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The Heavens Declare

Copyright © 2005 by Raymond H. Myers. All rights reserved.

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Sources for this Presentation:

The Word of God

Bullinger, E. W., The Witness of the Stars,Grand Rapids, Michigan, Kregel Publications, 1967.

Wierwille, Victor Paul, Jesus Christ Our Promised Seed,New Knoxville, Ohio: American Christian Press, 1982.

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Ps 147:3-5He telleth the Number of the Stars;He calleth Them All by Their Names

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Ps 19:1-2The Heavens Declare the Glory

of God; And the Firmamentsheweth His handywork.

Day Unto Day uttereth Speech,and Night Unto Night sheweth

Knowledge.

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Heb 1:1-2God, who at sundry times and indivers manners spake in timepast unto the fathers by theprophets, hath in these last daysspoken unto us by his Son …

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Gen 1:14-19And God Said, Let There

Be Lights in theFirmament of the

Heaven …And Let Them Be for

Signs, and for Seasons,and for Days, and Years:

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AstrologyThe Pretended Art of Predicting theFuture From the Motions andPositions of Heavenly Bodies

Astrology and Worship of HeavenlyBodies are Forbidden

Deut 4:19Is 47:12-14

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AstronomyThe Science that Describes thePositions, Motions, Magnitudes andComposition of Heavenly Bodies

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The Word is the TruthOur Standard of what to Believe

Everything else MUST line up withthe Word

Never believe less than the Word ofGod.

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Constellations – ConspicuousGroupings of Stars Upon Which anImaginary Pictorial RepresentationCan Be Drawn.

These Figures Are Known Today, asThey were back in the Time of Job,and Form Animals, Humans andSome Other Strange Creatures.

Source: The Witness of the Stars, E.W. Bullinger 11

Constellation - Virgo

Source: The Witness of the Stars, E.W. Bullinger 12

Constellation - Leo

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Gen 49:9-10Jacob’s Prophecy Regarding His SonJudah

Judah is a lion’s whelp (cub, youngone) …

The sceptre shall not depart fromJudah…

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The Heavens Declare

• God calleth the Stars by their names

• Let them be for a marking of someoneor something significant to come

• The heavens show knowledge

• The Magi had obtained this knowledge

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Mt 2:1bThere came wise men from the east toJerusalem

Wise men - magoi (Greek)

Only ones aware of the Birth by observingthe stars

Even the Judean religious leaders had noclue the Birth had occurred

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DanielWhile a captive in Babylon

Was made chief of the Magicians(Dan 5:11)

He could have taught the Magiconcerning the Plan of Redemption inthe stars

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Mt 2:9and, lo, the star, which they saw inthe east went before them, till itcame and stood over where theyoung child was.

They had seen it in the east “in therising” and continued to observe it as“went before them”

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Mt 2:2… for we have seen his star inthe east, and are come toworship him.

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Herod Dies

Eclipse Passover

Dating “His Star”

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What Celestial Events Occurredthat Captured the Attention of

the Magi?

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Significant Celestial Events7 BC – 1 BC

There were a least 20 importantevents that can be determined fromhistory or calculated as occurring

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Including

• Conjunctions

• Eclipses

• Sightings of a Nova and possibly aComet

• Two Massings of Planets

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Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun.The largest one in the solar system.

If Jupiter were hollow, more than onethousand Earths could fit inside.

Known as the King Planet. Associatedwith Royalty.

Planets were thought to be WanderingStars.

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Planets were thought to be WanderingStars.

• Stars in Constellations – do not appearmove independently of the otherstars in the constellation

•Wandering Stars – move in their ownpath and speed – so they weredifferent

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Jupiter Meets Leo

• Only once every 12 Years• Takes Jupiter 12 Years to Revolve

Around the Sun• 15 BC• 3 BC• 10 AD

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August 12, 3 BC Jupiter and Venus in conjunction in Leo

Sept. 14, 3 BC Jupiter & Regulus in conjunction in Leo

Feb. 17, 2 BC Jupiter & Regulus in conjunction in Leo

May 8, 2 BC Jupiter & Regulus in conjunction in Leo

June 17, 2 BC Jupiter & Venus in conjunction in Leo

August 27, 2 BC Massing of Planets Mercury, Venus,Mars and Jupiter in Leo

Events that Captured the Magi’s Attention

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Jupiter & Venus in Conjunction inLeo – Aug. 12, 3 BC, 5 AM

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Regulus & Jupiter in ConjunctionSept. 14, 3 BC, 4 AM

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Jupiter & Regulus in conjunction in Leo,Feb. 17, 2 BC, 4:30 AM

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Jupiter & Regulus in conjunction inLeo, May 8, 2 BC, 11 PM

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Jupiter & Venus in conjunction in Leo,June 17, 2 BC, 9:30 PM

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The Massing of PlanetsAugust 27, 2 BC, 5 AM

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Mt 2:1-102 We have seen his star in the east,and are come to worship him

6 And thou Bethlehem, out of theeshall come a Governor

9 and, lo, the star, stood over wherethe young child was

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Mt 2:9and, lo, the star, stood over wherethe young child was

This event involves Jupiter and theconstellation Virgo

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Rev 12:1-5And there appeared a greatwonder in heaven; a womanclothed with the sun, and themoon under her feet,

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September 11, 3 BC

There Is Only One Day• Before Herod’s Death• During the period when

Jupiter and Leo Met• Sun Passed Through Virgo• Moon Under Her Feet

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September 11, 3 BC

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September 11, 3 BC

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September 11, 3 BC - in Palestine

Most scholars agree:

Sunset was at 6:18 PMMoonset was at 7:39 PM

Jesus Christ was Born on this DayBetween Sunset and Moonset

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Ps 97:6

The heavens declare hisrighteousness, and all the people seehis glory.

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Timeline on the Birth of Jesus Christ

D J F M A M J J A S O N D J4 BC

Course of Abia

Conception of John

Gabriel Appearsto MaryConception ofJesus ChristMary Travels

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Timeline on the Birth of Jesus Christ

D J F M A M J J A S O N D J3 BC

John Born toZacharias &Elisabeth

8/12 Jupiter &Venus

Birth of Jesus Christ, 9/11

9/14 Jupiter& Regulus

Mary LeavesElisabeth

Trishri 1 - Day ofTrumpets

9/19 Circumcisionof Jesus

10/22 Simeon& Anna at theTemple

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Timeline on the Birth of Jesus Christ

D J F M A M J J A S O N D J2 BC

8/27 Massingof Planets

12/2 MagiArrive

2/17Jupiter,Regulus &Leo

6/17Jupiter,Venus &Leo

5/8 Jupiter,Regulus & Leo

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Timeline on the Birth of Jesus Christ

D J F M A M J J A S O N D J1 BC

12/2 Magi Arrive

4/8 Passover

1/9 Lunar Eclipse

Herod Dies

Escape to Egypt

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The Birth of the Promised One

• Man needed a Savior

• God had a Plan to Redeem Man

• The Promised Seed, a sinless man,would be the Messiah

• Man’s redemption is a finished work byChrist Jesus

• Now we look forward to His secondcoming