Signs in the Sun, Moon & Stars

[John Henry]

SIGNS IN THE SUN, MOON & STARS
AND THE FEASTS OF LEVITICUS 23

"And God said, LET THERE BE LIGHTS in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and LET THEM BE FOR SIGNS, and for seasons, and for days, and years." (Genesis 1:14)

" And THERE SHALL BE SIGNS IN THE SUN, AND IN THE MOON, AND IN THE STARS; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring. ... And WHEN THESE THINGS BEGIN TO COME TO PASS, THEN LOOK UP, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." (Luke 21:25, 28)

INTRODUCTION

The Word of God is self proving through 1) scientific facts unknown till recently, 2) 100% historical accuracy, 3) numerical and mathematical evidences in the text, and especially 4) fulfilled prophecy.

A primary and recurring theme in Biblical prophecy is the Nation of Israel. This people was chosen by God to provide the prophets of old who the Lord would use to speak and write His Word. They are also the people that the Almighty chose to provide the lineage that He would use to take upon Himself human flesh in order to live a perfect and sinless life and provide Himself as a sacrifice to the sins of the world.

"... Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." (John 1:29)
"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4:9-10)
"And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2:2)
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:16-18)

The Lord Jesus came the first time as the Lamb of God to make atonement for our sins. He will also come again as "the Lion of the tribe of Juda" (Rev. 5:5, cf. Gen. 49:9) to Judge the world and take it back from Satan.

The Lord prescribed 7 Feasts and had Moses record them in Leviticus chapter 23. They are: 1) Passover, 2) Unleavened Bread, 3) First Fruits, 4) Pentecost, 5) Trumpets, 6) Atonement and 7) Tabernacles. These 7 Feast are still observed by the Jews today.

It has been proven that the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the first 3 feasts (Passover, Unleavened Bread and First Fruits) to the day at His first coming. They represent the Lord's death (1 Cor. 5:7), burial (Isa. 53:9; cf. Jn. 19:38-42) and resurrection (1 Cor. 15:20-23). The Feast of Pentecost represents this present Church Age and is on going. Next comes the Feast of Trumpets which represents the Rapture of all believers of this present Church Age. Then there is the Day of Atonement speaks of the soon coming 7 year Tribulation. Finally come the Feast of Tabernacles which is representative of the Millennial reign of Christ on this Earth.

COMETS ELENIN & HONDA

A Russian amateur astronomer, Leonid Elenin of Lyubertsy near Moscow, discovered a magnitude 19 (note 1) comet (known as C/2010 X1) on December 10, 2010 using a remotely controlled telescope situated in New Mexico, USA.

Comet Elenin was closest to the Sun on, September 10, 2011, at 0.48 Astronomical Unit (note 2), andclosest to Earth on 16 & 17 October 2011 at 0.23 Astronomical Unit (AU) or about 35 million kilometers (22 million miles) from Earth during its closest approach.

Elenin has been intrinsically faint at magnitude 10, but should be visible to the unaided eye at magnitude 4 in the evening sky for Southern hemisphere observers during early September 2011.  Faint comets are usually gas rich and dust poor, but they do have a tendency to brighten rapidly when they are near the Sun.  By mid September, it continues to brighten but is lost to evening twilight.  During early October Elenin will reappear in dawn skies in the Northern hemisphere.  In mid-October it will again be visible in the Southern hemisphere, but moonlight will interfere until October 23rd.

Comet Honda will join Elenin on 7 October on the eastern horizon in the Northern hemisphere making for a rare treat. Both comets will be around magnitude 5 or 6 and should be visible with the unaided eye with clear skies, and a dark location.

These comets are interesting Biblically for the following reasons:

1.  Earth, Elenin and the Sun are in alignment on 28 September.  Then the next day, 29 September, Eleinin leaves the alignment.  September 29th is the Biblical Feast of Trumpets, a foreshadow of the Rapture (Leviticus 23:23-25; cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52).  Furthermore, the United Nations General Assembly will be in session from September 28th to 30th to vote on whether to unilaterally declare a Palestinian state.

2.  When Elenin and Honda become visible together on the night of 7 October it will be the beginning of Feast of Atonement, a picture of the 7 year Tribulation (Leviticus 23:26-32; cf. Daniel 9:27, 12:1 ; Matthew 24:21).

3.  When Elenin is closes to the Earth on October 16, 17 & 18 at 22 million miles (0.23 AU) it will be during the Feast of Tabernacles, a type of the Millennial reign of Christ, and the eternal state after that (Leviticus 23:33-43; cf. Revelation 20:1-6, 21:1-7).

"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;  Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.  And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." (Luke 21:25-28)

 

RED MOON & BLACK SUN IN BIBLE PROPHECY

Blood Moon and Dark Sun prophesied in the Old Testament and reiterated in the New Testament:

"And I will shew 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 the terrible day of the LORD come." (Joel 2:30-31)

"And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come." (Acts 2:19-20)

"And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;  And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.  And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.  And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;  And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:  For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" (Revelation 6:12-17)

There is a rare astronomical phenomenon called a Lunar Tetrad which consists of a set of four consecutive total lunar eclipses (Blood Moons). 

Four Blood Moons occurred in 1949/1950 beginning with the first Passover (Pesach) after Israel became a nation on May 14, 1948.  There were two Blood Moons on Passovers (the first Biblical feast) and two during the Feast of Tabernacles (the last of the 7 feasts of Israel). Then in 1967/1968 the exact same thing happened again!  The year 1967 is significant because it was the year Jerusalem was liberated during the Six-Day War!  Before that, you have to go back to 1493 for four successive lunar eclipses on Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkoth).

The reestablishment of Israel as a nation is a major theme in Bible Prophecy, and likewise the reoccupation of Jerusalem is prophesied many times in the Bible.

Here is the breakdown of Tetrads that have occur during the first and last of the 7 feasts of Israel, and also including one that will occur on a Sabbatical year during 2014 & 2015:

Tetrad of 1493 & 1494 tied to the expulsion of the Jews from Spain of 1492:
April 2, 1493                   Pesach (Passover) Total Lunar Eclipse
September 25, 1493      Sukkot (Feast Of Tabernacles)   Total Lunar Eclipse
March 22, 1494                  Pesach (Passover) Total Lunar Eclipse
September 15, 1494      Sukkot (Feast Of Tabernacles)   Total Lunar Eclipse

Tetrad of 1949 & 1950 tied to the rebirth of Israel after 1878 years on May 14, 1948:
April 13, 1949                  Pesach (Passover) Total Lunar Eclipse
October 7, 1949         Sukkot (Feast Of Tabernacles)   Total Lunar Eclipse
April 2, 1950                   Pesach (Passover) Total Lunar Eclipse
September 26, 1950      Sukkot (Feast Of Tabernacles)   Total Lunar Eclipse

Tetrad of 1967 & 1968 tied to the Israeli retaking of Jerusalem after 1,897 years on June 7, 1967:
April 24 1967                   Pesach (Passover) Total Lunar Eclipse
October 18, 1967        Sukkot (Feast Of Tabernacles)   Total Lunar Eclipse
April 13, 1968                  Pesach (Passover) Total Lunar Eclipse
October 6, 1968         Sukkot (Feast Of Tabernacles)   Total Lunar Eclipse

Tetrad of 2014 & 2015 which falls on a Sabbatical year:
April 14, 2014                  Pesach (Passover) Total Lunar Eclipse
October 8, 2014         Sukkot (Feast Of Tabernacles)   Total Lunar Eclipse
April 3, 2015                   Pesach (Passover) Total Lunar Eclipse
September 27, 2015      Sukkot (Feast Of Tabernacles)   Total Lunar Eclipse

There are no more tetrads on Biblical feast days after the 2014 / 2015 in this century.

In addition to these Lunar eclipses on in 2015 there are also 2 Solar eclipses that also fall on 1 Nissan, New Year's Day, and another on Tishri 1, the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashana).

March 20, 2015           Total Solar Eclipse, just before the Biblical New Year (1 Nissan).
September 13, 2015      Partial Solar Eclipse, just before the Hebrew Civil New Year (Tishri 1).

Nisan 15, 5774 (April 14, 2014): Total Lunar Eclipse, Passover.
Tishrei 15, 5775 (October 8, 2014): Total Lunar Eclipse, Feast Of Tabernacles.
Nissan 1, 5776 (March 20, 2015): Total Solar Eclipse, Just Before The Religious New Year.
Nisan 15, 5776 (April 4, 2015): Total Lunar Eclipse, Passover.
Tishrei 1, 5776 (September 13, 2015): Partial Solar Eclipse, Just Before The Civil New Year.
Tishrei 15, 5776 (September 28, 2015): Total Lunar Eclipse, Feast Of Tabernacles.

Four blood moons occurring on Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles in two consecutive years is fantastic, but when add two solar eclipses on the two days that open the Jewish year March 20, 2015 (Nisan 1), and September 13, 2015 (Tishri 1) which is the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) it is phenomenal.

It is also important to note that the year 2015 is the last sabbatical year in a 49-year cycle. This sabbatical year comes just before the year of Jubilee, which is announced every fifty years. The year of Jubilee is to be proclaimed the day of Yom Kippur, 2015.

Since the First Advent of Jesus Christ there have only been 7 tetrads falling on the Biblical feasts days (162/163 AD, 795/796 AD, 842/843 AD, 860/861 AD, 1493/1494, 1949/1950, 1967/1968). The Tetrad of 2014/2015 will be the 8th.  In all eight examples, the eclipses have fallen or will fall on Passover and the first day of the Feast Of Tabernacles (Sukkot).

After the 2014/2015 Tetrad there will be no more such tetrads for  years.

The were only two tetrads during the 20th Century which fell on the Feasts of the Lord. Each time, it was in relation with an important event concerning the nation of Israel or the Jewish people. The first tetrad occurred in 1949-1950, just after the independence of the state of Israel, and the second in 1967-1968, at the moment when the Jews conquered Jerusalem.

There were no tetrads in the 17th, 18th and 19th century. There were several during the 16th century, but none corresponded with the Jewish feasts.

There was only one tetrad which fell on the Feasts of the Lord in the 15th century, in 1493-1494, one year after the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, and the discovery of America, in 1492.

DAYS OF MOURNING, AND THE 1ST & 9TH OF AV

" And Aaron the priest went up into mount Hor at the commandment of the LORD, and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the first day of the fifth month [Av]." (Numbers 33:38)

"And to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month [Av], separating myself, as I have done these so many years? Then came the word of the LORD of hosts unto me, saying, Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me? And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves? Should ye not hear the words which the LORD hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain?" (Zechariah 7:3-7)

On the 1st of Av in 2008, 2009 and 2010 there were total solar eclipses.

The NASA web site indicates that total solar eclipses occurred on these dates:
August 1, 2008 (1st of Av 5768 began at sunset on August 1st and ended at sunset on the 2nd)
July 22, 2009 (1st of Av 5769 began at sundown on July 21st and ended at sunset on the 22nd)
July 11, 2010 (1st of Av 5770 began at sunset on July 11th and ended at sundown on the 12th)
NOTE: Biblical days begin at sunset and ends at sundown the following day.

It was on the 1st of Av that Moses' brother, Aaron, the first Levitical Priest, died (Numbers 33:38-39)

Jews still observe 21 days of mourning from 17 Tammuz to 9 Av in commemoration of the Roman General Titus' breach of the outer walls of Jerusalem on 17 Tammuz, and his order on the 9th of Av (Tisha b'Av) to leveled the Temple to the ground (4 Aug 70 AD).  The 9th of Av was the very same day on which the First Temple was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian forces (29 July 587 BC).  Accordingly, Tisha b'Av has been called the "saddest day in Jewish history."

Other tragic events that have occurred on Tisha b'Av:
1.  Jewish tradition says that it was on Tisha b'Av (9 Av 1312 B.C.) that the Jewish fathers were not allowed to enter the Promised Land, because the people rebelled against Moses, and the 2 true spies, Joshua and Caleb, and believed the 10 false spies.  The sin of the 10 spies caused God to decree that the Children of Israel who left Egypt would not be permitted to enter the land of Israel (Numbers 13 & 14, 32:11-14).
2.  The Roman army plowed Jerusalem with salt on 25 July 71 AD (9 Av 3831).
3.  The destruction of Simeon Bar Cochba's army on 5 Aug 135 AD (9 Av 3895).
4.  The First Crusade was declared by Pope Urban II on July 20, 1095 (Av 9, 4855), killing 10,000 Jews in its first month and destroying Jewish communities in France and the Rhineland.
5.  Anti-Jewish rioters stormed a castle in York, England - 500 Jews died as a result on 14 July 1190. (9 Av 4950).
6.  England expelled all Jews on 18 July 1290 (9 Av 5050).
7.  During the Spanish Inquisition after centuries in Spain some 200,000 Jews were expelled on 11 August 1492 (9 Av 5252).  The following 2 years, 1493 & 1494, experienced a series of 4 lunar eclipses (blood moons) on the first (Passover) and last (the Feast of Tabernacles) of the seven feasts of Israel (Leviticus 23; cf. Joel 2:30-31; Acts 2:19-20; Rev. 6:12).
8.  World War I was declared on 1 August 1914 (9 Av 5674).  Russia launched persecutions against the Jews on the same day.
9.  Mass deportation of Jews at the rate of six to ten thousand per day from the Warsaw Ghetto to Treblinka began on July 23, 1942 (9 Av 5702).

The 9th of Av for 2011 to 2015 are as follows:
Sunset August 8 to sunset August 9, 2011
Sunset July 28 to sundown July 29, 2012
Sunset July 15 to sundown July 16, 2013
Sunset August 4 to sunset August 5, 2014
Sunset July 25 to sundown July 26, 2015

If the Rapture has not occurred and we are still here as of these dates or during the 21 days of mourning from 17 Tammuz to 9 Av, it will be interesting to watch for the signs in the heavens that might occur about that time.



NOTES:
1. Visible stars are measured by brightness (Magnitude) on a scale of 1 to 6, the brightest being 1. Magnitudes on the scale with numbers greater than 6 are not visible to the naked eye.  Objects brighter than Magnitude 1 are indicated as minus (i.e. -1, -2. -3).
2. One Astronomical Unit (AU) is the distance from the center of the Earth to the center of the Sun.


WEB SITE REFERENCES:
Comet Elenin: http://elenin.org
Comet Elenin & Honda: http://elenin.org/honda.php
Elenin: http://members.westnet.com.au/mmatti/sc.htm
Elenin: http://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/2010X1/pictures.html
Elenin & Honda: http://www.theweatherspace.com/news/TWS-08_19_2011_eleninhonda.html
Lunar Eclipses 1901 - 2000 (NASA): http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEcat5/LE1901-2000.html
Lunar Eclipses 2011 - 2020 (NASA): http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEdecade/LEdecade2011.html
Solar Eclipses (NASA's Main Page): http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/solar.html
Solar Eclipses 2011 - 2020 (NASA): http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEdecade/SEdecade2011.html
Hebrew Calender: http://www.hebcal.com/
Hebrew Holidays: http://jewishaustralia.com/JWL/holidays/
Hebrew Months: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_calendar
Jewish Holidays: http://world.std.com/~reinhold/jewishholidays.txt
Hebrew Calender: http://standeyo.com/News_Files/Inspire/Jewish_calendar.html


"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)