Category: Planetary Conjunctions

The Times of the Gentiles and the Temple at Jerusalem

The Blood Moon Phenomena including the Blood Moon Tetrads on Hebrew feasts and holy days has truly been a treasure trove of heavenly signs that opened our awareness to Biblical Astronomy truths in a wide range of revelation in Bible Prophecy. These celestial signs have provided valuable spiritual instruction regarding the Lord’s Feasts in Israel, and how Christ embodies these holy days in his ministry to the spiritual body of his Church. In the 8 Blood Moon Tetrads since Christ, the most recent has been the Tetrad of 2014-15, which is significant since there will not be another similar tetrad for centuries.

The Blood Moon Tetrad of 2014-15 essentially opened with a Passover Lunar Eclipse on April 15th, 2014. Prior to the April 4th 2015 Passover Blood Moon, an unprecedented Total Solar Eclipse occurred on March 20th, at the Spring Equinox. This marked the beginning of the Hebrew month of Nisan, the start of their ecclesiastical year, at the midpoint of the Shemitah year in 2015.  Any total solar eclipse reaching the rarefied air of the North Pole is unique, and the path of this Total Solar Eclipse ended at the North Pole, putting it within eclipse totality for about two minutes. A total solar eclipse at the North Pole on the Spring Equinox takes place about once every 100 centuries, but it had never happened on Nisan 1 in Hebrew Timekeeping, especially when combined with a Super-moon, putting this Total Solar eclipse in a class by itself. A chart of the Blood Moon Tetrads over the last 2000+ years is available in our blog post @ Biblical Blood Moon Calendar.

This March 20th eclipse in 2015 was indeed a special one. While comparing historical eclipse data on the Spring Equinox; we found a solar eclipse (not at the North Pole) on March 20, 71 AD, also on Nisan 1 on the Hebrew Calendar. 1  A few months prior to these eclipses in 71 AD, Jerusalem was attacked and the Temple was destroyed. This Temple destruction occurred on the infamous 9th of Av in 70 AD. Although prince Titus had given the strictest orders to his Roman Legions that the temple should be spared, it was “accidentally” set on fire and consumed. On this day, August 5th, AD. 70, an awful scene of smoking ruins deluged with blood arose around the besieged Temple, where the daily sacrifice had ceased in Israel on July 13th, 70′ for lack of priests to offer it. As we will see below, this is one of the notable times in history where the Jerusalem Temple was destroyed by fire.

The Blood Moon Tetrad of 2014-15

The Total Solar Eclipse on March 20th, 2015, was not only unique because it took place at the North Pole, but also because it fell right in the middle of this Blood Moon Tetrad. Much has been written about the position and timing of this total solar eclipse, but taking place in the center of this Tetrad is a key, when we consider how the 2016 solar and lunar eclipses link the 2014-15 Blood Moon Tetrad to the Rev. 12 sign of Sept 23, 2017. The year of 2016 also saw the mirroring of solar and lunar eclipses in 70 AD. Not only are these solar and lunar eclipses mirrored exactly as seen in the chart below in 70/2016, but a Rev. 12 sign is also reflected in the center of the 70′ solar and lunar eclipses, on 8/27/70, three weeks after the destruction and burning of Jerusalem’s Temple by Titus on the 9th of Av.

The final Super Blood Moon of the 2014-15 Blood Moon Tetrad takes place after the Hebrew 50-year Jubilee opened on the Day of Atonement, Sept. 23rd, 2015, exactly 2 years prior to the Rev. 12 sign on 9/23/2017. This is noteworthy since the 9/28/15 Super Blood Moon was the first Blood Moon of the 2014-2015 Tetrad that was visible in Jerusalem, as the city of God was liberated by Israel for the first time in nearly 2000 years in the preceding Jubilee year of 1967, also marked by the previous Blood Moon Tetrad of 1967-68. As we consider this feature of visibility over Jerusalem, we find it upheld also with each of the lunar triples bracketing the 2014-2015 Blood Moon Tetrad, as the 2nd Blood Moon of both lunar triples was also visible over Jerusalem. This directly links the Blood Moon Tetrad of 2014-2015 and the eclipses of 2016 with the razing of the Jerusalem Temple in 70′.

Figure A. Lunar Triples in 2010-11 and 2018-19 bracketing the 2014-2015 Blood Moon Tetrad 

As the 2014-2015 Blood Moon Tetrad of the end days was centered between the saddest days on the Hebrew Calendar, the days of Av marked by Lunar Triples in 2010-11 and 2018-19, as seen above they commemorate the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple on two key occasions in their history, one of which we have highlighted below, with the 69-71 AD solar and lunar eclipses, marking the Romans Destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. It is also noteworthy that the triple union of Jupiter- Regulus in Leo, marking Christ’s birth in 3-2 BC, synchronize here since the next one did not recur till 69-70 AD, 2 opening to the Partial Lunar Eclipse on the Feast of Tabernacles on 10/18/69′.

Table 1.
Solar & Lunar Eclipses from 69-71 AD.         2016 Solar & Lunar Eclipses omitting Adar 2:

Jupiter-Regulus union                10/15/69     #1 triple union in  Leo 69-70′

Partial Lunar      Sukkot              10/18/69

Jupiter-Regulus Conjunction   12/30/69     #2

Total Solar           Nisan 1              3/30/70       Total Solar Eclipse 3/9/2016 on Nisan 1

Penum lunar       Passover          4/14/70        Penum Lunar Eclipse-Passover 3/23/2016/Nisan 14

Jupiter-Regulus Conjunction   6/7/70          #3

Temple destroyed by Titus         8/5/70        9th of Av, 70 AD in Age of Grace opened by Peter citing Joel 2 @ Pentecost 28′

Rev. 12 Sign of the Woman        8/27/70      [1260 days from 1st Blood Moon on 4/4/2014] to 9/23/2017

 Figure B. The Rev. 12 sign on August 27th, 70 AD: With a Jupiter-Venus union in Leo. 3

Annular Solar     Rosh Hash     9/21/70       Annular Solar Eclipse 9/3/2016/Trumpets Feast

Penum lunar        Sukkot           10/08/70     Penum Lunar Eclipse 9/16/Sukkot/9-16 to 9/23/2016

Partial Lunar       Purim             3/4/71

Hybrid Solar       Nisan 1            3/20/71

Hybrid Solar      Rosh Hash   September 12, 71 AD

These dates may look familiar to those following my Biblical Astronomy Blog [blog.try-god.org], since we have presented some of this material in prior blogs, as the first 2 Total Solar Eclipses of 2016 form the continuation of Solar and Lunar signs on Hebrew Feast days after the Blood Moon Tetrad of 2014-15. Due to a lack of consensus on the appearance of Aviv Barley in Israel, the alignment of these solar and lunar eclipses with Hebrew Feasts went mostly unnoticed in 2016. But they are key as they not only represent a direct link to the Aug. 21^st, 2017 Pan-American Total Solar eclipse, but they also reflect the eclipses of 70′, when Titus destroyed the Jerusalem Temple.

Amazingly, another version of this Rev. 12 celestial wonder takes place on August 27th, in 70′, between the 4/14/70 Passover Lunar Eclipse, and the 9/21/70 Rosh Hashannah Solar Eclipse! As we have proposed in other blog posts, the Rev. 12 sign marking the birth of Christ on Sept. 11th, 3 BC, has the potential of a dual fulfillment, looking towards the victorious return of our Lord and Savior in the near future. If this is the case as I have proposed in the Celestial Prelude, then we should see related planetary activity linked to this Rev. 12 sign not only in 3-2 BC and 70 AD, but also connected to the 9/23/2017 version of this sign. As we compare the 3 versions of this Rev. 12 sign, each has Virgo clothed with the Sun, crowned with 12 stars, with the Moon at her feet. The nine primary stars of Leo along with three added planets make up the crown of 12 stars over Virgo’s head in Leo. In 70′ the three planets in Leo were Jupiter-Venus, and Mercury, while in 2017 they were Venus, Mars and Mercury.

Figure B. Rev. 12 sign on Sept. 23rd, 2017. 4

In the 8/27/70 Rev. 12 sign, Jupiter and Venus in such close union they appear to merge into one star just as they did in 2 BC, except this time in the lower rear paw of Leo, [Fig. B]. Jupiter and Venus are also aligned with Mercury-Gabriel and the King Star Regulus in Leo. Its truly extraordinary that this version of the Rev. 12 Sign occurs in the center of the solar and lunar eclipses falling on Hebrew Feast and holy days, as they also marked the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70′. Since all three versions of the Rev. 12 sign take place in Virgo and Leo, they also fall in the category of Celestial Sphinx signs, the Alpha and Omega signs of the Biblical Zodiac.

Just as these signs of the Celestial Sphinx are evident in the Solar and Lunar Tetrads of 168-166 BC with Antiochus IV, and Titus’ 70′ destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, both forerunners of the Anti-Christ, these signs were also present both in the Rev. 12 signs of the birth of Christ, on Sept. 11th 3, BC, and also the Rev. 12 sign on 9/23/17. This of course supports our thesis of the Celestial Prelude. The reader can refer to previous studies on the Celestial Sphinx and the Celestial Prelude to gain added context with these subjects.

The planetary activity surrounding these Rev. 12 signs is a key to unlock the secrets of these related celestial signs. As we may recall there was a triple union of Jupiter-Regulus in 3-2 BC, marking the birth of Christ, not seen again till 69-70 AD. These signs were bracketed by 2 Jupiter-Venus conjunctions on Aug. 12th, 3 BC and June 17th, 2 BC. We also find critical Jupiter-Venus conjunctions in 70′ and in 2015-2017, as part of the Celestial Sphinx signs in Virgo and Leo. This conjunction series includes 2 Jupiter-Venus triple unions, one each in Leo then in Virgo, the head of the Woman united with the body of the Lion, as the two primary components of the Great Sphinx. We find this manifested also at the birth of Christ in a dazzling Jupiter-Venus conjunction in Leo on June 17th of 2 BC.

Jupiter-Venus Conjunction

The 1st Jupiter-Venus Conjunction marking the birth of Christ took place in August, 3 BC, in Leo, with the closest union occurring on June 17th, 2 BC, also in Leo. Here we find an interesting variation on a Celestial Sphinx sign directing us to the planetary unions of Jupiter-Venus, marking an initial fulfillment of the Rev. 12:1-2 prophecy relating to the sufferings of Christ in his ministry as the Passover Lamb. This alerts us that we should also look for similar Celestial Sphinx signs as a precursor to the glory of Lord’s Second Coming, a key element of the dual fulfillment of the Rev. 12:1-2 prophecy. [Lk. 4-JC]

In addition to marking the start and close of the celestial canon, the Great Sphinx mirrors the binding of Scripture together from Genesis to Revelation, as seen in references to Jesus as the Lion of the tribe of Judah in both Gen. 49:8-10 and Rev. 5:5, the first and last books of the Bible. Another indicator of the key importance of these stellar aspects of the Great Sphinx, is  the Celestial Sphinx; Virgo and Leo the lion provide the basis for the signs of the triple union of Jupiter-Regulus in Leo,
in 3 BC related to Gen. 49:8-10. This is a foundation key linking the Sphinx both to the celestial Gospel and God’s Word, in their unified testimony of the Coming Promised Seed.

As we view the conjunctions of Jupiter-Venus in the context of the Blood Moon Tetrad of 2014-15, an earlier union of these planets occurred in Cancer, on August 18, 2014 which came 1131 days before the Feast of Trumpets 2017. This leads into the signs of the Celestial Sphinx on the following dates, where Jupiter-Venus conjunctions in Leo in took place in the Jubilee year of 2015-2016:

June 30th, 2015
August 25th, 2015
October 26th, 2015

The following dates saw Jupiter-Venus conjunctions in Virgo in 2016-17, culminating with Nov. 13th 2017:

July 27th, 2016
Feb. 26th, 2017
Nov. 13th, 2017

Near dawn in the first days of November 2017, Venus the Morning Star followed Jupiter through Virgo, passed by Spica-Al Zemach, the branch and offspring of God appearing closest before sunrise on November 2. 5  Spica, shining in its 1st magnitude brilliance, illuminating the four fold ministry of Christ it embodies in Scripture, seen in the spiritual light of the four Gospels. When paired with Venus, the 3rd brightest object behind the Sun and Moon, this conjunction is one that deserves our attention.

The Nov. 13th, Jupiter-Venus union finds the bright and Morning Star, less than 1/3 of a degree apart,  [Rev. 22:16] from the king planet. The question that seems to stand out from these astronomical observations is why would the Almighty emphasize the Rev. 12 signs of the birth of Jesus Christ with the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple? Remember how we opened this study referring to the Total Solar Eclipse at the North Pole, on March 20th falling in the middle of the 2014-15 Blood Moon Tetrad? But in 70′ the destruction of the Temple on the 9th of Av reflects God’s Judgement on Israel due to their rejection of Jesus Christ the Messiah. This rejection of Christ has caused blindness on Israel, [Rom. 11:5-12, 25-32] bringing salvation to the Gentiles, that will not be lifted till the fullness of the Gentiles is come. When Christ Returns WITH his Saints he will complete his judgement on the world, [Rev. 19:11-18]. The first phase of his Return is when he comes FOR his Saints, [1 Thess. 4:13-18].

 The day counts of these pi calculations are inclusive–in that they include both start and end days. Considering the day counts in Fig. C, the period of 400 days is worthy of a closer look. By an inclusive count, its true sum is 401 days from the 2nd Cancer conjunction to the Total Solar Eclipse in Leo on August 21, 2017, [Fig. D]. If we take 401 days multiplied by pi, it equals 1,260 days. 9 Of course, 1,260 is 1/2-2520 days, or the 7 year Tribulation period minus 35 days. But 1260 is also the number of days from the 1st Blood Moon eclipse of the Tetrad (April 15, 2014) till the Revelation 12 sign, Sept. 23-25, 2017, [Figure C]. This tells us the Blood Moon Tetrad of 2014-15 leading to the Rev. 12 sign on 9-23-17 is not only a strong warning of the Tribulation, but the inclusive count of 1,260 days ending at September 25th also is a clue to its solution, that men of God have sought ever since the archangel Gabriel told Daniel the vision was sealed till the time of the end; [Dan. 12:9]. As we found in our previous August blog post looking at the numbers related to the Gentile dominion over Jerusalem in Biblical Prophecy;

 “Saros cycles breakdown into two cycles, one of 666 years and the other of 594 years totaling 1260 years. We know that 1260 years is a soli-lunar cycle, so exact that its epact or remainder is only 6 hours. Bullinger stresses not only these aspects of the 1260 year period but also its double-2520 years. 10 Bullinger believed that these 1260 year periods marking the Gentile’s dominion over Jerusalem and its Temple in history, would foreshadow 1260 day periods in the end-times, when the final Abomination of Desolation was to be fulfilled, before and during the Great Tribulation. [2 Thess. 2:1-4]. This time of the fullness of the Gentiles is supported astronomically with findings above in the 1260 days from the 1st Blood Moon eclipse of the Tetrad to the Rev. 12 sign, on 9/23/17, as a precursor to the 1260 day end-time prophesies, [Rev. 11:1-3, 12:6, 14, 13:5].

The 2520 year period is known as the great “seven times” of prophecy, perhaps because the periods of Gentile dominion over Jerusalem and its Temple in history are “divided” into 2 spans of 1260 years, forming another kind of “week.”  Even as these two 1260 year periods of Gentile dominion over Jerusalem are encapsulated in the times leading up to the Great Tribulation, so they reflect two 1260 day periods are contained within the 7-year Tribulation. Furthermore, these 2520 days point to a future fulfillment of the various 1260 day, 42 months and a time, times and half a time periods of this week we have listed above, during the Great Tribulation.

Figure D. 11

The last Blood Moon eclipse of this Tetrad on Sept. 28, 2015, was the only Moon in the Tetrad visible in Jerusalem, took place 2520 weeks from the end of the 6-Day-War, during the previous Blood Moon Tetrad of 1967-68, when Israel reclaimed control over Jerusalem for the first time since 70′. This is enlightening when we recall the 7 weeks, or 49-day count between Passover and Pentecost, is also the basis for the 7 weeks of years that form the 50 Year Jubilee on the Hebrew Calendar, as seen in the 50 years between 1967-68 to 2017-18. This gives us a common standard for calculating weeks, days and years in Biblical time-keeping, established in the feasts of Passover, Pentecost and the Hebrew Jubilee. The last Blood Moon of the 2014-15 Tetrad also occurred at the end of a Shemita year, during the 1st week after the start of the Jubilee Year. As this is a long accepted basis in Israel for calculating these holy calendar feasts, we expect this standard to continue, not only in regular Hebrew timekeeping, but also in the events concerning the end-times. In this light it is interesting that in viewing a week of 7 years in light of current events in Biblical Astronomy when we recall there is about a 7-year period between the two paths of solar eclipses that began with the Pan American Total Solar Eclipse on August 21st, 2017, to its complimentary eclipse in the spring of 2024. This adds support to our discussion of the 49-day count between Passover and Pentecost, that forms the basis of the 7 weeks of years, leading to the 50-year Jubilee. To depict this link between days and years in Hebrew Timekeeping there is also a 2520 day period counting from Passover 2017 to Pentecost 2024.  Whether this is another intriguing temporal marker leading to the Tribulation, or one that could apply directly to it remains to be seen, but the indications are noteworthy in either case. From Pentecost 2018- 2,520 days later lands on Passover 2025 making 7/360-day years is also an eye-opener. 12   

In our day as believing members of the spiritual body of Christ, we must recognize and teach Christ’s fulfillment of the Lord’s Feasts. At the Ascension Jesus was raised to Heaven on Day 40 and 10 days later, Pentecost came the 50th day, or 7 weeks and a day from the Resurrection on Sunday. Jesus prophesied ten days before Pentecost of the the coming of the holy spirit as part of the New birth that became available first on the Day of Pentecost, [Lk. 24:37-39] when the Apostle’s first spoke in tongues, [Acts 2:1-4]. We have  the spiritual privilege to exercise these 9 manifestations of holy spirit [1 Cor. 12: 7-11] ever since as part of the New Birth package.  

Do the 1260 year periods of Jerusalem being trodden underfoot by the Gentiles foreshadow 1260 day periods in the end of days? It certainly seems likely, especially since the crux of understanding Daniel’s prophecies centers on the literal “week” of 7-days when linked to Christ, but a week of seven years when tied with the anti-Christ. The dual meaning of this week is not only found in [Gen. 29:26-28], but also with the 49-day count between Passover and Pentecost, as the basis for the 7 weeks of years forming the 50 Year Jubilee on the Hebrew Calendar. This gives us ample Biblical precedent as a key to the interpretation of these prophecies that have remained a mystery for so long. We know the future Temple will come as it is part of Biblical Prophecy just as the prior prophecies concerning the Jerusalem Temple were fulfilled in history. The future prophesied Temple must be restored before these Bible prophecies can be fulfilled.

God’s Judgment in Sieges on Jerusalem

There have been 27 sieges of Jerusalem historically [9 x 3], nine being the number of judgement, and 3 of spiritual completion. According to Bullinger’s study of Number in Scripture, he expected to find importance attached to the 10th siege [ordinal perfection] with a cycle of completion, and the 20th siege, which was the case as both of these marked the Temple’s destruction by fire. In the Hebrew Sabbath years of 586-587 BC and 69-70 AD, the sieges of Jerusalem and its Temple, first by Nebuchadnezzar, who burnt the Temple in 587-586 BC, [2 Chron. 36:17-20], and in 69-70 AD, by Titus and his Roman legions who also burnt the Temple. In both cases Jerusalem lay desolate for the next 50 years on the Jubilee Calendar. 13

Both of these historical figures relate prominently in prophecies concerning the anti-Christ, first Nebuchadnezzar whose dream of the four world kingdoms treading down Jerusalem leading to the end-times, and Titus of Rome played key roles as fore-runners of the Anti-Christ in prophecy. We will discuss this further presently. It was also expected with seven being the number of spiritual perfection, that the 7th, 14th and 21st sieges would stand out from the others. This proved to be true as these 3 each were the subject of divine prophecy. There is also a fourth siege of this group still future [28=7 x 4] and these 4 form a  structural Biblical figure of speech called an Epanados, with the first relating to the 4th; each being raised by divine inter-position, and the 2nd comparing to the 3rd in the terrible character of each. 14 See the structure below;

Epanados of the Sieges of Jerusalem. 15

A. The 7th- Sennacherib’s siege was repulsed by an angel from the Lord, in about 713 BC, [2 Chron. 32].

  B. The 14th- Antiochus IV, One of the most brutal sieges, from 170-164 BC, with an abomination desolation, [Dan.9].

  B. The 21st- Roman siege under Hadrian in 135 AD, one of the most complete, with an abomination desolation. [Lk. 19:43         -44]

A. The 28th- The anti-Christ, prophesied in the future [Zech. 14, 2 Thess. 2]. This abomination of desolation will be cut           short by the Returning Lord Jesus Christ with his saints.

Looking at Daniel’s Prophecies of the Anti-Christ and their compliments in Revelation, they each refer to a “week” period. By linking this 1 week period, [H7620], with the 42 months/1260 days [3.5 year period/time, times and dividing of a time] we observe how the one week relates to both “princes” below; the Beast and the Messiah, who shall confirm [make firm] the covenant with many for “one week”: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.” The main record linked to the “Prince” referring to both the Messiah and the beast pertaining to a “week” is set in Daniel 9:

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The Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse Tetrad and the Destruction of the Jerusalem Temple

The solar and lunar eclipses in the Blood Moon Tetrads during the formation of the state of Israel in 1949-50, to the reclamation of Jerusalem by Israel, marked by the 1967-68 Blood Moon Tetrad, to the recent 2014-15 Blood Moon Tetrad, all exhibit how God speaks to His people via His Word, Spoken, written and incarnate, confirmed by these heavenly signs. As in the 1949-50 and 1967-68 Tetrads, the Blood Moons have indicated war in Israel was is the case historically in 168-66 BC.

As we have seen with previous Blood Moon Lunar and Solar Eclipses marking the defiling of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 AD [Table 2.], these are noteworthy and instructive concerning current and future events. The subject of this study concerns a relevant aspect of Biblical Prophecy relating to events of the end-times that we can see coming together before our eyes.

In end-time prophecy, Daniel 8 is a key section of Scripture. Scholars are agreed in Daniel 8 that the goat’s first horn (the horn that was broken) is Alexander the Great, and the four horns arising afterwards are four generals who divided his empire, from which Antiochus IV arose. The symbols of the ram and he-goat, in Daniel 8 are the  kings of Persia and Greece.

Antiochus’ IV took the title “Epiphanes” (God Manifest) when he took the Seleucid throne in 175 BC. Antiochus’ IV efforts to Hellenize the kingdoms he conquered had an effect on other cultures besides Israel. Their various pagan idols or “stars” were cut down by Antiochus IV to establish Hellenized religious observances throughout his kingdom, [Dan. 8:10]. Although the books of the Apocrypha hold little Scriptural value in the Canon of God’s Word, the Books of the Maccabees are valuable concerning the historical record of this time period. These records from Maccabees show the nature of the conflict Antiochus IV engaged with Israel, his unbridled ego and events surrounding the Temple at Jerusalem.

Figure 1.

Bust of Antiochus IV at the Altes Museum in Berlin. 1

1 Macc. 1:7-10  [175 B. C. 137th Seleucid year; Antiochus IV begins his reign]

⁷ Alexander had reigned twelve years when he died. ⁸ Each of his officers established himself in his own region. ⁹ All assumed crowns after his death, they and their heirs after them for many years, bringing increasing evils on the world. ¹⁰ From these there grew a wicked offshoot, Antiochus Epiphanes son of King Antiochus; once a hostage in Rome, he became king in the 107th year of the kingdom of the Greeks.

Daniel 8:1-22 reveals the times of Daniel, with a promise that God would bring an end to Israel’s oppression. Antiochus VI Epiphanes, took the Seleucid throne of Syria in 175 BC. In 167 BC that there was a revolt in Jerusalem, where he sent troops to suppress, halting the daily Temple sacrifices [Dan. 8:11] and polluting it, 167-164 BC. His attempt to blot out Judaism ultimately led to a reaction, led by Judas Maccabee and his cohorts, who won a series of dynamic military victories over the Seleucids to reclaim and purify the Temple three years later.

As a forerunner of the end-times Anti-Christ, Antiochus IV seemed successful in promoting his secular agenda. Circumcision and Sabbath-observance were being extinguished. Greek paganism under him, attempted to eliminate the true worship of Almighty God. But God chose Israel to bring the Messiah into the world, and He chose Jerusalem, for the location of His earthly Temple, as the place where the true Lamb of God would offer his life for all Mankind. The temple, the people of Israel, and Jerusalem were to be preserved together until the glorious arrival of Jesus Christ. Once the Messiah came to fulfill his ministry, the Temple would be razed in A.D. 70, as Jesus prophesied in [Matt. 24], but in 164 BC the temple had to be cleansed for God to fulfill His plan. A new aspect of this study compares the solar and lunar eclipses marking the 70 AD temple destruction with the Blood Moon Tetrad of 168-166 BC. Adding the Biblical Astronomy of the Solar and Blood Moon Lunar eclipse data provides a level of scientific verification to the historical data of this period previously not seen. Much of what was prophesied by Daniel has came to pass, but the complete story has not yet been fulfilled. This certainly puts a heightened focus on the current events leading to the Third Jerusalem Temple. 

To accomplish this required the faithful of Israel to stand against Antiochus‘ IV political and military pressure. Among the resistance was the priest Mattathias, who fled Jerusalem to the mountains with his sons. Others joined them, and they began raids removing pagan altars. When Mattathias neared death, he appointed his son Judas Maccabeus as the rebel captain, whose power and  influence grew in their battles against pagan enemies. Judas’ men fasted and believed God to defeat the armies Antiochus sent against them, and God aided their righteous efforts, so that in under 3 years the brave warriors of Israel prevailed.

Figure 2.

The Triumph of Judas Maccabeus, Rubens 2.

Antiochus VI Epiphanes, plundered the Jerusalem Temple in 169 BC and desecrated it in late 167 BC by commanding that sacrifices be made to Zeus on an altar built for him. Finally, Judas and his men reached Jerusalem. Upon seeing the desolation, the profaned altar, the gates burned, they made a great lamentation, rending their clothes and casting ashes on their heads. In only three days, 80,000+ were lost in a massacre of  young and old, with many of these meeting a violent death, and a similar number sold into slavery, [2 Macc. 5:11-14]. They proceeded to cleanse the entire area, built a new clean altar, made new holy vessels, and put the lampstand, table, and altar of incense into their rightful places. On the 25th of Kislev, in the year 164 BC, when the Temple was rededicated they celebrated its cleansing and dedicated it anew to the living God, with great rejoicing. No pagan tyrant will ever be able to withstand Almighty God. This event is celebrated in the annual Hanukkah festival. As Jon Nessle suggests: “if we count back 2300 days from 164 BC, it brings us to the month of Av on the Hebrew Calendar in 170 BC.”3

Was the Sanctuary trodden underfoot for 2300 days by Antiochus IV? This is a feasible thesis, and a purpose of this study is to investigate whether the Biblical Astronomy supports it, which we consider below. Antiochus wished to conquer Egypt, but he had to stabilize his empire first, including Israel. His plan was to consolidate its cultural and religious aspects. During his return from the military campaign in Egypt via Jerusalem, Antiochus left a swath of destruction burning many houses, killing and enslaving tens of thousands of Jews and attacking the Jerusalem Temple, the center of life in Israel. The Syrian soldiers robbed the temple treasures and on 15 Kislev, 167 BC Antiochus IV, illustrating why he took the title “Epiphanes” (God Manifest), erecting a statue of the Greek god Zeus etched with his own face in the central altar of the Jerusalem Temple, (1 Macc. 1:54). Then on 25 Kislev, 167 BC he desecrated the most holy place in the temple while destroying the holy scrolls.

As Rev. Nessle states regarding the 2300 days: “In my analysis of the prophecies of Daniel, I showed that this time span very well could be the entire time span that the sanctuary was trodden under-foot by the army of Antiochus IV. We know from Maccabees that the end point of the “desecration of the Temple was on Kislev 25, or Dec. 16th, in 164 BC.”4  This initiated the Hanukkah festival when the Temple was rededicated, due to the desecration of the abomination by Antiochus IV, as a forerunner of the end-times Anti-Christ.

The prophecy in Daniel 8 is in two parts, “the first section covers the Persian Empire up through the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes whose desecration of the Temple was the first mention in Daniel of the Abomination that took place in the Temple.”5

Figure 3. Jerusalem Temple model-70 AD.

“A prominent feature is that it gives a time span of 2300 days. This is exactly 78 Lunar months. When one compares with the Book of Maccabees, the time span does not fit the total length of time the Temple was actually desecrated. In (2 Macc. 1:54-59) Antiochus set up the abomination; the 15th of Kislev and sacrificed on 25th of Kislev [12/6/167 BC]. The Temple was cleansed three years later [2 Macc. 4:52, 25th of Chisleu 12/16/164). But there is more. The phrase “trodden underfoot,” is also included. History records that the Temple was rededicated on the 25th of Kislev in 164 which was the inception of the Jewish Feast of Hanukkah. If we consult Parker and Dubberstein’s ancient Jewish calendar, we can see that the years 170 and 167 had Intercalary 13th months (II Adar) in them. So counting back 78 months from the Temple cleansing and the end of the abomination desolation, brings us to the end of the 5th month Av, in 170 AD. Antiochus IV fought the Egyptians in the Battle of Mt. Kasios in early November in 170 AD. Parker and Dubberstein tell us that would have been in the middle of the 8th month. The beginning of the 2300 days was the 26th of Av (the month Av is always 30 days long). This date would have been 80 days before the battle. The [orbis.stanford.edu] website calculates that a Roman Legion would take about 50 days to travel 300 miles from Damascus to the Battle site of Pelusium via Jerusalem (at speed of Ox Carts). So it is not implausible at all that the Sanctuary was “trodden underfoot” by advanced elements from Antiochus in the Summer of 170.”6

 Since Antiochus is a type of the Anti-Christ, this qualifies as a “preliminary fulfillment” of this prophecy, yet to be completed by the end-times anti-Christ. We can see however how Antiochus IV fulfills the prophecies of Daniel 8;

Dan. 8:11-14
11 Yea, he magnified {himself} even to the prince of the host [To God Almighty or the Jewish High Priest] and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of the Sanctuary was cast down. [Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the Temple] 12 And an host was given {him} against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down truth to the ground; and it practiced [transacted business], and prospered.

13 Then I heard one saint (angel) speaking, and another saint (angel) said unto that certain {saint} which spake, How long {shall be} the vision {concerning} the daily {sacrifice}, and the transgression of desolation, [reference to the “Abomination of Desolation”] to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? 14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; [Exactly 78 Lunar Months*] then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. [Time span includes all the parts of verse 13] {insertions by Jon Nessle in red} 7

*A numerical note on the 2300 days equaling 78 lunar months is that (78=6 x 13), 6 as the number of man destitute of God multiplied by the number of rebellion or apostasy.8 These are fitting links since Antiochus IV was a type of the end times Anti-Christ and he instigated this version of the Abomination Desolation. Also the relation between lunar months and this Blood Moon Tetrad marking key dates as the Temple was being trodden underfoot during the 2300 days is notable. Other elements of the history of these events are recorded in the Book of Maccabees and in our timeline below.

This explanation says that the entire temple defilement lasted 2300 days, or six years plus 110 days, about 6 1/3 years from 170-164 BC, not a complete 7 year period as is many times assumed.

Table 1. Book of Maccabees 9

1 Mac 1:10               175 BC. 137th Seleucid year; Antiochus begins reign

1 Mac 1:10-15        *171 BC. desolating covenant to worship Greek gods

26th of month AV, 170 BC- 78 Lunar months prior to the cleansing of the Temple in 164. 

Antiochus fought the Egyptians in the Battle of Mt. Kasios early November/mid-8th month 170 BC. [Seleucid year 143]

1 Mac 1:20-28       169 BC; plunders Jerusalem temple 

1 Mac 1:54-59       15th of Kislev, 167 BC; set up abomination 25th of Kislev 12/6/167, then sacrificed abomination of desolation in the Seleucid year 145

2 Mac 6:1, 2           “compel the Jews to forsake the laws of their fathers and cease to live by the laws of God. Also polluted the Jerusalem temple calling it the temple of the Olympian Zeus.”

1 Mac 4:42-58       25th of Chisleu 12/16/164; sanctuary cleansed; Antiochus died in Seleucid year 148. 10

2 Mac 10:1-8         Sanctuary purified

1 Macc. 1:20-28
²⁰ After his conquest of Egypt, in the year 143, Antiochus turned around and advanced on Israel and Jerusalem in massive strength. ²¹ Insolently breaking into the sanctuary, he removed the golden altar and the lampstand for the light with all its fittings.  ²² Together with the table for the shewbread offering, the cups, the golden censers, the veil, the crowns, and the golden decoration on the front of the Temple, which he stripped of everything. ²³ He made off with the silver and gold and precious vessels; he discovered the secret treasures and seized them. ²⁴ and, removing all these, he went back to his own country, having shed much blood and uttered words of extreme arrogance. ²⁸ The earth quaked because of its inhabitants and the whole House of Jacob was clothed with shame.

Key points of this record of Antiochus plundering and defiling the Jerusalem Temple in the 2300 days from 170-164 BC, are highlighted in the general celestial markings of the Blood Moon Tetrad of 168-166 BC. We will find added meaning as we compare this Blood Moon Tetrad to the the Solar and Lunar eclipses surrounding the Temple destruction in 70 AD.

Figure 4. Blood Moon over Jerusalem

The Blood Moon Tetrad of 168-166 BC.

The Solar and Lunar eclipse activity during this period from 168 BC to 166 BC is noteworthy around  the desolation and plundering of the Temple at Jerusalem by Antiochus IV. Although there may have been other eclipse activity during this 3 year period, the focus of this study is the Blood Moon Tetrad and Solar eclipses starting in mid-168 BC. This Tetrad includes 3 Total Lunar Eclipses in 167-166 BC. Notably the Solar and Blood Moon lunar eclipses are paired in tight intervals starting with the first Total Lunar Eclipse of this Blood Moon Tetrad. 11

 Total Solar Eclipse
On July 5th there was a Mercury-Regulus conjunction in Leo. On July 17th 168 BC, there was a Total Solar Eclipse with Sun and Moon in Cancer. Later in July of 168, a Jupiter-Mercury-Regulus Alignment occurred in Leo. These opening signs in Leo are similar to the opening signs of the 2016 Solar and lunar eclipses on Hebrew Feasts and Holy Days. [see Table 2 below].

 Total Lunar eclipse  
The first Total Lunar Eclipse of this Blood Moon Tetrad occurs on Dec. 27th, 168 BC, after the Winter solstice. The Blood Moon and Neptune were in Scorpius, with the Scorpion signifying the war Antiochus IV was bringing to Israel. The Sun was in Capricorn, with Saturn in Libra. Mars was unified with Leo the Lion, while Jupiter was in Virgo showcasing the signs of the Celestial Sphinx. Venus the Bright and Morning Star was in Sagittarius, whose arrows were aimed at Antares the heart of the Scorpion-enemy.

 Partial Solar Eclipse
About 2 weeks after the first Blood Moon and opening the New Year on Jan. 10th, 167 BC, there was another Solar Eclipse with the Sun and Venus in Capricorn, close to the border of Aquarius. Mercury was in Sagittarius. Mars-Micheal was in Leo with Jupiter in Virgo, depicting the signs of the Celestial Sphinx, as seen at the birth of Christ. This was the first of 4 luni-solar eclipse pairs in this Tetrad.

 Partial Solar Eclipse
Opening the Summer season on June 7th of 167 BC, was another Solar Eclipse, two weeks prior to the Summer Solstice Total Lunar Eclipse. Sun was in Gemini, with Mercury. Jupiter was near Mars  in Virgo. Venus was in Cancer with Saturn in Libra. If we take into account the next solar eclipse a month later we can see the Second Blood Moon of this Tetrad bracketed tightly between these two Solar Eclipses.

  Total Lunar eclipse
The 2nd Blood Moon of the Tetrad, was a Total Lunar Eclipse, June 21st, 167 BC, at the Summer Solstice. The Sun was in Gemini, and Saturn in Libra. Mercury and Venus in Leo, with a Jupiter-Mars union in Virgo again emphasizing the Celestial Sphinx. Mercury-Gabriel was heralding the Bright and Morning Star in Leo the Lion of the tribe of Judah, while the King Planet Jupiter was unified with Mars-the Warrior Archangel standing against the forces of Antiochus IV.

 Partial Solar Eclipse
The following month on July 7th, 167 BC there was another Solar Eclipse, forming a pair of solar eclipses bracketing this Blood Moon. In July of 167 BC, the Sun was in Cancer, with Saturn in Libra. Mercury and Venus were in Leo, with Jupiter and Mars in Virgo again marking the Celestial Sphinx.

 Partial Solar Eclipse
On Dec. 1st there was another key Solar Eclipse, which gets our attention 1st because it occurred only 5 days after Antiochus set up the abomination on Nov. 26th, or the 15th of Kislev, sacrificed 10 days later on 25th of Kislev or 12/6/167 BC. Venus and Mars were in Capricorn as the righteous sacrifice opposed to Antiochus’ abomination. The Sun was in the Bow of Sagittarius with arrow aimed at the heart of the Scorpion enemy. Mercury was near Neptune in Ophiuchus showing the ongoing conflict between the Serpent bearer and Scorpius. Saturn was in Libra. Then only 10 days later the 3rd Total Lunar Eclipse of this Blood Moon Tetrad followed.

 Total Lunar eclipse.
167 BC closes out with a Third pair of Eclipses in December. followed by the 3rd Blood Moon of this Tetrad, with a Total Lunar Eclipse on Dec. 16th. On Dec. 14th, 167 BC, the Blood Moon and Jupiter were at Virgo’s Feet, moving towards Scorpio. The Sun in Sagittarius, Mars and Venus in Capricorn, and Saturn in Libra. This sign in mid-Dec. 167 BC with the Moon at Virgo’s Feet, recalls the Rev. 12 sign, at the birth of Christ. It is notable that this Blood Moon on Dec. 16th foreshadows the cleansing of the Temple and the initiation of Hannukah, 3 years later on Dec. 16th, 164 BC, or the 25th of Chislev. This is verified in 1 Macc. 4:54 below where “the altar was dedicated, at the same time of year and on the same day when the Gentiles had originally profaned it.”

 Annular Solar Eclipse
The year 166 BC also witnessed eclipse activity starting the 28th of May with a Partial Solar Eclipse. The Sun and Mercury are in Gemini, with Mars and Venus in the Bull of Taurus. Saturn is in Libra, with Jupiter is at Virgo’s feet. Here we see a 4th pair of tightly packed eclipses wrapping up this Blood Moon Tetrad.

 Total Lunar eclipse
This was followed the next month by the final Blood Moon of this Tetrad, in a Total Lunar Eclipse on June 11th, with the Moon in Aries less than two weeks from the Summer Solstice. The Sun is still in Gemini, with Mars and Venus in the Bull of Taurus. Mercury has now moved into Cancer. 

 Annular Solar Eclipse
Later on Nov. 20th, 166 BC there was a Annular Solar Eclipse, framing the final Blood Moon of the Tetrad. The Sun, Moon and Neptune were in Ophiuchus. Jupiter was in Libra, with a Mercury-Saturn union in Scorpio. Venus in the Bow of Sagittarius. Mars was in Virgo protecting Israel.

 Partial Lunar Eclipse
Finally on Dec. 6th there was a Partial Lunar Eclipse closing out 166 BC, with the Moon grazing by Jupiter in Libra. Jupiter is at Scorpio’s border joining Saturn in Scorpio, with Mercury and Neptune in Ophiuchus. The Sun and Venus were in Sagittarius. This was 1 year to the day after the sacrifice of the Abomination Desolation on 25th of Kislev or 12/6/167 BC. 12

1 Macc. 1:37-57 documents the year 168 BC that witnessed the plundering of Jerusalem, and the halting of sanctuary services, not to mention the abomination desolation under the decree of Antiochus IV.

1 Macc. 1:54-57

 ⁵⁴ On the fifteenth day of Chislev in the year 145 the king built an appalling abomination on top of the altar of burnt offering; and altars were built in the surrounding towns of Judah. ⁵⁶ Any books of the Law that came to light were torn up and burned. ⁵⁷ Whenever anyone was discovered possessing a copy of the covenant or practicing the Law, the king’s decree sentenced him to death.

1 Macc. 4:49-59

⁴⁹ They made new sacred vessels, and brought the lamp-stand, the altar of incense, and the table into the Temple. ⁵⁰ They burned incense on the altar and lit the lamps on the lamp-stand, and these shone inside the Temple. ⁵¹ They placed the loaves on the table and hung the curtains and completed all the tasks they had undertaken. ⁵² On the twenty-fifth of the ninth month, Chislev, in the year 148 they rose at dawn ⁵³ and offered a lawful sacrifice on the new altar of burnt offering which they had made.

⁵⁴ The altar was dedicated, to the sound of hymns, zithers, lyres and cymbals, at the same time of year and on the same day on which the Gentiles had originally profaned it.

⁵⁵ The whole people fell prostrate in adoration and then praised Heaven who had granted them success.

⁵⁶ For eight days they celebrated the Dedication of the altar, joyfully offering burnt offerings, communion and thanksgiving sacrifices. ⁵⁸ There was no end to the rejoicing among the people, since the disgrace inflicted by the Gentiles had been effaced. ⁵⁹ Judas, with his brothers and the whole assembly of Israel, made it a law that the days of the Dedication of the altar should be celebrated yearly at the proper season, for eight days beginning on the twenty-fifth of the month of Chislev, with rejoicing and gladness; [164 BC]