Sagittarius is the fulfillment of the promised victory!

Sagittarius will bring us 1/3 of the way through the circuit of the heavens. Virgo gives us the prophecy of the seed of the woman. Libra shows us the prophecy accomplished in grace. Scorpio shows us the prophecy accomplished in conflict. And finally Sagittarius is the fulfillment of the promised victory!

The name Sagittarius from Latin means the Archer. The Hebrew and Syriac name of this sign is Kesith which also means the Archer. While the Arabic name is Al Kaus and it means the arrow. I like the Coptic name Pimacre, which means the graciousness or beauty of the coming forth.

The brightest star is Naim, which means the gracious one. Reminding us all that, "It is by grace you have been saved, through faith, not of ourselves, it is a gift of God, not of works so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). I love the Akkadian name of this Alpha star Nun-ki which means the Prince of the Earth. And we have been saved by the grace of the Prince of Heaven and Earth.

Like Centaurs, Sagittarius is two natured, revealing Jesus as the God-man. In fact, Sagitarius is the chief Centaur who is noble in character, righteous in his dealings and divine in his power. He is full of grace and truth, but going forth a conquering and to conquer. Our Archer sent forth from God as an arrow reminds me of what the Psalmist penned:

"But God will shoot them with arrows; suddenly they will be struck down. He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin; all who see them will shalke their heads in scorn. All mankind will fear; they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what He has done. Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in Him; let all the upright in heart praise Him!" (Psalms 64:7-10).

I need to remind everyone, to get a better view of the Constellations that I have put together for illustration, just click on them for a better view. Grace and Peace all my friends, next time it will be the three companion constellations of Sagittarius which are Lyra the Harp, Ara the Altar, and Draco the Dragon.

The struggle with the enemy is won by our mighty hero!

The heavens reveal the plan of the one who brings war against our redeemer. Serpens attempts to take the crown, Corona. However, Ophiuchus wrestles with him, even as though to be struck on the heel by the Scorpion and His other foot over the very heart of the Scorpio.

All this is a contest for dominion, remember when Jesus was in the wilderness and Satan came to test him. He took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed Him the kingdoms of the earth and all their glory saying, "All these are mine, worship me and I shall give them to you" (Luke 4:6, paraphrase).

Serpens is the Serpent of the garden who comes to kill, steal and destroy. The brightest star in the constellation, the Alpha star, is Unuk which means encompassing. In the Hebrew the name is Alyah or the accursed and in Arabic the name is Al Hay meaning the reptile.

The next brightest star, the Beta star is Cheleb or Chelbalrai which means the serpent enfolding, both the Hebrew and Arabic names mean the serpent held.

Hercules is the strong one who comes to crush and destroy the works of the serpent. The Alpha star Ras al Gethi, located in the head of Hercules, whose name means the head of him who bruises. The Beta star is Kornephorus which means the branch or kneeling. Other stars with in the constellation of Hercules are Ma'asyn which means the sin-offering and Caiam which means punishing or treading under foot.

Notice that as our mighty vanquisher goes to battle with the serpent, He is brought to one knee in the conflict as if He had been struck on the heel, yet holding up His victorious club as if to subdue all His enemies and planting His foot on the head of the Serpent. Fulfilling Genesis 3:15, "You (the serpent) shall bruise his heel, and He (the seed of the Woman) shall bruise your head."

Within every war there is conflict!

So far we have learned quite a lot in going through our first two constellations and their companions. First, we learn that the "seed of the woman" would be born of a virgin, He would be called the desire of the nations, and be dispised and rejected of men. We wait now for Messiah to return again and rule and reign.

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We have also learned that there is a price for redemption, a balance that is deficient vs. the price to redeem. We learned that the price would take place at a cross and a victim would be slain, of His own accord. Then a crown is bestowed.

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Our third constellation brings us to the conflict. The Hebrew name is Akrab, which is a name of a scorpion, but it also means the conflict or war. The Coptic name is Isidis, which means the attack of the enemy or oppression. While the Arabic name is Al Akrab which means wounding him that is coming.

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The Alpha star, which is the brightest star is the star Antares which means the wounding. It marks the place of the Scopions heart beating in a deep red. The bright star in the stinger is called in the Hebrew Lesath which means the perverse.

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The Messianic prophesy from Genesis 3:15 tells of "Ementy" between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. This hatred is shown in this third constellation who brings war against our redeemer. Our companion constellation spell defeat of this enemy of the cross.

The Cross endured by the Victim Slain then a Crown bestowed

The Scales (Libra) have three companion constellations; the great southern cross (Crux), a victim slain (Lupus), and a crown (Corona).

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I was amazed to learn of an extra-biblical source inwhich it tells a a dream Pharaoh of Egypt had. In his dream, Pharaoh saw a giant scale with the land of Egypt on one side and a lamb on the other (Targum Jonathan). What is amazing is that Egypt represents the fallen world and the lamb is Jesus Christ.

The three companion constellations to Libra tell how the scales come into balance. First, is the cross Crux, the Hebrew name of the great southern cross is Adom which means cutting off as in Daniel 9:26, "After 62 weeks Messiah shall be cut off." Amazingly this constellation has been sinking in the southern sky from Jerusalem and disappeared from sight there around 32 A.D.

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The second companion constellation is Lupus a wolf who is slain, although the ancient constellation is that of an animal slain. The Hebrew name Asedah and Arabic name Asedaton, both mean to be slain. But notice in the heavens he is slain by Centaur or by himself the God-man. Jesus said himself, "that no one takes his life but he lays it down freely, having the power to take it up again" (John 10:15-18). The ancient Zodiac of Denderah pictures a lamb called Sura. Jesus is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world to offset the scales that hold our sin.

"And being found in appearance as a man He humbled Himself even unto death (Lupus), even death on a cross (Crux), wherefore God has highly exalted Him (Corona) and given Him a name which is above every name" (Philipians 2:5-12).

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The last of the three companion signs tells of the crown bestowed. Hebrews 2:9 tells that although Jesus suffered death he is crowned with glory. The Hebrew name of this constellation is Atarah which is a royal crown. Corona's alpha star is Al Phecca or the shining.

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So our second constellation along with the companion constellations would read in the heavens of the great redemption work through death on a cross and ending with a crown bestowed.

The balanced owed vs. the price of redemption!

The prophet Jeremiah wrote; "Do not be dismayed by the signs you see in the heavens, for the heathens are dismayed by them" (Jeremiah 10:2).

Libra is the sign in the heavens that appears as scales. In fact the Hebrew name for this sign literally translates the Scales or weighing. This sign symbolizes the amount deficient balanced by the redemption price which covers, hence the atonement.

The Psalmist foresaw the extreme cost to ransom or redeem a soul, he wrote, "No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him - the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enought" (Psalm 49:7-8).

But the Psalmist saw the answer, the one capible of balancing the scales and redeeming a soul. He wrote, "But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself" (Psalm 49:15). Jesus being the infinite God-man tipped the scales with his death as a payment for my huge debt which no one else could do. The theme of Libra is redemptions price balancing out the debt of my sin. The Arabic name for Libra is Al Zubena, which means to purchase or redemption.

The alpha star of this constellation, Zuben al Genubi means, the purchase or the price which is deficient. This star points to my debt which was owed. The beta star or second brightest star of this constellation located in the opposite scale is Zuben al Chemali which name means the price which covers. The price which covers balances out the price which is deficient.

This is the miracle of Salvation that men are "justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood" (Romans 3:24-25). God ransomed us through the blood of His only begotten Son and He did it for love. "For God so loved you, that He gave (as a ransom) His only begotten Son that whosoever should believe, should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

The price would not be cheap or easy and this is foretold in the third brightest star of this constellation. The star Zuben Akrabi which means the price of the conflict. Peter confirms this when you wrote, ""For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:18-19).

This sign in the heaven Libra, the Scales, points to the price which covered balancing out the price which was in debt. While this last star points out that there was a price to this conflict. Next, time we will examine exactly how this price was to be paid. The heavens describe the passion of the Christ in detail and all of this was laid out in the heavens from the beginning of time. So "do not be dismayed by the heavens as the heathen are."

Three Companions of the Virgin tell more of the story!

Still amazed at what was revealed out of our first of the 12 major constellations, Virgo. The first of the three companion constellations is Coma the ancient Hebrew name is Comah and the name means the desired or the longed for, just as in the passage from Haggai 2:7.

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This little constellation is the shape of a woman seated holding a child in her arms. Further telling us that the Branch would come as a child. Not only would a child be born and a Son given but the next constellation reveals His twin natures.

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Centarus reveal the two natures of our God-man Jesus Christ. The ancient name of this constellation is Bezeh which means the despised just as is found in Isaiah 53:3 where He is "despised and rejected of men." The ancient Hebrew name for this constellation was Asmeath, which means a sin-offering, just as in Isaiah 53:10. The Greek name for this constellation was Cheiron, which means the pierced. Cheiron was supposed to be immortal, but he voluntarily agreed to die. Sounds a lot like my Jesus!

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The very first star my father taught me by name was "Alpha Centarus" the closest star outside of our sun to the earth. It is just 4.3 light years from the earth and is the brightest star in the southern sky. The ancient name for the Alpha star is Toliman which means the heretofore and the hereafter, just as is revealed to us about Jesus in the opening chapter of Revelation where it says, "which is, and was and is to come" (Revelation 1:8).

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So far our two companion constellations tell us that our child would grow strong and that as a man have two natures and then suffer and die. But our God-man would not mearly die and fade into history, the next constellation Bootes reveals that He is coming again. And He will not be a baby in the manger anymore, not a broken man on the cross. He is coming to rule and reign!

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The Greek name for our third companion constellation is Bootes which comes from the Hebrew Bo which means to come or the coming one. The ancient name of this constellation may have been Arcturus which is the name of the alpha and brightest star of this constellation. The name is even found in Job 9:9. The ancient Egyptian name of this alpha star is Smat which means the one who rules or governs.

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We learn more about the constellation Bootes from the name of the brightest stars within this constellation. The Beta star is named Nekkar and it means the pierced, from Zechariah 12:10. This tells us that the one who will come and rule and reign is the one who was peirced.

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The star in the spear-head named Al Katurops means the branch or treading under foot.

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The star just below the waist is called Mirac which means the coming forth as an arrow. This points out that when Jesus returns he will do so quickly. Another name for this same star is Mizar which means the preserver or guarding one.

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The star Muphride which is in the left leg near Arcturus has a name which means who seperates. As in the one who is coming who will seperate the sheep from the goats.

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This year opening constellation of Virgo with her three companion constellations tell quite a story. First a virgin is carrying the her own seed, hence the seed of a woman. She bears the branch the Messiah who is King and servant, God and man. He comes as a child who will grow strong in His dual nature until the God-man becomes the despised and reject of men and our sin-offering. Then although he was pierced for our transgressions, He will come again to rule and reign subduing His enemies, treading them under foot.

The promised Seed of the woman!

Before there ever was a Bible, God placed the stars in the heavens to tell His Story. His word says, "Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars, the One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power not one of them is missing" (Isaiah 40:26).

Every star is exactly where God placed it in the heavens. When the Lord says, none of them is missing, the Hebrew would better translate as 'not one is out of place.' We are going to examine the 12 major constellations as well as an additional 36 minor constellations. Each is exactly where God has placed it and God was the first to call them by name. He leads them forths from day to day, month to month, and year to year. And He has commanded that we lift up our eyes and see these stars!

The Hebrew Secular year begins in the fall and the first constellation to pass through the heavens in their year is Bethulah which translates as a virgin, hence the Latin name that has been passed down to us today matches in meaning from the name Virgo. Virgo the virgin is holding a branch in her right hand and ears of corn in her left. The ears are symbolic of seed. Jesus spoke often of seed, once saying, "Unless a grain of wheat (which is a seed) falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (John 12:24).

The very first Messianic prophecy concerning Jesus is found early in the book of Genesis when the Lord says to the serpent, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel" (Genesis 3:15). Notice that the one who will destroy the serpent is the "seed of a woman." Although men are the ones who carry the seed, the anointed one would not be born of the seed of men, instead he is called the seed of a woman.

God had promised that He would do a great sign, "A virgin will be with child and she shall bear a Son, and she will call His name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). This is the sign described by God in the constellations of heaven. Virgo carries the promised seed of the woman at the same time her right hand is holding the branch.

Amazingly the Alpha star, or brightest star, of Virgo is called Spica, which means an ear of corn. But the ancient Hebrew name for this star is Tsemech, which is the Hebrew word for branch. There are some twenty different Hebrew words for branch or sprig, but this one is unique as it is only used to describe the coming Messiah of the Old Testament. Tsemech appears four different ways in the Old Testament describing four different attributes of the Messiah.

"Behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "When I shall raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as King" (Jeremiah 23:5). This righteous Branch who will reign as king parallels the description of we get of Messiah the King in the Gospel of Matthew.

The next description of the Branch, Tsemech, is found in the writtings of Zechariah where the Lord says, "For behold, I am going to bring in My servant the Branch" (Zechariah 3:9). The Branch, Messiah, the servant is how He is described in the Gospel of Mark.

Zechariah foretells another attribute of the Branch when he wrote, "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Behold, a man whose name is Branch'" (Zechariah 6:12). The man who is Messiah is exactly how the Gospel of Luke describes him when he consistantly writes of Jesus as the son of man.

Lastly, the Branch is said to be of God when Isaiah wrote, "In that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious" (Isaiah 4:2). The Branch, Messiah, of the LORD, which parallels the last of the four gospels descriptions written in the Gospel of John where he frequently used the term son of God to describe Jesus.

Each of these four uses paralleling all four of the gospels each hidden in the Hebrew name of the brightest star in Virgo. While the second brightest star in the constellation confirms the last passage we just read from Isaiah. It's name Zavijaveh, means gloriously beautiful.

The last star we are going to examine is the star Al Mureddin, which means who shall come down as found in Psalm 72:8. The Chaldean name for this star is Vindemiatrix, which means the son, or branch, who comes.

The meaning hidden within the names of the of the stars of this constellation reveal a seed of a woman who is the gloriously beautiful one, who comes down as a king, a servant, a man, and God. He is the promised the Son who comes of a virgin.

Tomorrow we will examine the three companion constellations of Virgo, they are Coma, Centarus, and Bootes.

The Heavens declare the Glory & Story of God!

"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. But I say, surely they have never heard, have they?" (Romans 10:17-18a).

We hear the Good News of Jesus Christ and by hearing comes faith. Then Paul writes surely they have never heard have they? And he answers his own question:

"Indeed they have; 'Their voice has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world' " (Romans 10:18b).

Paul quotes from Psalm 19 declaring that all have heard the Good News of Jesus Christ via the heavens. The Psalmist wrote:

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world" (Psalm 19:1-4).

The entire gospel (or good news) is laid out in the heavens via the stars which tell the greatest story ever. Night after night they pour forth speech. They declare the glory of God which is the Son. In the coming weeks I am going to pour through what the stars are shouting. It is absolutely amazing. And Paul's question, "Surely they have never heard (the gospel), have they? Indeed they have; 'Their voice has gone to all the earth, and their words to the end of the world' " (Romans 10:18).

What are the heavens declaring every day and every night? The good news of Jesus Christ and I will prove it!

8th Tetrad of Blood Moons in last 2,000 Years is coming!

The next tetrad of blood moons almost points to a midpoint of the tribulation, in the spring of 2014. Add to the tetrad of four blood moon, two solar eclipses of the sun that kick off both the religious calendar as well as on the feast of Rosh Hashanah the secular new year.

Remember, Genesis 1:14 says that the sun, moon and star are for signs and for season. These signs are signs as to an appearing.

This eighth tetrad of blood moons is just a short time away. Eight has always been a biblical number for Jesus. These tetrads of blood moons fall on the first and last of the seven biblical feast. Jesus said, I am the first and the last.

The two tetrads that fell on the biblical feast of Passover and Tabernacles, were in conjunction with the two most important events of the 1900's (The rebirth of Israel as a nation in 1948 and the capture and control of Jerusalem following the six-day war in 1967). This tetrad is almost like a Giant Signpost in the heavens!

"Watch and Pray that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things which are about to take place" - Luke 21:36

And the Moon shall be turned into Blood

The prophets Joel and Isaiah along with the disciples Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all foresaw the sun being darkened and the moon being turned into blood.

The moon turns into blood as it passes through the shadow of the earth. Light is fractured through the atmosphere of the earth and the moon appears to be blood red. It is quite a common occurrence. What is uncommon is four consecutive blood moon or something astronomers call a tetrad.

Pastor Mark Biltz discovered that there is still an even more rare event where these tetrads of eclipses fall on biblical feast days of Passover and Tabernacles. Since the time Jesus walked on the earth there have been 7 tetrads that have occurred on the biblical feasts of Passover and Tabernacles two years in a row.

The sixth and seventh of these tetrads occured in the last century. The sixth one was following the establishment of Israel as a nation when a tetrad of blood moons occured (Apr 13, 1949, Oct 7, 1949, Apr 2, 1950, Sept 26, 1950). The seventh tetrad occurred in conjunction with Jerusalem being returned to the hands of the Jews following the six day war of June 1967 (Apr 24, 1967, Oct 18, 1967, Apr 13, 1968, Oct 6, 1968).

Prior to the 1900's no tetrad of eclipses had occured on the biblical feast days in either the 1800's, the 1700's, the 1600's, or the 1500's. You have to go all the way back to 1493 and 1494 the year following the Spainish expultion of the Jews in 1492. This is also the year a Jew named Christopher Columbus discovered America.

So is there another tetrad of blood moons on the horizon that falls on the biblical feast days of Passover and Tabernacle? Just one in the next 500 years! In 2014 and 2015 a tetrad of blood moons will fall on the biblical feasts of Passover and Tabernacles. Then not again until the year 2629 and 2630. What event is on our horizon? Could tribulation be on our horizon, followed by great tribulation?

Jesus pointed to the midpoint of the tribulation as the time when 'antichrist' sets up what Daniel called the "Abomination of Desolation". Jesus tells those in Israel who see this to head for the hills and not to turn back, saying, "Then there shall be 'great tribulation', such as was not since the beginning of the world" (Matthew 24:21). Daniel described the Abomination of Desolation taking place in the middle of the week (or the middle of the seven years). And Jesus refers to the second half of the tribulation after the Abomination of Desolation as 'great tribulation'.

Later in the text Jesus goes back and refers to the first half of the seven years as 'tribulation' while clearly calling the second half of the seven years as 'great tribulation'. This is clearly what He is referencing when He says, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days then the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light" (Matthew 24:29).

Could this next tetrad of eclipses on Passover and Tabernacles be pointing to the midpoint of the tribulation? Are we on the at the door of the beginning of Daniel's 70th week where the world will see three and a half years of 'tribulation', then the sun will be darkened and the moon turned to blood, then there shall be 'great tribulation' such as the world has not seen?

Jesus said "Immediately following 'tribulation' the sun would be darkened and the moon not give her light... then all the tribes of the earth mourn (because of 'great tribulation' such as has not been since the beginning of the world)... and then they shall all see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:29-30).

Signs in the Sun Moon and Stars

For the second year in a row on the 1st of Av the earth has experienced a solar eclipse. On July 22, 2009 the most people in the history of the world witnessed this eclipse over the worlds two most populous countries, India and China.

Because the Hebrew calendar begins with a new month and their calendar of months is based on the lunar cycle the dates compared with our calendar do not line up. Last year the first of the three eclipses took place on August 1, 2008, which was the 1st of Av on the Hebrew calendar.

Next year on July 11, 2010 will mark the third year in a row that a solar eclipse will fall on the 1st of Av on the Hebrew calendar. Also notice the paths of each of the eclipses from the far reaches of the northern hemisphere, through the most populous areas near the equator of the earth, and finally through the extreme southern reaches of the southern hemisphere.

It's as if the Lord is calling out to all people from the north to the south. Is the LORD speaking to all the nations of the earth through signs in the heavens? Is great darkness about to come upon the earth in the form of great tribulation, leading to the return of our Lord?

The month of Av is the darkest month on the Hebrew calendar. Especially the date of the 9th of Av. Here is a short list of dark events of the 9th of Av.

Approx 1450 B.C. on the 9th of Av 10 of 12 spies returned with bad report on the promise land and the LORD causes Israel to wander in the wilderness for 40 years.

586 B.C. and 70 A.D. both the first and second Jewish Temple are destroyed on the 9th of Av.

1290 A.D. Jews are expelled from England on the 9th of Av.

1492 A.D. Jews are expelled from Spain on the 9th of Av.

1914 A.D. World War I begins on the 9th of Av.

The month of Av is such a time of mourning, the book of Lamentations is read during the month. Is great trouble about to come upon the earth, being foretold in the three eclipses?

These eclipses may be a sign of coming judgment upon Gentile nations. The prophets Isaiah and Joel saw these signs in the heavens prior to the great and terrible day of the LORD, a reference to the seven year tribulation.

Here are just a few passages of warning;

"And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come" (Joel 2:30-31).

Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine" (Isaiah 13:9-10).

All four gospel writers reference these same things, Matthew and Mark in their gospels and Luke in Acts, while John records his in the book of Revelation. Are these the signs that are to appear in the Sun, Moon and Stars before the return of the Lord?

The important Dates in the life of Jesus

Over the last few weeks I have laid out the dates for the conception of Jesus through the date when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a colt and presented himself as King.

Let's review the important dates in the life of Jesus.

Conception 24th of Keslev, Eve of Hanukkah (Festival of Lights), 4 B.C. (See prophesy of Haggai 2:10-18).

Birth 1st of Tishri, Rosh Hashanah (Head of the Year), Sept. 11, 3 B.C. (See prophesy of Revelation 12:1-2, 5).

Wise men arrive in Bethlehem and present gifts, December 25, 2 B.C. (Confirmed by signs and wonders in the heavens).

Luke reveals that Jesus began His ministry at about 30 years of age, in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Cesar. [Augustus Cesar died in Aug. of 14 A.D.] The 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Cesar would have been from Aug of 28 A.D. through Aug. of 29 A.D. Jesus would have turned 30 in September of 28 A.D. during the beginning of the 15th year of Tiberius Cesar's reign.

Baptism of Jesus, Fall of 28 A.D. most likely three weeks after His birthday as every Jew needed to present himself in Jerusalem for Feast of Tabernacles, Tishri 15-22nd, and after His baptism Jesus was lead to the wilderness for 40 days.

Jesus presented as King, Palm Sunday Nisan 10, 32 A.D. as prophesied by Daniel, the 173,880 day from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem (See Daniel 9:24-25, Luke 19:42-44).

Jesus crucified, Nisan 14, 32 A.D. and died at 3:00 p.m. Feast of Passover (Thursday).

Feast of Unleavened Bread, first day of feast is a Sabbath, Friday Nisan 15 (Leviticus 23:6-7).

Nisan 16, Saturday, Jewish Sabbath (Leviticus 23:3).

Nisan 17, Sunday, Feast of First Fruits (Leviticus 23:10-11). Jesus is raised on the third day, becoming the First Fruits of the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:23). Text of Matthew 28:1 would read in the original Greek; "After the Sabbaths, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week..." Hence, Jesus is crucified on Thursday, then there are two Sabbaths (Friday and Saturday), then Jesus is raised on the third day, Sunday.

50 days later, when the feast of Pentecost had fully come (Acts 2:1) of 32 A.D. the Holy Spirit is poured out on 120 believers in Jerusalem.

Dec. 4 B.C. - Conception
Sept. 11, 3 B.C. - Birth
Dec. 25, 2 B.C. - Wisemen bring gifts and celebrate 1st Christmas (Jesus is 15 and a half months old)
1 B.C. Jesus turns 2 yrs old and family flees to Egypt
No year ZERO on Calendar
1 A.D. Jesus turns 3 yrs old
10 A.D. Jesus turns 12 yrs old
11 A.D. Passover Jesus is 12 1/2 and Jesus teaches in the temple (Luke 2:41-52)
28 A.D. Jesus turns 30 yrs old is baptized and begins ministry
32 A.D. Jesus would have turned 34 in the Fall but was crucified at 33 1/2 yrs old after a 3 1/2 yr ministry

The Star of Bethlehem Revealed!

The wise men were lead to Jerusalem the capital of Israel by comic signs in the heavens. Three conjunctions between the king star 'Regulus' and the king planet 'Jupiter' where bookended by three conjunctions between the mother planet 'Venus' and the king planet 'Jupiter'.

This first conjunction of Venus and Jupiter took place on August 12, 3 BC, just 33 days prior to the first of three conjunctions between the king planet and the king star on September 14, 3 BC. The distance of separation was just over the width of the moon as it appears in the heavens. This first conjunction appeared in the east in the evening sky.

Ten months later the second conjunction took place in the morning sky appearing in the west from the perspective of the Magi. This conjunction was so close it was impossible for the naked eye to distinguish the two objects. These two planets appeared as one bright star. This close of a conjunction takes place only once every 1.4 million years, not something you see everyday. This second conjunction took place on June 17, 2 BC just 40 days after the third conjunction between the king planet and the king star.

Finally in the east in the evening sky Jupiter came into a third conjunction with Venus in early September of 2 BC. Three conjunctions between the king planet and the king star, bookended by three conjunctions between the mother planet and the king planet and in the middle of all that the closest and brightest conjunction ever! As Jupiter passed Venus in the evening sky in the east, Jupiter began a three and a half month journey across the night sky heading from east to west until it came to a stop over Bethlehem (as seen from Jerusalem) and turned back to the east.

If the Magi had waited until all three conjunctions of Jupiter and Regulus plus all the conjunctions between Jupiter and Venus before following the "wandering star", the planet Jupiter from the east to the west, then sometime in the fall of 2 BC they would have headed for Jerusalem in search of the king of the Jews.

The Magi admit that they "saw His star in the east" (Matthew 2:2) and that the star "went on before them, until it came and stood over where the Child was" (Matthew 2:9). We understand that the signs in the heavens appeared within the last two years of their arrival as Herod ended up killing "all the male children who were in Bethlehem, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the magi" (Matthew 2:16).

This means that signs in the heavens first appeared less than two years earlier. That the star appeared to travel across the heaven from the east then appeared to stop over the city of Bethlehem as viewed from Jerusalem. Jupiter would have ended its 3 1/2 month journey across the heavens in the early morning hours of December 25, 2 BC, standing still in the heavens over Bethlehem.

Jesus would have been 15 and a half months old as He would have been born September 11, 3 BC on the Feast of Trumpets or Rosh Hashanah of 3 BC as described in Revelation 12:1-2, "A woman clothed with the sun and the moon at her feet and she cried out in pain as to give birth."

Amazingly, although Christmas is incorrectly celebrated as the birthday of Jesus Christ, on December 25, 2 BC Magi brought gifts to the Child King Jesus making it the first Christmas.