Sun | Try-God.org

The Wheels of the Cherubim

Welcome everyone to the August 2026 Blog folks! We are blessed in a current class by Rev. Jon Nessle and Ren Manetti on the Book of James, where Jon has recently taught on the First Fruits of a Restored Symmetry of the Creator’s Spiritual Cosmology. The incalculable value of this view, is a central concept in light of the recent blog study on the Cherubim Constellations and the Way of the Tree of Life. [see Nov. 2017 Blog] Their teaching on the Angelic Spiritual Symmetry in the 1^st Heaven & Earth, opens new vistas in reviewing Joseph’s dreams of Israel’s 12 tribes tied to the 12 Ecliptic Signs in a Restored Angelic Symmetry as God renews Israel‘s vitality, in Christ’s spiritual Body. (Eph.2:11f)

The Tabernacle’s eastern door is the Way, the truth, and the life, of John 14:6, in Christ as light of the world, door of the sheep, and the Good Shepherd in the true way that leads unto life. [Jn.10]

We find important keys to this true way in Joseph’s dreams of Gen. 37, below:

Gen. 37:3-11 ³Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. ⁴But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him. ⁵Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. ⁶So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: ⁷There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.” ⁸And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. ⁹Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.” ¹⁰So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?” ¹¹And his brothers envied him, but his father kept [8104-Shamar]#1 the matter in mind.

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.#2 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 & eleven stars, with Joseph being the 12th. We find 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 in both seeds-the sheaves (earthly seed [#2233; zera-Gen. 13:15-17] and stars (heavenly seed; Gen. 15:4-6), each relating to prophecies of innumerable seed tied to Israel. Here we can see a record where the witness of the Stars aligns with the witness of Scripture via God’s revelation to Joseph, to preserve the line of the promised seed of Israel, that the enemy attempts to wipe out in the famine that took Jacob to Egypt. We also find the two seeds mirrored in horizontal and vertical fish of the Pisces constellation in the Celestial Gospel.

Joseph’s first dream had a terrestrial interpretation which was seen in [Gen. 45: 8 & 26], where the same Hebrew word in v. 8, for “dominion” (4910–maschal),#3 has an initial relevance to Joseph’s political position as “ruler through all the land of Egypt.” This was fulfilled when Jacob brought his family to Egypt via God’s direction [Gen. 46:3-4], when Joseph was Grand Vizier.

The second dream however, being celestial in nature, shows a clear distinction from the first dream, indicating that there’s an added aspect of these signs of the ecliptic that we, as students of Biblical Astronomy, must 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.”#4 Clearly, 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’s ancestral roots came from this tribe [Rev. 5:5], as opposed to Joseph, who embodies the sign Taurus the Bull with its two horns as symbols of Joseph’s sons in the tribes Ephraim and Manessah. [Deut. 33:16-17]

As Patriarchal Astronomy, saw the poles, ecliptic and Equator all tied to the direction of earth’s axis, shows aspects of precession as part of the Creator’s plan to assess the geocentric view of Earth’s center position in Creation. The earth, is not a literal center of the Universe, but as the focus of the light shed by the Sun, Moon & Stars from a Godly view [Gen. 1:14-16], it is the figurative focal point of God’s Creation as man’s garden home. This aspect of the idea of the Sun’s dual year, as the Solar year depicts a heliocentric, or sun–centered solar system, noting it’s Daily/annual glow from earth’s view, as the central light of heaven, versus its cycle of precession. The key point of precession is seen, not only in the 2160 year-ages ruled by the Sun’s residence in each of the 12 signs of the zodiac, but also regarding the Celestial Gospel message of each zodiacal sign linked to the return of the Promised seed-Jesus Christ.

This Fig. 1 graphic from Harmonica Macrocosmica [A. Cellarius, Amsterdam 1660] depicts a Sun centered Copernican view of the cosmos. #4a

The view of Restored Symmetry in the Creator’s Spiritual Cosmology relates to this context, a grasp of the relation between this angelic order in the first Heaven and Earth, is based on God’s perfect foreknowledge of Lucifer’s revolt, and His plan for Man’s Creation included the redemption of Mankind superceding Satan and his fallen angels, exemplified in the Perfect man Jesus Christ, who inherited authority over the 2/3rds of the Angels that retained their holiness, along with the redeemed of Israel with the Spiritual Body of Christ. We see a summary of an intact Angelic Godly order in Ezekiel 1.

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

In Ezekiel’s vision the Cherubim each had four faces & four wings. As angels work between God and men, we see Cherubim traits, first with four wings and faces at the four corners of heaven. They also have four hands of a man under each of their wings, showing a 4-fold symmetry of service to God in heaven for men on Earth.

Figure 2. The Four Faces, Wings and Hands of the Cherubim

We find added elements of dominion in these four Cherubim faces. as Man is created in God’s image, has earthly dominion, so the Lion–king is over the wild animal kingdom. As the Bull-king of domesticated animals, the Eagle is king of the air fowl, [Gen. 1:26-28]. In Fig. 2 Cherubim embody 4 cornerstone signs of the Hebrew Mazzaroth at 4 Compass points & Cardinal Directions. As the Cherubim’s 4 faces embody 4 royal stars/ constellations on the Sun’s ecliptic path, so 4 Cherubim are ever tied to four faces of Man/Aquarius, the Bull/Taurus, the Lion-king/Leo and the Eagle/Aquila.

Exodus 36 shows points of color in the Tabernacle’s veil of Cherubim, as we regard this color symbolism of services in the Temple and Tabernacle.

Ex. 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 there-unto four pillars of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold: their hooks were of gold; and he cast for them four sockets of silver.

Four pillars held a veil, symbolizing Earth’s number, oriented to four Cardinal Directions. The 4th digit rules this imagery, not just as 4 pillars held the veil of the Tabernacle, but also in its colors. The colors are Blue, in the peace of God‘s presence, and His Son-the Prince of Peace. Purple shows Christ’s royalty, as King of Kings. The Man Jesus Christ offered his perfect blood, as high priest– the sin offering to redeem us. White linen is his righteous purity as perfect Servant of God. Thus, 4 Tabernacle colors-a 4D collective–as Christ’s 4-fold service- Chief corner of 4 Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John, in 4 uses of the zemach branch in Scripture–God’s Word, made flesh. The 4 pillars are 4 Cardinal Points, as Solstices & Equinoxes–Cherubim Wheels in the ecliptic & Equator, at 4-corners of the sky, to square the ecliptic circle.

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

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

As symbolic references to the four quarters of heaven, the 4 unified faces of the Cherubim 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 truths of Jesus as our Shepherd are vividly seen in 3 Psalms 22, 23 and 24, depict the sufferings and glory of the Lord. As Prophet, the Good Shepherd who gave his life not only for the sheep, but for the safe-keeping of all people who come unto him [John 10:11]. As the High Priest and the Great Shepherd, he is the first, last and only door, for the sheep, 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 exhibits 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 gives access to the holiest of all was covered by a veil in both the Temple and the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle veil, 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, as a special class of angels who are prominent in God’s throne-room. They are uniquely seen with four faces corresponding to “four royal signs” of the zodiac, ruling four-corners of celestial pillars in heaven, also seen in the four constellation signs of Num. 24:4-9.

This Celestial depiction of the circuit and Way that God set before the Lord Jesus Christ is found in the 19th Psalm.

Ps. 19:1-3 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament^[a] ^[⁷⁵^40-^{Gen. 1:6-8}^]shows ^[b]His handiwork. #5 ²Day unto day utters speech, [#562-Num. 24:4] And night unto night reveals knowledge. ³There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard–[#8065].

Ps. 19:4-6.
⁴Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath He set a tabernacle for the sun, ⁵Which is as a bride-groom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. ⁶His 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.

In Fig. 4 below we find a rendition of the Son/Sun of God running his course consisting of the four Cherubim at the Cardinal points of the Sun’s course on the Ecliptic, [Mal. 4:2-3].

Figure 4. The Four Celestial Signs at the four Compass points; Man, Eagle, Bull and Lion, with Christ in the center-vesica running his course.

Ps. 19:7-8 ⁷The law of the Lord is perfect, converting [7725] the soul: [5315] the testimony [5715] of the Lord is sure, [539] making wise [2449] the simple.
⁸The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: [3820]#6 the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

Ps. 19:7-8 depicts a pairing of the Heart and Soul, in the trials of our race, as we recover ourselves so we confess our sins to repent and return in fellowship, with God in response to our daily challenges.

Ps. 19:14 ¹⁴Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, [3820]#7 be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, [6697] and my redeemer.

The pairing of Heart and Strength [Ps. 18:1-2] shows The Lord as our Rock- one of the 7 Genesis titles of Christ in the OT. As we embody the Lord’s Strength there is nothing we cannot overcome in our race.

Thus, the placement of all four of the royal stars in the cornerstone signs is consistent with the symbolism of emotional, spiritual, mental and physical aspects of all living souls of believers.

Figure 5. Aquila the Eagle above the Serpent-Serpens.#8

Ezekiel’s vision at the river Chebar tells of the living creatures, specifically their four faces, matching the signs at the four Cardinal Directions of the ecliptic. As noted regarding the North, it was omitted for various reasons, the main likely due to the idolatry of Dan’s tribe (Judges 18:30-31). Manasseh was added to replace Dan to maintain 12 tribes, but omitting Dan was not only due to their idolatry, but also because this tribe led the other ten northern tribes into idolatry. This is why in the Cherubim’s four faces, the Eagle–Aquila was replaced as the serpent’s natural enemy. We find in the Fig. 5 graphic above with the decan Aquila pictured directly over the serpent-Serpens’ tail @ the lower right, held by the man–Ophiuchus.

Up North we see the Eagle decan face of Aquila [Ezek. 1:10], replacing his born enemy, Dan’s Serpent/Scorpion, the one triple sign-man/ Ophiuchus, wrestling a Serpent-Serpens, stamping out-Antares‘ Starlight, at the scorpion’s core. The vision of Ezekiel is recorded below.

This analysis of the Four Royal Stars is not only at the basis of the Celestial Gospel, but also in light of the First and Great Commandment in Mark 12:28-34, as we have just seen in Psalm 19.

²⁸And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first of all commandments? ²⁹And Jesus answered him, The first of all commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: ³⁰And you shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and all thy mind, and all thy
strength: this is the first commandment. 31And the second is like it, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these.

³²And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but He: ³³And to love him with all the heart, and all the understanding, and all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. ³⁴And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

For a Man to be unified in his Love for His God, he must give ALL his Heart, Soul, Mind and Strength, in service. The sooner we realize the four fold unity of man, in service the sooner we’ll reap the benefits of a unified life in our humble service to God. All who answer God’s Call, to serve with our All, in these 4 categories elevate ourselves into a maximum loading zone of God’s Miracle everlasting Abundance.

Several ancient cultures designated four bright stars in the zodiac as the “four corners of the earth” or the “four royal stars.” At the time the constellations were drawn by Shem, these four stars were near the sun’s location in the sky on the 1st day of autumn, winter, spring & summer, regarded as four Cardinal Points of the heavens.

These 4 stars were well known at the ecliptic 4 corners, the first was a bright red star, Antares that anciently marked the autumnal equinox, in the heart of Scorpius, as the sun appeared the first day of autumn.

The next bright star Fomalhaut, marked winter, trailed by Aldebaran, a very bright red star-180.0° opposite on the ecliptic from Antares, marked Spring Equinox, as Antares marked the Autumn. Finally, the bright star Regulus, located almost exactly on the ecliptic, marked Summer. Regulus, was “the Prince,” and traditional leader of these four royal stars. #9 ^[ⁿ^]

We see four royal stars in their own Ecliptic sign of 12 Mazzaroth signs. Antares the heart of the Scorpion, as in Aquarius–the royal star Fomalhaut, the Southern Fish–eye at the end–stream of waters poured out in Aquarius, [Isa. 44:2-4]. We also see Aldebaran–the Bull’s-eye in (Taurus–reem), and lastly, Regulus in the Lion’s heart (Leo), king of royal stars. These 4 are cornerstone signs not only as the Great Pyramid’s Square base, as 4 tribes/apostles reflect in the sky, as chief corners on the ecliptic’s Great Square, form the basis of ‘squaring the circle,’ or ‘cubing the sphere’ in geometry. These truths work as added handles to grasp the Gospel in the Stars.

Gen. 3:22-24 ²²Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” ²³Therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. ²⁴So He drove out the man; and He placed Cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

As Rev. Nessle taught Guarding the Way to the Tree of life was essential in preventing the Serpent from gaining access to this tree which would have corrupted Adam & Eve in their fallen state, and cancelled God’s plan for human salvation.

This first Cherubim mention in Scripture sets a precedent for the other four Cherubim at the ecliptic’ 4 corners as the four royal stars on the Way holding the Celestial Gospel in the 12 ecliptic signs. The Lord put this Cherubim east of the garden of Eden, with a flaming sword that turned every way, to guard the way to the Tree of life. This is a 1st usage of “Cherubim” from Cherub [#3742]-winged order of angel who stood over the Mercy seat in the holiest of all. [Ex. 37:7-9] They are said to rank under the Seraphim, which likely accounts for the Seraphim having six wings while the Cherubs have four. [Rev. 4:6-8] #10

Adam was charged to dress [5647] & keep [8104-shamar]#11 guard as a watch-man, to keep safe, preserve, protect [1Sam. 26:15-16, Job 2:6 Satan is warned not to harm Job’s life] Abner was worthy of death as he did not keep his Lord the king, the Lord’s anointed [#4899], we must keep our mouth’s [Prov. 13:3]. Gen. 18:19, 28:15-20 keep the Lord’s way, [Jacob’s ladder v. 17 Gate #8179 of Heaven] Gen. 37:11 Jacob kept Joseph’s dream narrative, Deut. 4:9 keep our Souls in God’s Word. Ps. 16:1, 25:20, Josh. 6:18 abstain from idols, Ps. 17:4 avoid the destroyer’s paths. Keep the Covenant [Gen. 17:9] God is keeper of Israel, [Ps. 121:4, Ex. 13:18, 21-22, Num. 22:23, 31-32, Deut. 6:7, 10:12, 26:17-19, Ps. 91:11, 103:7, Isa. 55:8-9,]

Ex. 25:17-22
¹⁷“You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. ¹⁸And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. ¹⁹Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it in one piece with the Mercy Seat. ²⁰And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the Mercy Seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the Mercy Seat. ²¹You shall put the Mercy Seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. ²²And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the Mercy Seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.

These Cherubim not only inhabit God’s Throne-room, and the Holy of Holies, where the Heavenly Father talks to men in the temple between the Cherubim above the Mercy Seat. But their angelic link in God’s presence is seen in the throne’s wheels with the Personal presence of the Almighty on Earth. The Vision of the Ancient of Days recorded in Dan. 7:9–10, relates to this;

⁹“I watched till thrones were ^[d]put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire; ¹⁰A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The ^[e^]court was seated, And the books were opened.

Here we find the Throne of the Almighty–Ancient of Days was fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire; as “He rode upon a Cherub“ in 2 Sam. 22:11 below.

2Chron. 5:7-8 ⁷Then the priests bore the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the Temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. ⁸For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed [3680] the ark and its poles.
[3680–kacah-to cover, clothe, conceal, hide, keep secret, as the pillar of cloud covered the Tabernacle, Num. 9:16, Js. 5:14-20, cover or hiding sins is forgive-ness, Ps. 32:1, 85:2, 103:3, 11-12, cp. Prov. 17:9, 28:13, Neh. 4:5, #3722-kaphar]. #12

Note the similarity and repetitions between 2 Sam. 22 and Ps. 18:10-19 below;

2Sam. 22:7-20 ⁷In my distress I called upon the Lord, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry entered His ears. ⁸“Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of heaven quaked and were shaken, Because He was angry. ⁹Smoke went up from His nostrils, And devouring fire from His mouth; Coals were kindled by it. ¹⁰He bowed the heavens also, and came down with darkness [6205] under His feet. ¹¹He rode upon a cherub,[3742] and flew; And He ^[^d^]was seen upon the wings of the wind.[7307] ¹²He made darkness[2822] canopies around Him, Dark waters and thick clouds [5645] of the skies. ¹³From the brightness before Him Coals of fire were kindled. ¹⁴“The Lord thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice. ¹⁵He sent out arrows and scattered them; Lightning bolts, and He vanquished them. ¹⁶Then the channels of the sea were seen, The foundations of the world [8398] were uncovered, At the rebuke of the Lord, the blast of breath [7307] of His nostrils. ¹⁷“He sent from above, He took me, He drew me out of many waters. ¹⁸He delivered me from my strong enemy, From they who hated me; For they were too strong for me. ¹⁹They confronted me in the day of my calamity, [343] But the Lord was my support. ²⁰He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me. [Job 22:11-17]

These 2 sections of Scripture in 2 Samuel & Ps. 18 are nearly identical in their witness of God who rides on cherubs or chariots they embody, vanquishing His foes. These wheels of God’s Throne move with the Cherubim’ wheels.

Ps. 18:9-19 ⁹He bowed the heavens also, and came down with darkness [6205] under His feet. ¹⁰And He rode [7392] upon a cherub, and flew; He flew upon the wings of the wind.[7307] ¹¹He made darkness [2822] His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters And thick clouds of the skies. [7834] ¹²From the brightness before Him, His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire. ¹³The Lord thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice, ^[^d^]Hailstones & coals of fire. ¹⁴He sent out His arrows & scattered the foe, Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them. ¹⁵Then channels of the sea were seen, The foundations of the world [8398] were uncovered at Your rebuke, O Lord, At the blast of the breath [7307] of Your nostrils. ¹⁶He sent from above, He took me, He drew me out of many waters. ¹⁷He delivered me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me, For they were too strong for me. ¹⁸They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the Lord was my support. ¹⁹He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.

Ps. 99:1 The Lord reigns; Let the peoples tremble! He dwells between the cherubim; Let the earth be ^[^a^]moved! ²The Lord is great in Zion, And He is high above all peoples. ³Let them praise Your great and awesome name,
He is holy.

Our God is the only One Who dwells Between the Cherubim as seen with the original Ark of the Covenant resting directly under the center of the Cherub’s outstreched wings, God reigns above the place for atonement between the Cherubim unified in the holiest of all, on the Mercy Seat. His abundant Grace and Mercy to us is based on His Covenant Love for Israel, as seen in the 10 Commandments contained in the Ark of the Covenant. We don’t deserve any thing God has given us, but by His Grace and Mercy we are saved in Christ’s perfect sacrifice for us.

Ex. 37:6-9 ⁶He also made the Mercy Seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits was its length and a cubit and a half its width. ⁷He made two cherubim of beaten gold; he made them of one piece at the two ends of the Mercy Seat:[3727-kapporeth-ark lid, from 3725–kippur, atonement] #13 ⁸One cherub at one end on this side, and the other cherub at the other end on that side. He made the cherubim at the two ends of one piece with the Mercy Seat.
⁹The Cherubim spread out their wings above, and covered the Mercy Seat with their wings. They faced one another; the faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat.

Ezekiel 1 is where we find a treasure of truth on the Cherubim. In v. 4 we read; ⁴Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire. ⁵Also from within it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man. ⁶Each one had four faces,
and each one had four wings. ⁷Their ^[^c^]legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the soles of calves’ feet. They sparkled like color of burnished bronze. ⁸The hands of a man were under their wings on their four sides; and each of the four had faces and wings. ⁹Their wings touched one another. The creatures did not turn when they went, but each one went straight forward.

¹⁰As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle. ¹¹Thus were their faces. Their wings stretched upward; two wings of each one touched one another, and two covered their bodies. ¹²And each one went straight forward; they went wherever the spirit wanted to go, and they did not turn when they went. ¹³As for the likeness of the living creatures, they appeared
like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and out of the fire went lightning. ¹⁴And the living creatures ran back and forth, as lightning flashes.

The closest thing to this heavenly image of lightning flashes mingled with fire, I can recall is a recent eruption of a volcano, since its is the only natural image I can compare it to. On Sunday, Jan. 12th the Taal volcano roared to life, and this eruption on the volcanic island sent “steaming, ash and rock up 6 to 9 miles into the sky.” On Monday hot lava spewed from the Philippine volcano after it’s eruption of ash, steam and Lightning caused villagers to flee, closing down Manila’s International airport. #14

The image of the Cherubim are first linked to God’s presence in his Heavenly throne-room in 2 Sam. 22:11, Ps. 18:10 where He rode on the Cherub and flew on the wings of the wind. As we have already noted the celestial link between the Cherubim keeping the Way of the Tree of life, and its association with the other four Cherubim at the four corners of the Ecliptic-its enlightening to see the image below of the wheels of the Precession of the Poles, where 2 wheels of the Ecliptic and the Celestial Equator overlap to depict the Precession of the Northern Pole star, or the fall of the Dragon [Rev. 12:1-13, Isa. 14:12-22] from his first estate. This wheel of the Ecliptic and Equator certainly fits the description in Ezek. 1:15-17 below of a wheel upon the Earth. In this case we see the one Wheel upon the Earth, accurately since 2 Earthly poles in their Geographic and Magnetic poles on Earth’s surface reflect the poles of the Ecliptic and the Equator, fill an image of God’s celestial structure of stars
in the sky [Gen. 1:14-17].

Figure 6. The Hebrew “wheel within a wheel” from Ezekiel’s vision. #15

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 tie to 4 Cardinal Directions on the horizon seems a direct celestial link, endorsed by the celestial wheels within wheels tied to Cherubim, [Ezek. 1:16, 20-22, 10:1-22]. The wheels tie to a celestial structure of the ecliptic and the Equator, as one wheel is seen within the other, and their crossover points are equinoxes. A Hebrew word for “wheel” in Ezekiel 10:2, [v. 10] galgal is [H1534], #16 variant of “Gilgal“ [H1536], #17 the “Hill of God,” [I Sam. 10:5] as Joshua set up an altar of twelve stones [Josh. 4], one for each of 12 tribes of Israel. Galgal is rooted in our word for “Galaxy,” in a N.T. celestial context of these wheels in 2 Pet. 2:4-9 as priests & living stones chosen of God, in Christ as chief Cornerstone in his spiritual Temple-body wherein Christ is Head. As stellar allusions [Gen. 15:5-7] to the 12 stones in the O.T. High Priest’s breast-plate, symbolize 12 signs of the zodiac, Joshua’s altar marked his entry into the promised land, first deeded to Abraham, [Gen. 13:14-15]. As God marked the end of Israel’s wilderness suffering like He marked their exit from Egypt, with miracles parting waters, both of the Red Sea and the Jordan River, so He opened Israel’s reign of kings by anointing Saul, and with a first Passover in the Promised Land at Gilgal. Josh. 5:9-10 as a new shift to their initial freedom Passover, as Israel trusted in the Lord, commited [1556] to Him, so He always carried it out, as the “wheels of God’s justice” rolled over the heathen standing in Israel’s way.

The celestial application of this word in the “Ecliptic“ path around Earth we find in Ezek. 1:15-28 below:

Figure 7. Earth’s Axis related to the Ecliptic and Equator in Precession

The Cherubim are a mainstay of God’s Throne-room in Ezek. 1:15-28;

Ezek. 1:15 Now as I looked at the living creatures, behold, a wheel was on earth beside each living creature with its four faces. ¹⁶The appearance of the wheels and their workings was like color of beryl, and all four had a same likeness. The
appearance of their workings was, as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel.
¹⁷When they moved, they went toward any one of four directions; they did not turn aside when they went. ¹⁸As for their rims, they were so high they were awe
some; and their rims were full of eyes, all around the four of them. ¹⁹When the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. ²⁰Where-
ever the spirit wanted to go, they went, because there the spirit went; and the wheels were lifted together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. ²¹When those went, these went; when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. ²²The likeness of the ^[^f^]firmament above the heads of the living creatures was like the color of an awesome crystal, stretched out over their heads. ²³And under the firmament their wings spread out straight, one toward another. Each one had two which covered one side, and each one had two that covered the other side of the body. ²⁴When they went, I heard noise of their wings, like the noise of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a tumult like the noise of an army; and when they stood still, they let down their wings.

²⁵A voice came from above the firmament that was over their heads; when-ever they stood, they let down their wings. ²⁶And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was likeness with the appearance of a man high above it. ²⁷Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were,
the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. ²⁸Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it.
This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.

This is the spiritual message the heavenly Father intended to be told over the face of the Earth, a far cry from idols of “astrological ages” promoted in various cultural myths throughout history. Only in a Bible view of precession of the equinoxes in its true context, can we gain wisdom that God has stored for us in the temporal cycles of Creation. Though at times we see glimmers of true light, shining through myth’s of broken symmetry, we gain an unobstructed view when we take heed to both shares of a 2-part harmony of God’s Written Word, & His Celestial Gospel. This approach truly supplies a proper context for the Science aspect that archaeo–astronomy alone is not fully equipped to answer.

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 earth’s shifting axis and equatorial pole. Thus, with the precession of the vernal point/vernal
equinox in mind, Earth’s central position, showing it’s figurative geocentric view, as referred to above, is not only observed with respect to the solar system, but the Earth’s centrality involves a much larger cosmic district than our community roundabout of the planets and asteroid belt. As Gen. 1:16-17 says, not only in the Sun and Moon, but also the Stars were created to shed their light upon the Earth. This includes the entire zodiacal structure, the great celestial wheels of
stars of the ecliptic, the Equator and the historical motion of their poles.

In modern astronomy we imagine a “Celestial Sphere” as reference to conceive of a rotating sphere around the Earth, on which we fix the Stars & Planets, but we understand it’s not the celestial sphere that turns on its axis, but Earth that turns around this axis, generating the illusion that the sky revolves ‘round us, as the Day/night cycle advances. As the source of Earth as a Universal center of Creation, opposed by Galileo who favored a Copernican heliocentric view held by the Roman Catholic Church that summoned him before the 1615 Roman Inquisition, which concluded that his opinions contradicted accepted Biblical interpretations.^[14]^[15]^[16] #17a

Figure 7a. The Celestial Sphere

Today, we know that it is not the celestial sphere that turns as night and day
advance, but rather the planet on which we live. So we post an imaginary rod through Earth’s North and South Poles, to represent our planetary axis. It is because the Earth turns on this axis every 24 hours that we see the Sun, Moon, and stars rise and set with atomic clock accuracy. Today, we know that these celestial objects are not set on a dome, but at greatly varying distances from us in space. Nevertheless, it serves as a convenient tool to talk about the celestial sphere to help us track Celestial objects in the sky.

The Graphic in Figure 8 below depicts the equatorial north/south poles extended through the Earth. This depicts the Earth’s axes, reflecting the dual motion of the daily/annual solar cycle, versus the Sun’s retrograde Precessional cycle at the poles. As Earth’s axes generates Northern/Southern polar cycles, we not only view a “wheel within the wheel,“ Bible perspective of this cycle, but we find the role of Earth’s axes in the celestial motion of the wheels on this axle, in synch with the timing of the Almighty Who spun the planets in their cycles at Creation. As we envision this in a Figure 8 graphic below, the great celestial
wheels rotating round the Ecliptic North & South poles, so we track the motion of signs, seasons, days and years; [Gen. 1:14-18].

Ps. 103:18-22 ¹⁸To such as keep His covenant, And to those who remember His commandments to do them. ¹⁹The Lord has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all. ²⁰Bless the Lord, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who do His word, Heeding the voice of His word. ²¹Bless the Lord, all
you His hosts, You ^[c]ministers of His, who do His pleasure. ²²Bless the Lord, all His works, In all places of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Ps. 104:1-6 Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty, ²Who cover [5844–attah: wrap, veil, array, clothe, roll, clad] Yourself with light [216–owr: light, lightning, daylight, bright, luminary, sunlight, dawn as indicator of time, Gen. 44:3, Isa. 60:1-3, Ps. 104:19-22, 19:8, 137:6-9, Jer. 31:35] as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain. ³He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind, [7307] ⁴Who makes
His angels spirits, [7307]#18 His ministers a flame of fire. [784] ⁵You Who laid the foundations of the earth, so that it should not be moved forever,
^{⁶You covered it with the Deep as with a garment; The waters stood above the mountains. At Thy rebuke they fled; At the voice of Your thunder they hastened away. ⁸They went up over the mountains; They went down into the valleys, To the place that You founded for them. ⁹You have set a boundary

[#1366-gebuwl, bound, a twisted line]#19 that they may not pass over, that they may not return to cover the earth.}

The Flaming Sword [#2719] wielded by the Cherubim of Genesis 3:22-24 can refer also to a figurative sword of Lightning above, in Ps. 104:3-4 tied to God’s Holiness and Judgment, to guard the way to the Tree of Life. We also see the “Sword of the Lord” [Ezek. 21:3-16] to protect the Land of Israel, warring against her enemies. #20

In 2 Sam. 22:11 & Ps. 18:10, we saw the Almighty as He: ¹⁰And He rode [7392] upon a cherub, and flew; He flew upon the wings of the wind. [7307] We find the essence of this truth repeated in Ps. 104:3b-4 above as the Lord rides on His cherubs in His chariots of the clouds, on the wings of the wind. As the Earth’s axis/axle rotate according to God’s timing via its poles, so the great wheels fly on the wings of the wind. Below, in Fig. 8 we see how the Earth is depicted central in God’s Creation, as its axes embody a “wheel within the wheels,” rotating around the axes poles of the Celestial Ecliptic and Equator.

With 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, as God began with the dual year of the Sun, as seen in Psalm 19 and in Joseph’s two dreams in Genesis 37. We see the dual Solar year, in the Sun’s annual and retrograde precessional cycles, with the Celestial vs. agricultural themes implied in the tree of life, referenced in Joseph’s two dreams.

We can see how the geographic and magnetic Earthly poles are reflected in the North/South Poles of the ecliptic and the Equator, in the sky map seen in Figure 8. below.

Figure 8. Precession of the Equinoxes

The Sun’s Cycle of Precession

The initial Biblical evidence of precession in Psalm 19, introduces the role of the Solar “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”
2,160 solar years in each of 12 signs on the ecliptic. As the Sun moves through all 12 signs of the tropical zodiac, the Sun completes a cycle of the “great year,” in about 25,920 solar years. The sixth verse of Psalm 19 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…is 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

This 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 each 2,160 years.
The sun’s annual cycle, or solar year is seen in “his circuit” above, that in the Hebrew is (*H8622) tequphah: rendered, “at the end of the year” [2 Chron. 24:
23],#21 an obvious reference to the annual solar cycle. Thus we have in brief, a Biblical contrast between these two solar cycles. The Genesis 37 record of the dreams of Joseph takes us into greater depth on the Biblical testimony of precession. Joseph’s 2nd dream in Gen. 37:9-11 reveals the precessional context, with its use of stellar terms, in particular the “eleven stars making Obeisance” to his star or sign of the Bull, Taurus. The 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 Solar retrograde motion against a fixed background of the sidereal Stellar zodiac in the stars. Thus, Joseph’s second dream reveals astronomical truth that his first dream
with an agricultural theme, does not. This perspective of the Genesis records in chapter’s 37 & 49 can help us differentiate between the various temporal cycles of solar/lunar time, galactic time, supplying elevated views of cosmic time in the motion of the Milky Way Galaxy. The galactic year, also known as a cosmic year, is time required for the Sun to orbit once around the center of
the Milky Way Galaxy.#22^[1] A galactic year is near 225 million Earth years. ^[²^]
The Solar System is moving at average speed of 230 km/s (828,000 km/h) or 143 mi/s (514,000 mph) within its trajectory around the ^[3^]Galactic Center.

Figure 9. The Axes of the Dendera Zodiac. #23

The axes marked on the Zodiac show the movement of Solstices & Equinoxes through the constellations between the foundation of Egypt and the building of the Denderah Temple. Sirius appears twice -once on the true North-South axis, of Denderah’s Zodiac above the horns of the “cow of Isis“, and too on the axis of the temple, as Horus on a papyrus stem. The star’s light shines in the inner temple on New Year’s Day, at Sirius’ heliacal rising, as the temple was built. In that era, it coincided with the summer solstice in Cancer, which is why Sirius also appears aligned to Cancer on the North-South axis.

John Lash points out another axis on the Dendera Zodiac, which goes from the four rams’ heads, through Pisces, across the pole to the star Spica, being held by Virgo. This, he says, points out the vernal equinox today. As the line extends through the Square of Pegasus, at exactly 90 degrees to this axis, an
other line drawn through the tip of Sagittarius’ arrow, points to the Galactic Centre, where the solstice alignment occured in 2012. John Lash summed up his Dendera theory in Colin Wilson’s book, Atlantis Blueprint, found in the Dendera Zodiac link opening this paragraph.

We must recall that the Rules of the Celestial Gospel tell us that God named & numbered the stars in Ps. 147:4, which is why a History of Biblical Astronomy takes priority over human astronomical history. A goal of Biblical Astronomy records the original star names God gave, to define the truth of the Celestial Gospel, not the idolatry of mankind who corrupted these first truths in their astrologies, that remain forbidden by God, [Deut. 4:15-28, Isa. 47:9-15].

Tying the Cherubim to the four royal stars of the ecliptic [Leo, Taurus, Aquila, & Aquarius] linked the four Royal faces anciently tracked as seasonal transition points of the year, on the ecliptic goes back to when the king star Regulus was identified in Summer’s solstice in bygone ages. These celestial turnstiles tracked the four gates or annual divisions marked by the Cherubim’s four faces. Just as the first Cherubim protected the integrity of the Ecliptic Sign/Star Names, in Gen. 3:22-24, we too are charged in this solemn duty to protect the integrity of the Celestial Gospel, with their God given Star names.

Regulus sits near exactly on the ecliptic, the path the Sun, Moon, & planets all travel across our sky, making it a key fixed star point that ancient astronomers had for tracking our Earthly temporal seasons. Historians, or astronomers did not choose the name Regulus, prince of Leo the Lion of Judah, the Almighty as the Creator did, telling us of His only begotten Son-the Lord Jesus Christ, who distinct from the Father, being born in the flesh, thus not being Omnipresent.

This is an important key in keeping the identity of the Lord Jesus Christ distinct from His Heavenly Father whose commandments Jesus kept as the first-born from the dead. He is our commander whom we will follow in victory on white horses to conquer, defeat and utterly vanquish our spiritual enemies.

Rev. 19:13-16 ¹³He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. ¹⁴And the armies in heaven, clothed in ^[f]fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. ¹⁵Now out of His mouth goes a ^[g^]sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. ¹⁶And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

As we obey God’s commands and serve Him and our fellow mankind we will ride with Christ in this future victory over our enemies…

Bless the Lord!

Rene’

Footnotes

1. Strong’s Concordance [#8104-Shamar], James Strong
2. IBID-(*H7812 shachah)
3. IBID- (H4910–maschal)
4. IBID-(*H7812)
4a. Fig. 1 Picture credit #4a from Harmonica Macrocosmica [A. Cellarius, Amsterdam 1660] depicts a Sun-centered Copernican view of the cosmos.
5. Strong’s Concordance [7725] the soul: [5315] the testimony [5715] the Lord is sure, [539] making wise [2449] the simple. ⁸statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: [3820], James Strong
6. Strongs Concordance#7549 Raqiya–Gen. 1:6-8,20, 2:6, Job 26:7, Ps. 104:3, 148:4, Ezek. 1:22-26, James Strong
7. IBID #3820
7a. Picture credit in Figure 7a. The Celestial Sphere, 2010 Encyclopedia Brittanica Inc.
8. Figure 5 Picture credit Witness of the Stars, p. 80, E.W. Bullinger
9. Johnpratt.com
10. Strongs Concordance, Cherub [#3742]-winged order of angel, James Strong
11. IBID, [8104-shamar] guard as watchman, to keep safe, preserve, protect [1Sam. 26:15-16, Job 2:6… James Strong
12. IBID, [3680–kacah-to cover, clothe, conceal, hide, keep secret, as the pillar of
cloud covered the Tabernacle, Num. 9:16, Js. 5:14-20, covering or hiding sins
is forgiveness, Ps. 32:1, 85:2, 103:3, 11-12, cp. Prov. 17:9, 28:13, Neh. 4:5, see #3722-Kaphar].
13. IBID-[3727-kapporeth– ark lid, from 3725–kippur, atonement]
14. https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2020/jan/13/lava-gushes-from-taal-volcano-in-philippines-in-pictures [Picture credit]
15. Figure 6 picture credit, [Jewishenclopedia.com]
16. Strongs Concordance, A Hebrew word for “wheel” in Ezekiel, [10:2, 10] is galgal [*H1534-wheel, waterwheel, whirlwind, Isa. 5:28, Chariot wheel-Ezek. 26:10], James Strong
17. IBID, a variant of “Gilgal” Isa. 28:28 [*H1536], James Strong
17a. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_Galilei ^[14]^[15]^[16]
18. IBID, Repetition of [#H7307-ruwach; air for breathing from H7306] in Ps. 103:3-4, refers to His ministers a flame of fire [H784]. Ex. 3:2,13:21, 14:24, 19:17-18, Num. 11:
1-3, 16:30-40, Deut. 1:33, 4:24, 33, Judg. 6:19-24, 1Kg. 18:23,24, 38-40, 19:12, 2Kgs. 1:10-12, 2:11, 6:17, 1Chr. 21:26, Neh. 9:12, Job 1:16, Ps. 105:39, Prov. 25:22, Isa. 43:2, Jer. 23: 29, Ezek. 10:2, 6-7, Dan. 5:20, 7:9-10, 10:6]
19. IBID, 1366-gebuwl, bound, a twisted line], James Strong
20. IBID, [#2719]-katesthio-to devour
21. IBID, (*H8622) tequphah, James Strong
22a. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/galacticyear
22b. IBID
22c. IBID
23. https://www.try-god.com/biblical-archaeo-astronomy-of-the-ancient-egyptian-star-names-of-the-dendera-zodiac.php

The Greco-Persian War Astronomical History circa 480 BC

The Greco-Persian War Astronomical History circa 480 BC

Welcome to the May 2026 Blog folks! This month we will view a history of the Greco-Persian Wars, focusing on the Persian side from a Biblical perspective, starting with a line of Persian Kings from Darius–son of Ahasuerus-Spouse of Queen Esther, to rebuilding the Walls and Temple at Jerusalem. This fell into the times of the Matching Eclipses of 480-469BC, as they reflect in Repeating Eclipses of 2024-2034 AD. This matching of Luni–Solar Eclipses embodies part of the astronomical, archaeological and historical evidence we’re presenting in this study coinciding with the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s Walls and Temple during the period of Ezra-Esther-Nehemiah, aligning with Daniel’s end times prophecies, before Christ’s Return to unify the Church of his Spiritual Body, at the Gathering Together. The preparation of Christ’s Spiritual Body, which he is the Head, includes Messianic Christian Jews with the Born Again Saints in Christ, who is our Peace–having made both One, broken down the middle wall of Partition; has abolished in his flesh the emnity, even dogmatic laws of Commandments contained in ordinances in order to make of the two, one new man in himself, so making Peace. Eph. 2:16^“And that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. ¹⁷And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. ¹⁸For through him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Christ Our Cornerstone in the Temple

¹⁹Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the Chief Cornerstone, ²¹In whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy Temple in the Lord, ²²in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. [Eph. 2:14-22]

As we expand on re-building and dedication of the physical Temple–and walls of Jerusalem, so we must be cognizant of Christ building of his body-and his Spiritual Temple, [Jn. 2:19] as enemies of these spiritual works resist, so we stand together against their hostility, even as our spiritual enemy opposed the rebuilding of the Walls and Temple of Jerusalem in the days of Nehemiah-Ezra. The following Biblical Structure of Ezra chapt. 4-6; lays out a structural context related to these activities in Ezra-Nehemiah.

The Decree of Cyrus, marked the beginning of a new period in the history of the Jews, issued at Ecbatana in his first regnal year (Ezra 1:1), in the summer of 537 BC, if reckoned from the fall of the Babylonian Empire according to the Jewish method, from fall to fall. Cyrus‘ official decree, (1) dealt with directives, exact specifications on the new Temple, (2) Provided for covering of the building expenses by royal funds, and (3) Commanded a return of vessels of the former Temple to the Jews, (Ezra 6:3-5).

The context of the Structure of Ezra 4, is from E.W. Bullinger’s Companion Bible for Ezra 4:1-6:22, seen below, is an Extended Alternation;#1

The Temple Building & Dedication

F1; Ezra 4:1-6:15 Building
G:Ezra 4:1-2; Adversaries/ Temptation
H:Ezra 4:3; Obedience to God’s Word
J:Ezra 4:4-16; Opposition Letter to Cyrus
K:Ezra 4:17-22; King’s Answer-success of plot
L: Ezra 4:23-24; Work Cessation
M: Ezra 4:24; Duration of Cessation
G: Ezra 5:1; Helpers-Prophets-Exhortation
H: Ezra 5:2; Obedience to God’s Word
J: Ezra 5:3-17; Opposition Letter to Darius
K: Ezra 6:1-12; King’s Answer-Defeat of plot
L:Ezra 6:13-14; Work Recommencment
M:Ezra 6:15; Date of Completion

The section reflected below relates to J:Ezra 4:4-16; 6:15– Opposition Letter to Cyrus; in the above Structure.

Here we find Darius as son of Ahasuerus, while below in Ezra 4:6-7, we see Ahasuerus and Artaxerxes being used as a synonymous repetition for the same king, as Darius’ Father. As in a Biblical sub-Structure of these verses based on related & corresponding a,b,c lines as follows; “A“ link to “A,” “B” to “B,” and “C” to “C.” “A” In the reign of Ahasuerus links to “A” in v. 6-7; “in the days of Artaxerxes.” To whom & when. “B“; enemies of Judah and Benjamin wrote… “C” contents of letter. “A” The days of Artaxerxes. “B” to Artaxerxes- king of Persia. “B²” Judah’s enemies con’t. “C” Letter’s contents to the King Artaxerxes I from your servants. #2

Ezra 4:6-11 [A] In the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, [B] they wrote an [C] accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. ⁷In [A] the days of Artaxerxes also, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabel, and the rest of their companions [B] wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; [see Neh. 2:1,19] and the letter was written in Aramaic script, and translated into the Aramaic language… [B²] Judah’s enemies con’t.-v. 9-10–⁹From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions-representing the Dinaites, Tarpelites, Apharsathchites, the people of Persia and Erech and Babylon and Shushan, the Dehavites, the Elamites, ¹⁰and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnapper [Ashurbanipal] took captive and settled in the cities of Samaria and the remainder beyond ^[g]the River and^[h] so forth. ^{11

[C] This copy of a letter sent him. To King Artaxerxes I from your servants, the men of the region beyond the river}^{, and so forth: [Ezra 4:11-16]}

As an addendum to this study; I’m adding a Timeline that emerges from a study brought to my attention by Rev. Nessle on; “Post-exilic Bible Chronology that Identifies Esther’s Husband.” In his work Jon shows; “that Xerxes 1 was too late, and Arsames [Persian] was too early, and that the only candidate fitting all the details given in Scripture must be Darius 1.” Historians usually refer to King Cyrus; conquerer of Babylon, replaced by his son Cambyses, after which Darius Hystapses prevailed. His reign was followed by Xerxes 1, but confusion has centered around a throne name of Ahauserus– “venerable king” as we find in Esther 1:1. The Bible’s use of throne names like this and Artaxerxes, the Great King or Darius “the Maintainer” can be applied to any of Peria’s ruler’s, not to be confused with modern assigned counterparts. Proof Ahauserus was a throne name we find in a preamble to the above Biblical structure; figurative Parenthesis in Esther 1:1, as Rev. Nessle’s query points out; “Why is there a need for explanation unless there were more than one person called by this name?” #2a

In the 6 month reign and time following Smerdis, Darius contended against a number of pretender’s for the throne, till political conditions stabilized, and work resumed on the Temple in Darius’ 2nd-3rd year-[520-519BC]. In Darius‘ Zoroastrian heritage, the Jews likely welcomed a return to more amicable times they enjoyed previously under Cyrus & Cambyses. Cyrus also appointed a Jew of royal blood, Zerubabel to be governor of the province of Judea, that was part of the satrapy “Beyond the the River,” the great division of the Empire that comprised all lands between the river Euphrates and Egypt. #2b

Three individuals are named as “Governor of Babylon and Across-the-River” between 535 – 486 BC [Stolper1989]. #2c Xerxes I came to throne as the Great King in 486 BC. One of these three has been identified in both Persian and Biblical records of Ezra, “Tattenai, governor on this side the river” (Ezra 5:3; 6:6,13), in Ezra 6:13 below, his office administered portions of Asia Minor and the coastal zone all the way to Egypt; “in this province was all Phoenicia, and part of Syria called Palestine, and Cyprus.” [Herodotus, Histories 3.91].#3

Temple Rebuild and Dedication

Ezra 6:13-15 ¹³Then Tattenai, governor [#6347-6, prefect Ez. 5:3] of the region beyond the River, Shethar-Boznai, and their companions diligently did as stated by what King Darius had sent. ¹⁴So the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built and finished it, according to the commandment of God of Israel, & according to the command of Cyrus, Darius, & Artaxerxes king of Persia. ¹⁵Now the Temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.#3a [structure of Ez. 4-6 and rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple]

“Tatnai, governor on this side of the river” (the province called “Beyond the River” from the Mesopotamian view), with his official staff, to Jerusalem (Ezra 5:3), probably on a routine inspection. Since it was long known that the Satrap of the territories of “Beyond the River” and “Babylonia” during the early years of Darius was Ushtani, it was thought that Tatnai was Ushtani’s subordinate in the administration of “Beyond the River,” to aid Ushtani as co-administer of these two large provinces.

Tatnai as a competent Persian official, upon seeing an industrious building site at the Temple, he asked for the royal permit. The elders of the Jews replied—while Zerubbabel as governor awaited a disposition of the new official. The Jews told the story of the destruction of the first Temple, their captivity in Babylon, and their return under Cyrus, with his return of Temple treasures, and decree to rebuild the Temple. Tatnai was favorably swayed by the work of the Jews, allowed them to continue their project for the present, while research was done for an official written permit, that he reported to the king. To this he added names of the Jewish leaders, requesting an investigation in the archives of Babylon, and a royal decision concerning his attitude toward the Jews, (Ezra 5:3-17, 6:2).

Xerxes the Great; c. 518 BC – 465 BC)^[5] was a Persian ruler who reigned as the fourth King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, via conventional histories reigned from 486 BC until his assassination in 465 BC, but we are leaning to an alternate date in 475 BC for the death of Xerxes I, below. He was son of Darius the Great and Atossa– daughter of Cyrus the Great. Xerxes’ father was Darius the Great (r. 522–486 BC), the monarch of the Achaemenid Empire, albeit not kinsman of Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Empire.^[8]^[9] Xerxes‘ mother-Atossa, was daughter of Cyrus.^[10] Darius and Atossa married in 522 BC, and Xerxes I was born near 518 BC.^[12]#3b

The title of King of Kings appears in inscriptions of kings of Urartu.^[2] This title was also used by rulers of the Median Empire, since its rulers borrowed much of their royal symbolism and protocol from Urartu and elsewhere in Mesopotamia. The Achaemenid Persian variant; Xšāyaθiya Xšāyaθiyānām, of this title, is Median in form, implies Persian Achaemenids may have taken it from the Medes, rather than Mesopotamia.^[2]

Xerxes’ co-regency is challenged because he only wrote an inscription (while his brothers Hystapes and Arsames still lived): Xerxes I said: Darius had other sons, but the pleasure of Ahuramazda was Darius my father made me greatest after him. As my father Darius left the throne, with Ahuramazda, I became king on my father’s throne (XPf §4). But, several carved reliefs at Persepolis show that Xerxes was designated; crown prince, years prior to Darius‘ death. According to a conventional representation of kings, the king seated on his throne was Darius before Xerxes; as Crown prince, [see Fig. 1 shows: a bas relief taken from Persepolis below]. What is difficult to separate in World history, can be easier in Biblical reckoning, as for example: the Bible counts Princes as kings if exerting royal authority during Co-regency-or during the Senior King’s Reign. This appears to be the case with Belshazzar-a key type who was called Crown Prince, [Assyrian Term] in Nebuchadnezzar’s reign.

We also find in Dan. 9:1 below;

Dan. 9:1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, made king over the realm of the Chaldeans ²in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, He would accomplish 70 years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

In our recent OT History Seminar-Ren Manetti lays out 15 prophecies of Dan. 8:20- in reference to the future Antichrist through Dan. 11:2, with another 40 prophecies-in Dan. 11:1-19 that blend in seamlessly with the Persian historic headlines. All the revelation from God, given to Daniel here is addressed to Daniel, and interpreted by an angel or angels, who insured Daniel grasped what was divinely imparted to him. Dan. 11:1 refers to a 1st year of Darius “the Mede.”#4

Dan. 11:2 says; “Also in the first year of Darius the Mede, I, even I, stood up to confirm and strengthen him.) ²And now I will tell you the truth: Behold, three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than them all; by his strength, through his riches, he stirred up all against the realm of Greece.

In Greek history 3 kings rose prior to “Darius” the first 2 were; 1. Cambyses, then a missing #2nd Artaxerxes, not recorded in history, only in Scripture-next #3. was Darius 1-“the Mede,” the Father of Xerxes 1, rising as 4th king whose riches passed them all; and by his strength, through his riches he stirred up all against the realm of Greece.”#5 This kingly line matched Darius & Xerxes I’ history and royal geneology, that via Herodotus; their “ancestry reigned for 22 generations covered an 505 yr. era.“#6 Darius’ father [Hystapses] and Grand- dad [Atraxerxes] lived on as he was crowned, in shared co-regency a declared-heir of Hystapses’, appeasing a fractured nobility. Darius‘ ruled the military as the first Persian War opened in 490BC, while Hystapses ruled the Political Administration behind the scenes. So, the 1st Grecian wars opened as Darius 1 was defeated in the 1st Persian invasion, at the 490BC-Battle of Marathon.

In his 2017 “Analysis of the Prophecies of Daniel at the Hope “Mini-Summit” in Tampa, Fl, Rev. Jon Nessle said: in reference to the 70 weeks or “sevens” are weeks of years, or Sabbatical Years which makes the span 490 years. “Most chronologer’s take a starting point of the count in Artaxerxes I’s 20th year, when they say Nehemiah was given the Governorship of Judea so that he could accomplish his goal of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Rev. Nessle disagreed with this, since Xerxes I was NOT the husband of Esther, as most historians suppose. Darius I had to be Esther’s Husband because of the age of Mordecai. A Xerxes I scenario makes Mordechai an impossible minimum of 124 years old in the 12th year, when he was appointed Grand Vizier.”#7

In support of this, Mordecai appears among exiles deported from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, [Est. 3:5] but that deportation occurred 112 years before Xerxes became king, explaining why Darius should be in power as Esther’s husband during this time.

[Via the Athenian historian– Thucydides, who served as General for Athens during the war, his account of the conflict is widely considered to be a classic, and renowned for his accurate chronology, was deemed as one of the earliest scholarly historical works; (The Peloponnesian War I:98;137). Thucydides was born in 471 BC as a defeated Athenian general who turned to writing history after being relieved of command. As a younger contemporary of Artaxerxes I, his History of the Peloponnesian War recounts the warfare between the rival alliances led by Sparta and Athens through the year 411 BC. Thucydides has been called the father of “scientific history” due to his strict standards of evidence-gathering and analysis of cause and effect with-out reference to intervention by the gods.#7a

From Plutarch (Life of Theseus §§35,36),#7b after Themistocles met with Artaxerxes I, Xerxes’ successor, following the fall of Naxos after Skyros fall, dated with the archonship of Phaedo in 476 BC, Themistocles‘ meet occurred soon after 475 BC, not 465. The present Achaemenid history-mainly sourced from official Babylonian king lists, ignored co-regents and usurpers. Official versions are contradicted by contracts dated “year, month, day,” so proving the existence of frequent co-regencies and usurpers. Also, via astronomical tablet-referenced BM 32234, Xerxes’ death was dated 14/V/21 between two lunar eclipses, one; 14/III/21 (6/26/475 BC), that was total, and a 2nd partial dated 14/VIII/21 (12/20/475 BC), [see Comparison Chart #3 Repeating-Matching Eclipses below]. Thus, Xerxes I death dated on 8/24/475 BC. Also, Artaxerxes I’s death is fixed before a partial Solar Eclipse (3/21/424 BC), by Thucydides (The Peloponnesian War IV:50-52) implying an absurd co-regency of Darius II with a dead king for at least one year! Supporting this, Plutarch and Justinus validly show a long co-regency of Artaxerxes, but with his first son Darius B (434–426).#8

Further support of the 475-474 BC date appears reasonable for Artaxerxes’ 20th year, as his first year in office of Persian “Governor beyond the River,” but not as the “Great King.” As Governor, he was a “king” (Basileus) over the Persian dominions of present day Cyprus, Turkey, Lebanon, and Israel. As Governor, Artaxerxes I would have direct administration of Jerusalem; so, the 20th year of Artaxerxes (Nehemiah 2:1) ruling over Jerusalem was in 454 BC. Both Persian and the Greek records speak of “kings” in reference to one holding governing authority, but still subject to the “Great King.“ Since both Artaxerxes and his father, the Great King Xerxes were alive, a harmonized reading of apparent conflicting histories over the last two millennia comes to the surface. #9

The arrangement of the intercalary months in a chronology without coregency has several anomalies, especially the presence of two months Ulul in a single cycle. By contrast, in a chronology with co-regency, has two distinct cycles, the abnormal intercalary month in year 30 of Darius (Persepolis) links to another cycle ending in year 4 of Xerxes. The titulature of Xerxes (496–475) in Egypt and the data of Diodorus confirm the co-regency of 10 years w/ Darius (522–486), as do Elephantine papyri with many double dates both in civil and lunar calendars. #9a

Rev. Nessle continues: “This fact moves the time of the Jews influence in the Persian State back, and adversely affects any starting point for the 490 year option for Daniel’s Prophecy. The 2nd Temple construction was re-started in Elul 519BC and was finished in Adar 515BC, during Darius 1, Ezra arrived in Jerusalem soon after. Mordechai’s appointment as Grand Vizier and Purim occurred in the winter of 509 BC. The Jewish influence in the Court of Persia persisted eventually involving the appointment of Nehemiah–a known Jew, to a high position as Chief of Security. Rev. Nessle’s belief is that in 501 BC-the 20th year of Darius I, the wall was built. Tishri 1 fell on Sept. 19th, 522BC during a time when the Hebrew Lunar Calendar and months, were synchronous with Babylonian & Persian calendar. Darius assasinated an imposter contending for the throne; Smerdis/Gaumata [?] on Sept. 29th and became king shortly there- after. Therefore his Accession Year was from Tishri 1, 522BC to Tishri 1, 521BC.
So Nisan in his 20th year would have been in 501 BC. If the starting point for the 490 years was the King’s Appointment of Nehemiah for that task, it ends in 11BC, which is not significant for anything. Nehemiah’s King cannot be Xerxes 1, because Nehemiah mentioned him reigning in his 32nd year, [Neh. 5:15]. Xerxes’ reign was only 20 years. If Artaxerxes 1’s 20th year, then 490 Jewish Tishri years results in 44AD.” Rev. Nessle quotes Daniel 9:20-27 here, where he defers to his Appendix from “The Path to Eternity,” where there’s an Introversion structure signaled by a repetition of [seal] in verse 24. This is the only thing that fits.” #10

“Counting 490 years from the 20th year [501BC] of Darius [Sept. 522BC to Nov. 486, yields 11BC, no significance. Counting 490 years from the 20th year [4454 BC] of Artaxerxes I [465-424] yields 44AD– no correlation. #11 However, with an alternate date of Xerxes I’s death given by Thucydides and others in 475BC, puts the start of the reign of Artaxerxes 1 in the year of 475-474BC, opening a word starting in the 20th year of Persian King “Artaxerxes 1,” according to Nehemiah 2:1-6.

Nehemiah 2:1-6 And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King ^[a]Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence. ²Therefore the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.” So I became dreadfully afraid, ³and said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?” ⁴Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.
^{And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant finds favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”}⁶Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), “How long will your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

In year 20 Artaxerxes I- gave his trusted cup-bearer Nehemiah a commission to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem (Neh. 2:1). Establishing the date of this event has created confusion because there are 2 different lines of testimony. Diodorus in his Library of History places Artaxerxes I on the throne in 464 BC, making his 20th year 444 BC. Claudius Ptolemy (2nd cent. AD) adopts Diodorus’ dating in his influential Canon, which provides a list of kings from various countries spanning a 900-year period. Moreover, these dates were copied into Eusebius’ Chronicles during the 4th cent. AD. But, a differing witness, and second line of testimony occurs when historical events correlate with historical writings of Thucydides. Then the date of Artaxerxes I as governor, or sub-king to Xerxes is 474 BC which also was the date Nehemiah was using. A Summary of the debate over last two millennia [McNeil-1970]; “That Thucydides’… is the best evidence we have… If, on the other hand, we refuse Thucydides’ order on faith but try to check it against what we learn from other sources, it becomes evident to check this is improbable. The only other linked account of the 465-450BC period is Diodorus, who to some extent is dependent upon Thucydides… [and wrote] centuries after the events.”#11a

Ptolemy, noted Greek-Egyptian astronomer (2nd century A.D.), in his Canon of the Kings, assigns 21 years to the reign of Xerxes & 41 years to Artaxerxes immediately following. But as the Canon is dated beyond doubt by 19 eclipses and other astronomical synchronisms and signs, it is certain that in official Egyptian reckoning Xerxes’ year 21 (the year 283 in Ptolemy’s Nabonassar Era) correlates to the chronology of Olympiads.

Olympiad Chronology

The BC/AD dating system had not been developed even in the time of Eusebius (260-340 AD) [Eusebius – Chronicles] and dating the reign of Artaxerxes as the Great King requires reviewing the Greek Olympiad chronology system. Every four years in the midsummer around August, the Greek city-states, swore oaths to meet together in truce, if not in peace, for the Olympic competition. Because these Olympiads were not linked to the reign of any specific king, or kingdom, they provide a convenient method for dating events in history. The Olympiad counting system began in mid-summer and Olympic years always covered part of 2 Julian years (mid-Aug. to next mid-Aug.). Olympiad counting was adopted in Greece well before Artaxerxes I. The start date for this counting was 776BC in Olympiad 1. Olympiad reckoning employed both the number of the Olympiad and the year within the cycle, 1-4. Eusebius in his Chronicles carries Olympiad dating from its inception in 776BC to 217AD, the 249th Olympiad. The Olympiad dating is completely reliable for dating Persia’s invasion of Greece by Xerxes I-father of Artaxerxes I, in 480 BC. [Shaw-2003].#11b

Seventy-fifth Olympiad [480 BC]… It was in this year king Xerxes opened his campaign against Greece- Olympiad 75.2 (479 BC; Xerxes year 6/7) Herodotus, Histories, Book 9 – concludes the history of the Persian invasion the following summer, when the Persian forces staying in Greece were defeated at Platea – ending the last Persian incursion on the Greek mainland. Olympiad 75.3 (478BC; Xerxes year 7/8): Athenians returned & rebuild. Thucydides; Peloponnesian War 1.89: “When the Persians, defeated by the Hellenes on sea and land, retreated from Europe, and the remnant of the fleet, had taken refuge at Mycalè, and there perished…

They both [Eusebius & Herodotus] included Artabanus with a seven month reign between Xerxes and Artaxerxes, i.e., in the 4th year of 78th Olympiad (465 14). They also dated Artaxerxes’ year 20 in the 4th year of the 83rd Olympiad. 20/11c

This added research uncovers that “Artaxerxes I” ascended the throne in the year 475 BC, and his 20th year of reign would then be 455 BC. But, some of Christendom’s secular scholars will tell us “Artaxerxes I” began his reign in the year 465 BC, making his 20th year 445 BC, a difference of about ten years. The question then is who is correct? This short study intends to show 4 basic lines of evidence, in support of the date 475 BC. as a correct date for the start of Artaxerxes reign vs. 465BC. A 1st line of evidence: came in the year 1847AD, from a German scholar named Ernst Hengstenberg, in his book: “Christology of the Old Testament“, saying, “For then the 20th year of Artaxerxes is the year 455 BC“, and “Artaxerxes 1st full regnal year began in 474 BC“. Also, the book;“Pay Attention to Daniel’s Prophecy” relates this in a 1999 printing, from p. 197 we find “Ernst Hengstenberg in his Christology of the Old Testament; Artaxerxes 1’s reign commenced in 474 BC, #12 as do other following sources.

In Archaeological history, the bas relief taken from Persepolis, in Fig. 1, below of the man sitting on the throne is none other than Persian King Darius.

Representations of lions can be found frequently in Persepolis, for the city’s entire purpose, after all, was to direct attention to the great king of Persia. The central relief, now displayed in the Archaeological Museum of Tehran, brought the focus of the room and all its carved figures to the image of Darius, seated on his throne, flanked by his son, and receiving the tributes of the visitors.

A Persian coutier leads a foreign delegate by the hand – Persepolis Apadana

Enthroned Darius with Xerxes behind - central relief of the Persepolis Apadana, found in the treasury

Figure 1. Enthroned Darius with Xerxes behind– central Bas relief of the Persepolis Apadana, found in the Treasury. 12a.

Somewhat unique to ancient kingdoms is the tolerance of the Persian king and empire reflected in those images of the monarchy. Where Greek and Roman art often shows their leaders crushing surrounding nations, the Persian courtiers are shown leading them by the hand to come before Darius. It was a powerful piece of propaganda for all those who entered the halls, but also largely true. Having been violently subjugated by the Assyrians, Cyrus worked to build an empire that would integrate its conquered nations and remain respectful of their cultures and religions.

As we turn our gaze to a history of religious policies of the Achaemenids. The Achaemenid rulers were Zoroastrian, but they were extremely tolerant of other religions in their Empire and even contributed to building of temples and gave special privileges to priesthoods.#12b On cylinder inscriptions; Cyrus records “I gave daily care to his (Marduk’s) work”.12c Cyrus rebuilt the temple of Marduk; Cyrus and Darius both let the Jews deduct rebuilding cost of the Jerusalem Temple from their taxes. Cambyses was no less tolerant.” He and Darius both partook in a ceremony; called “seizing the hands of Marduk” at the statue of Bel-Marduk in Esagila, which entitled them in the eyes of the Babylonians to bear the title “king of Babylon.”

Notice that his attendants to his left and to his right are all lower than him, and that his head is above them all. Now, notice the man standing directly behind him. He is standing on the same elevated platform as the king, and his clothes are almost identical to his. His right hand is resting on the high back of his throne, and his head is at the same level as well. This is unusual, as ordinarily the king’s head would be higher than all others. Who is this man? None other than Xerxes, Darius’ son. Also notice the lotus that is being carried in the left hand of both Xerxes and Darius, and the scepter being held in Darius’ right hand–the king. This image shows powerful evidence that there was, in fact, a coregency between father and son. This same line of evidence has also been provided in the Insight Book Vol II page 615 entitled “Evidence from Persian sources“.#13

A Third line of evidence: is what is known as cuneiform tablet BM 65494 taken from the British Museum. It is a business document from Borsippa dated to the 50th year of Artaxerxes I.

Tablet BM 65494 dated 4/V1/50 of Artaxerxes I –Stolper reconstituted the prosopography of Murashu’s family and has dated it according to the accepted chronology’*’. 13a

In the 2nd graphic provided, the number 50 is written in Akkadian language found is in the lower right corner of the tablet to find it. The final picture below is the Akkadian numerical system, shows how they would write the number 50, which exactly matches this cuneiform tablet, above.#14

This shows robust archaeological evidence of Artaxerxes’ reign exceeded 41 years. And that the 51st year of Artaxerxes was 424 BC, making his first regnal year 474 BC, and not 465 BC as some of Christendom’s secular scholars would have us believe.

Fourth line of evidence: Archbishop James Usher in his book entitled the “Annals of the World“, published back in 1650 AD, made these paraphrased statements “In the year 455 BC, that was the 20th year of Artaxerxes I, when Nehemiah requested to obtain permission from the king to be the governor of Judah and to rebuild Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2:1-6). This event marks the start of Daniel’s 70 weeks.” #15

These four, powerful lines of evidence, show a correct date to the beginning of Artaxerxes reign, and how we may unlock a secret to the start date of Daniel 9:24-27. Many thanks to Ernst Hengstenberg for his work published in 1847, and James Ussher for his book published in the year 1650AD. I’m also thankful to the British Museum for providing the cuneiform tablet BM 65494, and finally the headquarters staff at Jehovah’s Witnesses (WTBTS) for their help in grasping the regnal year start of King Artaxerxes I’ in 474 B.C., with his 20th year as 455 BC.

The last Year of Xerxes and the 1st Year of Artaxerxes

As we have seen throughout the reigns involved here; regnal-year numbers in the Egyptian calendar are known from astronomically fixed reckoning of Ptolemy’s Canon and synchronisms of several double-dated papyri. It is also known in the Persian calendar from the Saros list, based on the 18-year Saros cycle. #16

ACCESSION OF ARTAXERXES I

Figure 2. Xerxes and Artaxerxes in Three Calendars

The regnal years of Xerxes (shortened in this drawing by an 18-year gap of the Saros cycle) and the early years of Artaxerxes are shown as reckoned (1) In the Egyptian calendar (with years beginning in December), (2) in the Persian calendar (with years beginning in the spring), and (3) in the Jewish calendar (with years beginning in the autumn), all three aligned against the back-ground of the BC years.

The Saros list is extant on two clay tablets containing a series of regnal years at eighteen-year intervals based on a Babylonian Eclipse cycle (published by J. N. Strassmaier in reports in ZA, VII [~Sgz], zoo, 201; VIII [1893], 106). #17 Starting with the 7th year of Nabonidus, this list includes the year of Xerxes and the years 6 and 24 of Artaxerxes.

A SCIENTIFIC APPROACH TO AN ABSOLUTE CHRONOLOGY THROUGH SYNCHRONISMS DATED BY ASTRONOMY

The death of Xerxes is dated, at the present time, in 465 BC. This date comes mainly from the official Babylonian chronology, however, the testimony of Thucydides and from some Elephantine Egyptian records support dating of 475 BC. A careful chronological analysis of Babylonian astronomical tablets allows a fixing of a precise date of Xerxes’ death on August 24th, 475 BC. An official Babylonian chronology is based on the tablet BM 34576 (King List copy dated 99 BC). #18

Likewise, the death of Artaxerxes I is fixed precisely by Thucydides (The Peloponnesian War IV:50-52) just before a partial Solar Eclipse (21 March 424 BC) which implies absurd co-regency of Darius II with a dead king for at least one year! The arrangement of the intercalary months in a chronology without co-regency has several anomalies especially the presence of two months Ulul in a single cycle. By contrast, in a chronology with co-regency, and two distinct cycles, the abnormal intercalary month in year 30 of Darius (Persepolis) links to another cycle ending in year 4 of Xerxes. The titulature of Xerxes I (496-475) in Egypt and data of Diodorus confirm a Co-regency of 10 years with Darius-1 (522-486), with Elephantine papyri and many double dates with civil and lunar calendars. #19

A popular date of Xerxes 1′ death in 465 BC by mainstream historians, comes mainly from the official Babylonian chronology, recorded in the King’s List such as the tablet BM 34576 (copy dated 99 BC) 1 , but a witness of Thucydides support the dating in 475 BC, added to this, careful chronological analysis of Babylonian astronomical Tablets allows a fixing of a precise date of Xerxes’ death on August 24 in 475 BC. Why do mainstream historians prefer to rely on the Babylonian royal lists to establish the Achaemenid chronology, rather than on evidence from Greek historians who clearly mention several usurper kings and co-regencies?#20

We can agree that the Book of Esther has a historical setting in the reign of Darius, replete with details of Persian court life. A purpose of this study, while not denying romantic and ritual elements and a complicated blend of of history and religion, is a return to search for historical material, aligned with an Astronomical Chronology especially in Darius/Xerxes‘ reigns, with solid links to the Book of Esther, and a Bible Chronology. A good starting place may be the historical seed in the Book of Esther with religious policies of King Darius I, in whose reign events of the book are set, as his decree singled out the Jews as a religious-ethnic group in Persia for destruction, albeit fomented by Haman.

An initial question to be answered is the Jewish seed of Mordecai and Esther. The Jewish name ‘Mordechai‘ is found on multiple occasions in the Bible. #21 The name “Mordecai“ shows on a list of Jews who returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:2, Neh. 7:7). 2 Now these are the people of the province who returned from Babylonian captivity, of those carried away, by the king of Babylon–Nebuchadnezzar, who returned to Jerusalem & Judah, all to their own city. ²Those who returned with Zerubbabel: Jeshua; [a man of Pahath-moab with Zerubbabel [Ez. 2:6], Nehemiah, [Neh. 7:7] Seraiah, [1Chron. 6:13-4] Reelaiah, Bilshan, Mordecai, known by some as finance officer at Susa under Darius 1. [Est. 2:7] ^[c]Mispar, Bigvai, ^[d]Rehum, [Ez. 4:8] and Baanah, numbered among the men of the people of Israel: The name Mordecai, listed in Aramaic; see G. R. Driver, Aramaic Documents of the Fifth Century BC. (Oxford 1957) 20 n. 2. It also occurs in the Treasury Tablets from Persepolis;
G.G. Cameron, Persepolis Treasury Tablets (Chicago 1948) 85; also found in an undated text, probably from the end of Darius’ reign or the beginning of Xerxes I, an official’s name, perhaps an accountant/scribe, on tour from Susa; #22

There is no other “Mordecai” in the Bible, and every leader on the list of exiles who returned ie; (Zerubbabel the son of Shetiel of royal blood, Jeshua the high priest, Nehemiah the cup-bearer to the king of Persia, Seraiah the son of a former high priest Hilkiah, etc.) all are VIP‘s! These events occuring next in Nehemiah, happen AFTER the book of Esther, when Nehemiah “is governor” (Neh 8:9), who likely became governor by Mordecai, the Grand Vizier. #22a

Ezra came to Judea in the seventh year of King Xerxes, in 479 BC. We are now referring to the 20th year of king Artaxerxes, and with the death of Xerxes in 475BC and the accession year of Artaxerxes in 474 BC-makes it 455 BC. For we have not an innumerable multitude of books among us, in disagreement or contradicting one another: [as the Greeks have:] but only twenty two books: which contain the records of all the past times: which are justly believed to be divine. (Josephus, Against Apion, 1.9) #22b

Josephus goes on to explain the division & categories of the Hebrew OT books:

And of them five belong to Moses: which contain his laws, and the traditions of the origin of mankind, till his death. This interval of time was little short of three thousand years. But as to the time from the death of Moses, till the reign of Artaxerxes, King of Persia, who reigned after Xerxes, the Prophets, who were after Moses, wrote down what was done in their times, in thirteen books. The remaining four books contain hymns to God; and precepts for the conduct of human life. (Josephus, Against Apion, 1.9) #22c

Josephus continues to explain the CHRONOLOGY of when these were written:

’Tis true, our history hath been written since Artaxerxes very particularly; but hath not been esteemed of the like authority with the former by our forefathers; because there hath not been an exact succession of Prophets since that time. And how firmly we have given credit to these books of our own nation, is evident by what we do. For during so many ages having already passed, no one has been so bold, as either to add any thing to them; to take any thing from them; or to make any change in them. But it is become natural to all Jews, immediately, and from their very birth, to esteem these books to contain divine doctrines; and to persist in them: and, if occasion be, willingly to die for them. (Josephus, Against Apion, 1.9) #22d

The extra books he is talking about are what we would call the “apocrypha.” These include the books of Enoch, Maccabees, Tobit, and many others. However, the last “succession of Prophets since that time” ends in Artaxerxes reign, who is Malachi. And so THAT is the chronology of the last parts of the Old Testament.

As there are 39 books in our Old Testament Bibles, why does Josephus refer to only 22 books? This is due to the OT scrolls not dividing 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah, Jeremiah and Lamentations, or any of the minor prophets (Amos to Malachi) into separate books. This means the books that Josephus is talking about are the following: #22e

Genesis 2. Exodus 3. Leviticus 4. Numbers 5. Deuteronomy 6. Joshua 7. Judges 8. Ruth 9. Samuel 10. Kings 11. Chronicles 12. Ezra/Nehemiah/Esther 13. Job
14. Psalms 15. Proverbs 16. Ecclesiastes 17. Song of Songs 18. Isaiah 19. Jeremiah/Lamentations 20. Ezekiel 21. Daniel 22. Amos to Malachi-Prophets

This Biblical Chronology provides a superstructure upon which to build our history on much more reliable sources than the testimony of contradictory historians, whose witness however, is valued in agreement with a Biblical Chronology. To return now to a chronology of the Greco-Persian wars;

In 499 BC, the tyrant of Miletus, Aristagoras, incited Hellenic Asia Minor into rebellion against the Persians. This opened an Ionian Revolt, that lasted until 493 BC, progressively drawing more regions of Asia Minor into the conflict.
Aristagoras got military support from Athens & Eretria, and in 498 BC these forces captured the Persian regional capital of Sardis. The Persian king Darius the Great vowed revenge on Athens and Eretria for this. His 492 BC Persian invasion of Greece, as Persian General Mardonius successfully re-subjugated Thrace & Macedon before several mishaps forced an early end to the rest of his campaign.^[3] Darius then began raising a huge new army with designs to subjugate Greece; but, in 486 BC, his Egyptian subjects revolted, delaying any Greek expedition. After Darius died, his son Xerxes I restarted preparations for a second invasion of Greece, that finally began in 480 BC.#23

In 480 BC, the Persian King led a large army across the Hellespont into Europe, winning military victories at Thermopylae & Artemisium before their defeat & razing of Athens. His forces got control of mainland Greece-north of the Corinthian Isthmus till they were defeated at the Battle of Salamis. Fearing the Greeks might trap him in Europe, Xerxes I retreated with a greater part of his army back to Asia, leaving behind Mardonius to continue his campaign.

Achaemenid king killing a Greek hoplite. Impression from a cylinder seal, sculpted c. 500–475 BC, at the time of Darius I Metropolitan Museum of Art.#23a

At the Battle of Thermopylae, a small force of Greek warriors led by King Leonidas of Sparta resisted much larger Persian forces, but were ultimately defeated. Via Herodotus, the Persians broke the Spartan phalanx after a Greek man called Ephialtes betrayed his country by telling the Persians of another pass around the mountains.

In 480 BC, following the Battle of Thermopylae, all of Boeotia fell to the Persian army. Thespiae and Plataea, the two Greek cities that resisted Darius I, were captured and subsequently razed, as a surviving Athenian population evacuated, by the Greek fleet, to Salamis. ^[1]

After Thermopylae, Athens was captured. Most of the Athenians abandoned the city, fled to the island of Salamis before Xerxes‘ arrived. Xerxes I ordered the Destruction of Athens, leaving an archaeologically intact destruction layer, called “Persian debris.”

The following Charts for Repeating-Matching Eclipse Tetrads in 2024 AD with 480 BC, show how our current Eclipse decade of 2024-2034 match the ancient Eclipses of Darius/Xerxes I, open in 480-479 BC. They also match the 3 Blood Moon Purim Eclipses to open the Purim Holiday for Israel in Persia under Queen Esther and Mordecai. Considering Darius I’/Xerxes military history aligned with this key eclipse period, we can gain a more complete image and impression not only of Modern Persia, reflected in today’s Iran, but also a spiritual perspective of the building of the Wall & Temple of Jerusalem, and perhaps even the Coming building of a Third Temple, that the Jewish Temple Institute stands ready to enact.

Comparison Chart #1 of Repeating Eclipse Tetrads 2024 AD with 480 BC.#24
Eclipse Date	AD	Sun/Moon	Eclipse Date	BC
3/25/2024	AD	Lunar	3/25/480	BC
4/08/2024	AD Total	Solar	4/09/480	BC Total
9/18/2024	AD	Lunar	9/18/480	BC
10/2/2024	AD Annular	Solar	10/2/480	BC Annular

Battles of Salamis and Plataea

The Battle of Salamis (26-27th Sept. 480 BC) won by the Greek fleet, followed Xerses I setting up a winter camp in Thessaly. [The history of April 8th/ Sept. 18th/ Oct. 2nd, 480 BC, eclipses, is mirrored in Chart 1 above.]

The Persian active military campaign against the Greeks initiated a battle in Salamis, fought in the straits between the mainland and Salamis, an island in Saronic Gulf near Athens, marked a high point of the 2nd Persian i nvasion of Greece, arguably the largest naval battle of the ancient world, marking a turning point in the invasion.^{[8]

According to Thucydides: Themistocles manifested a desire to visit the king of Persia (…) The storm caused the vessel to drift towards the Athenians camp who then besieged Naxos (…) Guided by a Persian coast, then he penetrated into the interior of the country and sent to Artaxerxes, who had succeeded Xerxes, his father a letter (The Peloponnesian War I:98;137). Therefore, he reports the fall

of Naxos after the one of Skyros dated at the beginning of the archonship of Phaedo in –476BC, according to Plutarch.#24a This, meeting with Themistocles would have occurred soon after 475/474BC. Furthermore, Themistocles died under the archon of Praxiergos (in –471BC) according to Diodorus Siculus (Historical Library XI:54-60), and Herodotus situated the transfer of power from Darius to Xerxes at the time of the revolt of Egypt, four years after Marathon, or –486, #24b and the change Xerxes/Artaxerxes shortly after the storming of Eion [dated –476 BC], last event of reign of Xerxes.#24c. Though heavily out-numbered the Greeks persuaded by Themistocles returning the Persian fleet to battle, hoping victory might prevent naval advance against the Peloponnese.}^{The Persians were also eager for a decisive battle. So, the}^{Persian navy rowed into the Straits of Salamis in an effort to block both entrances}^{. But in the cramped waters, the great Persian numbers proved a detriment, as ships struggled to maneuver, becoming disorganized. To sieze the}^{opportunity the Greek fleet formed in line to win a victory. The Naval battle as the Repeating-Matching Eclipses in Chart 1 above, reflects modern Iran’s attempt}^{to control the oil traffic via straits of Hormuz, and loosing their entire Navy in the process.}

The majority of the Persian army retreated to Asia, leaving Mardonius to complete the conquest of Greece. The following year the remainder of the Persian army was defeated at the Battle of Plataea and the Persian navy at a Battle of Mycale. The Persian ships were then captured and burned. The complete destruction of the Persian navy, along with the destruction of Mardonius’ army at Plataea, decisively ended the invasion of Greece. After Plataea and Mycale, the Greeks went on the offensive against the Persians, marking a new phase of Greco-Persian Wars. The Persians made no further attempts to conquer Greece, as the battles of Salamis & Plataea marked a turning point in the course of the Greco-Persian Wars. The Greco-Persian wars were a series of conflicts between Achaemenid Empire and Greek city-states starting in 499 BC^[i] and lasted until 449 BC. This near 50-year period of conflict reflects a near 50 years of conflict between US/Israeli’s vs. Iran today. The historical reflection of ancient and modern Iran pointed out above is mirrored by astronomical activity typical in these periods in ancient Persia and modern Iran, in Repeating Purim Blood Moon Eclipses.

The last time there was a set of Triple Lunar Eclipses on Purim, before the current triad of 2024-26; and 480 BC–2500 years ago, was from 1978-1980; as the radical Islamic revolution and terrorist regime in Iran first took power! It’s interesting that one Total Lunar Eclipse on 3/24/1978 and two Eclipses in 1979 & 3/1/80 match Purim dates 3/13/1979 with a 3/14/2025 Lunar Eclipse in Chart #2 below with Summer Lunar Eclipse of 9/6/1979 with 9/7/2025 and 479 BC! This serves to foreshadow the Purim events of 2024-2026! After a March 1979 Islamic Republic referendum, with 98% approval- a shift to an Islamic republic, the terrorist radical regime has been in power nearly 50 years.

Xerxes left a contingent in Greece to finish the campaign under Mardonius, who according to Herodotus suggested the retreat in the first place. This force was defeated in the next year-479 BC; [See March 14/29th-9/7 Eclipses in 479BC in Chart 2 below, the following year at Plataea by the Allied forces of Greek city-states, ended the Persian invasion of Greece for good.

Comparison Chart#2 for Repeating Eclipse Tetrads 2025 AD with 479 BC#25
Eclipse Date	Eclipse type	Sun/Moon	Eclipse Date	Saros#
3/14/2025 AD	Partial	Lunar	3/14/479 BC	34
3/29/2025 AD	Total	Solar	3/29/479 BC	60
9/07/2025 AD	Partial	Lunar	9/07/479 BC	39
9/21/2025 AD	Annular	Solar	9/21/479 BC	65

In Book 7.37, Herodotus describes the movements of the Persian forces as they gathered to invade Greece in 480 BC. The King wrote what follows: “At the start of its journey, the sun left its seat in the heavens, disappeared and although the sky had been especially clear and cloudless, day now eclipsed into night.”#26 Xerxes himself observing this, was concerned. He asked his Magi of the Zoroastrian’s-the portent’s import. They said “the god showed the Hellenes in advance and they left their cities, as the sun prophesied for the Hellenes, but for the Persians it was the moon.” This speaks to Purim’s 3 Blood Moon Lunar eclipses in a row, related to the import of their linked Soli–Lunar Eclipses in 480-478BC matched with today’s repeating eclipses in 2024-2026 AD, in context of the current US/Israeli war with Iran!

In addition, the only Solar Eclipses that fit Xerxes’ description in 480BC are the 4/09/480BC Total Solar and the 10/2/480BC Annular Solar Eclipses. In 479BC only the 3/29/479BC Total Solar and the 9/21/479BC Annular Solar Eclipses fit the bill of “day now eclipsing into night.” [see Chart #1 above]

The editors of the Landmark Edition of Herodotus provide a footnote here explaining that “this purported eclipse cannot be verified by astronomical calculations.”27 Historians have argued about this for centuries– in an article published in “The Observatory” in 1884, W.T. Lynn noted that the issue might be the dates given by Herodotus. While the article finds no Solar Eclipse evidence visible in Asia Minor/Anatolia in 480BC, it appears Solar Eclipses took place in 481 & 478 BC.”#28 However, the dates given here for both Lunar and Solar Eclipses obviously verified by NASA’s Five Millennium Canon of Eclipses and other modern resources, hold Eclipse records are proven to have happened in 480-478BC- the Repeating-Matching Eclipses renewed in [2024-2026 AD].#29
Based on scholarly & historical sources, we can confirm what was previously may not be visible; for unknown causes. These dates not only match Esther’s reign with Darius I/Xerxes as he readied his forces to attack Greece, but also draws unique reflection to our current decade of Repeating-Matched eclipses. Below the example is found cited above as “Xerxes’ Eclipse…“

Xerxes’ Eclipse– Note
“…while he was offering sacrifice to know if he should march out against the Greeks, the sun was suddenly darkened in mid-sky…“
– History, IX, 10, Herodotus #30

The fact that Xerxes, while offering sacrifice to the monotheistic god Ahura–Mazda of the Persian–Zoroastrian Religion of the Biblical Magi, was able to consult the Magi in his Army on the meaning of this eclipse, is striking in light of their wisdom revealing Celestial signs of Christ’s birth with the Repeating signs circa 480-469 BC/2024-2034 AD. In 481 BC, as part of Xerxes 1‘ lead-up for the 2nd invasion of Greece in Greco-Persian Wars, the Xerxes Canal dug via an isthmus of Mount Athos peninsula, had provisions stored on Thracian road, & 2 pontoon bridges, later known as Xerxes‘ Pontoon Bridges were built across the Hellespont. This is noteworthy, as of the few monuments left by the Persian Empire in Europe.^[1]

Histories of ancient Greek historian Herodotus, recounts the events of the Greco-Persian Wars, the Persian commander Mardonius, in 492 BC, lost a great part of his fleet, 300 ships & 720,000 men, in a storm going around the cliffs of the Athos peninsula, during the First Persian invasion of Greece.^{[2]

Xerxes, in preparation for the Second Persian invasion of Greece, in 483 BC had a channel built through the Athos isthmus in order to avoid falling prey to the similar disaster.}^{According to other astronomical tablet notations BM 32234, Xerxes I’ death- dated 14/V/21 between 2 Lunar Eclipses, one dated 14/III/21

6/25/475 BC, that was partial, and the 2nd dated 14/VIII/21 [12/20/475BC]}^was^{total, dates the death of Xerxes I-on 24 August 475 BC. [see Chart #3 below]}

Comparison Chart#3 for Repeating Eclipse Tetrads 2029 AD with 475 BC#30a

Eclipse Date	Sources	Saros	Sun/Moon	Eclipse Date	Source	Saros
1/14/29 AD	T&D/Nasa	151	Partial Solar	1/14/475 BC
4/13/2029 AD	Apophis	99942	Asteroid flyby
6/12/29 AD	T&D/Nasa	118	Partial Solar	6/12/475 BC
6/25-6/29 AD	T&D/Nasa	130	Partial Lunar	6/26/475 BC	LBAT	51
7/11/29 AD	T&D/Nasa	156	Partial Solar	7/11/475 BC
12/6/29 AD	T&D/Nasa	123	Partial Solar	12/6/475 BC
12/20/29 AD	T&D/Nasa	135	Total Lunar	12/20/475 BC	LBAT	56

Haman’s intended Genocide for the Jews is mirrored in today’s modern Iran. As Haman intended Genocide for the Jews, so modern Hamas terrorists show a similar hatred for Israel, seen in their October 7th atrocities. We also find a reflection of the reversal that Haman brought on himself, being hung with his 10 sons on the very gallows he made to hang Mordecai! [Est. 8:1-8]. In the Iran of today– Ayatollah Ali Khameni and his 10 top leaders met their final ruin on Saturday–Feb. 28th, “Sabbath of Remembrance“-3 days before a 3rd [2024-2026] Blood Moon Purim Eclipse 3/3/2026–in a row, on the Jews annual victory bash recalling Haman’s demise! As we consider this Purim Eclipse culminated at maximum on 3/3/2026 @ 3:33am (PST), we note many Bible references to the number “3” linking God’s descent in a cloud, (Ex. 19:9–11; John 2:1; weddings, and 1 Cor. 15:4 with resurrection, all of which denote “spiritual completion,” as a spiritual symbol for the number 3. #31

Part of the Purim celebration includes a Torah Reading in Jewish Synagouges of Haman being blotted out, [1 Sam. 15:2 -3] as Khameni and his leaders, were bombed out by Israeli/US forces. Iran has been busy developing the Nuclear bomb to bring “death to America and Israel” for decades, but were themselves Bombed into submission on this day! As Haman & his Sons had their gallows, so Khamanei & his sons got their bomb. As Haman rose so many generations after Amalek’s fall, so Khamanei pursued so many generations after Haman, but our Lord recalls the ancient battle vs. the seed of evil, [Gen. 3:15] as the Almighty wrote it in the Sun, Moon & Stars in Repeating-Matching Eclipses of our day in the current Purim Lunar Eclipses!

The February 28th –“Sabbath of Remembrance“ recalls Exod. 17:8-16 Amalek in a battle with Israel at Rephidim. In 1 Samuel 15:2 the Lord recalls Amalek and his actions against Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way [#1870] as Israel came up from Egypt. It’s no coincidence that Ali Khameni met a demise on this Sabbath of Remembrance, so near the 3/3/26-3rd Purim Blood Moon in a row! This aligns with God’s Promise in Ex. 17:14 below that; “I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.”

Ali Khameni-as a notorious ruler since 1989, having recently massacred 40K+ of his own Iranian people, while sponsoring the likes of Hamas and terrorist proxies, Hezzbollah with other Palestinian groups vs. the US and Israel. Not only do we find the link to a Sabbath of Remembrance, but we too find dates Matched- to Repeating 3/3/478 BC Purim Lunar Eclipses, on the same March 3rd date with another Lunar Eclipse in 478BC, during Esther’s reign with Ahaseraus/& Mordecai! The Purim feast is a permanent yearly notice and celebration of Israel’s victory and Freedom from Haman’s Genocide, evident in history. It’s also a main reason for these Repeating, Matching dates seen in current events of 3/3/2026 Purim Lunar Eclipse, with the signs of Repeating-Matched dates of a decade of Luni-Solar Eclipses from 480-478BC to 469 BC.

Exodus 17:14-16 ¹⁴Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial; [#2146-to pierce, invoke in memory]#32 in the book and recount it in hearing
of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” ¹⁵And Moses built an altar and called its name, ^[f]The-Lord-Is-My-Banner; ¹⁶for he said, “Because the Lord has sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

The generations of Amalek from Agag and Esau in 1 Samuel 15:2-3, we find Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, [Est. 3:1], shows a priority in God’s Mind concerning Israel’s generational enemies, with a low ranking of Amalek’s seed, so “the Lord desired war with Amalek.” As God looks on the heart of Men, there can be no better Judge of mankind than Almighty God. [Est. 3:1], shows Haman in Hebrew; (the Agagite) is named pouyaooq, but ‘Agagite‘ means descendent of Agag, king of the Agagites, first, for the Jewish readers of Esther, evidenced by Josephus, in the Talmud and the Targums, took Agagite as implacable enemies of Israel, that they proved to be. Lewy found in Esther 3:6 a verse where Haman’s plot to destroy Mordecai and all Jews in the kingdom of Ahasuerus, the genocide of “the people of Mordecai.” Thus Greek translators of Esther modernized an old term “Agagite“ into pouyaooq, as a meaningful form for Greek speaking Jews. #33

The Book of Esther is set in the reign of Darius/Xerxes as heavily committed to Zoroastrianism of an orthodox variety. There was a temple of Ishtar and certainly worshippers of Marduk in Susa at this time. We agree the religious persecution referred to in the Book of Esther originally was not Persians vs. Jews, but only Haman’s Agagite hatred of the Jews, as they lay in wait for Israel coming out of Egypt, in Exodus 17.

Thus, We have not yet heard the end of God’s Judgment on Agag!

In Elephantine Papyri, and inscriptions from Persepolis, devotees of Ahura-Mazda are referred to as “worshippers of Mazda.” This logic seems to fail as for the Zoroastrian Magi “Ahura-Mazda” was a monotheistic God like that of Hebrew Jehovah, not like the idolatrous Mithraic gods or Egyptian trinities, many times seen as Sol/Ra; the Sun-god, Luna-mistress of the Moon, & Saturn, who-often is seen passing a dagger or short sword to Mithras, in ancient icon-ography of Bull sacrifice.

It also occurs in the Treasury Tablets in Persepolis;

17 Although many biblical critics and scholars from antiquity argued that Esther and Mordecai are merely theophoros names and represent secular names, much as Jews in Daniel 1:6-7 had Jewish and Babylonian names [see Moore, op. cit., 19],#34 the collocation of the names Esther and Mordecai, the names of a Babylonian god and goddess, [Marduk & Ishtar] as close cousins and skewed images in the Babylonian pantheon myths, even as Esther and Mordecai were cousins in their family at Persian Court.

In summary, I find the history of the Greco-Persian Wars a fascinating aspect of both a Historical and Astronomical record, as they relate to Bible History. The times of ancient Persia and Greece represent a key period of prophecy in the Book of Daniel, related to Nebuchadrezzar’s Dream Statue and the kingdoms of history. Even more, an overlap of this period with Repeating-Matching Eclipses of 480-469BC as they match with our current decade, speaks volumes in light of current events, prophecy and ancient history. I invite all comments and feed-back as these topics are open for discussion on my Biblical Astronomy Fellowship page in the Facebook forum.

God Bless!

Rene’

Footnotes

1. E.W. Bullinger’s Companion Bible for Ezra 4:1-6:22, p. 623.
2. Ren Manetti’s Notes on Ahasuerus & Artaxerxes–OT History Class.
2a. “Post-exilic Bible Chronology that Identifies Esther’s Husband.” J. Nessle
2b. https://www.biblechronologytimeline.com/biblechronologytimeline5b.html
2c. https://biblestudentarchives.com/documents/Artaxerxes20thYear.pdf
3. Herodotus, Histories 3.91.
3a. E.W. Bullinger’s Companion Bible for Ezra 6:15-22.
3b. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_monarchs_of_Iran
4. Ren Manetti’s Notes on Dan. 11:1-19 from OT History Class.
5. Ren Manetti’s Notes on Dan. 11:2 from OT History Class.
6. E.W. Bullinger’s Companion Bible, App. 57 ppg. 80-81.
7. Analysis of the Prophecies of Daniel at the Hope “Mini-Summit” in Tampa, Fl, Rev. Jon Nessle
7b. Plutarch (Life of Theseus §§35,36)
8. Intercalations during the co-regency of Xerxes with Darius I, in NABU 2020-4, pp. 273-279. By Gerard GERTOUX
9. https://biblestudentarchives.com/documents/Artaxerxes20thYear.pdf
9a. https://www.academia.edu/2421036/Dating_the_reigns_of_Xerxes_and_Artaxerxes
10. Analysis of the Prophecies of Daniel at The Hope “Mini-Summit” in Tampa, Fl, Rev. Jon Nessle
11. IBID
11a. https://biblestudentarchives.com/documents/Artaxerxes20thYear.pdf
11b. IBID
12. Christology of the Old Testament; 1999 printing, p. 197 Ernst Hengstenberg
12a. Fig. 1 picture credit, [https://www.thecollector.com/fascinating-facts-from-the-bas-reliefs-of-persepolis/]
12b. Cyrus Cylinder
12c. Ibid
13. A bas relief from Persepolis, in the Insight Book Vol II page 615 entitled “Evidence from Persian sources“ in the Archaeological Museum of Tehran.
13a. Tablet BM 65494 dated 4/V1/50 of Artaxerxes I –Stolper
14. Akkadian numerical system shows how to wrote the #50, that exact match.[https://www.academia.edu/99055324/_King_Artaxerxes_475_BCE_or_465_BCE_ And_the_seventy_weeks_of_years_]
15. “Annals of the World,” by Archbishop James Usher book published 1650 AD.
16. Horn and Wood, op. cit., pp. 14-16, 20; Thiele, 09. cit., pp. 28-31.
17. J. N. Strassmaier in reports in ZA, VII [~Sgz], zoo, 201; VIII [1893], 106).
18. Babylonian chronology based on tablet BM 34576 (King List dated 99 BC)
19. [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312069819_Dating_the_reigns_of_Xerxes_and_Artaxerxes] Data of Diodorus confirm a Co-regency of 10 years with Darius (522-486), with Elephantine papyri.
20. King’s List from the tablet BM 34576 (copy dated 99 BC).
21. [see V. Ryssel, Zusdtzen zum Buch Esther (Tiibingen 1900) and L. B. Paton, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Esther, (New York I908) 51-54].
22. A. Ungnad, Keilin-schriftliche Beitrage zum Buch Esra und Ester,” ZAW 58 (I940-4I) 240-244 and addenda in ZA W 59 (1942-43).
22a. https://jcalebjones.com/2021/09/07/the-complete-chronology-of-ezra-nehemiah-and-esther-fully-explained/
22b. IBID
22c. IBID
22d. IBID
22e. IBID
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_the_Great
23. Impression from a cylinder seal, sculpted c. 500–475 BC, Metropolitan Museum of Art
24. Comparison Chart #1 of Repeating Eclipse Tetrads 2024 AD with 480 BC.
24a. [Life of Theseus §§35,36]
24b. [Diodorus Siculus’ Historical Library XI:54-60]
24c. Herodotus [The Histories VII :106-107]
25. Comparison Chart#2 for Repeating Eclipse Tetrads 2025 AD with 479 BC
26. Xerxes’ Eclipse, Book 7.37, Herodotus History, IX, 10,
27. Landmark Edition of Herodotus provide a footnote
28. The Observatory” in 1884, W.T. Lynn noted the dates given by Herodotus, as the article finds no Solar Eclipse evidence visible in Asia Minor/Anatolia in 480BC, it appears Solar Eclipses took place in 481 & 478 BC
29. NASA’s Five Millennium Canon of Eclipses, Time and date.com
30. [https://www.eclipsewise.com/extra/SEhistory.html#-479BC]
30a. NASA’s Five Millennium Canon of Eclipses, Timeanddate.com.
31. Number in Scripture, E. W. Bullinger on #3, ppg 107-122.
32. Strong’s Concordance [#2146-to pierce, invoke in memory] Ex. 17:14-16.
33. GG. Cameron, The Persepolis Treasury Tablets (Chicago 1948) 85; A. Ungnad, Keilinschriftliche Beitrage zum Buch Esra und Ester,” ZAW 58 (I940-4I) 240-244 and addenda in ZA W 59 (1942-43) 219. 16 Lewy, op. cit., 128 n. 14.
34. IBID, Moore, op. cit., 19
35. Certain Historical sections of this study were taken from Wikipedia where the links remain active for reference.

Was the Coma Nova a Recurrent Novae like the coming eruption in Corona Borealis?

Welcome to our 2024′ May Blog!
We are highly blessed, getting back in the groove after our East Coast trip with Rev. Jon Nessle from The Day in the Word in the Northeast with the New Jersey CFF Believers, & our wonderful Hostess PK Krywos!! We shared on the Celestial Gospel, covering many topics that edified all the attendees. We experienced the much anticipated Total Solar Eclipse across America, which was breathtaking in so many ways in the week leading up to our Day in the Word, setting the stage for the weekend. Another event many are expecting this summer is the ‘Nova’ transition of a Star in the sign of the Northern Crown, with history going back over 800 years!

In October 1217 the Abbot of the Ursberg Abbey in present-day southern Germany looked to the firmament and, in the arc-shaped constellation Corona Borealis, saw something wondrous. “It was originally a faint star that for a time shone with great light and then returned to its original faintness,” he wrote in Latin at the time. He wasn’t the first to see it, nor was he the last. This stellar apparition emerges, then vanishes, every 80 years or so—because it isn’t really a star at all. That Augsburg Abbot witnessed a thermonuclear explosion 3,000 light-years away! It came from a white dwarf, a stellar zombie that’s devouring matter from a nearby red giant star. Once a century, it gets full, and when it does, it erupts, unleashing a week-long hellfire.”#1

This is T Coronae Borealis—often shortened to T CrB—what astronomers call a nova, a word that is derived from the Latin description of these events as “new stars,” which many premodern observers assumed them to be. T CrB, is a recurrent nova that should flare from invisibility to naked-eye brightness this year. These types of novae are extremely rare, with less than a dozen known in the Milky Way. However, there could be more with longer base-lines, perhaps taking thousands to hundreds of thousands of years to reach an outburst. Scientists are still trying to figure out what about T CrB allows it to create these big explosions every 80 years or so. But some suspect it might have to do with the white dwarf’s large mass, which is close to the upper limit for such an object. #2

“This is like a gigantic hydrogen bomb that blasts off the entire atmosphere of this Earth-size white dwarf,” says Ole König, an astronomer at Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen–Nuremberg in Germany. These explosions aren’t supernovae, their more cataclysmic cousins that result in a star’s annihilation. But that doesn’t make them less impressive or important. #3

Novae repeatedly and catastrophically erupt, somehow without destroying their stellar progenitors, all while enriching their celestial surroundings with a potent mix of fresh-forged material. “Novae are producers of elements needed for life, such as carbon, nitrogen and oxygen,” and could be one of the main producers of lithium, says Michael Healy-Kalesh, an astrophysicist at Liverpool John Moores University in England. #4

How do scientists know when Nova explosions will occur?

In most cases, NASA experts have no idea when nova explosions are going to happen, says Cooke. But there are about 10 Novae that are known as “recurrent novas“, he explains. “A Recurrent nova is a nova that periodically blows its top,” continues Cooke. “And T Coronae Borealis is a prime example.” But how does NASA know with such certainty that T CrB is going to erupt over the next few months specifically? It’s a matter of mathematical calculations and visible evidence. For instance, the last time T CrB experienced a nova was in 1946– 78 years ago. There’s another sign that T CrB is getting ready to blow also, Cooke says. “We know that before it goes nova it dims for about a year, and T Coronae Borealis started dimming back in March 2023, so that’s why we think it’s going to go nova between now and the end of September.”#5

T CrB‘s reliable nova recurrence rate sets it apart from the many other novae identified over the years – and is part of what sets this star’s explosion apart from others. “There are lots of nova’s that have been discovered, but most have not been known to recur. Or they go long periods without recurring that we don’t know when they will again,” explains Meredith MacGregor, an assistant professor with Johns Hopkins‘. The time span for a repeat performance of a nova can be anything between one year and as much as a millions of years, adds

Richard Townsend, astronomy professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. #6 A category of novae called Symbiotic novae are slower irregular eruptive

variable stars with very slow nova-like outbursts with varying amplitudes. This Symbiotic nova remains at maximum for few decades or longer, then declining towards original luminosity. #7

That suggests you can’t fully understand how astrophysics gives rise to biology without decoding novae. And when astronomers are lucky, they find recurrent novae—those that erupt at least once per century—as predictable beacons for their studies. Despite T CrB’s apparent clockworklike dependability, astronomers of yore have proved more fickle; the system’s eruptions have only documented for the years 1217, 1787, 1866 and 1946. Based on subtle details observed during its prior two recorded outbursts, “the official prediction is that it’ll go off by September this year. Below we find a summary of Dr. Bradley Schaefer’s research on the 1787 outburst of the T CrB’ Recurrent Nova.#8 This 570-year gap between 1217 and 1787 shows the element of unpredictability that can still baffle astronomers, as opposed to T CrB’ more recent 80-year cycle of recurrence.

The graphic below depicts the arc shaped crown of Corona Borealis, with its bright star Alphecca and the recurrent novae imaged as a yellow circle above the “T“ Corona. #9

Plate 1. T Coronae Borealis or the Northern Crown.

Chart showing location of T Coronae Borealis and Alphecca stars in constellation of Corona Borealis

Recurrent nova T CrB had just started its Pre‑eruption Dip in March/April 2023, so the eruption should occur around 2024.4±0.3

Authors: B. E. Schaefer (Louisiana State Univ.), B. Kloppenborg (AAVSO), E. O. Waagen (AAVSO), and the AAVSO observers.

Bradley Schaefer-professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Louisiana State University, also discusses a possible sighting of T CrB in 1787. This potential sighting comes from a catalog of stars published in 1789 by English astronomer Francis Wollaston. In it, Wollaston lists a star near the coordinates for T CrB. While he doesn’t specify a magnitude, the catalog has a limiting magnitude of 7.8—meaning that, if the star was indeed T CrB, it must have been observed during an eruption. Could Wollaston have made an error? Possibly, but unlikely, Schaefer concludes. Wollaston incorrectly identified the star from a catalog by William Herschel: V 75. However, Herschel described this star as being part of an arc of three stars and 1º from T CrB.#10

T CrB dimmed out of its plateau state and returned to its usual brightness for about two weeks, *then* it erupted. (So hopefully, we’ll get a 2-week notice for the upcoming eruption.) The T CrB eruption is still in the top few in terms of peak brightness. Its eruption was also one of the fastest. Startlingly, after returning to its pre-eruption quiescent level for two months, it underwent an echo eruption getting up to V=8 for four months. #11

Amateur astronomers have provided a significant portion of the observations on T CrB since its 1866 eruption, which was the first well observed real nova event, and it largely started and defined the field. Schaefer has published various papers on T CrB and even assembled a light curve (which measures brightness over time) from the observations of amateur astronomers. When T CrB goes off, it will only be at maximum brightness for half a day before you must wait another 80 years to see it with your naked eyes. So get out your telescope or binoculars and keep an eye on it!

Below is the article from Time Magazine following the 1946 eruption of T CrB; that references the Star of Bethlehem as the most famous Nova star in History – that parallels my work on The Celestial Prelude, proposing a Coma-Nova as precursor to the actual Bethlehem Star, forewarning the Magi when to expect the birth of Christ.

TIME -MARCH 4, 1946 12:00 AM GMT-5

Astronomers last week rejoiced in a blessed event: the birth of a nova (“new” star). In
the constellation Corona Borealis, the humble star called “T” had jumped its luminosity
a thousand times. First to take notice was Astronomer Armin Deutsch of Wisconsin’s Yerkes
Observatory. Promptly, his beaming boss, Director Otto Struve, sent a telegram to Harvard,
world clearinghouse of astronomical news. Back came a pat on the back. That same star,
said Harvard, had misbehaved before. A crude old photograph, taken in 1866, proved that
T Corona Borealis was a “repeating nova,” very rare. Alerted from Harvard, astronomers
all over the world excitedly swung their telescopes toward the exploding star. For novae,
especially repeating novae, attract astronomers as porch lights attract June bugs.
Exploding stars are the unfinished business of science. Astronomers can measure the speed
of the white-hot gases billowed out by the blast (up to 3,000 miles per second), but they do
not know what causes the outburst. One theory: when the interior of a star reaches a certain
critical temperature, an atomic reaction takes place which releases vast amounts of energy.
Astronomers hope that these “atomic bombs” of the sky will teach them more about earthly
atomic energy.
Most famous nova in history was the Star of Bethlehem, which led the Wise Men from
the East. If it was as brilliant as Christmas cards show it, it may even have been a “super-nova”
an extra-fancy explosion which takes place in the Milky Way about once in 300 years, and for
a short time gives off more light than all the rest of its stars put together.”#12

About 80 years previous to this, the Grand Dame of Modern Biblical Astronomy- “Frances
Rolleston identified a Nova/supernova in a decan of Virgo called Coma, where she (1865,
part 2, pp.104–106) included a section on the Star of Bethlehem. She stated that in about
125 BC a bright star appeared, so bright it was visible to the naked eye during the day.
Rolleston also said that this event induced Hipparchus to make his star catalog about
the same time. In his work called the Almagest, Ptolemy said it was Hipparchus’ “discovery“
of the the precession of the equinoxes that provided the impetus for Hipparchus to produce
his Star Catalogue.”#13 We should to take a moment here to recognize the powerful
influence that Hipparchus and Ptolemy had on ancient Astronomy, and the involvement
of both of these historical stalwarts speaks volumes to support the legitimacy of the
Coma Supernova, thesis. Both of these giants where eyewitnesses to the Coma Supernova,
and if there were two ancient astronomers one could choose to have as witnesses of this
event, these two all-stars would surely be on the guest list. Probably one of the greatest
(and underrated) astronomers that ever lived, was Hipparchus of Rhodes. He is known
to have been active at least from 147 –127BC, making him a contemporary of the explosion
of the Coma Supernova, as he was a recorded eyewitness to its appearance c. 134-128 BC.

We’re set to witness a once-in-a-lifetime Nova star explosion!

A star system, located 3,000 light-years away from Earth, is predicted to become visible to the unaided eye soon. This could be a once-in-a-lifetime viewing opportunity as the nova outburst only occurs about every 80 years. T Coronae Borealis, or T CrB, last exploded in 1946 and astronomers believe it will do so again between February and September 2024.

A red giant star and white dwarf orbit each other in this animation of a nova. The red giant is a large sphere in shades of red, orange, and white, with the side facing the white dwarf the lightest shades. The **white dwarf is hidden in a bright glow of white and yellows, which represent an accretion disk around the star. A stream of material, shown as a diffuse cloud of red, flows from the red giant** to the white dwarf. The animation opens with the red giant on the right side of the screen, co-orbiting the white dwarf. When the red giant moves behind the white dwarf, a nova explosion on the white dwarf ignites, filling the screen with white light. After the light fades, a ball of ejected nova material is shown in pale orange. A small white spot remains after the fog of material clears, indicating that the white dwarf has survived the explosion.
Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center #14

The star system, normally magnitude +10, which is far too dim to see with the naked eye, will jump to magnitude +2 during the event. This will be of similar brightness to the North Star, Polaris. Once its brightness peaks, it should be visible to the unaided eye for several days, and just over a week with binoculars before it dims again, possibly for another 80 years.

From a Biblical Astronomy perspective, to understand the Biblical significance of this sign of the Northern Crown, we need to know the spiritual history that is recorded in the Celestial Gospel. This witness of the stars is key because it records a pictorial history, seen in the constellations and decans of the ecliptic and celestial equator, of what happened before the Word of God was written in Scripture. Almighty God is Omnipresent, preexisting Creation, or the works of His Hands. His first servants were the angels-Chief among them was Lucifer, the 1st bright and Morning Star with his fellow angels, whom God created prior to the Creation of man between Gen. 1:1-2. We know this from God’s Word because there is no record of the creation of angels during the Genesis Creation week, so we know it must have occurred prior to that time. Rev. 12:3-4 tells us in brief about the great red dragon with 7 crowns on his heads. Rev. 12:1 relates a great wonder in heaven- a woman clothed with the sun and the Moon at her feet and her head crowned with 12 stars, or constellations. This ties to the theme of the Great Sphinx with the head of a woman and the body of a lion, that embodies the Alpha and Omega signs of the ecliptic, or the sun’s path through the 12 signs of the Mazzaroth, decked with the sun, moon and stars depicting the astronomical birth signs of Jesus Christ. Verse 3 says there appeared another [G243-allos] wonder in Heaven, meaning another sign of the same kind or type referring to decans and constellations or astronomical signs of the dragon, #15 even as we saw the astronomical sign for the woman-Virgo in verse 1. The word for Virgo’s crown is [G1238–Diadema–not a crown but a filament of silk or linen. This dragon has 7 heads and 10 horns, with 7 crowns [G4735-stephanos] upon his heads. Strong’s says this is “not a kingly crown but a crown of victory in the games, civic worth, a conqueror’s valor, or nuptial joy. It is woven of oak, ivy, myrtle or olive leaves and or flowers.”#16

Rev. 12 lists 7 certain entities that are crowned starting with the woman/ constellation Virgo in verse 1, feasibly also Mary or Israel. The dragon is also crowned in v. 3, The man-child [Christ] of the woman caught up to the throne at the right Hand of God in Heaven, in v. 4.

Michael the Archangel defeats the Dragon in Heaven’s war, who lost his place in Heaven with the angels he deceived, with the dragon and his angels being cast out of heaven to the earth, [vss. 7-9]. Rev. 12:4 describes the tail of the dragon drawing 1/3 of the stars or angels, casting them down to earth, that the dragon took with him when his failed coup against the Almighty resulted in his being cast out of heaven. Under the feet of Leo the Lion and Virgo on the ecliptic lies Hydra the serpent destroyed. This aspect of the dragon seen in the skies depicts how Hydra encompasses 1/3 of the circle of the ecliptic, or the stars of heaven, named by God [Ps. 147:4], symbolizing the angels he cast to earth with him. Verses 4-5 continue with the dragon standing ready to devour Virgo’s man-child who will rule all nations with a rod of iron, the name to whom every knee shall bow, who is caught up to God and his throne in heaven. [Heb. 2:9]

Plate 2. The Serpent Hydra under Virgo, Leo & Cancer on 1/3 of the Ecliptic. #17

There are four renditions of the dragon in the constellations as seen in verse 9; the old serpent called the Devil and Satan who deceives the whole world, shows us Draco-the dragon, the old serpent, the Devil and Satan. The sign of Serpens is seen in Figure 2 below, in conflict with the Man–Ophiuchus. The image is seen below in a triple sign of constellations including Ophiuchus the serpent-holder wrestling with the head and tail of the serpent named Serpens, as he crushes the scorpion-Scorpius underfoot, while the scorpion stings the Man in his heel, at the bottom of the graphic, [Gen. 3:15]. At the top of the graphic we can see the serpent reaching for the crown-Corona Borealis that holds our recurrent nova star-T CrB, the subject of this blog. A key aspect of the recurring Nova tied to the Crown of Dominion-Corona Borealis may indeed be the present reality of this spiritual conflict that continues to rage between the serpent-dragon and Jesus Son of God, that will not end for us until Christ gathers his Spiritual body together and takes us to heaven to ever be with Christ and the Heavenly Father. [1 Thess. 4:13-18, I Cor. 15:51-57]

Since there are only about 10 officially known recurrent nova stars, we will mention another of these stars in Ophiuchus itself, called RS Ophiuchi. Recurrent novae – are defined systems with more than one recorded nova out-burst. There are only a few members of the subclass of Recurrent novae: at this point in research, just ten,” one of which [RS Oph] has a documented history of at least eight multiple outbursts, from 1898 to 2021, a 123 year period. #18

Recurrent novae repeat the nova process about every 10 to 100 years, while nova outbursts are thought to repeat on longer timescales of potentially over 1000+ years. This leaves ample room for the visibility of a Nova in Coma over a period of about 275 years.

Figure 1. The Recurrent Nova RS Oph. #19

Recurrent Nova RS Ophiuchi Just Blew its Top! - Sky & Telescope - Sky & Telescope

RS Oph is about 5,000 light-years away in the constellation Ophiuchus. In its quiet phase it has an apparent magnitude of about 12.5. It has been observed
to erupt in 1898, 1933, 58′, 67′, 1985, 2006 and 2021, reaching a magnitude of about 5 on average. #20

If the Coma nova was recurrent/symbiotic novae for a period of about 250+ years, from c. 128 BC to about 147 AD, it could explain this sequence of events described in history according to modern astronomical evidence, with the scientific references we are citing. Ancient records only record naked eye-visibility of the Coma nova, not potential fluctuations from multiple eruptions of a Recurrent novae, since this is a modern concept of astronomy that did not exist before the 19th cent. As we find in Figure 1 above, the effect of the nova–eruption described in an extra-biblical source attributed to James, as “a great star shone among these stars and dimmed them so that they no longer shone…” is indeed noted in the photographic evidence [Fig. 1] resulting from the RS Oph Recurrent nova eruption, adding weight to this hypothesis.

The truth of Biblical Astronomy I’m aiming for here is that this triple sign star picture below depicts the idea of the spiritual war in heaven between the serpent in his various guises vs. the Son of God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The serpent as Lucifer first held the crown of dominion over the angels as 2nd in command to God Almighty in the first heavens and earth, [Isa. 14:11-15] until his failed revolt against the true God got him kicked out of heaven. He then laid hold on the updated version of the crown that now included the dominion that God gave Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, [Lk. 4:5-6]. In the present day since Jesus Christ our Lord has taken this dominion back from the enemy-serpent, in his sacrifice at the cross, as we find in Ophiuchus holding back the serpent from his deceitful claim on this crown. This is the titanic struggle that has engulfed both spiritual and secular history, providing the backdrop and spiritual context for world events from the dim recesses of the racial memory of humanity.

Figure 2. Ophiuchus the Serpent-Holder contending with the Serpent for the Crown of Dominion.# 21

the serpent scorpion

As we expectantly await the coming nova in Corona Borealis, our familiarity with this constellation Corona Borealis, is evident as the Northern Crown — a small, semicircular arc seen below between the signs Bootes and Hercules.

Figure 3. The Northern Crown

A conceptual image of how to find Hercules and his mighty globular clusters in the sky created using a planetarium software. Look up **after sunset during summer months** to find **Hercules** between **Vega and Arcturus**, near the **distinct pattern of Corona Borealis**. Once you find these stars, use binoculars or a telescope to hunt down the globular clusters **M13** and **M92**. If you enjoy your views of these globular clusters, – look for another great globular, M3, in the nearby **constellation of Boötes**. #22 Credit: NASA

This recurring nova is only one of five in our galaxy. This happens because
T CrB is a binary system with a white dwarf and red giant. The stars are close enough that as the red giant becomes unstable from its increasing temperature and pressure, it begins ejecting its outer layers, that the white dwarf collects onto its surface. The shallow dense atmosphere of the white dwarf eventually heats enough to cause a runaway thermonuclear reaction – which produces the nova we see from Earth. “The aspect I find the most exciting is the potential of novae as progenitors of type 1a supernovae,” Healy-Kalesh says. Like standard novae, this flavor of supernovae involves mass exchange between a pair of stars, at least one of which is a gas-guzzling white dwarf. Yet their resulting thermo-nuclear detonation is so immense that the matter-accreting white dwarf is blown to smithereens.#23

One of the prevailing models for a type 1a supernova involves a white dwarf that has gorged itself on so much stellar matter that its mass increases to 1.4 times that of the sun—something known as the Chandrasekhar limit. Beyond this threshold, the white dwarf becomes too bulky to support its own weight, triggering a thermonuclear cascade that causes it to explosively self-destruct. The key question, then, is: “How do these white dwarfs accrete enough material to surpass the Chandrasekhar limit?” König says. And because type 1a super-novae in principle all blow up the same way regardless of their cosmic address their detonations serve as important ticks on astronomers’ rulers for gauging vast intergalactic distances; teasing out any quirks in the similar-but-smaller explosions of regular, not-so-super novae, then, could lead to subtle tweaks to type 1a-based (mis)measurements of the universe.#24

Astronomers are also aiming to use T CrB’s imminent eruption to understand this specific nova’s three baffling idiosyncrasies. “No other novae that we know exhibit such behaviors,” says Vladislav Marchev, an astronomer at the Institute of Astronomy in Bulgaria.#25

Most novae stay dim, dramatically brightening only during an eruption—but not T CrB. Its first oddity is that for about a decade both before and after an explosion, it exists in a “high state” of modest brightness, emitting “a hot, blue, violent light,” Schaefer says. “Why does the high state turn off? For that matter, why does the high state turn on? We don’t have the faintest idea as to what’s going on.”#26

The second strange feature is its pre-eruption brightness dip, which happens about a year prior to the eruption. “It’s a weird, unprecedented mystery—and it’s also a harbinger of an upcoming eruption,” Schaefer says. Third, a couple of months after T CrB’s explosion, it seems to produce a secondary eruption —bright but not rising to the brightness of the initial outburst—that can last for several weeks or months. “The secondary maximum has been a long-lasting mystery,” Munari says. But he offers a possible solution in a recent preprint: it’s an illusion, not another eruption.#27

What triggers a nova event?

In addition to knowing when some of the more predictable nova events like
T CrB’s will occur, NASA experts also know why they happen. The white dwarf T CrB, for instance, exists in a binary system, meaning it’s one of two stars orbiting around each other. The other is the red giant.

White dwarfs have masses similar to the Sun, but have a diameter around a hundred times smaller, making them comparable in size to Earth, he says. And that high mass but relatively small size makes a white dwarf’s gravity especially strong. As the red giant in T CrB’s system ejects matter, T CrB’s gravity attracts or collects it on its own surface, doing so for years and years, until it reaches its limit. #28

“What’s happening in the system is that the red giant star is dumping all of this material on the surface of the white dwarf,” says Cooke. “And when too much gets on the surface of the white dwarf (T CrB) you get a thermonuclear reaction, like in a bomb, and the white dwarf blows off that material.” “It keeps going through this cycle of accumulating material from the bigger star over and over again,” says MacGregor. “It usually takes thousands of years to build to the point where you see a nova. But T Coronae Borealis seems to do it much faster, which makes it a rare one.”#29

Townsend offers a similar description, explaining that once a sufficient amount of material has accumulated on T CrB and its temperature reaches a few million degrees Celsius, a nuclear fusion reaction begins burning, creating the highly visible nova event many are now eagerly anticipating. “These are the same reactions that are ongoing in the core of the Sun, and they release a vast amount of energy in the surface layers of the white dwarf,” says Townsend. “The energy release causes the white dwarf to temporarily out-shine its red giant companion, and the overall light output from both stars – when seen here on Earth – increases by a factor of between a thousand and 100,000.” This type of outburst event helps NASA experts understand the mass transfer that takes place between stars in binary systems and the thermo-nuclear explosions that result when the white dwarf goes nova. It’s a process that in the case of T CrB happens repeatedly. #30

This process is not to be confused with the formation of a “new star,” but rather T CrB is simply becoming visible to us thanks to these far-off nuclear reactions. “It’s a star that already exists. The star has always been there, but to us it looks like there’s suddenly a new star because we can’t always see it,” MacGregor explains. “White dwarfs are so small we cannot see them with the naked eye.
But because of the fusion reaction that’s occurring, we’re temporarily able to
see it. You could go out in your driveway at night and see this.”[1] #31

Once T CrB‘s brightness reaches its peak it could even be as bright as the planet Mars, adds Cooke. And it is expected to remain fiery and visible to the unaided eye for at least a few days, but its explosive event could very well last more than a week. And then, once the white dwarf rids itself of all the material it’s accumulated from the larger red star, T CrB will once again dim into obscurity, unseen for decades more…#32

This set of circumstances surrounding a Recurrent Novae could very well fit the context of the Nova in Coma over the 275 year period that it was visible to the naked eye. Ancient history doesn’t necessarily give us a continuous history of the visibility of the nova in Coma, but based on some of the other scientific evidence that we are aware of in the Coma decan and its surrounding neighborhood, it seems like this is a plausible scenario to explain the evidence.

In Summary, we find this witness in the epistle of Phillipians;

Phil. 2:5-11 ⁵Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: ⁶Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: ⁷But made him-self of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: ⁸And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. ⁹Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: ¹⁰That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things
in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; ¹¹And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

How to find Crux the Southern Cross Constellation - YouTube

When Jesus willingly suffered the death of the Cross, there is no lower point on heaven’s map than the constellation of the Southern Cross. Christ’s sacrificial death on the Cross–his required depths set in juxtaposition to the heights of the Northern Crown in Corona Borealis; the Cross made of Stars set against the starry Crown. The Tau-the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet embodied his last act of sacrificial obedience– the Omega purpose of his ministry to and for the deliverance of mankind. It’s first Scriptural reference in Gen. 3:15 points to the Seed of the woman, by the Divine Son’s sufferings on the Cross, crushed sin and death, to give the gift of eternal life by the cross.

How to find Corona Borealis the Northern Crown Constellation

So the Southern Cross constellation stands as a prophecy in the stars of the Celestial Gospel, written by the Hand of the Almighty, Who spun the stars and planets in their courses at Creation, foretelling the Serpent’s end at the hands of Christ, from the beginning, who on Calvary’s Cross was prefigured in the skies.

Even as Christ rose from the dead to the eternal beauty and glory of our loving Heavenly Father, Who awarded Jesus everlasting crowns at His own right Hand, so we also can earn crowns from the hand of the heavenly Father and our Lord, like a Crown of righteousness, [2Tim. 4:8], a Crown of life [James 1:12, Rev. 2:10] and a Crown of glory [1 Pet. 5:4] to mention only a few, which crowns are incorruptible, [I Cor. 9:25-27]. Just as we are born again from above, by the incorruptible spirit of Christ in us at the New Birth, so our rewards from God through Christ are incorruptible also, so I heartily encourage my brothers and sisters, and myself to continue to run our races with self control, to the end that we lose not our rewards!

God Bless!

Rene’

Footnotes

1. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/this-nova-will-soon-erupt-as-a-once-in-a-lifetime-new-star-in-the-night-sky/
2. IBID
3. IBID
4. astro.ljmu.ac.uk/arimheal
5. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240322-visible-nova-explosion-is-coming
6. astro.wisc.edu/staff/townsend-richard
7. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/variable star
8. https://www.aavso.org/news/t-crb-pre-eruption-dip
9. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/apr/08/starwatch-star-nova-t-coronae-borealis-visible
10. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-medieval-manuscript-impending-recurrent-nova.html
11. https://www.aavso.org/recurrent-nova-science-tasks-observers-worldwide
12. Time Magazine-TIME -MARCH 4, 1946 12:00 AM GMT-5
13. “The Mazzaroth” (1865, part 2, pp.104–106) F. Rolleston.
14. NASA Conceptual image Lab-Goddard Space Flight Center
15. Strong’s Concordance [G243-allos], James Strong.
16. IBID [G4735–stephanos], James Strong.
17. Plate 2. Picture credit, [www.atam.org]
18. [https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/physics-and-astronomy/recurrent-novae]
19. Figure 1 picture credit [https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/recurrent-nova-rs-ophiuchi-just-blew-its-top/]
20. IBID
21. Fig. 2 picture credit, Book Cover Graphic from E. W. Bullinger’s Witness of the Stars.
22. Fig. 3 picture credit, NASA.
23. Follow @NASAUniverse for updates about the outburst. By Lauren Perkins, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center
24. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/this-nova-will-soon-erupt-as-a-once-in-a-lifetime-new-star-in-the-night-sky/
25. astro.bas.bg/staff.php
26. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/this-nova-will-soon-erupt-as-a-once-in-a-lifetime-new-star-in-the-night-sky/
27. IBID
28. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240322-visible-nova-explosion-is-coming
29. IBID
30. IBID
31. IBID
32. IBID

Is there Bible Evidence for an Eclipse with Jonah?

In our recently completed 2023 OT History Class we presented Biblical prophets chronologically instead of canonically, which brought out the evolution in the revelation regarding Messianic prophecy and Jewish Eschatology. Here are some samples of Rev. Nessle’s comments in a recent email from him:

From Jon’s Email 1/16/24

“Then in the Old Testament History class we followed the development of Messianic Prophecy when we re-ordered the Prophets in chronological order instead of canonical order. Then we clearly saw how Jonah foresaw the doom of Israel but shirked his responsibility to prophesy against Nineveh for fear that they might obey and not be destroyed. Well, God made sure the message was delivered on schedule even after Jonah had been dead for 3 days and 3 nights! God had to pull a rabbit out of a hat to get the job done, or better said, pull a prophet out of a fish! Why? Because He had an appointment to keep! God had to stay on schedule. They did repent because Rene Fretz pointed out the possibility that God also sent a coinciding sign of a Solar Eclipse. It went right over Nineveh that decade! I think it coincided! Wow!

Then after Jonah, came the prophet that didn’t deserve to be named because he shut up. He clammed up in fear of King Amaziah and stopped prophesying. He just spoke his mind afterward. This disqualified that prophet. The Bible does not name disqualified prophets! After that it was up to the next prophet, Amos, who was the lowest of the low, without pedigree, not of the school of the prophets, a former pig farmer who stood up and became enshrined as the prophet that wouldn’t shut up! He spoke the answer to the burning question of that day. If God promised the kingdom to David’s seed, how can that come to pass if the Assyrians are going to wipe us out? Then we saw the progression and growth of Jewish eschatology and Messianic prophecy that expanded from Amos’ seed through prophet after prophet, in chronological order, until it fully blossomed with Isaiah, who spoke so much Messianic prophecy that the book of Isaiah is said to be the 5^th Gospel!”

Jon Continued; “Well, that got me thinking and I realized something. I wondered if there was anything in the book of Jonah that could be linked with an eclipse. This was because it was very unusual that a foreign nation like Assyria with a different pagan religion would receive and repent to a message given by Jonah, an unknown prophet to them… I was thinking the Eclipse had to coincide. But how could I prove that? Then I realized that God did do just that! In Jonah 4:5 Jonah made a booth outside the city to see what would become of it. When he complained about the heat, God prepared a gourd that grew which gave him shade. I was looking for evidence of an eclipse which shaded the sun. Here in that very context is an allegory regarding
a gourd that does just that! Wow! I think there is a connection. Maybe if some of those verbs in verses 6 and 7 have astronomical overtones that would really nail it! I am thinking that this was an allegory to an eclipse, explained in terms an ancient man would understand. If God told Jonah the Astro-Physics details, he would not have understood. If this is true, then we have a fixed date for Jonah!” Love ya! Jon

This inspired email from Jon Nessle got me moving to delve into the text of Jonah, to see what the Scriptural details may tell us in support of an eclipse allegory. As we will see, there are verbs in this context having astronomical overtones, but it might help if they occurred on the same day, as the eclipse, since I’m not aware of eclipses lasting beyond a single day! With this in mind, lets take a look at the record of Jonah, with this evidence of an allegory like this in mind, too see if it stacks up.

Jonah’s story is unique since the record of most prophets entails their ministry and background, including the impact of their divine message and how their oracle and vision fits in the prophetic line of Israel, and Scriptural canon. Jonah’s record is different, since being a so-called “reluctant prophet,” it relates the details in this episode where a prophet tries to escape the Godly calling on his life, to cry against the wickedness of Nineveh, by detouring from Nineveh, hopping a slow boat in the opposite direction to the Spanish Riviera, [Tarshish]. As Jonah learns, its not smart to contradict the Almighty Creator, [Jon. 1:9] which put Jonah’s passage in jeopardy of shipwreck. Even the ship’s crew had the common sense to know this was a bad idea, [Jon. 1:10-16] and if any of this crew was not God-fearing before this voyage, none were left thereafter, [Jon. 1:15-16]. This fits with a theme of this book of the Bible, that God’s loving care extends not only to Israel, but the to the Gentile nations also! Jonah told the crew to cast him overboard, then he disclosed that he was the reason their ship was in danger, [Jon. 1:11-12]. God then sent a great fish to swallow Jonah, where he spent 3 days and nights in the belly of the fish. His prayer out of the fish’s belly-called the “belly of hell,” is the Hebrew word for the grave: [H7585-sheol]. #1 This was the same period Jesus spent in the heart of the earth after his death and crucifixion, [Matt. 12:40-41]. This tells us also that Jonah died during this period, until he recalled his prayer and commitment to God, who spoke to the fish to vomit Jonah out on dry land, [Jon. 2:10]. At this point, Jonah got what many of us in life need, his second chance to obey God’s calling on his life, to go to Nineveh and preach his message, [Jon. 3:1-4]

From my June blog in 2017; I referenced research on the impact of an eclipse over Nineveh that may have coincided with Jonah’s ministry, without going into much detail. “In 765 B.C, a plague broke out in Nineveh where even the king was not able to go out to war, as was custom. Next came a civil war and another plague!” The first plague referred to here occurred in 765 BC, followed by the civil war that started in 763, the same year as the eclipse.

“An archaeological find of cuneiform tablets was uncovered in the 19th century describing events in Nineveh. A famous eclipse mentioned in the tablets was known as the Bur-Sagale eclipse, which is verified by NASA as occurring on June 15, 763 BC. The path of totality passed very near Nineveh, which was located 4 mi. north of modern day Mosul and Erbil in Iraq. God declared the Sun and the Moon were for signs, and now the Ninevites saw evidence of God’s judgment coming even before Jonah’s arrival. When Jonah did show up, the Ninevites were ripe for repentance.” #2

Figure 1. The June 15th, 763 BC Bur-Sagale Eclipse over Nineveh. #3

Julian calendar does not include the year 0, so the year 1 BC[1] is followed by the year 1 AD. This is awkward for arithmetic calculations. All pages in this web site employ the astronomical numbering system for dates (they use the year 0). Years prior to the year 0 are represented by a negative sign [–]. Historians should note that there is a difference of one year between astronomical dates and BCE dates. Thus, the astronomical year 0 corresponds to 1 BCE, and year -100 corresponds to 101 BC, etc. This adds a year to the date above making it June 15th, 763 BC. #4

NASA graphic showing the path of the solar eclipse of June 15, 763 BC. The eclipse would have been seen as total in the area between the blue lines. The site of ancient Nineveh (the city) is about four miles northeast of the center of the modern city of Mosul, Iraq; the province of Nineveh occupied a considerably larger territory. If this NASA reconstruction is correct, the eclipse would have been observed as only partial in the city, but total just a few miles further north. The fact that modern astronomical programs show the eclipse as only partial in the city itself has led some investigators to surmise that the eclipse mentioned as occurring in the eponym of Bur-Sagale was some other eclipse at another date. This is usually done to support alternative biblical chronologies that do not agree with the conventional interpretation of the Assyrian Eponym Canon (AEC). However, it is precisely in the 8th century BC that the AEC is most assured of being correct, because various copies of the AEC have been found that overlap this time, and these in turn overlap the reigns of the kings of Assyria and Babylon given in Ptolemy’s Canon, which begins in 747 BC. Map from NASA, #5

We know that the Prophet Jonah ministered during the reign of King Ashur-Dan III since the Bible mentions him in [2 Kings 14:23-5], placing his ministry during the reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel. Since this solar eclipse was a most noteworthy highlight occurring in the reign of Ashur-Dan III, certain theologians suggest that the Bur-Sagle eclipse was a primary reason that the people of Nineveh were so ready to repent upon hearing Jonah’s message of judgment. “According to E.R. Thiele’s chronology, Jeroboam II was sole ruler of Israel between the years 782-753 BC, while Ashur-Dan III was king of Assyria between 772-755 BC.” #6 An aim of this study is to look for evidence of Jonah’s entry into Nineveh that may coincide with this eclipse.

Ashur-dan III’s reign was particularly difficult. Much of his reign was spent putting down revolts. These revolts were perhaps the result of the plague epidemics sweeping Assyria and the Bur-Sagale solar eclipse on 15 June 763 BC; both the epidemics and the eclipse could have been interpreted by the Assyrian populace as the gods withdrawing their divine support for Ashur-dan’s rule. The Assyrian empire had entered a period of decline, experiencing a plague in 765 BC, a peasant revolt from 763 to 759 BC, and a second plague in 759 BC. The Bur–Sagale eclipse, occurred in the midst of these troubled years, in 763 B.C. We don’t know the exact timing of Jonah’s visit to Nineveh, but we do know from the Biblical record that this was the time period during which he prophesied (2 Kings 14:25).

Jonah 3:3-4 tells us it took Jonah 3 days to navigate the streets of Nineveh to deliver his message of repentance, that Nineveh would be judged within 40 days, to change their ways, a biblical number symbolic for probation, as the 40 years Israel spent in the wilderness, and the 40 days of rain during Noah’s Flood. Not only the general population declared a fast [Jon. 3:5] but also the King published a decree enforcing a fast for both man and beast, to turn from their evil ways, God saw their change and repented the evil that He had previously pronounced, witholding His judgment.

If we fast forward to the celestial signs just before the birth of Christ, on August 12th, 3 BC, the first Jupiter-Venus union in Leo framing Christ’s birth occurred on Elul 1 on the Hebrew Calendar, opening a Season of Repentance. Jesus’ birth on Sept. 11th the month after this Aug. 12th union, on Tishri 1-Hebrew New Years Day, was followed by Yom Kippur on Tishri 10, or Sept. 19th that year, marked 40 days to the Day of Atonement, from Elul 1.

In the Great Sign of Revelation 12, a 400-day [40×10] link was found to Yom Kippur 2017 via a conjunction of Venus and Jupiter on August 27, 2016. But, when we view the Pan-American Total Solar Eclipse of Aug. 21, 2017, the eclipse was 40 days before Yom Kippur 2017, on Sept. 30th. Before the modern Hebrew Calendar, from Elul 1 till the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) was 40 days, known as the “Season of Repentance.” The total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017 begins this traditional 40-day Season of Repentance. The Season of Repentance is a call to repent before the Day of the Lord. Jewish tradition says those written in the Book of Life will be resurrected on the Feast of Trumpets. Elul is the month of repentance on the Jewish calendar, the time of turning in all the tithes to the storehouse. A month later, during the Days of Awe from Rosh Hashanah on Tishri 1 and Yom Kippur on Tishri 10, shows the record of celestial events marking Christ’s birth from Rev. 12.:1-2. A key chronological note to recognize here if viewed in isolation that if there was an eclipse that “coincided” with Jonah’s visit to Nineveh, it likely occurred by this time, or even to open the 40-day season of repentance, as Jonah prophesied in Nineveh. But there is also historical context to be aware of. “The eclipse was not the only calamity during Ashur-Dan’s reign. The AEC recounts a plague in 765, the eclipse and a revolt in the city of Ashur in 763, a revolt in Ashur again in 762, a revolt in Arrapha in 761 and 760, and a plague plus a revolt in the city of Guzana in 759. 758 BC was marked by a campaign against Guzana and then “peace in the land,” after which the king remained “in the land” for the next two years. Although there were military campaigns in 755, 754, 749, and 748, the AEC does not list any misfortune until the city of Calah revolted in 746 BC, the 9th year of Ashur-Dan’s brother and successor, Ashur-Nirari V. The Assyrians regarded plagues and eclipses as divine judgments for the whole land, #7 (Wiseman 1979: 44). The plague of 765, followed by a revolt and eclipse in 763 and then revolts in the following four years would only confirm in the mind of the Assyrians that they were under divine verdict. It is appealing to think that the “year of peace” in 758 and the lack of revolts and plagues in the following 11 years were a consequence of God’s mercy because of the repentance of the nation. If so, this could date Jonah’s visit at Nineveh to 759 or 758 BC.”#8

This view fits with God’s Grace and Mercy to acknowledge the repentance of the Ninevites, supported by the historical record. This is also why Jonah’s displeasure and great anger at God’s forgiveness of the Ninevites, shows how far out of line his thinking was in pronouncing judgment on God’s forgiveness, which was the goal of Jonah’s mission in the first place. This history probably is the best evidence that the eclipse may not have coincided with Jonah’s visit to Nineveh, but preceded it by 3-4 years, as we would expect the repentance of the city, to effect a change in their misfortune. The record in Jonah 4:4-11 is as follows;

⁴Then said the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry? ⁵So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city. ⁶And the Lord God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. ⁷But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered. ⁸And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live. ⁹And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death. ¹⁰Then said the Lord, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not labored, neither made it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: ¹¹And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than six-score thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

The word for “booth” in Jonah 4:5 is [H5521-cukkah; a temporary abode, hut or tent, as the booths the Feast of Tabernacles, Levi. 23:40-43, Deut. 16:30, Isa. 4:6]

It is important to point out here the three potential sources that Jonah had in this record to shade him from the sun’s intense heat. The word for “shadow” in vs. 5 and 6 are the same Hebrew word [H6738-tsel] lit. or fig. This is also the same Hebrew word used in [2 Kings 20:10-11, Isa. 38:8] for the astronomical shadow that went down 10 degrees in the miracle of Ahaz’ Sundial. E.W. Bullinger teaches this word for “shadow” in Jonah 4:5-6 [H6738-tsel] is the figure of speech called “paranomasia” or rhyming words, or the repetition of words similar in sound, but not necessarily in sense, [p.307, 317]. #9 In this potential allegory, the plant [gourd] ostensibly representing a solar eclipse, was stricken by the worm [Jon. 4:7] as it smote [H5221] the gourd to the end it withered, [H3001–yabesh]. Strong’s says “yabesh“ means to be ashamed, confused or disappointed, also to dry up or wither as herbage.” #10 A Biblical sample of this kind of language refers to a solar eclipse. In Isa. 24:23 we find this once again expressed by Bullinger as the figure “Antimereia” of the adjective the exchange of one part of speech for another. #11

Isa. 24:23 says;

²³Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His ancients gloriously.

This seems to support the idea of the gourd as an allegory for a solar eclipse as it is found in this record. It also is possible that a solar eclipse may have been accompanied by the growth of the gourd, at the same time outlasting an eclipse– that normally only last a few minutes, to 3-5 hours, in a single day providing Jonah added relief from the Sun. This notion is supported by Jonah 4:7 dictated by the diurnal solar cycle when “the morning rose the next day.” an eclipse of the Sun is not historically known to last beyond a day, and with the lunar blockage of the sun completed the previous day, the gourd was not withered by the worm until the next day. With both the shading of the gourd and the Moon no longer stopping the sun, the sunlight beat [H5221]-same word as “smote” in v.7 which can be either lethal [90x] as the worm struck a lethal blow to the gourd, or a non-lethal blow; [Ex. 21:12, Josh. 10:26].

This is not only a personification, where in the Sun and Moon are given human qualities, but also the related figure of prosopopeia, when the absent are spoken of as present, the dead as alive, or anything is addressed as a person.#12 [p.861] This language is indicative of both solar and lunar eclipses when Sunlight is blocked by the Moon, or the Earth-shadow turns the lunar surface red-as with
a blood moon. This could have fulfilled an allegory in Jon. 4:6 where the Lord made a gourd to shadow over Jonah’s head to deliver [H5337–natsal] Jonah from his grief. This rhyming word with shadow, [H6738-tsel] in Jonah 4:5-6 shows the Lord’s potential act to deliver Jonah from the Sun’s intense heat by shading him with a solar eclipse, where the Moon blocks the sunlight either partially or totally. The sun’s unblocked heat combined with the intense east wind beat down on the Jonah’s head, that he fainted, and begged his death by sunstroke. Here we find two possible sources of shade over Jonah, so where is the 3rd? If we recall from Jon. 4:5 he built himself a booth, the kind of which is the same as those built by the Jews for the Feast of Tabernacles. During this feast the Jews honored God not only as their provider, but their deliverer also, just as God had done for Jonah with the fish. As Isa. 4:6 tells us;

⁶And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.

The word for “shadow” in Isa. 4:6 above is the same as Jonah 4:5-6 [H6738]. This shows us that Jonah was angry at the loss of his shade, but God points out that Jonah was more concerned with the shade from the gourd and the eclipse than he was with the potential impact of the eclipse on the repentance of a city of 120,000 inhabitants in Nineveh. Jonah’s booth-building during the Tabernacles Feast, tells us these events took place in the month Tishri, our Sept.-Oct. and that Jonah also had his personal repentance to make right with God, for disobeying His call to preach to Nineveh. It also establishes the link pointed out above to the 40-days of Repentance and the birth of Christ, our intercessor and mediator of our repentance.

Added astronomically related verses in this context are found in Isaiah 40; 45:12, 34:4, Jer. 33:22, Dan. 8:10, Mt. 24:29]

Isa. 40:22-26

²¹Have ye not known? Have ye not heard? Hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? ²²It is
He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretches out the heavens as a curtain, and spreads them out as a tent to dwell in: ²³That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. ²⁴Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and He shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, [H3001] and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble. ²⁵To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. ²⁶Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that He is strong in power; not one faileth. [cp. Ps. 147:4]

This Scripture not only includes the astronomical context as the Almighty Creator stretches out the heavens as a curtain, and spreads them out as a tent to dwell in: but also the botanical allegory related to princes and judges of the earth that are not planted or sown, whose stock takes no root and they wither, which is the same Hebrew word for “withered” as seen in Jonah 4:7, above.

The purpose of Jonah’s prophecy is to show the sovereignty of God at work in the life of an individual (the prophet Jonah), and his concern for His own people and that the way to avert national catastrophe is a concentrated outreach effort to all people. Jonah’s theme is God’s mercy to the individual (Jonah, a Jew), a group (the heathen sailors), the heathen world power (Assyria, a Gentile nation), and His people (Israel).

Jesus employed the repentance of the Ninevites to rebuke the Pharisees, thereby illustrating the hardness of the Pharisees’ hearts and their lack of repentance, (Matt. 12:38-41; Luke 11:29-32). The heathen city of Nineveh repented at the preaching of a reluctant prophet, but the Pharisees would not repent at the preaching of the greatest of all the prophets, in spite of over-whelming evidence that He was actually their Lord and Messiah. Jonah is a picture of Israel, who was chosen and commissioned by God to be His witness (Isa. 43:10-12; 44:8), who rebelled against His will (Exodus 32:1-4; Judges 2:11-19; Ezek. 6:1-5; Mark 7:6-9), but like Israel, was miraculously preserved by God through centuries of exile and dispersion to finally preach His truth; (Jer. 30:11; 31:35-37; Hosea 3:3-5; Rev. 7:1-8; 14:1-3).

As Tom Hobson, chair of Biblical Studies at Morthland College, observes:

The Assyrian nation was weak and in chaos in the decade around 760 BC…. They had one earthquake (one sign of divine wrath). There was a famine from 765-758 BC. Assyria was losing battles and losing territory to its enemies. There were domestic riots… Now was a perfect time for a prophet from far away to arrive on the scene and command a response. Is it possible that in His mercy, God not only planned the miracles to engineer Jonah’s visit to correspond with an impressive eclipse, but He also spun the heavenly bodies in perfect synchronization with these events to help convince Nineveh to repent. #13

According to the Assyrian writings cited by Wiseman, here’s what a solar eclipse would have meant to them: “the king will be deposed and killed, and a worthless fellow will seize the throne…rain from heaven will flood the land…the city walls will be destroyed.” The Assyrians tell us that these times called for, a solemn fast, and the king would hand over his throne to a substitute until the danger passed. At least once when there was a total solar eclipse, the Assyrians cried, “Nineveh shall be overthrown!” This has dual meaning of, “Nineveh shall be made to repent!”).#14

We can’t prove the hypothesis that Jonah showed up in Nineveh for the 763 BC eclipse, but this does not mean that this solar eclipse did not help produce the desired results of Nineveh’s repentance recorded in the Biblical account.
God miraculously brought Jonah to preach his message at exactly the right time for the people of Nineveh to listen to him. The Assyrian nation was weak and in chaos in the decade around 760 BC. They already had one earthquake (a sign of divine wrath). There is a possibility that Amos also refers to this earth-quake [Amos 1:1] since Amos was a contemporary of Jonah. There was a 7-year famine from 765-758 BC. While the Assyrians were losing battles and land to their enemies, there was internal strife and domestic riots. With all the unrest they were experiencing, they seemed primed to believe Jonah and his warning.

With the events from 765 BC- a revolt and eclipse in 763 and then revolts in the following four years would only confirm in the mind of the Assyrians that they were under divine displeasure. It would fit the spiritual timeline that the “year of peace” in 758 and a lack of rebellions and plagues in the next 11 years were a consequence of God’s mercy because of the repentance of the Nineveh. If so, this could date Jonah’s appearance at Nineveh to 759 or 758 BC.

The repentance of an entire pagan city the size of Nineveh would be a greater miracle than for Jonah to survive getting swallowed by a fish. Yes, such an experience was fatal for Jonah, but this was part of the miracle, which was completed over 700 years later when Jesus cited Jonah as a sign comparable to his own resurrection. If we believe the Bible’s account of Jonah’s survival inside the fish, then a greater miracle of the repentance of the entire pagan city of Nineveh is possible also, since they are part of the same miraculous narrative.

I’m thankful for Jon Nessle’s email as the impetus for this month’s blog, and pertinent questions it sparked regarding Jonah and this eclipse. As the Lord Jesus Christ is the mediator of our own repentance, I invite those who would like to take part in commenting on this study for group discussion.

God Bless!

Rene’

Footnotes

1. Strong’s Concordance, [H7585-sheol], James Strong
2. Read more at https://globalrumblings.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-sign-of-jonah-and-binding-of.html#JF4HXT0ur7boJ0rM.99
3. Five Millennium Canon of Solar Eclipses [Espenak & Meeus]
4. [http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsearch/SEsearchmap.php?Ecl=-07620615.]
5. [https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhelp/calendar.html]
6. The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings. Edwin R. Thiele
7. THE TYNDALE BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY LECTURE, 1977
JONAH 1 S NINEVEH By Donald J. Wiseman 1979: 44
8. https://biblearchaeology.org/research/biblical-chronologies/4517-how-lunar-and-solar-eclipses-shed-light-on-biblical-events
9. Figures of Speech used in the Bible, ppg. 307, 317. E.W. Bullinger
10. Strong’s Concordance, [H3001-yabesh], James Strong
11. Figures of Speech used in the Bible, pg. 495, E.W. Bullinger
12. IBID, [p.861]
13. (http://www.tyndalehouse.com/TynBul/Library/TynBull_1979_30_02_Wiseman_JonahsNineveh.pdf)
14. THE TYNDALE BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY LECTURE, 1977
JONAH 1 S NINEVEH By Donald J. Wiseman 1979: 44