Bible, Cosmology And Biblical Astronomy

Pi Day-March 14th, 2015 [3.14159]

Pi Day 2015 [3.14159]

To commemorate Pi Day, March 14th, 2015 we are recognizing the Creator’s usage of Pi in the Hebrew Tabernacle and Temple. 2015 holds a special Pi Day, since 3.14.15 is a once in a century event! We are happy to recognize this day by calling attention to the Creator’s application of the Pi ratio in some of the sacred furniture found within the inner and outer Temple/Tabernacle Courts. A portion of the material presented below is reprinted from my website study on “Pi in the Sky” @ try-god.com; [read more]. In a recent two Part Blog post, we discussed the Eastern Light through the Temple/Tabernacle, [read more] as an east-west axis line, where the people of Israel approached God in worship, a theme we will pick up in this study also. The first element on this line of access utilizing the Pi ratio is the round Brass Laver at the entrance to the inner court of the Tabernacle/ Temple. I Kings 7 below provides the descriptive details of this “molten sea.”

Figure 1. The Brasen Laver of Solomon’s Temple

The Molten Sea

The Brass Laver in the Outer Court I Kings 7:23-30 ²³And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about. ²⁴And under the brim of it round about there were knops compassing it, ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about: the knops were cast in two rows, when it was cast. ²⁵It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward. ²⁶And it was an hand breadth thick, and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies: it contained two thousand baths. ²⁷And he made ten bases of brass; four cubits was the length of one base, and four cubits the breadth thereof, and three cubits the height of it. ²⁸And the work of the bases was on this manner: they had borders, and the borders were between the ledges: ²⁹And on the borders that were between the ledges were lions, oxen, and cherubims: and upon the ledges there was a base above: and beneath the lions and oxen were certain additions made of thin work. ³⁰And every base had four brazen wheels, and plates of brass: and the four corners thereof had under-setters: under the laver were under-setters molten, at the side of every addition.

Figure 2. The Tabernacle of Moses Layout

Hebrew Tabernacle layout — Tabernacle of Israel Layout

As we consider the Biblical usage of words related to how the pi ratio is revealed in Scripture, we will gain insight into the divine perspective of the Creator’s viewpoint on Pi, and His Intelligent Design of Creation. Anytime we can adopt the view of the Almighty through the truths He has shared with us in His matchless Word, it always speaks volumes to those of us who are paying attention. The Hebrew word for “line” of thirty cubits, in verse 23 is “qav” [*H6957]. The word carries the primary meaning of a measuring cord, a ruler, or standard of measure. We are also familiar with this concept by another term known as a “canon.” On the surface the Bible gives the basic mathematical value of pi here as 3, but the deeper truths of God’s Word lie below the surface, for those who have the heart and will to look for them. It is noteworthy that the first place where the pi ratio is applied by God in the Tabernacle and Hebrew Temple is in connection with the semi-circular Brass Laver in I Kings 7:23. Let’s take a look at some other places where this Hebrew word “qav” shows up. In the 38th chapter of Job, God is discussing the foundations of the Earth. The question in verse 5 asks: “Who hath laid the measures thereof, if you know? Or who hath stretched the line upon it?” The obvious Biblical answer to these questions is the Creator. In light of the usage of “qav” in I Kings 7:23, God’s exercise of Pi as a standard ruler or measure in laying and measuring the spherical dimensions and foundations of our planet, recorded in the book of Job, the oldest book of the Biblical Canon is enlightening. This is especially the case when we consider the context of Job 38, which deals with a series of questions about various elements of Creation, that only God Almighty could answer. The Intelligent Design specifications of the planet Earth would easily fall into this category, as to how the Earth’s spherical dimensions and temporal order fit into the celestial context of Creation. We can see the sense of this clarified even more in our next reference to the Hebrew word “qav.”

Figure 3. Planet Earth

earth creation

In Psalm 19, The heavens declare the glory of God… Verse 4 says, “Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them He hath set a tabernacle for the sun.” Once again the Hebrew word for “line” here is qav. Let me ask you, what is the heavenly or celestial line that is a tabernacle, or provides the houses of the sun? The only sensible answer is the ecliptic! This is quite logical when we consider that the Israelites, during their 40-year sojourn in the Sinai wilderness were led by God, seen as a pillar of cloud during the day, and one of fire by night. The pillars dwelt over the Holy of the Holies in their Tabernacle, signifying the Creator’s personal presence among His people. When they camped during the evenings, Numbers 2 tells us they camped in the order of the tribes as it matched the order of the course of the sun on the ecliptic, (east, south, west, north). Israel’s twelve tribes, as we are aware by now, also matched up with the twelve signs of the zodiac in their God-ordained significance, before they were corrupted in heathen Astrology and mythology. This tribal order is also found in the twelve jewels of the High Priest’s breastplate, [Ex. 28:15-21]. Thus the celestial gospel originally related the story of the coming redeemer of mankind, that God wrote in the stars before He ever committed it to His Written Word. These are the words of Ps. 19:4 that have gone out through all the earth, unto the end of the world. This application of the Pi (the mathematical relation of the diameter of a circle to its circumference) by God, in reference to the circular ecliptic is certainly intriguing in light of the Sun’s apparent 360-degree path through its 12 houses of the zodiac, as viewed from Earth. In this light we should also be aware of the earlier context of I Kings 7.

Figure 4. 12 Signs of the Zodiac on the Ecliptic

The next aspect of the Temple layout relating to the Pi ratio concerns the two huge Brass Pillars at the entrance to the Hebrew Temple. These are described also in I Kings 7:13-15 below. 1 Ki 7:13 And king Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre. [14] He was a widow’s son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass: and he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass. And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his work. [15] For he cast two pillars of brass, of eighteen cubits high apiece: and a line of twelve cubits did compass either of them about. The word for “line” in verse 15 above is not qav, as it is in verse 23, but it does indicate a line for measuring, thus a closer look at these brass pillars is still called for. As we know, Pi has long been considered a transcendental number, or constant of mathematics (3.14159….), linking a straight diameter to a curved circumference. The French archaeologist and mathematician Charles Funk-Hellet points out that: “Solomon had Hiram contribute to building a temple whose brass columns were 18 cubits high, and 12 cubits around. In other words, one cubit equaled the twelfth part of the circumference of the arc of 30 degrees, or pi/6. By subtracting the circumference from the height, they obtained 6 cubits in a straight line, which was equal to 1/2 circumference, or the exact value of pi; so that 1000 years before Christ the Hebrews knew that a cubit was a mathematical entity dependent on the circumference, and were able to resolve pi to four points of decimal.” ²(emphasis mine)

Funk-Hellet’s observation that: “By subtracting the circumference from the height, they obtained 6 cubits in a straight line, which was equal to 1/2 circumference, or the exact value of pi/6.…“³ is worth remembering when we come to the subject of the celestial symbolism of the Menorah, and its application of pi, building on what we have found here. Funk-Hellet goes on to say that: “the Biblical cubit is equal to the Egyptian Royal cubit, which was incorporated into the Temple at Jerusalem as pi/6, or 523.6 millimeters. Using one unit of measure as the radius of a circle, the ancients found the trigonometric value of 30 degrees to be pi/6, (which divided the full circumference of the circle into 12 equal parts) and was the value of the royal cubit, or .5236 of the unit used: 3.1416/6 = .5236“⁴ (parenthesis & emphasis mine)

Figure 5. Solomon’s Temple with Brass Pillars at the Entrance

The Two Brass Pillars Jachin and Boaz — Brass Pillars at the Entrance of Solomon’s Temple

In effect, we have an architectural representation of the twelve-fold division of the heavens preserved in the dimensions of the Temple’s Brass columns, all based on the mathematical standard Pi, long before most modern scientists imagined the ancients knew anything about Pi at this level of accuracy. This provides more evidence showing the Creator’s perfect wisdom and Nature’s Great Geometer, at work in the dimensions of His Temple, as an illustration of heavenly realities [Heb. 8:5], which He gave to King David by revelation. Also symbolically contained in the dimensions of the Temple’s brass columns, is a figure of 12 calendar months of 30 days, totaling the 360 days of their year, a calendar also used going all the way back to Noah’s time, in the context of the 360-degrees of the ecliptic. This reveals the true origin of the 12 – 30° segments of the ecliptic, as a standard celestial measure, and also reveals the Pi ratio at the root of the Hebrew Calendar matching the 360 degrees of the circle with the 360 days of the year on the Calendar of the Biblical Patriarchs. And since Noah was already 600 years old when the Bible records the details of this luni-solar calendar in Genesis 7, it also implies that it was used by the earlier Biblical Patriarchs prior to the flood, and centuries before history and human science thought this level of sophisticated astronomical timekeeping was in use. For more information on Noah’s Calendar, [read more]. As we find in the above Biblical uses of the Hebrew word “qav,” God’s application of the Pi concept far exceeds any previous application in human history. Views based on scientific Materialism will never account fully for the realities of God’s Creation. Only from the Creator’s viewpoint in His Word, and the Works of His Hands, do these applications of pi make sense. Only He could apply pi to the ecliptic and the dimensions of our planet, a concept which is borne out in much greater detail, in how pi is symbolically and architecturally applied, not only in the Hebrew Tabernacle and Temple, but also in the Great Pyramid. Since the pattern shown to Moses for the Tabernacle was by divine revelation, just as the pattern of the Temple was shown to King David, these men of God did not calculate the blueprints for these sacred edifices, or their related measurements, by scientific trial and error. Thus they didn’t need to wait on the Greeks, like Archimedes, generally considered the greatest of ancient scientists, to rediscover them or to apply them in divine architecture. Although Archimedes is to be commended for his application of the pi proportion, respectfully it pales in comparison to what we find in the Biblical uses of “qav” relating to pi. For example, the third piece of furniture utilizing pi in the Tabernacle is the Menorah. Since it is located in the Inner Court or Holy Place, it is closer to the Holiest of All, the throne-room and dwelling place of God. When we consider the Menorah or candlestick we are primarily concerned with the original model exhibited in the Tabernacle of Israel. Later, in the Temple there were 10 candlesticks utilized in a different manner than at first. In (Figure 6.) below we see the first candlestick, or Menorah in the form of what James Strong has called a “stylized tree.” Strong gives his own description of Exodus 25:33 quoted below:

Ex. 25:33 Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick.”

Strong’s geometric synopsis of this verse states:

“It will be perceived that each section of the semicircles of which these lines are the radii is composed of two members: the shank (a plain tube) and the bulb (or swell), and that each has a third part or base (a circular double flange, as a means of connection, hence an actual joint) only where it is united to a different kind of piece; i.e., at the bottom and top of the central shaft and of the six arms, including the intersections of the shaft with the arms.”⁵ [emphasis mine]

Figure 6. The Hebrew Menorah 6

When we apply what we have already seen in the Biblical teaching of the Sun’s dual symbolism, to the Menorah, it takes on a new light, associating the Sun not only with the solar system, but also the circular zodiac. The Menorah structure shows its central shaft as the foundation of the candle, since it holds the main light as the candle centerpiece. All the branches of the candlestick are attached to the central shaft, even as they obtain their light from the main candle. This pattern is mirrored in the solar system as the planets and moons do not generate their own light, but reflect the light of the Sun, as they orbit around it. We find not only the solar system order reflected here but also that of the ecliptic with 12 Constellations. This is evident in the Menorah’s semi-circular pattern based on pi. By expanding on Strong’s analysis of the Menorah this comes to light. In Strong’s smaller geometric model of the Menorah, we note bulbs on the six branches of the candlestick that are projections of the central bulb, where all the radiating geometric lines of the central light emanate. These projections of the central light on the six branches, (five naked eye planets and the Moon) depict how these luminaries reflect the Sun’s light in their individual orbits upon the Earth. This system reflects the temporal periods and orbits of each planet in our solar system, in relation to the Sun’s light. This is revealed first in the context of the mathematics of the base 60 standard, a primary trait of the Creator’s celestial order. Strong’s emphasis above on the geometric design of the Menorah, exhibits the Hebrew zodiac as in Genesis 49, with Jacob’s prophesies over his twelve sons. We should see that these lines noted by Strong as “the radii of the semi-circle,” reflecting the symbolic light of the world, if extended into a complete circle, the radii would divide it into 12 equal parts of 360 degrees of the circle according to pi. We can be safe in making this conceptual leap in the implied design of the Menorah, because we have just seen this pattern in the Temple pillars: Jachin and Boaz. This marks the Menorah as a complete symbolic piece of furniture in the Temple and Tabernacle, acting as a celestial symbol of the structure of both our solar system and the zodiac. It is complete because it is the third aspect we have observed utilizing pi measures, following on the great Brazen Sea and the Temple pillars. These aspects of The Celestial Symbolism of the Temple and Tabernacle; [read more] utilize pi to depict the Hebrew Calendar of 12 months of 30 days in the sacred 360-day year utilized by Noah. But the Menorah goes beyond this, embracing the planets in a heliocentric model of the ancient solar system, long before the Greek Aristarchus of Samos proposed it in the second century BC. The Menorah’s [read more] implicit use of the pi ratio incorporates the previous usage of this principle in the Brasen Sea and the Temple pillars, while adding the symbolism of the heliocentric solar system to these previous applications, all incorporated into a single model. According to conventional history, the idea of a heliocentric “universe” or solar system, originated with the ancient Greeks, specifically Aristarchus of Samos as mentioned above. This idea however, did not catch on in a big way until Copernicus, who while reviewing some of Aristarchus’ ideas seized upon this concept and ran with it. He did this at his own peril due to the prevailing worldview of the time, especially that of the Roman Catholic Church, based on a geocentric view of the solar system espoused by Ptolemy, which held sway in intellectual and religious circles for over 1500 years. In the Figure 7. graphic below from Harmonica Macrocosmica [A. Cellarius, Amsterdam 1660] depicts a Sun-centered Copernican view of the cosmos.

Figure 7. Heliocentric Solar System 7

harmonica macrocosmica

This aspect of pi as it applies to Biblical cosmology will show the idea of a heliocentric “universe” predating the 2nd Century BC and Aristarchus, by at least 1300 years, and its genuine roots are found in the Old Testament Scriptures. Our present tour through the Hebrew Taberncale/Temple not only reveals this, but even deeper truths as the Menorah’s complete symbolic nature is revealed, leading to the holiest of all with the Ark of the Covenant, and the Holy Names of God. The pi ratio in I Kings 7, should also be considered with any practical application of pi in King Solomon’s day. On this subject there is information concerning a practical approximation of pi in the ancient world, based on septenary units of measure. In some ancient traditions, the relation of the Diameter to the Circumference, embodied in pi, symbolized the names of God; Elohim and Jehovah. With Elohim, the Creator representing the Circumference, of the curved line – the totality of His Creation, and in Jehovah, the straight line Diameter, or God in relationship to His Creation, thus pi embodies some geometrical expressions of the Almighty. We find the basic elements of the concept of “squaring the circle” in the Circle’s diameter inscribed in the circumference of a surrounding Sphere inside a Cube, in I Kings 7:30 above, contained in the square base containing the circular brasen sea. This principle has survived through the centuries in the domed sacred architecture of many temples and churches, where the circular dome is surrounded by a square building. We should take note that the Holy of the holies, containing the Ark of the Covenant, was a perfect cube, contained within a double-square ground-plan of the Hebrew Tabernacle. This provided the divine foundation of many practices in the “sacred geometry” of the secular world. The practical approximation of pi in the ancient world of sacred architecture, has preserved this concept of the Creator God in relation to His Creation, in a systematic application of principles of sacred geometry, based on septenary units of measure. According to Stechini, in this system the; “circumference was considered 22/7 of the diameter; this approximation of pi rendered (3 1/7, or 3.142857) is still in use today as an adequate approximation in many problems of engineering.” ⁸ As Beckmann points out, “Archimedes started with a hexagon and progressively doubling the number of sides he arrived at a polygon of 96 sides, which yielded pi as 3 1/7, or 3.142857.” ⁹

The importance of relating pi to septenary units is obvious in a Biblical light when we consider God’s abundant use of the number 7 in His ordering of Creation, including the Menorah. Some of this evidence is covered in our website essay on the Calendar of the Israel, [read more]. This ratio of 22/7 is also intriguing because it expresses the ratio between the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, in relation to its seven vowels. This is a supporting factor in the idea that the roots of writing and the first alphabet originate in the Celestial Gospel. As the first “written” revelation to mankind, the stars in this gospel were named and numbered by God [Ps. 147:4]. The divine message of the coming redeemer and the means God chose to deliver it, thus provide the sacred foundation of all language and mathematics. As the divine original source of this wisdom, the witness of the stars was above reproach. The pi ratio expressed as 22/7, reflects this perfection of the celestial gospel, in at least the mathematical, geometrical and linguistic contexts. Let’s now consider a final point linked with septenary measuring units. This note from Keil and Delitzsch’ Commentary on I Kings 7:23 below, adds support to the application of pi relating to septenary units as seen in the brazen sea above, [3.142857] and the ancient knowledge of its use in Israel, via revelation from God, in the dimensions of the Tabernacle, Temple and its sacred furniture. “The brazen sea (cf. 2Ch. 4:2-5). – “He made the molten sea – a water-basin called יָם (mare) on account of its size – ten cubits from the one upper rim to the other,” i.e., in diameter measured from the upper rim to the one opposite to it, “rounded all round, and five cubits its (external) height, and a line of thirty cubits encircled it round about,” i.e., it was thirty cubits in circumference. The Chethib קוה is to be read קָוֶה here and in Zech. 1:16 and Jer. 31:39, for which the Keri has קָו in all these passages. קָוֶה or קָו means a line for measuring, which is expressed in 1Ki. 7:15 by חוּט. The relation of the diameter to the circumference is expressed in whole numbers which come very near to the mathematical proportions. The more exact proportions would be as 7 to 22, or 113 to 355.”¹⁰[emphasis mine]

Figure 8. The Ark of the Covenant

The septenary relation to pi uncovers the link between the pi and phi ratios, through the popular Fibonacci Series. This is interesting when we consider that the dimensions of Ark of the Covenant conform to the phi standard, in the holiest of all. Since the lid or “mercy seat” of the Ark represents the Creator’s Throne, we not only find the geometric application of the Names of God: Jehovah/Elohim in practice by the Nation of Israel, as they worship the Almighty according to the tenets of Scripture, but the measures of the Ark are based on a 1×2 rectangle [Ex. 25:10] that perfectly conforms the phi ratio as seen in the Coffer of the Kings Chamber in the Great Pyramid. This link between phi and pi makes it possible to obtain pi without the need for measuring! This is illustrated in the following quote from Livio Stechini: “It is possible to use the Fibonacci Series to obtain an accurate relation for the diameter of the circle to its circumference, without recourse to pi. In the Fibonnacci series of 21, 34, 55, if 21 is taken as the diameter of a circle, its circumference will be 55 x 6/5 = 66, accurate to the one thousandth part, giving the Great Pyramid value of pi as 22/7 = 3.142857. Higher numbers in the fibonacci series provide increasingly finer values in whole numbers accurate to one ten-thousandth part. Prolonging the series to 80, 144, 233, 377, 610… a diameter of 144 (4 x 576) gives a circumference of 377 x 6/5 or a pi value of 3.1415. A diameter of 233= a circumference of 610 x 6/5 or a pi value of 3.1416…”¹¹

Since the phi principle inherent in the Fibonacci Series is the basis of the precepts of geometric growth life throughout the plant and animal kingdoms of life evident in the Creator’s Four Kingdoms of Life, [read more] this principle of mathematics is elevated above that of pi. As the Creator and ultimate Source of Life, the Almighty has led us on this path of spiritual discovery paved with the principles of geometric and mathematical truth revealed in God’s Word. This is the geometric progression we have just witnessed in our pi journey through the Tabernacle/ Temple of Israel, on this day memorializing Pi.

Footnotes

1. Strong’s Concordance, James Strong, notes on [H6957]
2. Secrets of the Great Pyramid, Peter Thompkins, p. 263
3. IBID p. 16.
4. IBID
5. The Tabernacle of Israel, James Strong
6. IBID [picture credit]
7. Harmonica Macrocosmica, Amsterdam, 1660
8. Secrets of the Great Pyramid, Peter Thompkins,
9. A History of Pi, Petr Beckmann. p. 64
10. KEIL & DELITSCH Commentary on I Kings 7:23.
11. Secrets of the Great Pyramid, Peter Thompkins, p. 97 fn

The Birth and Return of Christ and the Celestial Sphinx

Great Sphinx, Great Pyramid and Dendera Zodiac — **Biblical Archaeo-Astronomy**

The Birth and Return of Christ and the Celestial Sphinx

Eleven years ago, in a study on the Try-God.com website we proposed a thesis that the Great Sphinx was originally intended as an oracle of the promised seed and the Messiah. Both Herbert Lockyer and Frances Rolleston have stated, that the Great Sphinx symbolizes the Summer Solstice 4000 years before Christ, sealed by the union of Virgo and Leo. Rolleston notes that this junction of Virgo and Leo is marked by the star Denebola, the namemeaning “the Lord or Judge who comes quickly,”1 thus representing a living image, of the Lord Jesus Christ coming in judgment. As the star marking the unity between Virgo and Leo, the alpha and omega signs of the Biblical zodiac, this prophetic messenger of the coming Messiah has endured as the largest, and oldest colossal sculpture of renown on the planet.

Figure A. The Great Sphinx

This monument to the promised seed carved out of the Giza plateau, has stood for ages facing east, envisioning both the first and second advents of the Lord Jesus Christ. As the imperious sentinels of Giza, the Great Sphinx and the Great Pyramid are the foremost ancient monuments, having stood the test of time, foreshadowing the Second Coming of the Son of God as no other landmarks in human history. These great surviving wonders of the ancient world have remained singularly poised, high above the barren shifting sands of human ignorance, safely founded on prehistoric bedrock of truth, prophesying of the coming promised seed, in harmony with the witness of the Stars and Scriptures. Their combined declaration sounds out from the geographic center of the Earth’s landmass, ever ringing upward in concert with the testimony of the celestial luminaries. These monolithic monuments of the Giza plateau, the Great Pyramid and the Great Sphinx, serve as prime examples of our thesis, showing the roots of what Joseph Campbell called the world monomyth , the idea that all the world’s myths are rooted in one master overarching epic narrative. I believe as others have before me, that this master myth has celestial roots, and these roots ultimately lead us to the divine Astronomy of the Biblical Patriarchs, Adam, Seth and Enoch. The following introduction to the Great Sphinx, from a Biblical Astronomy viewpoint, will serve as important step along this path of understanding. During recent posts on our Blood Moon Blog we have surveyed the Biblical Astronomy of the heavenly signs surrounding the Birth of Jesus Christ, where a number of aspects linked to the Great Sphinx have surfaced, which are summarized in the study of The Great Sphinx @www. Try-God.com, [read more].

Our review of the heavenly signs surrounding the birth of Christ gave us an introduction to some unique aspects of the Great Sphinx, which we will expand on in this study. A consistent indicator marking the heavenly signs bearing the celestial seal and signet of the Great Sphinx, is that most of these heavenly signs occur during the 3-week annual period when the Sun is clothing Virgo, [Rev. 12:1]. This is relevant due to its symbolism of the genuine exaltation of Mary, the woman who was most highly blessed among women, because she believed the words of the archangel Gabriel when he told her she would bear the promised seed. We have made past references to the dual significance inend times
prophecy in [Rev. 12:1-2] as it relates both to the sufferings and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, in his 2-fold ministry to present his kingship to Israel, that was rejected 2000 years ago, and now is being revisited as we complete the Blood Moon Tetrad of 2014–2015 with the heavenly signs presaging his glorious Second Coming to install his kingdom of everlasting righteousness and peace. The graphic below depicts Mary crowned with the 12 Stars/Tribes of the Hebrew Zodiac [Gen. 37: 9-11] holding the infant Jesus, with the Crescent Moon at her feet. Here Jesus embodies the Sun clothing Virgo with the Moon at her feet as seen on Sept. 11th, 3 BC in the heavenly signs marking the Birth of Jesus Christ. Modern stargazers have struggled to fit the crown of 12 stars around Virgo’s head, with the heavenly signs marking his birth and Second Coming, but as Gen. 37 tells us in Joseph’s dream, the Sun, Moon and 11 Stars bowed down to Joseph as his 11 brothers bowed at his feet in Egypt, fulfilling his dream. Both the Great Sphinx and Joseph’s Dream show the 3-fold Solar, Lunar and Stellar aspects of the Hebrew Calendar, and as we view Virgo Crowned with the 12 Stars/Signs/Tribes of the Hebrew Zodiac in the context of the Great Sphinx, the truths of the Celestial Sphinx come into focus.

Figure B. Mary Crowned with 12 Stars holding Jesus with the Moon at her feet.

Mary Crowned with 12 Stars and the Moon at her Feet — **Mary holding Jesus Crowned with 12 Stars**

In addition, the Sun in Virgo usually coincides with the annual start of the Hebrew Civil Year, opening the month of Tishri. As we have pointed out in recent Blog posts, the Feast of Trumpets opening the month of Tishri is marked by a Partial Solar Eclipse on September 13th this Fall, even as the opening of the sacred year/Nisan 1 is marked with a Total Solar Eclipse on March 20th, the Spring Equinox, followed by a Blood Moon Lunar eclipse two weeks later at Passover. Thus from the inception of the heavenly signs linked to what I have called the Celestial Sphinx, the fact that these notable heavenly signs take place on, or during Hebrew Feasts and holy days, is also a key indicator, even as it has been throughout the Age of Grace relating to the Blood Moon Tetrads, over the last 200 centuries. Another prime aspect of the heavenly signs linked to the Celestial Sphinx is that we find unique planetary conjunctions that took place marking the Birth of Jesus Christ, in the constellations Virgo and Leo. Since these are the zodiac signs that constitute the alpha-omega signs of the Hebrew Zodiac, forming the Celestial Sphinx, it provides a living practical example of Biblical Astronomy which the Great Sphinx itself memorializes. As a central example of Biblical Archaeo-Astronomy, the Great Sphinx is a true living artifact of the divine science of Biblical Astronomy that the Creator utilizes today, marking the heavenly signs of the Second Coming of His only Begotten Son. In this light, we take note of the relief from the ceiling of the Temple of Esneh;2 [Fig. C], where the basic stellar figures of Virgo and Leo are unified in the Great Sphinx, pictured with the solar disk crowning the head of the woman-“sun clothing Virgo,” who is joined with the body of the Lion, above the serpent Hydra. This clear stellar image found at the same temple site housing the Dendera zodiac, provides strong archaeological support, not for the union of Virgo and Leo only, affirmed in the two stellar aspects of the Sphinx monument, but also the exaltation of the woman-Virgo. She is pictured at the far right below, prominently holding her grain stalk, or branch [Al Zimach] as she is shown in Dendera’s zodiac, symbolizing her bearing the promised seed, the light of the world. This is a key point in the history of Biblical Archaeo-Astronomy, since the Dendera Zodiac is another central piece of archeological evidence in our Biblical Astronomy narrative. This will be the topic of future posts on our Blood Moon Blog.

Figure C. Ceiling Relief from the Ancient Egyptian Temple of Esneh

The union of the ends of the ecliptic in the Great Sphinx, with the Sun in Virgo, as seen in the Temple of Esneh.

This sets the basic context of the original function of the Great Sphinx, including:

The unity of the Biblical zodiac which starts at Virgo and ends in Leo, summarizing the truths of Biblical Astronomy and Archaeo-Astronomy.
The original role of the Sun in this context of “clothing Virgo,” along with embodying the solar aspects of the Sphinx as the Son of Righteousness.
A Stone monument memorializing these truths parallel witness to the Coming Redeemer found in the Stars and in Scripture.

With this in mind, lets look at some specific stellar aspects of the Great Sphinx.

Stellar Elements of the Great Sphinx

There are at least three categories of Celestial Sphinx signs. The first is in a class by itself, that we find in Figure E. Here, the head of the woman Virgo, clothed with the sun is rising above the horizon as seen from Jerusalem, with the full body of Leo the Lion, already risen. As a marker for the birth of Christ highlighting these two major components of the Great Sphinx, this sign certainly is worthy of our special attention. A second category of signs along these lines is seen also when the Sun is clothing Virgo. During this time of year, a period of about 20 days length, if planetary unions occur in both Leo and Virgo, the two stellar aspects of the Celestial Sphinx are thus highlighted. An example of this was seen in the signs surrounding the birth of Christ, from September 9th to the 14th in 3 BC. Figure E shows the first of three conjunctions of Jupiter and Regulus in Leo first visible, as the heavenly signs marking the birth of Christ took place September 11th, in Virgo. The original teaching of the witness of the signs of the zodiac is encapsulated in the zodiac signs Virgo and Leo and preserved in this ancient monument of the Giza plateau, the Great Sphinx. An interesting astronomical truth in support of this lies in the fact that the crowned head of Virgo actually bridges about 10 degrees into the sign Leo on the ecliptic. We have already made reference to this in connection with the star Denebola. The star Sarcam in Leo, is a Hebrew word meaning “the joining,“3 identifying the point where the two ends of the Zodiacal circle have their joining. This is borne out in the sign Corvus, the bird of prey devouring the sea-monster Hydra, a decan of Virgo. The bright star in the eye of Corvus the Raven, called Al Chibar in Arabic means “joining together,”4 referring also to the union of as these two ends of the true zodiac! This is pictured in Figure D. below, depicting the Hydra a major sea-dragon constellation [Isa. 27:1], with Corvus the Raven and carrion eater, shown devouring the perishing remains of the destroyed Serpent. This is the enemy’s destiny which we also find pictured in the Temple of Esneh above, with the serpent under the Lion’s claws.

Figure D. The Constellation Hydra; the Serpent destroyed.

Image result for Hydra constellation images

This also fits with the start of the Hebrew calendar in Tishri, the equivalent of our September-October, the beginning of their civil year when the Sun was clothing Virgo. As we have seen in previous posts, the heavens announced Jesus’ arrival with the setting of the star Spica, Virgo’s branch on our September 11th, of 3 BC. In addition to naming the start and close of the celestial canon, the Great Sphinx mirrors the binding of Scripture together from Genesis to Revelation, as seen in references to Jesus as the Lion of the tribe of Judah in both Gen. 49:8-10 and Rev. 5:5, the first and last books of the Bible. Another indicator of the central importance of these stellar aspects of the Great Sphinx, is that our recognition of the Celestial Sphinx, pictured below, Virgo and Leo the lion provide the basis for the signs of the triple union of Jupiter-Regulus in Leo, in 3 BC related to Gen. 49:8-10. This is a foundational key linking the Great Sphinx both to the witness of the stars and Scriptures, in their unified testimony to the Coming promised Seed. As we view the celestial context of this first union of Jupiter and Regulus, [Fig. E] we can see the head of Virgo rising above the eastern horizon just below the full body of Leo the Lion on the ecliptic. This is the view of what an observer standing near Palestine facing east would have seen on this date, providing a clear aspect of the astronomical symbolism of the Celestial Sphinx as an important marker and monumental prediction of Jesus’ birthday on September 11th, a prophecy of the birth of Christ preserved in stone from antiquity! Thus, the Great Sphinx stands as Giza’s defiant sentinel, having weathered hundreds of centuries as a witness and messenger of both the canon of the celestial scroll of God’s Word engraved in the heavens, a prophesy of the birth of the Son of God. Always facing east, the Great Sphinx anticipates the truth of the Son-rise of the ages, whose eastern light is the long awaited dawning of a new day for all Mankind. As the subject of our last two February posts, this Eastern light through the Tabernacle is reflected spiritually in the Tabernacle/ Temple ministry that Jesus Christ fulfilled as the High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, even as we see it in the Creator’s celestial order, as the Sun travels its annual path through the 12 houses of the ecliptic, daily rising in the east. This is a theme that arises again in relation to The Celestial Symbolism of the Tabernacle and Temple of Israel, [read more] This serves as a monolithic marker to the prophecy provided in Rev. 12:1-5, in the sign of Virgo, further establishing the dual significance of this prophecy foretelling of the First and Second Advents of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Figure E. The Celestial Sphinx.

The Head of the Woman and the Body of the Lion as seen on Sept. 14th, 3 BC, on the eastern horizon from Palestine, forming the aspects of the Celestial Sphinx, marking the first Jupiter-Regulus Conjunction in Leo.

head of a woman and body of a lion

We find these landmarks at the head and tail of the zodiac, which adds light to Dr. Martin’s observation that: “the woman Virgo is the Constellation of Headship for all twelve signs. The head position of Virgo is located within the last 10 degrees of Leo.” Virgo’s head is seen in Fig. D, just below and adjacent to the star Denebola in the tail of the Lion, unifying the circle of the zodiac. When viewed in context with the witness of the Great Sphinx, this sign on 9-14-3 BC takes on added meaning, indicated in the Sphinx’ two basic elements. These two elements are detailed in the movement of the King planet Jupiter entering Leo, the lion-body of the celestial Sphinx, while the Sun was in Virgo, the female head of this Sphinx. As the stars are allowed to speak in harmony with this witness in stone, the solitary guardian of the Giza plateau anticipates the dawning of a new day for mankind, as it predicts the birth of Spica, Virgo’s promised seed. Thus, the Great Sphinx and the Great Pyramid stand, as oracles, monumental prophets of both the Alpha and Omega, the first and second advents of Jesus Christ, revealing both his sufferings and glory. These stellar aspects of the Sphinx, are reinforced by the picture of the eastern horizon during the early morning hours of September 14th, at the time of the first Jupiter-Regulus union. This distinct star picture of the Head of the woman Virgo rising above the horizon, with the body of the lion above, initiating the first of 3 Jupiter-Regulus unions, aligning the prophecy of the stars with the Scriptural prophecy of Genesis 49:8-10 is definitive evidence for our thesis. This triple conjunction of Jupiter-Regulus in Leo was bracketed by the two Jupiter-Venus conjunctions also in Leo between August 31st, 3 BC and June 17th 2 BC. This June 17th, 2 BC conjunction of Jupiter and Venus the bright and Morning Star, was a most notable and attention grabbing heavenly sign marking the birth of Christ.

Figure F. Leo the Lion

The major signs marking the birth of Christ on September 11th 3 BC, are not only sealed with this triple union of Jupiter-Regulus in Leo, but also by this singular Jupiter-Venus conjunction in Leo on June 17th of 2 BC. In addition the greater majority of heavenly signs marking the birth of Christ were bracketed by 2 Jupiter-Venus unions in 3 and 1 BC. The first Jupiter-Venus Conjunction marking the birth of Christ took place on August 31st 3 BC, in Leo with the last one occurring on August 21st 1 BC, in Virgo. Here we find an interesting variation on a Celestial Sphinx sign highlighting planetary conjunctions of Jupiter-Venus, that took place during the first fulfillment the Rev. 12:1-2 prophecy relating to the sufferings of Christ in his ministry as the Passover Lamb. This alerts us that we should look for similar Celestial Sphinx signs as a precursor to the Lord’s Second Coming. The fact that there were also two Venus-Mars conjunctions bracketing the central Jupiter-Venus union between March 31st, 2BC and Dec. 9th, 2BC, marking the birth of Christ, sets a precedent that we will see in similar fashion leading up to the Lord’s glorious Second Coming. In this light, it is with great interest that we discover between the two Venus-Mars conjunctions of 2015, that 3 Jupiter-Venus conjunctions will occur in Leo, followed by Jupiter-Venus conjunctions in Virgo in both 2016 and 2017.

The following dates will see Jupiter-Venus conjunctions in Leo in this Hebrew Jubilee year of 2015:

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

The following dates below, will see Jupiter-Venus conjunctions in Virgo in 2016-2017:

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

These modern heavenly signs of the Celestial Sphinx are manifesting before our eyes in the last days leading to the victorious Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, informing us in no un certain terms that the end is near. As the rewind of heavenly signs of Christ Jesus’ first appearance on earth occur in the context of the present day Blood Moon Tetrad, including the upcoming Passover Blood Moon on April 4th, the celestial warnings of the Second Coming are undeniable to those with eyes to see and ears to hear… Are you ready?

Footnotes

1. Gospel in the Stars, Joseph Seiss, ppg. 133-134
2. Witness of the Stars, E.W. Bullinger, p.21
3. IBID, p. 165
4. IBID, p. 169

Summary of the Nisan 1, Total Solar Eclipse of March 20th, 2015.

The Total Solar Eclipse of March 20th, 2015

The Total Solar Eclipse on the first day of Spring later this month, on the Equinox is a key day, for both the Blood Moon Tetrad of 2014-2015, and on the Hebrew Calendar. This special day marked by a Super-moon Total Solar Eclipse falls on Nisan 1, the first day of the Hebrew Ecclesiastical year. This division of the Hebrew Jubilee year is reflected in the Fall with a Partial Solar eclipse falling on New Years, the Feast of Trumpets on 9-13-2015. These two Solar eclipses divide the Hebrew Calendar in half since this fall feast marks the start of the civil year for Israel. When we consider that 2015 is a Shemmitah year for Israel, we find a major emphasis placed on the holy days of 2015 by the Hand of the Almighty, with the capping of the Blood Moon Tetrad in 2014-2015. These two Solar eclipses falling on Hebrew feast and holy days in the Jubilee year of 2015, not only represent a perfect division of the Hebrew Calendar according to Nisan 1 and the feast of Trumpets, but also in the case of the Nisan 1 Total Solar Eclipse falling on the Spring Equinox, we see an emphasis on the division of Day and Night, because the Spring and Fall equinoxes divide the length of the day and night in half equally.

Four Blood Moons — Blood Moon Tetrad 2014-2015

The Creator God established His initial division of light from darkness on the first day, by creating the celestial bodies of the Sun, Moon and Stars ruling over the temporal world of days and nights in His Creation. This set the Creator’s Temporal order over His Creation, by spinning the heavenly bodies in their orbits God established the cycles and circadian rhythms of “days and years” ruling over the four kingdoms of life on earth, witnessing also to the celestial gospel of the coming of the redeemer of mankind-Jesus Christ, who will set the fallen Creation back in order. A key focus of this Blood Moon Blog has been the heavenly signs marking the victorious return of Christ, as seen in the Blood Moon Tetrads taking place on Hebrew feast and holy days over the last 200 centuries. The graphic above depicts another important division in the Jubilee year of 2015, dividing the Blood Moon Tetrad of 2014-2015, with a Nisan 1 Total Solar Eclipse on March 2oth. A Blood Moon Tetrad has been defined as four successive Total Lunar Eclipses, falling on Hebrew feast days, without partial lunar eclipses between them. Also each Total Lunar Eclipse is divided by six lunar months on the Hebrew Calendar. When we include the Partial Solar Eclipse on the Feast of Trumpets this fall, then we have six Hebrew feast and holy days in 2015, where “the Sun is turned into darkness and the Moon into Blood,” as Joel prophesied in [Joel 2:31].

Nisan 1/March 20th of 2015 is also unique because when the Sun sets, it marks not only the start of a new day, but also the dawning of the Sabbatical and ecclesiastical year in Israel. This key day on the Hebrew Calendar is marked by sunset which opens a special Sabbath festival between the Total Solar Eclipse and the Spring Equinox on March 20th. As we may recall from a previous post on our Blood Moon Blog; The Birthdate of Jesus Christ [read more], when opening his ministry to Israel during a Jubilee year, Jesus found the place in Isaiah’s scroll [Isa. 61:2], and he declared that time as the “acceptable year of the Lord,” in a 7-fold prophecy; (Lk. 4:18-21). Then Jesus stopped short in mid-verse, closed the book telling those present, that scripture in Isaiah was fulfilled in their ears, because the next phrase of the prophecy was still future, as it is today. The gap of time symbolized in the comma separating those two phrases, representing our current Age of Grace is rapidly nearing completion. As we are actively observing the heavenly signs associated with the Blood Moon Tetrad of 2014-2015, marking the time before the great and terrible day of the Lord, we can see that the end is near.

During the Blood Moon Tetrads of the last 200 years there have been two other Solar eclipses on Nisan 1. The first was March 30th in 70 AD, during the time when the Romans were destroying the Temple at Jerusalem. The other Solar Eclipse on Nisan 1 was March 18th, 1950, when the nation of Israel was reforming for the first time in over 2000 years. These dates are referenced in an earlier post on the “Biblical Blood Moon Calendar.” There are those watching the political developments with Israel, expecting something to happen related to the Temple Mount, where Israel regains control to be able to re-build their Temple in accordance with end times prophecy, leading to the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. His prophecy of the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple as his disciples pointed out the Temple buildings to him. But he answered them:

Roman Destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. — Romans Destroy Jerusalem Temple in 70 AD

“You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down.” As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” (Matthew 24:1-3)

Both the Temple and the City of Jerusalem were destroyed by the Roman army led by Titus the Roman General, who later to become Caesar. He began the siege of Jerusalem in April, A.D. 70. On the Hebrew Calendar it was the 2nd of Av. Also on the 10th of August, 70 A.D– the 9th of Av — in Hebrew reckoning, the same day when the King of Babylon burned the Temple in 586 B.C., the Temple was burned again. Titus took the city and put it to the torch, burning the Temple. This is one reason why these days in the month of Av are considered the saddest days of the Hebrew Calendar.

The great light of the Lord’s Second Coming will shine like none before it from the east to the west. We have seen that the Temple was also constructed on this East-West axis, and that the light of sunrise would shine into the Temple’s doors between the great brass pillars at the Temple’s entrance, known as Jachin and Boaz. When we consider the Total Solar Eclipse taking place on the Hebrew Feast day-of Nisan 1, opening the Ecclesiastical Year on the Spring Equinox, March 20th, 2015 with a partial Solar eclipse on the Feast of Trumpets, Sept. 13th, 2015 opening the civil year within a week of the Fall Equinox, we find a perfect division of the year according to these sacred days of the Hebrew Calendar, and the Almighty marking this east-west axis, as the Light of the Sun is eclipsed by the Moon on both key holy days. The truth that these heavenly signs occur during a Hebrew Jubilee Year, also opening on Nisan 1 makes it even more compelling, combined with Blood Moons on both Passover and the feast of Tabernacles, capping off the Blood Moon Tetrad in 2015. These Blood Moons of 2015 are the last ones to occur on Hebrew feast and holy days over the next 500 years. The temporal pattern of the Blood Moon Tetrads during the last 200 centuries of the Age of Grace have depicted a septenary pattern of the Feast days seen in the Hebrew Calendar, reflected also in the Hebrew Menorah; [read more].

The Biblical Astronomy of the heavenly signs leading to the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, not only follow the pattern set by the heavenly signs surrounding the birth of Christ in 3-2 BC, but they also conform to architectural structure of the Tabernacle we have already seen in the Tabernacle of Moses. The first Jupiter-Venus conjunction associated with the Blood Moon Tetrad of 2014-2015 took place in the Beehive cluster in the Sign of Cancer, the Crab on August 18th, 2014. Since there is no Hebrew word for “crab” we know this is not the original star picture for this Zodiacal Sign. There are two prominent stars in this sign called the Northern and Southern Asses linked to the Hebrew Tribe Issachar; [Gen. 49:11].1 The Beehive Star cluster or nebulae in this sign, also known as Praesepe, meaning multitude or offspring, indicates the redeemed coming into their place of eternal rest.2 There are multiple Jupiter-Venus Conjunctions set to take place in 2015, all in Leo, with additional Jupiter-Venus unions occurring in Virgo in 2016-17. The temporal progression of these planetary conjunctions perfectly matches the divine pattern of Israel’s tribal arrangement on the eastern side of the Tabernacle, clearing the way for the Triumphant Second Coming of the Lord. The brilliant and effulgent light of the Sonrise of the Ages, with the dawning of the Sun of Righteousness, will be the sunburst of the Great Day of the Lord’s Second Coming, when the Daystar arises in our hearts; [II Pet. 1:19].

Footnotes

1. Witness of the Stars, E.W. Bullinger, p. 148

2. Witness of the Stars, E.W. Bullinger, p. 149-150

Eastern Light Through the Tabernacle [Part II.]

Eastern Light Through the Tabernacle [Part 2.]

Luke 1:11-17¹¹And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. ¹²And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. ¹³But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. ¹⁴And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. ¹⁵For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. ¹⁶And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. ¹⁷And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

John the Baptist with Jesus — John Baptizing Jesus Christ

As we pick up the theme of Part 1 (Eastern Light through the tabernacle) of this study, we can see the Eastern light shining through the Tabernacle, from the Altar of Burnt Offerings in the outer court, to the Altar of Incense in the Holy Place, reaching the holiest of all in the Ark of the Covenant. Notably, the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to Zacharias occurred during the time of the burning of incense in the Temple service, because Gabriel was seen standing at the right side of the altar of Incense. This location is special when we consider that Gabriel, the only angel recorded to enter the Tabernacle, announced the birth of John, who was the embodiment of this altar as the last prophet of the Old Testament. Even as this altar of incense lead from the east, to the Ark of the Covenant in the holiest of all, so the transitional ministry of John the Baptist would lead unto Christ. Even as the altar of incense would prepare the pilgrim for his offerings to the Heavenly Father, whose dwelling among His people was signified in the holy of the holies, so John would; “make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” This sheds more light on the geometric structure of these two altars in the ground plan of the Hebrew Tabernacle and Temple as it is fulfilled in the New Testament. There is also an application to Jesus’ statement in Matt. 3:15 when he told John, while baptizing Jesus, this anointing would serve them so that they both could fulfill all righteousness together. With the water baptism administered by John as the anointing of Jesus, the Old Testament Temple hierarchy of priests was spiritually superseded with the arrival of the heir apparent to the High Priest. Jesus,’ whose coming was after the Order of Melchisedek, a priesthood not based on the sacrifice of bulls and goats, but the sinless body and perfect blood of Christ himself-the Passover lamb of God.

These events leading to the opening of Christ’s ministry to Israel, and perfect sacrifice for mankind, shed added light for us today, as we ready ourselves, a people prepared for the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. As we consider this material in light of end times prophecy, specifically the Blood Moon Tetrad of 2014-2015, and the heavenly signs surrounding the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, let’s look at 2 Chronicles to understand more about the east-west axis line in the Hebrew Tabernacle and Temple.

2 Chron. 5:11-14
11 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place: (for all the priests that were present were sanctified, and did not then wait by course: ¹² Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets: ¹³It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music and praised the LORD saying, For He is good; for His mercy endureth forever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; ¹⁴So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.

King Solomon obeyed the will of God by having the Ark of the Covenant brought into the Temple to dedicate it, during the Feast of Tabernacles, in the most sacred seventh month of Tishri. During this time: the trumpeters and 120 priests and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD…

With the victorious Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ foretold in the current Blood Moon Tetrad of 2014-2015, we will see the Church of the Body of Christ, unified in Praise of God’s Glory as never before, even as the Priests, Levites and singers were unified as one in their musical praise of the Lord. These 120 priests sounded their trumpets, on the occasion of the transfer of the Ark of the Covenant from the Hebrew Tabernacle to the Temple during the holiest 7th month of the Feast of Tabernacles. During this Jubilee year of 2015, a Partial Lunar eclipse marks the Day of Trumpets, and the final Blood Moon of the 2015 Blood Moon Tetrad marks the Feast of Tabernacles.

As the priests, trumpeters and singers were in one accord, in making one sound in worship and praise to God the Creator upon the transfer of the Creator’s abode from the Tabernacle to the Temple, so the members of the body of Christ will be joined in rapturous unity with the Lord at the right hand of the Father in heaven. This record of the transfer of the Ark of the Covenant from the Tabernacle to the Temple is important because the Ark represented the presence of God among His people. In the Second Coming of Christ, the Almighty heavenly Father will truly dwell within the Church of Christ’s spiritual body as the embodiment of the Day of Atonement during the 7th month of Tishri. In this way the Fall feasts of the Hebrew Calendar are marked with Blood Moon Lunar and Solar Eclipses, on the Day of Trumpets-September 13th and the Feast of Tabernacles-on September 28th. The heavenly signs marking the feasts and holy days of Israel’s Spring Calendar in 2015 with a Total Solar Eclipse on March 20th/Nisan 1, and a Blood Moon Lunar eclipse 2 weeks later at Passover on April 4th. As the first Full Moon following the Spring Equinox, Passover will coincide with Easter in the Jubilee year of 2015. As we pointed out in our previous post, the Hebrew Tabernacle and Temple were always oriented on the East-West Compass line, and the Four Cardinal directions of the compass. The God-given architectural plan for both the Hebrew Tabernacle and Temple was designed to embody the framework of the divine structure of Creation in miniature, on the terrestrial level; [read more]. The East-west axis line through the Tabernacle is reflected in Figure A. below, in the black arrow pointing to the Tabernacle’s entrance. This view is supported in the following quote from Nigel Pinnock, who details some key elements in the pattern given by God to David:

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

The Biblical Astronomy of these ground plans of the Tabernacle and Temple of Israel depict the heavenly image of eastward access to God’s presence, via the High Priest’s annual ministry behind the veil, into the holiest of all. This veil separated the holy place from the holy of the holies, which only the High Priest could enter once a year, on the Day of Atonement to make the sacrifices atoning for the nation of Israel. The two altars at which these sacrifices were made are reflected in the heavens as the two celestial poles of the ecliptic and Equator. This is apropos since these altars are the centerpieces where man meets his maker on the Creator’s holy terms, according to the guidelines and Standards laid out in Scripture. As Pinnock states, regarding the brazen altar of burnt offering: “This altar represented one of the two poles at the center of two squares -each upon its own center of polarity….“¹⁰

Draco at the North Pole — Figure B. The Constellation Draco [Hevelius]

This terrestrial arrangement mirrors the Venn Diagram at the North Astronomical pole, [Figure B.]. These two altars depict the bipolar structure of the heavens, seen not only in the galactic poles of the two great celestial circles of the ecliptic and the Equator in northern skies, but also in their reflection in the Earth’s magnetic and geographic bipolar system. Within the common space shared between the poles of these two circles moving in opposite directions, lies the astronomical pole or Venn Diagram of the North Pole. The interplay between these galactic poles exhibits a precession of the poles, where the pole star has receded from Thuban of Draco, to Polaris of Ursa Minor, over the last five thousand years, as depicted above in Figure B. This gives us a deeper view of the precession of the poles, as the equatorial pole shifted from Thuban of Draco to Polaris of Ursa Minor over the past 5000 years, fulfilling the promise of the coming redeemer as the current pole star Polaris resides under the feet of Cepheus the Crowned King, [Eph. 1:20-22]. This celestial image of the King of kings enthroned in the Northern skies is realized and fulfilled in the victorious Second Coming of the Lord Christ Jesus.

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

Figure C. Hebrew Tabernacle and Temple Layout

Jewish Tabernacle and Temple Layout — Hebrew Tabernacle and Temple Layout

The graphic below shows another view of the precession of the poles from the perspective of the interlocking wheels of the ecliptic and Equator, with the fish shaped lozenge of the vesica between them. This “vessel of the fish” is formed from the lozenge of these two interlocking circles, the center of each located on the perimeter of the other. Archimedes called the formula linked with this, the “Measure of the fish.” Its import to math and geometry was found in the ratio of its height to its length [153:265], and it’s representation of the nearest whole number approximation of the square root of 3, along with the controlling ratio of equilateral triangles.^11 .As a principle of terrestrial life, the inter-locking circles of this Venn Diagram represent “growth by division” as seen on the cellular level, when cells reproduce by splitting.

The Four Cardinal Points — Figure D. Christ the Crown of Creation at the center of the North Pole

The common area, of these two circles form a lozenge in the shape of a fish; -[icthus] whose top and bottom are formed at the intersection points of these two circles. A Straight line connecting these two points forms a base line for two equilateral triangles contained within the two circles. The formation of this line serves as the “controlling ratio of the equilateral triangles,” since it sets the standard equal measure of all 3 lines in the triangle. This provides a basis from which we can explore genuine aspects of the Creator’s application of mathematics and geometry in His structure and order the Biblical Astronomy of Creation, according to the ruling base 60 standard of the precession of the equinoxes. The divine standard of geometry will differ widely from what has occurred with past associations in the mythology and mysticism of “sacred geometry,” or branches of secular mathematics, since it encompasses concepts outside of these realms.

Figure E. The Northern Astronomical Pole

celestial design of the heavens

This view powerfully depicts how the Hebrew Tabernacle and Temple symbolize God’s structural design of the heavens, seen in their two altars, mirroring the two poles of the Northern Polar regions in the ecliptic and the Celestial Equator. This also agrees with many of the principles of the pattern of God’s Intelligent Design inherent in His Creation. Since the “pattern of the Tabernacle” contains the phi ratio also known as the “divine proportion” or the golden section we can see definitive Biblical evidence of a universally recognized standard of measure, as truly divine in origin, since the dimensions of these sacred architectural structures were given by revelation from God to Moses and King David. This idea is established in the truth that the Ark of the Covenant itself was also built on this same double square [1×2 rectangle] pattern of the Tabernacle based on the phi ratio; [Ex. 25:10] also found in the dimensions of the King’s Chamber of the Great Pyramid. The graphic above of the Northern Astronomical Pole depicts how the dynamic celestial equator, the second circle secular in nature, relates to both the civil calendar year and the earthly Equator as it is mirrored above into the heavens. The movement of this equatorial pole around the static pole of the ecliptic is what is known as the precession of the poles. The intersection points of the ecliptic and the Celestial Equator are called the equinoctial points, which we know as the equinox of the Spring and Fall, the opening seasonal days when the length of daylight is equal to the dark of night. On March 20th/Nisan 1 in this Jubilee year of 2015, the Spring Equinox is marked by a Total Solar eclipse dividing the Blood Moon Tetrad of 2014-2015. Thus the dawning light of the Sonrise of the Ages on this east-west axis line through the Hebrew Tabernacle and Temple, is being highlighted for us by these heavenly signs from the Hand of the Almighty, as never before.

A goal of Biblical Archaeo-Astronomy is to adopt a fresh view of the archaeology of Biblical artifacts like the Hebrew Tabernacle and Temple, viewed through the principles of Biblical Astronomy. This allows us to glimpse new glories long hidden from the astrologers, empiricists, and naysayers, whose practices for too long have clouded the inherent grandeur of the Creator’s sacred architecture. The Biblical Astronomy of the sacred architecture of the Hebrew Tabernacle and Temple are the divine cornerstones supporting the foundational superstructure which encompasses the Heavens and Earth. By liberating these divine blueprints of the Hebrew Tabernacle and Temple from secular orientations that distort its original divine purity, new light can be shed upon the true Godly design and purpose hidden in these divine architectural plans. By allowing God’s Word to speak for itself in this important area, we introduce a fresh perspective to the field of Archaeo-Astronomy, emphasizing the liberating power of adopting a genuine Biblical perspective in this meaningful and comprehensive field of research.

The altar of Incense before the veil into the Holy of Holies, keeping the Ark of the Covenant is represented in the sacred pole of the ecliptic, around which the equatorial pole moves, both wheels, inter-locked in a Venn Diagram. In the Old Testament, The pillar of Fire by Night and Cloud by day, protected God’s people lighting their way through the darkness of this world. God’s personal presence was only accessible annually as the people obeyed the guidelines of the O.T. Law carried out by the High Priest, to cover their sins. The pattern of access from the east mentioned above, holds true not only for Solomon’s Temple of the Old Testament, but also remained for the rebuilt Temple referred to in Ezekiel 43, below. Let’s take a detailed look at how the Second Coming of Christ integrates this theme of eastern access in the Hebrew Tabernacle and Temple.

Ezekiel 43:1-5
Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looks toward the east: [2] And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory. [3] And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face. [4] And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. [5] So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house.

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

The Door, or gate giving access to the holiest of all was covered by a veil. The veil of the Tabernacle, which hung on four pillars, separated the holy of the holies, the central pointof God’s presence among His people, from the holy place. Woven into the fabric of this linen veil, the Cherubim were depicted, the special class of angels who are always prominent in God’s throne-room. They are pictured as having four faces corresponding to the “four Cardinal Points” of the zodiac, ruling the four-corners or celestial pillars of heaven, as seen above in Figure D. [Numbers 24:7-9.]

The material presented here shows us a direct Biblical correlation, and a celestial reflection of the two altars of the Hebrew Tabernacle and Temple, illustrating the bipolar structure of the Earth as it mirrors the galactic poles of the two great celestial circles of the ecliptic and the Equator in northern skies. The symbolism of the circle is heavenly, while the symbolism of the square is Earthly. When we overlay the celestial double circle of the galactic North Pole on the terrestrial double square of the Tabernacle’s layout, the 1 x 2 rectangle forming the midst of the Tabernacle’s court, conforms to the common area of the North polar Venn Diagram between these overlapping celestial circles. This depicts the Creator’s original plan of His Creation reflected on both the macro and micro levels, as seen in the blueprints of the Temple and the “pattern of theTabernacle” [Heb. 8:5, Exod. 25:9, 40] Only the true Creator could give the details of this Intelligently Designed Plan with such accuracy. Only the Almighty God is able to account for the work of His Hands with such a panoramic vista, encompassing everything from the largest to the smallest scale of Life in Creation. All of this is preserved in the fullness of its inherent glory in God’s Holy Word, so that it is undeniable even for the fool. For even fools know this cannot originate by Chance, but only in the deliberate Intelligent Design and wisdom of the omnipotent foreknowledge of the Heavenly Father.
On the micro level, this structure is intended to symbolize God’s chosen dwelling place in the hearts and minds of the Church in Christ, showing man as the center of and reason for Creation, and the container and reflector of the Creator’s gift of holy spirit. In this sense Christ is the perfect and ideal man the exemplar and emblem of all Creation.

Footnotes

1. Sacred Geometry, Nigel Pinnock. ppg. 58-62