The Bible, UFOs, ET and the Ancients Part 3

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Hi ScarZ,

Thank you for posting this information. Does any of David Flynn's material give any idea to the time-frames for the early events or historical figures that his research indicated?

Not surprising in the least, since I recently learned a fundamental reason why the Jewish State of Israel has been so often brutal and unGodly in its politics.

The people who are honoring Ahmadinejad, are Torah Jews. However, the political forces which control Israel today are philosophical descendants of Sabbatean Jews. They are seculartarians. Those with deep faith (Christian or Jew) are nominalized from participating and effecting policy in the highest offices of the state.

Google will help you learn more if you feel moved. I'd prefer to stay out of discussions about it, because this subject is controversial among Christians.

Thanks for posting this, Mdonnall.

The following interview might help provide some background;

SABBATEAN JUDAISM

It felt appropriate, considering the content and the purpose of the two most active threads.

I get the feeling that this is not the entire interview. I could be wrong though.....

I saw embraces of respect from Ahmadinejad. He took the time to greet and to say goodbye to each one. Profound?

I saw him in another light despite the darkness that hangs over him.

Does he hold so little power in the land of (the) Morning Star?

Edit to grammar.

mdonnall2002 wrote:It felt appropriate, considering the content and the purpose of the two most active threads.

Oh I apologize that my comments were misunderstood. You are right mdonnall, this subject is entirely appropriate to these threads. It's just that it would be best if I personally stayed out of discussions about it. I'm too prone to start rampaging through the hall and over turning tables of other people's precious belongings.

In all seriousness, I completely understand.

It is there - for those who need to see.

No offense taken.

Good we're clear

I will drop in my two cents worth. Those in control of the government of Israel are not always right just because they are Israel.

There's a lot of difference between blessing the people of a nation/any nation and giving a ruling power base government a get out of jail free card.

We are to bless not curse even our enemies. It has nothing to do with throwing our support to a ruling power base government and giving them a get out of jail free card.

Did,Does,Will The LORD always support the ruling power base government of Israel just because they are Israel?

How about the USA?

How about Iran?

How about Canada?

How about any nation?

Monotheism, Polytheism, Monolatry, or Henotheism?

Toward an Assessment of Divine Plurality in the Hebrew Bible

Michael S. Heiser


http://www.ibr-bbr.org/files/bbr/bbr18a01_heiser.pdf




Israel’s view of God and his relationship to other divine beings in the Hebrew Bible has long been the subject of scholarly debate. The dominant critical consensus since the late nineteenth century holds that Israel’s faith evolved from polytheism or henotheism to monotheism.

Passages in the Hebrew Bible that assume the existence of other gods are compared to other passages that put forth the declaration that “there are no other gods besides” the God of Israel as proof of this view. Other scholars who reject this evolutionary paradigm tend to assume passages evincing divine plurality actually speak of human beings, or that the other gods are merely idols.

This view insists that “monotheism” must mean that the existence of other gods is denied. Both views are problematic and fall short of doing justice to the full description of Israel’s view of God and the heavenly host
in the Hebrew Bible. This article overviews the difficulties of each view and offers a coherent alternative.

I found these some very interesting comments by Josephus, the secular Jewish historian who lived through the fall of Jerusalem in the first century AD.


"On the twenty-first of the month Artemisium, there appeared a miraculous phenomenon, passing belief. Indeed, what I am about to relate would, I imagine, have been deemed a fable, were it not for the narratives of eyewitnesses and for the subsequent calamities which deserved to be so signalized. For before sunset throughout all parts of the county chariots were seen in the air and armed battalions hurtling through the clouds and encompassing the cities."

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"Moreover, at the feast which is called Pentecost, the priests on entering the inner court of the temple by night, as their custom was in the discharge of their ministrations, reported that they were conscious, first of a commotion and a din, and after that of a voice as of a host, 'We are departing hence'."

********

"At the ninth hour of the night, so brilliant a light shone round the altar and the sanctuary that it seemed to be broad daylight; and this continued for half an hour"

Yes, very interesting. I tried to find a link to an original source and/or historical commentary regarding debate over the validity of these quotes. Nothing came up in the first 3-4 pages of google, other than numerous other sites simply quoting them as part of their article or commentary. I also found that these quotes are used as supportive evidence by Preterists, which they view as eye witness to the second coming in 70 AD and the 'end of the age' as foretold in Matthew 24 and Revelation.
Preterist View
They make some good points, and I agree with some preterist fulfillments, but the totality by which they feel all of Revelations was fulfilled in 70AD, is imo preposterous.

Anyhow... What do you think of these quotes, ScaRZ?

When I read them the first thing that came to my mind was UFO's. These were some questions I ask myself while reading.

Were these people witnesses to a battle taking place around that area in the heavens?

Were the good guys protecting those of the land against an evil host of warriors?

Was the voice that of an angelic figure?

Some of it reminded me of The Angel of The Lord going forth to fight and win battles.

If The LORD used heavenly host to battle in the past....."Would The LORD not be the same yesterday,today,and on into the future?"


To me I never had in mind anything about the 70AD view of the second coming.

I heard an interview recently. Can't remember which one to give you a link, it was a guest of Dr. Deagle's radio show. The interviewee tells of asking a Rabbi in Australia if there was any Jewish history concerning the curtain to the Holy of Holies ever being torn.

The Rabbi responded with surprise to the question, saying it was not something that many Jews are aware of. And then went on to say that there is a rarely spoken account of a time that relates to the time when the act of sacrificing a lamb ended in Judaism - the oral history reports when the Temple Priest went into the the temple to do his duties, found the curtain torn open revealing the inner sanctuary. He was dumb struck and could not then proceed with the sacrifice under the Torah rules of the ritual. The interviewer got the impression when listening to the Australian Rabbi, that he did not seem aware of the New Testament account.

This of course happened when 'Jesus' gave up his spirit on the cross.

And of course, we all know that 'Jesus' foretold that the Temple (which was brand new renovated by Herod in their time) would be torn to the ground and not one stone would stand upon another. Which did indeed happen in 70AD. And this event has made it impossible for Jews to preform the sacrifice, even to this day.

Considering the spiritual magnitude of this event, it would be reasonable for me to believe that some people would see ominous signs in the sky when Titus destroyed the temple.

The quote said to be heard: "and after that of a voice as of a host, 'We are departing hence'." This is interesting. I think it could mean either a statement by Heavenly Hosts, or that of Satanic Angelic Hosts. Could be either way, as 'Jesus' told the Jewish leaders that they worshiped their father, the devil.

Jake Reason wrote:
The quote said to be heard: "and after that of a voice as of a host, 'We are departing hence'." This is interesting. I think it could mean either a statement by Heavenly Hosts, or that of Satanic Angelic Hosts. Could be either way, as 'Jesus' told the Jewish leaders that they worshiped their father, the devil.

Yes,this is what I thought when I read it. It could be either way....."Good Guys or Bad Guys".

The Works of Flavius Josephus

Translated by William Whiston [1737]

http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/josephus/index.htm


Josephus was born Joseph ben Mattathias in 37 C.E. in Jerusalem of a priestly and royal family. He excelled in his studies of Jewish law and studied with the Sadducees, Pharisees, and the Essenes, eventually aligning himself with the Pharisees. In 62 C.E. he went to Rome to free some imprisoned priests. After accomplishing this mission through the intercession of Nero's wife, Poppaea, he returned to Jerusalem in 65 C.E. to find the country in revolt against Rome.

Although Josephus had deep misgivings about the revolt, it became inevitable, due to reasons he discusses in his history, primarily the abuses of the Romans; this spurred the growth of fanatical Messianic Jewish movements which believed that the world was coming to an end shortly. In 66 C.E. the Masada was seized by the Zealots and the Romans were on the march; Josephus was appointed the commander of Galilee.

Josephus had to fight a defensive war against overwhelming force while refereeing internecine squabbles in the Jewish ranks. In 67 C.E. Josephus and other rebels were cornered in a cave during the siege of Jotapata and took a suicide pact. However, Josephus survived, and was taken hostage by the Romans, led by Vespasian.

Josephus shrewdly reinterpreted the Messianic prophecies. He predicted that Vespasian would become the ruler of the 'entire world'. Josephus joined the Romans, for which he was branded a traitor. He acted as consultant to the Romans and a go-between with the revolutionaries. Unable to convince the rebels to surrender, Josephus ended up watching the second destruction of the Temple and the defeat of the Jewish nation.

His prophecy became true in 68 C.E. when Nero committed suicide and Vespasian became Ceasar. As a result, Josephus was freed; he moved to Roman and became a Roman citizen, taking the Vespasian family name Flavius. Vespasian commissioned Josephus to write a history of the war, which he finished in 78 C.E., the Jewish War. His second major work, the Antiquities of the Jews, was completed in 93 C.E. He wrote Against Apion in about 96-100 C.E. and The Life of Josephus, his autobiography, about 100. He died shortly after.

Despite his ambivalent role, Josephus was an eyewitness to history, and his writings are considered authoritative. These texts are key to understanding a pivotal point in world history, which has tragic repercussions even to this day.

Flavius Josephus........CONCERNING THE TOWER OF BABYLON, AND THE CONFUSION OF TONGUES.(Chapter 4)

http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/josephus/ant-1.htm


1. Now the sons of Noah were three, - Shem, Japhet, and Ham, born one hundred years before the Deluge. These first of all descended from the mountains into the plains, and fixed their habitation there; and persuaded others who were greatly afraid of the lower grounds on account of the flood, and so were very loath to come down from the higher places, to venture to follow their examples. Now the plain in which they first dwelt was called Shinar. God also commanded them to send colonies abroad, for the thorough peopling of the earth, that they might not raise seditions among themselves, but might cultivate a great part of the earth, and enjoy its fruits after a plentiful manner. But they were so ill instructed that they did not obey God; for which reason they fell into calamities, and were made sensible, by experience, of what sin they had been guilty: for when they flourished with a numerous youth, God admonished them again to send out colonies; but they, imagining the prosperity they enjoyed was not derived from the favor of God, but supposing that their own power was the proper cause of the plentiful condition they were in, did not obey him. Nay, they added to this their disobedience to the Divine will, the suspicion that they were therefore ordered to send out separate colonies, that, being divided asunder, they might the more easily be Oppressed.

2. Now it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront and contempt of God. He was the grandson of Ham, the son of Noah, a bold man, and of great strength of hand. He persuaded them not to ascribe it to God, as if it was through his means they were happy, but to believe that it was their own courage which procured that happiness. He also gradually changed the government into tyranny, seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into a constant dependence on his power. He also said he would be revenged on God, if he should have a mind to drown the world again; for that he would build a tower too high for the waters to be able to reach! and that he would avenge himself on God for destroying their forefathers !

3. Now the multitude were very ready to follow the determination of Nimrod, and to esteem it a piece of cowardice to submit to God; and they built a tower, neither sparing any pains, nor being in any degree negligent about the work: and, by reason of the multitude of hands employed in it, it grew very high, sooner than any one could expect; but the thickness of it was so great, and it was so strongly built, that thereby its great height seemed, upon the view, to be less than it really was. It was built of burnt brick, cemented together with mortar, made of bitumen, that it might not be liable to admit water. When God saw that they acted so madly, he did not resolve to destroy them utterly, since they were not grown wiser by the destruction of the former sinners; but he caused a tumult among them, by producing in them divers languages, and causing that, through the multitude of those languages, they should not be able to understand one another. The place wherein they built the tower is now called Babylon, because of the confusion of that language which they readily understood before; for the Hebrews mean by the word Babel, confusion. The Sibyl also makes mention of this tower, and of the confusion of the language, when she says thus: "When all men were of one language, some of them built a high tower, as if they would thereby ascend up to heaven, but the gods sent storms of wind and overthrew the tower, and gave every one his peculiar language; and for this reason it was that the city was called Babylon." But as to the plan of Shinar, in the country of Babylonia, Hestiaeus mentions it, when he says thus: "Such of the priests as were saved, took the sacred vessels of Jupiter Enyalius, and came to Shinar of Babylonia."

I was reading some of David Flynn's material this morning and this section on Ezekiel and the Wheels got my attention more than any of the additional works. Of coarse I read this many years back but for some reason it almost seemed new to me.

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http://www.mt.net/~watcher/noah.html

The Nephilim of Genesis 6 are still being created by the fallen angels. UFOs, Aliens,proof of life on Mars, popular culture's obsession with Star Trek and more recently the Cydonia pyramid and sphinx --- these elements are all part of the rebel angels' plan to deceive even the Elect.

This page hopes to clarify who is denoted by Elohim, and Benai Elohim, cherubim, seraphim, the rebel angel's hybrid creations the Nephilim, and the common notion that Ezekiel's encounter with the "wheels" and the "living creatures" was a UFO SIGHTING. While the extraterrestrial beings who pilot UFOs are indeed mentioned in the Bible, Ezekiel and the prophets did not confuse these"aliens"-- the rebel angels -- with God's own angelic messengers.


Do not rejoice O Philistia, all of you, for the rod of your striking is broken, because a viper (Antichrist) comes forth from the root of the snake (Satan) and his fruit is the fiery flying seraph.(Isaiah 14:29)


What is a "seraph"? The root form of "seraphim" in Hebrew connotes the members of the angelic host whose distinguishing characteristic is brilliance,or fire. According to Isaiah, these brilliant angels are the tools of Satan himself, the angelic host following him in his rebellion, and the forces behind Satan's End Times Deception... Ufo phenomena.

For specifics on how the Antichrist will use the fiery flying seraphim, checkout UFOs and Antichrist: Cydonia Mars and End Time Deception.


The book of Revelation gives a description of demonic miracles manifested by the false prophet on behalf of the Antichrist for the world to see. The most prominent of these is the calling down of fire from heaven, as the prophets of Baal were unable to do in Elijah's day. God ALLOWS the Antichrist to counterfeit miracles on an unprecedented level during the Tribulation. Consequently, Israel and the world will believe the Antichrist, (ministered to by the rebel angels disguised as "aliens" bearing ET technology and wisdom) is the true god.

Many believe the most blatant example of UFOs in the Bible is the account of Ezekiel and the Wheels. Although there are many accounts in the Bible that do indeed support the fact that ancient man was visited by the rebel B'naiElohim, fallen angels pretending to be "aliens mistaken for gods", this reference to "wheels" and "creatures" in Ezekiel does not describe UFOs.


"Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel upon the earth beside the living creatures one for each of the four of them. As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction ... the four had the same likeness being as it were a wheel within a wheel. The four wheels had rims and they had spokes, and their rims were full of eyes round about. And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them and when the living creatures went, the wheels went with them, for the living creature was in the wheel."(Ezekiel 1)


Ezekiel's Wheels with Living Creatures Refers to the Zodiac and the Gospel in the Heavens.


Far from being aliens in UFOs ... Ezekiel's living creatures refer to the four points of the zodiac, THEY ARE CHERUBIM. The zodiac alludes to the coming of Christ. Cherubim reflect the glory of God, the zodiac reflects the glory of God, they are all interconnected, according to God's plan.

The "wheels within wheels" are the terrestrial planets going around in their orbits, "and when the living creatures went", that is, when the constellations of the zodiac went around in the heavens, "the wheels went with them," the planets in their orbits went around with them,"for the living creature was in the wheel", the constellations orbit along a "wheel" as do the planets. As for the "eyes all around", this refers to the Zophim, the Watchers (from the same root as eyes) - and their other celestial counterparts.

Thanks ScaRZ for posting this.

But WOW, David sure had an imagination. I don't think I can swallow this interpretation. Stretched a little too far.

Michael Heiser's interpretation makes more sense.

But I'm still on-the-fence as to what this passage all means.


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Flavius Josephus is interesting and enlightening. I'm still to finish reading his book, "The War of the Jews".

One thing I've noticed about him is that he wrote in a manner that would be acceptable to Rome, for self protection sake. And "opportunist" of his time. There is great history in his writings, but we need remain mindful of how his allegiances would have influenced what he wrote and how he expressed it.

I agree with your points on the material of Flavius Josephus. We are all influenced by our culture. Much like I've heard Michael Heiser say, we need not attempt to read The Bible as a science book.

We also must attempt to place ourselves in the period of time The Bible content was written.

Josephus was a man who was reading the scrolls and gave his thinking on them. There is no doubt the period of time he was living influenced him greatly, as we all are.

You know Jake I've mentioned it several times in the past, that we tend to view end times prophecy in our time frame of today. We seem to see things as rapping up very quickly......"All within our time of living."........"A few years and it's all over."

Back in the days when Jesus Christ left this earth his followers viewed it the same way. I would say most of them thought they would live to see the return of Jesus Christ. On down through the centuries I believe most have viewed it the same way.

From: David Ulansey Biblical Archaeology Review, vol. 20,#5 pp. 40-53

Because the ancients believed in the real existence of the great sphere of the stars, its various parts-- such as its axis and poles-- played a central role in the cosmology of the time. In particular, one important attribute of the sphere of the stars was much better known in antiquity than it is today: namely, its equator, known as the "celestial equator."Just as the earth's equator is defined as a circle around the earth equidistant from the north and south poles, so the celestial equator was understood as a circle around the sphere of the stars equidistant from the sphere's poles. The circle of the celestial equator was seen as having a particularly special importance because of the two points where it crosses the circle of the zodiac: for these two points are the equinoxes, that is, the placeswhere the sun, in its movement along the zodiac, appears to be on the first day of spring and the first day of autumn. Thus the celestial equator was responsible for defining the seasons, and hence had a very concrete significance in addition to its abstract astronomical meaning.

As a result, the celestial equator was often described in ancient popular literature about the stars. Plato, for example, in his dialogue Timaeus said that when the creator of the universe first formed the cosmos, he shaped its substance in the form of the letter X, representing the intersection of the two celestial circles of the zodiac and the celestial equator. Thisc ross-shaped symbol was often depicted in ancient art to indicate the cosmic sphere. In fact, one of the most famous examples of this motif is a Mithraic stone carving showing the so-called "lion-headed god," whose image is often found in Mithraic temples, standing on a globe that is marked with the cross representing the two circles of the zodiac and the celestial equator.

One final fact about the celestial equator is crucial: namely, that it does not remain fixed, but rather possesses a slow movement known as the "precession of the equinoxes." This movement, we know today, is caused by a wobble in the earth's rotation on its axis. As a result of this wobble, the celestial equator appears to change its position over the course of thousands of years. This movement is known as the precession of the equinoxes because its most easily observable effect is a change in the positions of the equinoxes, the places where the celestial equator crosses the zodiac. In particular, the precession results in the equinoxes moving slowly backward along the zodiac, passing through one zodiacal constellation every 2,160 years and through the entire zodiac every 25,920 years.

ScaRZ and Jake,

The definitive work on the zodiacal overlap between astronomy and 'mythology' is Hamlet's Mill by de Santillana. This book had a considerable impact on the BPWH.

It is still the case that very few people are aware of this connection. I had not previously heard of the connection that you draw wrt Elijah's chariot (of fire). There may be a double allusion.

Hamlet's Mill had no small influence on my adoption of a pre-Coperincan, geocentric view. Hey, don't blame it all on me!

Hello Dan,great to see you drop in. Thanks for the link,I will check it out.

This might help in understanding why David Flynn and Michael Heiser view Ezekiel’s vision relating to astrology/astronomy.

Below are some of Michael Heiser's thoughts on the subject. Click the link for the full article.

http://michaelsheiser.com/PaleoBabble/2008/08/ezekiels-vision-part-2/


The one thing I think most noteworthy about all this is the eyes. In Ezekiel 1 we read that the wheels were full of eyes. What does that have to do with the zodiac or astrology? Simple. The Hebrew word for “eyes” is ‘ayin. This is the normal word for that body part through which we see. The same word is also used (by Ezekiel, no less — in the SAME CHAPTER) to describe “sparkling” or “gleaming” (cf. Ezek. 1:4; Ezek. 1:16). Here’s a suggestion: “eyes” should be understood in Ezekiel 1 AND Ezekiel 10 as “stars” (“sparkling things”). This fits amazingly well with chapter 10, since there both the creatures and the wheels have the eyes. Get it . . . creatures . . . cardinal points of the zodiac . . . the creatures having eyes (“stars”) in them? What creatures have stars in them? The ones you see in the sky – the signs of the zodiac.

And for kickers, this is also what the apostle John says he saw in Revelation 4-5 when he looked up into the heavens — animals with stars in them.

No, it wasn’t a flying saucer. Ezekiel’s visions are about an enthroned God who controls the the cycles of time (the zodiac and its movements), and is up to something . . . .

One passing thought (and it isn’t for PaleoBabble to lay this out): What if, when Jesus said that there would be signs in the heavens pointing to the second coming, he meant exactly what he said? Not that we could know the day or hour (which Jesus flatly said we could not) – but which would give us SOME information.

Remember the star of Bethlehem? Who saw it and knew what it meant? Magi . . . from . . . BABYLON. Hmmmm.

Additional material from David Flynn.


Virgo, is depicted as a virgin in every ancient reference, holding in one hand a branch, and in the other a sheaf of grain, or seed, always associated with a child, "Shesh nu" in Egyptian, the desired son, the symbol of the incarnation of God on earth.


Libra, the scales or in the earliest zodiacs, an altar. Its meaning is the measuring of a price. One of its stars in Arabic means, "the price which is deficient",while opposite is a star whose name means, "the price which covers," or atonement. Libra symbolizes the price of the conflict, the deficient works of man compared to the perfect and finished sacrifice of Jesus accomplished on the cross.


Scorpio,with his claws reaching out to influence the scales, is crushed beneath the foot of Ophiuchus, the serpent holder, who in earliest times was depicted as an eagle. Ophiuchus 's foot is stung (wounded foot, like Oedipus) by the upraised tail of the scorpion, his other foot is above the scorpion's heart. He restrains the serpent coiled around him from taking a crown.Ophiuchus depicts the earliest prophecy in the Bible, "I will put enmity between the serpent and the offspring of the woman, it will strike at his heel, and he will crush (the serpent's) head."


Sagittarius,in the oldest pictures of the zodiac is a cherubim. This symbol is situated 1/3rd of the way around the zodiacal circle. It had the body of both lion and bull with wings of an eagle and the head of a woman. Sagittarius is the symbol of the incarnation, both God and man, animals representing the four corners of the heavens and symbolizing the aspects of God's redemptive work on this earth, he is poised with his arrow drawn and pointed at the heart of the scorpion. Underneath him is the southern cross.


Capricorn, the goat with the tail of the fish. To the Hebrews, the goat was the sin offering, Capricorn is posed with his foot under him and his head bowed,as if in death. The second half of this symbol is the tail of a fish, the most prolific creature in nature, the fish lives in the waters, symbol of life and God's spirit. Out of the son of God's death, comes everlasting life.


Aquarius,the water bearer, the one pouring out life giving waters that symbolize God's spirit, into the mouth of the fish.


Pisces, the fishes connected to the neck of the sea monster, one points to the center of heaven the other follows the ecliptic, the path of the earth around the sun. "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."


Aries, the lamb prepared from the foundations of the world, the unblemished sacrifice for mankind. with his foot poised to strike off the tether attaching the fishes to the neck of the sea monster. "He (Jesus Christ), came to set the captives free".


Taurus, the Bull. His horns, symbolizing God's judgment, are pointed to the earth,one stabs the heal of a shepherd "Aquilla", who holds his flock, Christ the good shepherd, received in our place God's absolute judgment. In the bull's neck is the Pleiades, the congregating of the judges, who come back to earth after their resurrection to judge the earth with Christ at his second coming.


Gemini, the twins. Castor is the suffering redeemer, and Pollux is the king. Symbols of the first and second coming of Christ.


Cancer, the crab. Originally it was the fortress, the impregnable enclosure of protection. In Egypt it was a scarab, the beetle that hatched from the ground and flew to heaven, the stronghold of the saved.


Leo, the great lion. "The conquering lion of Judah", Jesus Christ, who will come again. The king that the apostle John traced back to that tribe of Israel. In his heart is the star called Regulus.



This is the whole story of God's atonement work on earth, its beginning and ending are symbolized by the sphinx combining Virgo and Leo.

Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

The true meaning of the celestial zodiac and the symbols of the ecliptic, the course the sun appears to travel the heavens, seems to have been lost to the majority of mankind. The purpose of the zodiac symbols can be understood by connecting the sequence of pictures in story form.

But what is that connection? What point in the circle of heaven is its beginning?

Sphinx in Greek means to "connect or bind together". A sphinx combines the head of a woman and the body of a lion. This fixes the beginning and ending of the celestial narrative -- beginning with Virgo and ending with Leo.

The Witness of the Stars

By E.W. Bullinger (1893)

http://www.levendwater.org/books/witness/the_witness_of_the_stars_bullinger.pdf



For more than two thousand five hundred years the world was without a written revelation from God. The question is, Did God leave Himself without a witness? The question is answered very positively by the written Word that He did not. In Romans 1:19 it is declared that, "that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen,being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal
power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse."

" But how was God known? How were His "invisible things," i.e., His plans, His purposes, and His counsels, known since the creation of the world? We are told by the Holy Spirit in Romans 10:18. Having stated in v. 17 that "Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word (the thing spoken, sayings) of God," He asks, "But I say,Have they not heard? Yes, verily." And we may ask, How have they heard? The answer follows--"Their sound went into all the earth and their words (their teaching, message, instruction) unto the ends of the world." What words? What instruction? Whose message? Whose teaching?

There is only one answer, and that is,THE HEAVENS! This is settled by the fact that the passage is quoted from Psalm 19, [one] part of which is occupied with the Revelation of God written in the Heavens, and the part with the Revelation of God written in the Word.

ScaRZ wrote:
Gemini, the twins. Castor is the suffering redeemer, and Pollux is the king. Symbols of the first and second coming of Christ.

'Jesus' (Immanuel/Y'shua) was born under this sign.

Contrary to most Christian teaching, the Bible DOES record when he and John-the-Baptist were born. It was recorded in sufficient detail to insure that the months of their births (and the year) would be remembered. However the false "church" has covered this up since the fourth century. By simple edict of declaring the Hebrew Calender a heresy.

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Luke 1:5
Zacharias was a Priest of the course of Abia. His wife was Elizabeth.

Luke 1:11, 13, 17
An angel of the Lord, Gabriel, appeared to Zacharias and told him his wife Elizabeth will bear him a son. Gabriel further told him to name him John. This son (John) will go in the spirit and power of Elias and prepare the way for the Lord.

Luke 1:26, 27, 31, 35, 36
Gabriel appeared to Mary, Elizabeth’s cousin in the “sixth” month and told her she will bear Jesus, the Son of God. Gabriel further told her that Elizabeth was in her “sixth” month with child.

Luke 1:39, 40, 56, 57, 59, 60, 64, 65
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for “three” months, until she gave birth to John. When John was only eighth days old, he spoke and praised God. Fear came upon all who heard and his word’s were spread throughout all the hill country of Judea.

In summary, Elizabeth was in her “sixth” month with “John the Baptist” when she heard of Gabriel’s visit with Mary. The sixth month on the Hebrew calendar is “Elul”. Elul falls into our Gregorian calendar as our August-September. Elizabeth bore John in the “ninth” month as recorded. The ninth month on the Hebrew calendar is “Kislev”. Kislev on our calendar is November-December.

“Sagittarius” falls between November 22 to December 20. John the Baptist was born in the sign of Sagittarius.

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The above account of John’s birth also lays out the time frame of Jesus birth.

Luke 1:26, 36
In the sixth month (Elul) Gabriel told Mary she will conceive a son, to be named ‘Jesus’ (Immanuel).

Luke: 1:38-41, 56
When she heard this, Mary went right away to tell Elizabeth and subsequently stayed with her for three months, until Elizabeth bore John, in the month of “Kislev” (November-December).

IF Mary conceived at the time that Gabriel told her she would conceive, then ‘Jesus’ was conceived by the Holy Ghost in the month of “Elul” on the Hebrew calendar (August-September). ‘Jesus’ would therefore have been born in the third month (nine months from “Elul”), which is the month of “Sivan”. “Sivan”, on our Gregorian calendar is May-June.

After Gabriel’s visit, Mary went “in haste” to Elizabeth. In Matthew 1:18-19, Joseph sought to “put her away” because she was pregnant, not by him. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Mary lived with Elizabeth for three months, (put her away) before returning to Joseph.

Luke 2:1-6
Joseph took Mary to Bethlehem where ‘Jesus’ (Immanuel) was born during the time that Caesar Augustus (The first Roman Emperor), through the Syrian governor Quirinius, decreed that all the world should be taxed and a census took place (historically, spring A.U.C. 747, 748 or 749).

This was the first time in Roman history that such was done for everyone. Prior to this, taxes were only collected from Roman citizens and rulers. All census began and concluded in the spring of the year. . If this (Luke’s account) census began or concluded in Spring, then May-June (Sivan) would be a reasonable assumption for the month of the year this census took place in Bethlehem.

This coincides with Gabriel appearing to Mary nine months earlier, in the sixth month, “Elul”.

Too conclude that ‘Jesus’ was born in the third (3rd) month of the Hebrew Calendar fits squarely on historical record and the Gospel accounts. Therefore, Jesus’ birth occurred in the month of Sivan, which is our May-June. (a spring birth)

At the time of 'Jesus’ birth there was an unusual conjunction of Mars, Jupiter & Saturn in the constellation Pisces (the symbol of Pisces is The Fish). The “wise men” would have been able to witness this conjunction in the constellations. In Astrology, the “Age of Pisces” was begininng in that era approx 2000 years ago. The “wise men” were astrologers and were therefore aware of ‘their time’ being the beginning of a New Age. Today we are living at the end of the “Age of Pisces” and at the dawning of the “Age of Aquarius”.

IF Jesus was born in Sivan, He would have been born under the sign of Gemini (May 21-June 21). Side Note: the symbol of Gemini is The Twins.

Concluding Biblical & Historical Facts:

1) Jesus was born at the dawning of the age of Pisces.
2) There was a conjunction of the 3 major planets (from earth) in Pisces.
3) “Wise men” (star gazers) saw and journeyed to visit Jesus’ at birth.
4) A Roman census was being taken in Bethlehem at the time of Jesus birth.
5) Census’ were taken in spring; months of “Iyar” and “Sivan”, April-June.
6) “Sivan” was nine months after Gabriel appeared to Mary in “Elul”.
7) “Sivan” is the third month of the Hebrew Calendar.

In the 6th month (6-number of man) Gabriel appeared to Mary.
In the 3rd month (3-number of God), Jesus was born.

[Side note: Sivan = Same month Spirit of G-d descended on Mt. Sinai and gave 1st Covenant to Moses.]

http://www.jewfaq.org/calendar.htm
http://www.jewishgen.org/jos/josdates.htm

For the life of me - I cannot remember where I heard or read this, but isn't there some evidence of Jesus's birth taking place around a particular harvest time?

mdonnall2002 wrote:For the life of me - I cannot remember where I heard or read this, but isn't there some evidence of Jesus's birth taking place around a particular harvest time?

Yes, that is the speculative presumption of those who point out that 1) The shepherds were watching their flocks at night. and 2) the Inns were full in Bethlehem.

It was therefore presumed that the birth must have been early fall (Sept/Oct), because it would be too cold in winter to have the flocks out at night, and Fall is the time that people come into the city during the harvest to sell their yields.

However the Gospels clearly give the months involved, as per my article above. And so, the shepherds were watching their flocks at night because it was spring. And the Inns were full because there was a Roman census called and the country folk had to come into town for it.

Edit to add: I wrote the above study in 2005 and saved it to word.doc. At the time I had web-links to support the 1st Jewish Roman census occurred in spring A.U.C. 747, 748 or 749 (Roman calender) But those particular web-links don't work anymore. I'll update them with newer historical websites some other time. But anyone is free to google. I assure you, I checked it against numerous references to be certain, before writing it.