a sanctuary for Him.

“Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.

It is noteworthy that when we examine the mathematical and geometric pattern God refers to here, it emerges from the sacred measures that Moses got from God by revelation, corresponding to the geometric canon called the Phi ratio or divine proportion. The God-given architectural plan for both the Tabernacle and Temple was designed to embody the framework of the celestial structure of Creation in miniature, on the earthly plane. This view is supported in the following quote from Nigel Pinnock, who details some key elements in the pattern given by God to Moses and David:

 The Tabernacle stood inside a court whose geometry was a double square [1 x 2 rectangle], 100 cubits long by 50 cubits wide. Inside the double square enclosure was a triple square 30 cubits long and 10 cubits wide. Its walls were constructed of wooden planks 1.5 cubits wide and 10 cubits high, held in line by strong horizontal bars of wood. The whole structure was covered with skins sewn together in strips 30 cubits long by 4 cubits wide. The Tabernacle was placed in the court towards the west, but with its entrance oriented east-wards, so that according to Josephus: “when the Sun arose it might send its first rays upon it.” The interior of the Tabernacle was divided into two compartments, a scheme which was copied later in the Temple…..The outer compartment called the Holy Place, was a double square 20 by 10 cubits, whilst the inner compartment, the Holy of Holies, comprised a single square. As the height of the Tabernacle’s ceiling was also 10 cubits, the Holy of Holies enclosure was thus a perfect cube (containing the Ark of the Covenant)….The Altar of Sacrifice was the outer equivalent of the Ark of the Covenant. It stood at the center of the outer of the two squares of the enclosureThis altar represented one of the two poles at the center of two squares-each upon its own center of polarity… The dimensions of the Temple, like the Tabernacle before it, were precisely detailed: [I Chron. 28, II Chron. 3]. A triple square double the size of the Tabernacle, and the walls of the Temple were hewn stone lined inside with wood overlaid with gold. The interior comprised a double square rectangular holy place, and a single square Holy of Holies. The interior was 20 cubits high, making the Holy of Holies again, a cubic enclosure. At the very center of the Holy of Holies stood the Ark of the Covenant which formerly had occupied the central point of the  of the Tabernacle… The actual entrance to the Temple was 5 cubits in width, and opened from a porch which comprised two squares of 10 x 10 cubits. It was this porch which supported the two pillars….Jachin and Boaz. 1

An example of the geometry for the 1 x 2 golden rectangle referred to above is seen below.

Plate 1. The Golden Ratio Rectangle

Here is a simple way to draw and understand a rectangle using the Golden Ratio:

Draw a square (of size “1”)
Place a dot half way along one side
Draw a line from that point to an opposite corner (it will be √5/2 in length)
Turn that line so that it runs along the square’s side

Then you can extend the square to be a rectangle with the Golden Ratio. This rectangle above shows us a simple formula for the Golden Ratio.

When one side is 1, the other side is:

The square root of 5 is approximately 2.236068, so the Golden Ratio is approximately (1+2.236068)/2 = 3.236068/2 = 1.618034. This is an easy way to calculate phi and related geometry we find in blueprints of the Temple and Tabernacle.

This is a key topic in our study of Biblical Astronomy principles evident in other studies on our [www.try-god.com] website, like The Calendar of the Biblical Patriarchs. This study points out among many other things that the cycles of the Sun and Moon are correlated via the phi ratio [1.618] in the 50-year Jubilee cycle, because there are 618 full moons every 50 solar years. This not only exhibits another phi relation in our solar system, but also links this divine knowledge to the Hebrew calendar as commanded in Levitcus 25. So, God has designed the phi ratio in our solar system, even as He has all the other phi/Fibonacci/ Lucas relations, throughout the Natural World, exhibiting the Creator’s symmetrical Intelligent Design across multi-levels of His Creation. The preponderance of the phi ratio through the Four Kingdoms of Life, is an awesome testimony to the Creator’s Temporal Order. This phi ratio, is arrived at by a scale invariant comparison. The relationship that becomes evident in this comparison is divine, because it is found throughout all levels of the Natural World, including the micro to the macro. In this comparison of the divine proportion, the whole is to the larger as the larger is to the smaller. This relationship is seen in Plate 1 above as the linear Phi ratio divided into the square root of 5/2 and 1/2. As we observe the appearance of the Phi ratio in the Temple and Tabernacle, we also find the examples of the two altars within the courts of the Temple/ Tabernacle pattern as a whole.

These ground plans of the Tabernacle and Temple of Israel depict the heavenly image of eastern access to God’s presence, via the High Priest’s annual ministry behind the veil, in the holiest of all. The pattern of access from the east mentioned above, holds true not only for Solomon’s Temple of the Old Testament, but also remained for the later Temple referred to in Ezekiel 43:1-5. The two celestial poles of the ecliptic / Equator are mirrored terrestrially in the physical counterparts of their altars, in both the holy of holies and the holy place. As Pinnock states, regarding the brazen altar of burnt offering:” This altar represented one of the two poles at the center of two squares -each upon its own center of polarity….”2

Image result for phi ratio temple/tabernacle of israel

This terrestrial arrangement mirrors the Venn Diagram at the North Astronomical pole, [Figure A.]. These two altars illustrate the bipolar structure of the heavens, seen not only in the galactic poles of the two great celestial circles of the ecliptic and the Equator in northern skies, but also in their reflection in the Earth’s magnetic and geographic bipolar system. The interplay between these galactic poles exhibits a precession of the poles, where the pole star receded from Thuban of Draco, to Polaris of Ursa Minor, over the last five thousand years, [as seen above in the banner for this study]. This embodies the shift of spiritual power from the dragon at the North pole to Cepheus the enthroned human king, [Christ at God’s right Hand] with the North Star Polaris under his feet [Eph. 1:19-22] in this precession of spiritual power. Within the common space shared between the poles of these two circles moving in opposite directions, lies the astronomical vesica or Venn Diagram of the North Pole. [Fig. A]

This quote above from Pennick gives us an indication of how the original principles of “sacred geometry” are preserved in the dimensions and measures of the Tabernacle and Temple and the corresponding elements of their walls, furniture, columns, curtains, altars, orientation, and architecture. This divine celestial plan modeled in the Hebrew Temple and Tabernacle, is the foundation of the “sacred geometry” adopted by Freemasons and others before them, who have tainted these truths in the defiled context of mysticism, divorced from their authentic roots in Judaism and the Astronomy of the Biblical Patriarchs. This study endeavors to return the roots of Astronomy to its genuine origins, dispensing with the corrupt astrological influence and heathen mythology of various ancient cultures and secret societies. Figure A illustrates the double square rectangle, based on the phi ratio, that provides key aspects of both the “pattern of the Tabernacle” and  Temple of Israel. [Heb. 8:5, Exod. 25:9, 40]

Figure A. The Northern Astronomical Vesica

celestial design of the heavens

This view powerfully depicts how the Temple and Tabernacle symbolized God’s celestial design of the heavens, seen in their two altars, mirroring the two poles of the ecliptic and the Celestial Equator. This also agrees with many of the principles seen in the pattern of God’s Intelligent Design inherent in His Creation. Since this God given “pattern of the Tabernacle” is constructed upon the phi ratio also known as the “divine proportion” or the golden section we find definitive Biblical evidence that this universally recognized standard of measure is truly divine in origin, since the dimensions of these sacred architectural structures were given by revelation from God to Moses and King David. By prioritizing a godly view of this evidence, it allows us to catch new glimpses of glories long hidden from the astrologers and empiricists, whose practices for too long have clouded the inherent grandeur of the Creator’s sacred architecture.

Figure B. The Plans of the Hebrew Temple and Tabernacle


Figure A
 above shows another view of the precession of the poles from the perspective of the interlocking wheels of the ecliptic and Equator, with the fish shaped lozenge of the vesica between them. This “vessel of the fish” is formed from the lozenge of these two inter-locking circles, the center of each located on the perimeter of the other. Archimedes called the formula associated with this, the “Measure of the fish,” and it is also linked to John’s Gospel record in [Jn. 21:11], where the disciples caught 153 fish following Jesus’ directions. Its import to math and geometry was found in the ratio of its height to its length [153:265], and that it represented the nearest whole number approximation of the square root of three, along with controlling ratios of equilateral triangles.3   

The dynamic celestial equator, the second circle secular in nature, relates to both the civil calendar year and the earthly Equator as it is mirrored above into the heavens. The movement of this equatorial pole around the static pole of the ecliptic is what is known as the precession of the poles. The intersection points of the ecliptic and the Celestial Equator are called the equinoctial points, which we know as the Spring and Fall equinoxes, the days when the length of daylight is equal to the dark of night. The altar in the Holy of Holies, keeping the Ark of the Covenant is represented in the sacred pole of the ecliptic, around which the equatorial pole moves, both wheels, inter-locked in the form of a Venn Diagram, depicting God’s personal presence among His people.

Figure C. The Ark of the Covenant

Image result for ark of the covenant images

Exodus 25:10 “Have them make an ark[b] of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.[c] 11 Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it. 12 Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. 13 Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 14 Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it. 15 The poles are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed. 16 Then put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law, which I will give you. 17 “Make an atonement cover of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide.

In Exodus 25:10, God commands Moses to build the Ark of the Covenant, in which to hold His Covenant with the Israel, the Ten Commandments.

The measures of this Ark in the ratio of 2.5 to 1.5 is 1.666…, is a close rendition of phi (1.618). The Ark of the Covenant is thus constructed using the Golden Section, or Divine Proportion, and compares to the dimensions of Noah’s Ark [Gen. 6:15] also built in the same proportion as ten Arks of the Covenant along side each other. The measures of Noah’s Ark; 50 x 30 cubits, in breadth and height also a ratio of 5 to 3, or 1.666, is again the same approximation of the Phi ratio as the Ark of the Covenant. The ratio evident in both of these examples include numbers of the Fibonacci Series [1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13…] where the two previous numbers in the series added together equal the third number. As this number series progresses, the higher numbers in the series converge in increasing levels of accuracy to the value of Phi 1.61803399… Thus the numbers 3 and 5 represent lower numbers in the series having a more general approximation to Phi. It is also notable that the phi ratio as seen in [Ex. 25:10], also appears in the King’s Chamber of the Great Pyramid.

Once Israel became centered in Jerusalem, the Ark of the Covenant moved from the Tabernacle to the Temple because the Ark represented not only the personal presence of God among His people-Israel, but it was also an ordained location where God met and talked to His people [Ex. 25:22]. The truth that the Holy of the Holies was where God manifested His infinite, All powerful presence in Shekinah Glory, in a way that His people could comprehend, finds its pinnacle in Christ, who declared God on the level of the senses more fully than any ever or will ever be done. Here we find another reason why God would utilize the Phi ratio to open the way of access for His people through Christ-into His Presence. Idea of the location where God presented Himself to His people, like Mt. Sinai was corrupted in heathen religions to the concept of an Axis Mundi, or “center of the Earth,” where devotees communed with idol gods of world religions, like the Oracle at Delphi. But with the Creator’s blueprint of the two altars of the Ark of the Covenant and the brazen altar of burnt offering centered in the Holy Place and the Holy of the Holies, mirrored at the North pole in the two celestial poles of the ecliptic and Equator, reflecting also the terrestrial and magnetic poles of the Earth, we find this pattern verified on three levels on earth and in the heavens. The celestial poles set the temporal standard on Earth as the terrestrial poles mirror their counterparts in the heavens. The two altars in the Temple/Tabernacle reflect the spiritual poles where the Almighty has made a way for man to meet and commune with his Maker. Lets now take a closer look at the outer Altar of burnt Offerings.

Figure D. Altar of Burnt Offerings
Image result for hebrew altar of burnt offerings images

In Exodus 27:1-2And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be four-square: and the height thereof shall be three cubits. And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.

As we can see the Altar of Burnt Offerings that God commanded Moses to build is based on a variation of the same numbers of 5 x 3 in the Fibonacci Series: an altar of acacia wood, three cubits high; it is to be square, five cubits long and five cubits wide.” It was the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ the pinnacle and perfection of Humanity, as the head of his spiritual body embodying all the ideals and sacrificial offerings in the Temple and Tabernacle in human form. When Christ laid down his life, his one time sacrifice paid the price for all humanity, and as the perfect High Priest Jesus embodied the atonement not only for Israel, but all mankind. In John 2:19 Jesus says to “destroy this temple,” while he stood in Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem.

In effect Jesus’ contrasted the physical Temple wherein he stood, to his own physical body, the embodiment of the true templeJesus Christ, the 2nd Adam, is the consummate archetype, the finished model, and “chief cornerstone” not only for the nation of Israel as the Passover lamb and High Priest, but also for the Church of his spiritual Body, beginning at Pentecost after his resurrection and ascension. As the paragon of humanity, Jesus illustrated the highest standards of living spiritual principles in the prophetic illustrations of his life and ministry. Certainly, God did not record the symbolic dimensions of the design of the Tabernacle or the Jerusalem Temple, wherein Jesus stood when he spoke the words of John 2:19, without purpose. This perspective of John 2:19, depicts a prophecy of Jesus Christ in the Jerusalem Temple, representing this temple of stone and the bride of Israel in his physical body, that he laid down for Israel and all mankind in his crucifixion at Golgotha. Thus the plans of the Temple and Tabernacle are blueprints that Christ fulfilled in his ministry to Israel and all mankind. As we note the Phi Ratios in the structure of the human body, so we can see their pinnacle in Christ the head of the nation of Israel and the Church of Christian believers.

Thus it is with heightened interest that we point out the following ratios of the Phi proportion in the human body. Below we have two versions of Vitruvian Man, the first in Figure E, depicting the 17 various examples of Phi ratios in the human body. The Second in Figure F, shows the ideal man in relation to red and blue squares of the golden rectangle ground plans of the Temple and Tabernacle. The Third in Figure G depicts added examples of the Phi Ratio in the Human body.

Figure E. Vitruvian Man a.

Figure F. Vitruvian Man b.

Figure G. Human Body 4

Goldenratiohuman.gif
  • The human head forms a golden rectangle;.
  • The mouth and nose are each placed at golden sections of the distance between the eyes and the bottom of the chin.
  • Whole body height / head to fingertips = Phi;
  • Top of head to fingertips / head to navel and elbows = Phi;
  • Top of head to navel and elbows / head to pectorals and inside top of arms = Phi;
  • Top of head to navel and elbows / width of shoulders = Phi;
  • Top of head to navel and elbows / length of forearm = Phi;
  • Top of head to navel and elbows / length of shinbone = Phi;
  • Top of head to pectorals / top of head to base of skull = Phi;
  • Top of head to pectorals / width of abdomen = Phi;
  • Length of Forearm / length of hand = Phi;

length of finger knuckles/length of hand=phi

This display shows the Intelligent Design of the human body by the Hand of the Almighty Creator in His Omniscient Wisdom. All these aspects of the Phi Ratio in the design of the human body work together to make the some greater than its parts, so that we can see why many consider the human body the pinnacle of Creation. God made the human body to house human life, in body, soul and spirit, first in Adam and Eve, and ultimately the only begotten Son of God-Jesus Christ. This brings us to the design of the genetic code of human Life, DNA, which is the Creator’s signature as the Life-Giver [John 5:6, 17:3] as seen in the Four Kingdoms of Life on Earth.

DNA [the following research is found on Wikipedia and is suggested for further study]

Each cycle of the DNA molecule measures 34 angstoms long by 21 angstroms wide. 34 and 21 are Fibonacci numbers. The ratio of 34/21 is a more accurate approximation of phi, since it is further into the Fibonacci series than the previous examples of 3 and 5. Jean-claude Perez suggested there is a strong link between DNA and golden ratio in 1991,[1] then later in 1997 in his book l’ADN décrypté[2]. His work shows that relative proportions of nucleotides within coding DNA sequences like genes or RNA strings are governed by specific Fibonacci and Lucas number sets. This discovery was validated particularly on all known HIV and SIV (Simian Immunodeficiency Virus) retroviruses whole genomes with Professor Luc Montagnier (the discoverer of HIV virus) which called the discovery a “DNA supracode[3].

DNA supracode is revealed by computing sets called “resonances” within any DNA sequence: specific nucleotide clusters like FFF (Fibonacci Fibonacci Fibonacci), LLL (Lucas Lucas Lucas), FFL (Fibonacci Fibonacci Lucas) or LFF (Lucas Fibonacci Fibonacci). An example of elementary FFF resonance: 144 contiguous TCAG bases contain exactly 55 bases T and 89 bases A or C or G. This kind of screening is processed along the DNA sequence, for all possible Fibonacci/Lucas combinations, and for all possible values (example here 144 89 and 55 are 3 consecutive Fibonacci numbers). Then there appear many “resonances”. For example, in HIV whole genome, long of about 9000 bases, there are more than 50,000 significant Fibonacci/Lucas resonances. The longer resonances (several hundred resonances) are overlapping about 2/3 of the whole HIV genome (6765 bases which is a Fibonacci number). 4

Stay tuned for Part 2 of the Biblical Astronomy of the Phi Ratio in the Temple/Tabernacle of Israel which is coming this way soon!

Footnotes

1. Sacred Geometry, Nigel Pennick ppg. 58-62.
2. The City of Revelation, John Michel
3. The Star that Astonished the World, Earnest Martin p. 58
4. Wikipedia on the Phi ratio in the Human Body and DNA.

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