THE CELESTIAL PHENOMENON AT THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS OF NAZARETH

Too many “coincidences” surround the “Mystery Man” from Nazareth for Him to not be the promised Messiah. His story is written in the heavens, and the secret code to revealing its prophecies and images is to view them Christologically—to see that they are showing the timeline of Messiah’s coming, His sacrifice, His resurrection, and His return to establish the Kingdom of God. The record of

His star in Matthew 2, along with other Old Testament prophecies that were fulfilled at that time, should be enough to validate this claim. Additionally, the book of Revelation reveals heavenly signs that point to His second coming, the coming of the Son of Man.

Although there are theologians and scholars who have acknowledged these truths, the celestial phenomenon that remains basically unnoticed and overlooked is the one that occurred at the time of His death upon the cross.   

As we look at this celestial occurrence during the crucifixion, we will see that it should be incredibly interesting to those who study God’s celestial Word because it is an astronomical phenomenon that defies normal scientific explanation. On Passover at the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, a three-hour solar eclipse occurred over all the face of the earth. That should have been enough to testify to the world that the Messiah had been killed.

The celestial phenomenon of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ was a three-hour solar eclipse.

There are some serious questions to consider upon a closer examination of this celestial event—a solar eclipse of the ages—a very significant event indeed.

First, solar eclipses happen only on new moons. Passover is always on a full moon (14^th day of the first month, Leviticus 23:5).  On this day, which fell perhaps on the 28^th of April ad 28, there was a full moon. This scenario defies description from modern-day astronomy because solar eclipses are caused by the moon passing between the Sun and Earth and casting a shadow on the earth. On this day, the moon was exactly on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun and could in NO way have eclipsed the Sun.

Second, solar eclipses are normally a maximum of 7½ minutes long. Three Bible records, along with other secular records, agree that this particular solar eclipse lasted for three hours, which is impossible according to modern-day astronomical laws and understanding. Regardless, the biblical record states that it remained dark upon the whole earth for three hours.

Third, a conventional solar eclipse only sweeps across a small swath of the Earth, moving in a west-to-east direction. These same three biblical accounts report that the eclipse covered all the face of the Earth.

Therefore, this is a phenomenon—something that is way outside of the ordinary. Isn’t it amazing that God Almighty had this date and event in His mind before the creation of the world when He plotted out the courses of the planets, the Sun, and the Moon. He knew who the Messiah would be and marked Him by celestial signs at His birth and at His crucifixion.

Another issue at stake here is that in many people’s belief systems the Bible is infallible. So, if there is no plausible explanation, then science will fault the Bible. In this case, we have three different gospel accounts verified by three different sources. I’ve heard Bible teachers rant about three days and three nights; well, here is another rant: a three-hour solar eclipse happening on a full moon. Hello Houston, now we really have a problem. Call out the astronomers, astrophysicists, NASA scientists, including Dr. Folkner, and Pat Gleason (the mathematician, cyber engineer, and astronomer who designed our computer program). This is not possible! We are looking for answers.

In the mouth of two or three witnesses, truth is established (2 Corinthians 13:1); and in this case, three separate people describe this phenomenon and its impact.

Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split. Now when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!” ~Matthew 27:45, 51, and 54

Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!” ~Mark 15:33 and 38–39

And it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous Man!” ~Luke 23:44–45 and 47

The sixth hour is 12 noon, and the ninth hour is 3 pm.  So, the eclipse started at noon and ended at 3 pm. Notice also that in each account, there is seismic activity and a Roman centurion confessing Jesus as Messiah. Jesus died at 3 pm, precisely when the eclipse ended. This was an amazing event.

What Caused the Eclipse?

So, what caused this eclipse if it wasn’t the Moon? We have seen that all three biblical accounts record that there were earthquakes so powerful that the veil of the temple, which was about three feet thick, was torn from top to bottom.

In ratiocination (the practice of deductive logic), if you rule out all the possible causes, then there must exist other seemingly impossible reasons to explain the phenomenon. There appears to be no “normal” answer in our contemporary wisdom and knowledge of astronomy. We can rule out the moon causing the eclipse, because it was on the other side of the Earth and could not have caused it. Also, the time lapse of the eclipse was way too long for it to be caused by the Moon. Additionally, all three biblical testimonies declare that it covered “all the land” (one even states, “all the earth”). This was no ordinary eclipse, and there is an indication from this description that the Earth was in the shadow of something that passed between it and the Sun.

The only explainable premise is that this shadow, or eclipse, had to be caused by an unidentified celestial object (UCO) that passed between the Sun and the Earth. The object would obviously be larger than the Earth since its shadow covered the whole Earth for three hours. Deductively, an object that large and that close to the Earth could certainly have caused a gravitational pull that was the impetus for the seismic activity.

Science does not provide an answer to this event, so either the Bible is wrong or we must look to the “impossible” solution—this was caused by a UCO. We could just explain it away by stating, “God put His hand over the Earth when this happened.” However, this is not Vacation Bible School—something caused it, just as something caused the parting of the Red Sea, the hail fire and brimstone of Sodom and Gomorrah, Joshua’s long day, and Hezekiah’s sundial moving backwards. Perhaps this was the personification of God’s hand over the Earth, but He caused it by natural phenomenon. Israel was almost immediately devastated and even now is struggling to recover the blow dealt them for killing His Son. There is a greater explanation to this than God putting His hand over the earth.

It is both—the UCO and the hand of God—sending a foreboding message, as the eclipse covered the whole earth, that His Son had been killed. In all likelihood, this UCO was a mysterious asteroid or planetoid system passing by.

This is of interest to us for three reasons.

First, this was the crucifixion of Yeshua of Nazareth, the Lord of Glory. God Almighty marked His death with a major celestial sign just as Messiah’s first birth was marked. These are indicators to help us accept the person who is the chosen Messiah and Redeemer of mankind. This should not be swept under the rug simply because we cannot explain it. It is another major sign marking the identity of the Messiah. 

Second, I know that within the Great Tribulation and the second coming of Messiah many celestial phenomena will occur too, and I am looking for His coming. The Bible reveals celestial, cosmic phenomena like the sky receding and every mountain and island being moved out of its place (Revelation 6:14), something that resembles a great flaming mountain being thrown into the sea, a third of the sea becoming blood, a third of the sea creatures dying, and a third of the ships being destroyed (Revelation 8:8), and a great burning star falling from heaven into a third of the rivers, affecting the springs of water (Revelation 8:10). This three-hour solar eclipse plausibly occurred at the death of Yeshua, and perhaps a similar signal will show us his second coming.

Third, I would be remiss if I did not at least mention the existence of another planet or system in our solar system. I have taught this in my Christological astronomy class for almost eight years. I know that there is activity happening in our solar system that is not confined to the Sun and Moon and our nine planets. I learned it from the Bible in questing for the Christology of the planets. Secular sources refer to this celestial phenomenon as Niburu or Planet X. I am greatly interested in it perhaps fulfilling Revelation 12 in the coming fall feasts, as the heavens move through their cycles and circles. This could be the answer to the three-hour solar eclipse and the celestial events of the Great Tribulation.

Deductively, the crucifixion of Yeshua of Nazareth was marked by a celestial sphere eclipsing the whole Earth for three hours. In other words, something came between the Earth and the Sun. These kind of rare happenings offer some other explanation for certain incidents in the Bible that science can’t explain—like hail fire and brimstone at Sodom and Gomorrah, or the parting of the Red Sea, or the Sun and Moon standing still for Joshua, or Hezekiah’s sundial going backward. And there are more. This account in Amos will take your breath away because it sounds exactly like what happened on the day of the crucifixion.

“And it shall come to pass in that day,” says the Lord God, “That I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in broad daylight.” ~Amos 8:9

When I saw this verse recently, it stunned me because it typifies exactly what happened at the time of the crucifixion. Amos prophesied that the Sun would go dark at noon and the Earth would be darkened. Even in a total solar eclipse, which lasts at the most 7½ minutes, the Earth does not get fully darkened. Some believe that this prophecy was fulfilled at the earthquake that occurred during King Uzziah’s reign over Judah (Zechariah 14:5–6). If that were so, then there were two days when this occurred, making Yeshua’s crucifixion event a double fulfillment of this prophecy. I believe that Amos 8:9 is significant within the pattern of what long eclipses and earthquakes portend for Israel. It is not good news for them, but God brings judgment for the purpose of repentance and, ultimately, for reconciliation.

Sun and Moon Eclipsed Simultaneously

On the occasion of a three-hour solar eclipse, the Moon would not appear as having light, since it would not be able to reflect the Sun (regardless of its location). These incidents where neither the Sun nor the Moon have light are prophesied by Joel in 2:10, 31, and 3:15.

I was deeply interested in the tetrad eclipses of 2014 and 2015, and they were significant signs of the coming kingdom of Messiah on Earth, just as the signs in the fall of 2017 will be. Yet they did not fulfill the prophecies of Joel because the eclipses and darkenings of the Sun and Moon that Joel spoke of are simultaneous—just as what happened on the day of the crucifixion. So there was both a solar and a lunar eclipse on that day.

If the Sun goes dark, and covers all the face of the Earth for three hours, at night time on the other side of the earth, the Moon will be eclipsed and appear blood-red because of the shadow of Earth’s atmosphere. Look at what Joel says about this.

The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble; the sun and moon grow dark, and the stars diminish their brightness. ~Joel 2:10

The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. ~Joel 2:31

A solar and lunar eclipse happened simultaneously at the crucifixion. You would think that a three-hour solar eclipse would have been enough of a sign, but Yahweh made sure that the people on the other side of Earth would see it too through the eclipsing of the Moon. These simultaneous solar and lunar eclipse have happened before, and they will happen again.

I am deducing that the sign of the coming of the Son of Man (Luke 21:25–27) will be another simultaneous eclipse of the Sun and Moon. Furthermore, the prophecies of Revelation 12:1-4 indicate that this sign may occur in the fall of 2017.

What Did the Eclipse Say When He Was Crucified?

An eclipse was visible around the world, either solar or lunar—sending out a message for all to see. It was a sad day. The world had rejected and killed the Redeemer, the promised Messiah, and God’s Son. Earthquakes shook the ground and events of such a degree that the Roman centurion accepted Yeshua as the Son of God.

This is how the heavens would have appeared that day of Passover ad 28.

On Passover, in April of the supposed year of ad 28, the Sun was located firmly in the very heart of Taurus, the sacrificial bull. (This occurred before the precession of the equinox took place and moved the placement of the constellations. Within the last 2,000 years, the Sun has been positioned in Aries during April.) This was a strong message for those with eyes to see. From Jerusalem, the site of the crucifixion, the eclipse began at 12 noon and ended at 3 pm.

With the darkness from the solar eclipse, the heavens would have been visible. The whole show was in Taurus, the sacrificial bull who was being slain—simultaneously.

When an eclipse occurs, what is being covered up in the heavens is significant and should be noted. In this instance, not only was the Sun located in the constellation of Taurus, the sacrificial bull, it was also eclipsing the Pleiades cluster of stars, often call the Seven Sisters. These are huge Christological messages.

In Christological astronomy, the Pleiades means the accumulation or congregation of the saints.  It is commonly known as the Seven Sisters located in the shoulder of Taurus but symbolically means the place of the accumulated, departed, righteous dead. At the time that Yeshua was being crucified, the saints in Abraham’s bosom were about to get transported to paradise and this is what the eclipse was saying. The blood of the bull was shed for the forgiveness of sins of the priesthood (Exodus 29:10) and his sacrifice was being announced to the whole world by the eclipsing residing in the constellation of Taurus. And it was a sign of the redemption being paid to release all the souls in hell in Abraham’s bosom that were being taken out of hell, which is where Abraham’s bosom was, and being transported into paradise.

For years, I’ve wondered about the verses in Matthew 27 about many getting out of their graves. Now I know—it was the validation of the solar eclipse’s message to righteous Israel: they would be saved if they embraced the Messiah. The raising of the dead out of Abraham’s bosom was a great accomplishment for the Lord and one of the main reasons He came to Earth.

And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. ~Matthew 27:52–53

As the Sun was also eclipsing the Pleiades, the message was being broadcast around the world that Jesus was going into hell to rescues His brethren. Ephesians 4:8–10 tells us what Jesus did.

Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.” (Now this, “He ascended” --  what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) ~Ephesians 4:8–10

So, the three-hour simultaneous solar/lunar eclipse signified Messiah’s death and also told the story of redemption. Jesus did not die only to save those of us who would come in the future—He also came to rescue those who were in Abraham’s bosom and take them to Paradise.

This is the beautiful, redemptive message of the three-hour solar eclipse.  

Conclusion

This amazing truth has been in the Bible waiting to be discovered. The fact remains, according to biblical and historical dating of earthquakes and other geophysical happenings at that time, that there was a celestial phenomenon that caused the solar eclipse on the Passover of the crucifixion. Even though this blog has focused on the cause of that eclipse, the greater significance lies within the message that it communicated to the whole world.

God Almighty marked Jesus of Nazareth as the promised Messiah by signs in the heavens—in His birth and in His death; and He will do the same in His second coming. What an amazing truth to realize that God so publicly identified the Messiah within His celestial cathedral. Now that an additional sign of the solar eclipse has been added, we should all conclude that Yeshua of Nazareth is the Messiah and Savior of the world.  He is the light of the world and we are looking for His coming and the sign of the coming of the Son of Man.

Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near. ~Luke 21:27–28

CHRISTOLOGICAL ASTRONOMY UPDATE

This March 2017 Christological Astronomy Update will first cover some necessary business items, but then we will get into the meat of the matter—the significant celestial event of this coming fall. Every aspiring magi needs to be aware of what will be happening in the heavens in just a few months and to understand its potential relevance. ~Dr. Dale

Christological Astronomy YouTube Channel

Our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX29EzP-87tNyD9a3XUgnA is up and running for those seeking increased knowledge and understanding of Christological astronomy (CA). We have decided for now to make it accessible to anyone around the globe who wants to study this exciting field. The channel includes an introductory CA video clip that can help people access and understand their profiles and a foundational CA class on interpreting celestial profiles. With this knowledge, you can learn how to do Christological profiles—your own and as many others as needed. (I am also in the process of putting a book together so that people can do their profiles without the help of a computer.) Other videos on this site include advanced teachings that delve into the deeper studies of decans.

In order to officially name our channel we need at least 500 subscribers, so please register and invite all your “stellar” friends to register too! Advertise us by displaying our link on your social media sites and share it with those in your spheres of influence. A lot of hours of hard work have gone into this effort to help people around the world, so please check it out and sign up so that we can establish an official name for the site. We believe it could be an influential tool to reach the millennials and the younger generations with a knowledge of the glory of God.

Again, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX29EzP-87tNyD9a3XUgnA is the current link.

New YouTube Class on the Decans

The new class on decans is an exciting study into the deeper meanings of the minor constellations.  Each major constellation of the Mazzaroth has three minor amplifiers (associated constellations called “decans”) that give it greater meaning and significance. This class is on how to Christologically interpret these decans and apply those interpretations in a practical way to live like the Messiah here on earth. The information on these 36 minor constellations is a major portion of Level 3 on astronomy.lmci.org and is now required knowledge for certification as a facilitator. (The facilitator’s training has been recently updated to include this class, and a new e-book will soon be posted at LMCI.org.)

Christological Astronomy Website

Our Christological Astronomy website at http://astronomy.lmci.org is an amazing witnessing tool. Please check it out and register to get a password so that you can do profiles for yourself and others. We are still working toward the app, but until then, you can save this link and the YouTube channel link on your phone or tablet and use either or both when you are witnessing to people. Our astronomy program is being touted in astronomical circles as a great addition to the field and a resource for many researchers. We also want to get more astrologers to look at it so they can have the necessary instruction to correct the common dating errors of traditional astrology. Our goal is to introduce astrologers to the true Astrologos in the process.

Revelation 12:1 and 2—“The Meat of the Matter” (Part 1)

We are privileged to be living during this time when the heavens are announcing the Lord’s coming! I have been tracking these announcements for over 20 years and am excited to see how the signs are increasing in their intensity and impact. According to computer projections, we are heading toward a big crescendo during the Jewish fall feasts this year, with a major sign occurring on September 23^rd—just a few months away!  

Note: See http://drdaleblog.blogspot.com/2016/07/celestial-fulfillment-of-revelation-121.html for my blog posting that deals specifically with the celestial fulfillment of Revelation 12:1 and 2. In that posting, I promised a follow-up on verses 3 and 4, which you will find a portion of at the end of this posting.

The understanding of what will occur this fall is progressive as the research deepens and details keep pouring in. We can speculate on some possible meanings, but textually, Revelation 12:1 and 2 must happen simultaneously with verses 3 and 4. When this happens, the war in heaven will be triggered.

According to astronomical research, this particular celestial arrangement has never occurred during mankind’s history and will not likely happen again according to the longest computer projections. However, there was a similar occurrence on August 5, 3915 bc which may have been the pattern of this prophecy’s fulfillment. (See an amazing revelation about this on a YouTube channel called “September 23, 2017—Part 1: The Revelation 12 Sign – Unlocking Daniel’s Sealed Prophecies,” which is part of a series entitled “God’s Roadmap to the End.”)

Chapter 12 is a major marker in the book of Revelation and, hence, it is a major tribulation prophecy. Exactly what will happen and what the message in the heavens is telling us is open for discussion, but that it is going to happen is not. God made this “clock” in the heavens and it really is the only accurate timepiece we have. It is absolute, and God has told us that the alarm will go off this fall.

This is biblical prophecy being fulfilled right before our eyes.

The arrangement of the Sun, Moon, and planets on September 23, 2017 seems so accurately described in these verses that it is basically impossible for this to not be their prophetic fulfillment. It appears that John the Apostle was transported into the future during the end days and shown this celestial configuration. Although it is exciting to see the fulfillment of this, there are obviously some cautions that go along with it since it is plausible that it will be the beginning of the Great Tribulation. I challenge you to read Revelation 12 and 13 and see for yourself that when this is lined up with the computer projections for this fall, it certainly appears that it is about to happen. Daniel prophesied about increased knowledge in the end days, and the current knowledge of astronomy gained from computer projections could be a fulfillment of that prophecy, opening the doors of awareness of an even greater prophecy. These are sobering thoughts. God have mercy on us all. 

Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) will occur on either the 22^nd or 23^rd of September this year, and the heavens will fit the description of Revelation 12:1 and 2.

Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. ~Revelation 12:1­–2

The Sun will be located in the middle of the woman (Virgo) and the Moon will be under her feet. This happens every Rosh Hashanah, but the difference this year is that the remainder of verses 1 and 2 is also fulfilled. The remainder of verse 1 speaks of a garland of 12 stars on her head, and this will be resembled in the heavens as a string of pearls backwards from Virgo’s head that connects the major planets of Mercury, Venus, and Mars (which would appear as stars) to the 9 major stars of Leo, plus.

Throughout this arrangement, Jupiter (known as the King planet) is fulfilling verse 2 as it retrogrades in Virgo’s midsection, depicting the birth of her child. It will descend down the birth canal on September 23^rd, 2017, which just “happens” to be the Feast of Trumpets that announces the coming of the King. This cannot be wrong.

Many of us have long suspected that Jupiter (Hebrew Tsedeq) is the King Star of Matthew 2. The fact that it will be retrograding around Virgo’s star Al Zemach at this time, makes it clear that it is. (See also http://drdaleblog.blogspot.com postings from June 16 and July 15, 2015.)

Another sign that could be pointing toward a culmination occurred on December 23, 2016, when an anti-settlement resolution was passed by the United Nations Security Council, nullifying the legality of any Jewish settlement built in Israeli-occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem where the Temple Mount is located. Although the resolution does not specify this, some are interpreting this to be delegitimizing the Temple Mount and the Wailing Wall as Israeli territory. What’s interesting is that the celestial event of September 23, 2017 will occur nine months to the day of the signing of this anti-Israel resolution. (Read the full text of this resolution at http://www.timesofisrael.com/full-text-of-unsc-resolution-approved-dec-23-demanding-israel-stop-all-settlement-activity/.)

Historically, since the 1917 Balfour Declaration and the Six-Day War of 1967, we now are facing the possibility of a Jubilee fulfillment, with this one potentially being the 120^th.

As for celestial indicators this year, there was a recent comet siting during a lunar eclipse in February (2017), and there is going to be a solar eclipse exactly one month before the target of September 23, 2017. In the following subsection, I will give a short Christological interpretation of the comet’s message and then one on the solar eclipse that will take place in August. The heavens are heralding the coming of the King and the casting down of Satan.  

Comet 45P

Comet 45P, also known as the Honda or New Year’s Comet, became visible (with binoculars) sometime during December and remained that way through the early part of March. (It becomes visible about every 5.25 years.) In December it was spotted in the constellation of Hercules and was tracked through Corona (the Crown) in January and February. In early March, it disappeared from view in the constellation of Boötes.

Christologically, Comet 45P’s course broadcasted the same message that the celestial alignment of Revelation 12 will display in September: Satan is being cast down! Hercules will be in a central position in the sky with his foot on the head of the constellation Drago, the dragon (or serpent), representing Messiah the serpent crusher (Revelation 12:7ff). When Comet 45P left Hercules, it traveled through the constellation of Corona, depicting the serpent’s effort to remove the crown; however, it was subdued by the twin giant of the heavens, Ophiuchus. Corona represents the crown of life promised to Christ followers who stand fast so that no man can take their crown (Revelation 2:10). Comet 45P ended up in Boötes (the Lord coming to reap the harvest) before disappearing from view (Revelation 14:14ff).

The twofold definitive statement is that the judgment of Yeshua is coming upon the devil (by casting down the serpent) and He is coming to gather His people (Revelation 12:7–9). This doesn’t mean it will happen on that very day (September 23, 2017); however, it should come to pass very soon.

The Solar Eclipse of August 21, 2017

One month before the forecasted date of the fulfillment of Revelation 12:1 and 2, a solar eclipse will occur, appearing mainly over the United States. (Incidentally, at that time Vicki and I will be in Casper, Wyoming, one of the best viewing sites, where I have been invited to speak on the Christology of this event.) The world will go bonkers over this eclipse with most of them not even realizing the significant location of it. In the Stellarium depiction below, we can see where it will occur.

The moon is eclipsing the Sun in direct relationship to the star Regulus in the constellation of Leo. Leo Christologically represents the Lion of the Tribe of Judah—the Messiah. Many will observe this sign plastered in the heavens that is announcing the coming of the Lord, yet “seeing they may see and not perceive” (Mark 4:12 NKJV).  

There will be thousands traveling to Casper, Wyoming to view this eclipse and partake in the “Wyoming Eclipse Festival 2017.”  I wonder if it will draw serious Sun worshipers or those simply looking to party. Either way, pray for open doors of utterance to open blind eyes. It will be a big deal, and there will be heavy media coverage, yet I doubt anyone will mention the fact that it is occurring in Leo in direct conjunction with the star Regulus (the King star)—or that it’s happening exactly one lunar month before September 23^rd. An additional factor that makes this eclipse in August so compelling is that both the Sun and moon will be in conjunction with Regulus. This shows the coming of the Lord in judgment, as the King of kings and Lord of lords.

During a total solar eclipse, the Sun’s light is blocked out, making other celestial bodies visible, almost as if it were nighttime. It can be compared to a theatrical performance when the house lights are dimmed so the audience can focus on the stage and its players. When the main light is blocked on August 18, Jupiter will be plainly visible in Virgo during its retrograde in the womb; and all this points to the coming of the King.

Revelation 12:3 and 4—“The Meat of the Matter” (Part 2)

To the best of my knowledge, the signs in the heavens have been pointing to two things since 1996—the coming of the Lord and the casting down of Satan. The celestial alignment of September 2017 is broadcasting this two-fold message. Revelation 12:1 and 2 show the Lord’s coming and verses 3 and 4 show Satan being cast down while in the midst of trying to prevent His coming.  

For years, I’ve tried to understand the imagery in Revelation 12, and now I believe it has been profiling the first and second comings of the Lord. We cannot separate verses 1 and 2 from 3 and 4 because they are simultaneous events. The red dragon in verse 3 is positioning himself to devour the child as soon as it’s born.

And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. ~Revelation 12:3–4

Make no mistake, what is being displayed in the heavens is a scene of impending violence. It seems as though chapter 12 is heaven’s picture of what is happening on earth in chapter 13. When the dragon is cast down, he comes to the earth and empowers the beast (Revelation 13:2).

Verses 1 and 2, as far as I understand, have a mutually inclusive event that is further enhanced in verses 3 and 4 with the entrance of the red dragon. The dragon appears to devour the Child (represented by Jupiter), indicating a celestial phenomenon at that moment in time. The spiritual implication is that Satan will be thrown down to earth, potentially beginning the Great Tribulation. From the subsequent chapters in Revelation, the story line bears witness to what the heavens were prophesying in verses 1–4 of chapter 12—Satan is soon to be cast down to earth, triggering the Great Tribulation!

Regardless of how this is interpreted, it still indicates that the red dragon will show up simultaneously with the woman about to bear her child. This will signal the war in heaven between Michael and his angels and the dragon and his angels, resulting in the dragon, Satan, being cast to the earth.

Lastly, I want to exhort you with a scripture that is so relevant today, the ink may still be wet, even though it was written almost 2,000 years ago.

Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time. ~Revelation 12:12

This is where the rubber meets the road and our traditional doctrine will be challenged, because the obvious outcome of this will be great tribulation. Interestingly, this verse is telling the heavens and those who dwell in them to rejoice, which indicates a gathering of people in the heavens. To me, this could be interpreted as the Bride of Christ being caught away, leaving the rest of the Body of Christ on the earth to be purged during the Great Tribulation. This is one way to interpret what these celestial events are signaling.

 

This phenomenon may quite possibly include an unidentified celestial object (UCO) appearing somewhere in the vicinity of Jupiter, or perhaps under Virgo’s feet. From reports we’ve already been receiving, this could be Planet X’s (Nibiru’s) earthly debut. The description of the red dragon in verses 3 and 4 lines up with the description of a celestial phenomenon in Chinese astronomy that occurred around 1628 bc.¹ Gil Broussard also documents a siting recorded by Chinese astronomers dating back to ad 1054.²

I have long believed and voiced that the Great Tribulation would be accompanied by, if not caused by, celestial anomalies. It is obvious when you read a prophecy about a mountain falling into the sea that it is referring to something falling from the heavens, i.e., an asteroid the size of a mountain (Revelation 9:1).

Revelation 12:1–4 speaks of two separate celestial events, but I believe they will happen simultaneously this fall. The context shows us that this will begin hell on earth because of Satan being cast down. The verses later on in chapter 12 about overcoming him suddenly become relevant. 

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. ~Revelation 12:11

It is also fitting to acknowledge that the Lord may be coming for His bride and that she is taken out of the tribulation and then comes again with Him in glory. There are lots of things to consider from piecing together both the heavenly and written Scriptures.

I believe these are the most exciting times to be alive ever. Believing (or not believing) in the rapture will not make it happen (nor stop it from happening). The Bible declares that Jesus will choose a bride, and it appears that the only thing within our control is making the decision to seek the Lord and be holy. So let’s do what Matthew 25:1–13 exhorts us to do and trim our lamps and be ready for the coming of our Bridegroom.

Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near. ~Luke 21:28

In our present culture of heated political debates, let me say this—our hope is in Jesus, not political allies or in any earthly powers, nor is it in our own physical strength.

As I said earlier, research continues to pour in on this upcoming event at lightning speed. As I am able to evaluate and disseminate it, I will update you and also go further into the subsequent chapters of the book of Revelation.

And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” ~Revelation 22:17

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Notes

1.         Greg Jenner, “Planet X and the Kolbrin Bible Collection,” online article, accessed March 16, 2017, http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/hercolobus/kolbrin_08.htm. Jenner states the following in his article:

From James Legge’s book The Sacred Books of China (1879), he cites an ancient story of a corrupt tyrant named King Chieh who just so happened to be the last King of the Xia Dynasty. During the Xia/Shang dynasty transition, King Chieh was defeated by King T’ang, and according to my research, the transition period could have included 1628 BC - the time Typhone (the celestial Beast) was seen overhead.

Legge translates:

              The Sacred Books of China

              “…the king of Xia [Chieh] extinguished his virtue, and played the               tyrant ... The way of heaven is to bless the good and make the bad               miserable. It sent down calamities on [the dynasty of] Xia, to make           manifest his guilt ...”

During King Chieh’s defeat, the ancient Chinese text refers to “bright terrors,” “sending calamities” and the bitter weed “wormwood”.

To me, these quotes indicate King Chieh quite possibly could have seen the celestial Beast in the skies at the time of his defeat (along with King Typhon’s observation in a totally different region of the world).

2.        Gil Broussard, “Planet-X (7X) ‘Chinese Guest Star’ of Year 1054,” online video, accessed March 17, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkTf4MMGN90.

THROUGH THE FIRE!

Vicki and I have been overwhelmed by the goodness and generosity of God’s people in the face of our recent tragedy. We have received so much response that it took Vicki an entire day to record what we have been given monetarily. We are deeply grateful for your benevolence. We would like to send out personal thank-you notes eventually, but it may be awhile before we can do that. In the meantime, please receive this as a genuine thank you from our hearts. You have been amazing.

Just this morning—less than two weeks later—Vicki and I agreed that eventually we will be thankful that this fiery trial happened; but presently, we are still processing the destruction of our possessions and the fearsome power of a consuming fire. In this letter, I hope to share some of the lessons we have already learned, and are continuing to learn, from this unexpected event—which are far greater than any worldly possessions.

The Fire

Just before going to bed on the evening of December 14, the Lord told me that Satan had greatly withstood me in the subject of Christological Astronomy. A few hours later, our back porch caught on fire. The Lord supernaturally awakened me, and I got Vicki (and our dog Mickey) out of the house with only seconds to spare. Not to be melodramatic, but the body of Christ almost lost their most apostolic teachers for the subject of Christological Astronomy. Plain and simple, this incident resembles the book of Job; it was an assassination attempt upon mine and Vicki’s lives. The word Vicki and I both received was, “He redeemed our lives from destruction.” We have wreaked havoc on the devil and his kingdom for many years. The reality is that we have become a serious threat to Satan’s kingdom, but Jesus redeemed our lives from destruction.

The whole ordeal with the fire began that night at about 9 pm, when I had cleaned out the wood stove and put the coals in a container on the back basement porch. As much as it sounds like Job, a gust of wind that was approximately 30 miles-per-hour came up in the early hours of the morning (December 15) and apparently blew the can over. Because there were a few live embers within the coals, it ignited a plastic gas tank for my motorcycle, which then quickly spread to our almost six cords of firewood stacked right behind the house. The continuing winds directed this blazing inferno straight into our home and forged the fire so intensely that it was incinerated in its entirety within one hour. Almost immediately after the house was consumed, the winds subsided. The fire marshal said that this was the hottest fire he had ever witnessed. Regardless, my beautiful wife and I stood in the side yard and witnessed our home with all our earthly possessions completely destroyed in a blazing fire. Among the scars and trauma registered in my mind of that night, I have deeply embedded in my memory also a powerful picture of Vicki standing in her nightgown, glowing orange from the reflections of the inferno, with her hands raised to the heavens praying and quoting Bible verses.

I can tell you that I hurt more for her than I hurt for me, but she is a rock and one of the godliest people I have ever known or even read about. Of all that we lost, the thing that hurt me most was the burning of her artwork. But Jesus redeemed my life from destruction—He personally told me that He got her artwork and that it would be in her home in glory. Hallelujah! We lost everything—all of our earthly possessions, including our two cars parked outside the house. Besides Vicki’s artwork, we lost all my guns and ammo, and the contents of our safe, which included enough assets to buy the house (which we were preparing to do). When you listen to this month’s CD (January 2017) entitled “Through the Fire / Bitter or Better,” you will hear Vicki share about the few remains and their possible prophetic meanings. The closing monthly CD for 2016 (December) was on the subject of suffering, and we have now been given the opportunity to live it out.

Both Vicki and I have been vociferous about our beliefs concerning the end times and hard times, and we had made physical preparations to help many people in the face of a catastrophe. I believe we were also both spiritually prepared for this tragedy because we have been storing God’s amazing, powerful Word in our minds, and that has yielded a peace that passes understanding throughout this ordeal. In addition, we believe that God is increasing our spiritual preparation by the lessons He is teaching us from this event, and that is worth far more than all we have lost.

Some Lessons We Have Learned

After my wailing and moaning subsided, I took the time to ask the Lord how He felt about the situation. The lessons He taught me and continues to teach me are incredibly comforting and revealing. As I tell you what He said, you will know that He said these things since there’s no way I am clever enough to think them up. When I asked Him how He felt about it, I heard sort of a light chuckle and then He said, “I got what I wanted out of the fire.” I knew He meant Vicki and me. At first, His response sort of shocked me, but then I realized the simplicity and brevity of it. He added, “I am sorry for the loss of your things, but when I see what you have up here, it is not worthy to compare.” He continued, “I have heard your moaning over the loss of Vicki’s  artwork. No more tears.” He ended with, “I have them and they will be hanging in her home in glory.” This last statement affected me deeply as I saw His individual compassion on me.

I also asked Him, “People have said, ‘the Lord gives and the Lord takes away.’ Would you please comment on that?” He answered, “I did not burn your house. I am not that way and I am not that cheap. You opened the door with the bucket of coals and the devil capitalized on it and burned your house.” What a valuable lesson. Later, in a different conversation, He also told me that it was a planned assassination attempt on Vicki and me because of our contribution to Christological Astronomy and the glory of the Astrologos we are striving for. This has made me incredibly more aware of the precious cargo that we are carrying and even more dedicated to sow it into the world.

He added, “If you and Vicki had died in the fire, you would have more today here than you would even have had if the fire had not occurred.” He said, “I redeemed your life from destruction because I had mercy on your children.”

I know that He woke me up. When I shared this with the fire marshal, we both praised God for it. Two days later a house fire not too far from us killed all three occupants. It wasn’t until several days later as we were sharing with our home fellowship that it suddenly hit me just how close we came to dying in the fire.

Vicki and I have agreed to not play the devil’s game of “What if,” so I am not going to dwell too long on it, but what if Vicki and I had died in the fire? What would it have done to my family? When I shared this with our staff, Joe Dobrota added, “That includes your spiritual children.” I tremble at God’s mercy.

More Lessons

One of the biggest lessons is the power of memorized scripture. As I laid down to go to sleep the first night after the fire, as soon as I closed my eyes, I was viewing the “video” of my initial discovery of the flames behind my house and experiencing the same trauma at the realization that we were about to lose our lives. (I have taught about situations like this in Mending Cracks in the Soul.) As soon as this flashed into my mind, the conditioning of God’s Word and spiritual preparation for traumatic video replays such as these kicked in and I immediately started quoting Psalm 91. The more my mind wanted to see the flames and make me associate to fear, the more I willed my mind to press into the scriptures. I even began grammatically diagramming verse 1, and when it was finished, I moved onto verse 2, and was diagramming verse 8 when I fell asleep. Then I woke up at 4 am. As soon as I was awake, another scene of the fire—it bursting into the house as the whole back part of the house was ablaze—flashed in my mind. As soon as I saw it, I doused it with Psalm 103. I got down to about verse 5 and woke up at 6 am to a third picture of trauma—seeing the whole house on fire. I hosed that one down with Ephesians and before I knew it, it was 8 am and I was rested and not a victim to trauma. So this is the lesson: overcome trauma with truth. If I had not memorized scripture verses from God’s Word, I could have been a basket case with a fractured mind for a long time, if not forever. Generally, a progression sets in: after trauma comes anxiety, then sleeplessness, then off to the doctor for pain pills and/or sleep aids. Then the next thing you know, self-pity sets in, demons of depression come in, you bear the consequences of being a victim, and a life is destroyed.

Vicki has been my inspiration and my cheerleader in memorizing scripture. Every day I already had the Word running through my mind to overcome the symptoms of Lyme disease and to live above the pain; so when the fire came, we were both prepared. May we exhort you—even if just because this lesson cost us so dearly to see plainly—please memorize some Bible. Don’t delay, start today!

Some lessons have come directly from the Lord, but others have come from several of our friends who have been prophetically reliable for many years and have spoken some words that bear witness in our hearts. One friend prophesied that the glory of the body of Christ’s giving and expression of compassion and love is a far greater glory than the burning of precious possessions. We have received loving gifts from local churches (including the Baptists and the Roman Catholics), and even from complete strangers, such as my granddaughter’s school teacher. Truly, the glory of the whole body of Christ working together to bless us is producing a greater glory than the plundering of our earthly things.

Another friend commented that I have pioneered works my whole life and ministry. He said, “It appears that the Lord has given you an apostolic teaching mantle on suffering and is giving you some great lessons that you can share with us.” He continued, “The last several teachings you have sent us have been on suffering; now it appears that He is giving you a promotion and some new material.” I responded that I did not volunteer for an apostle of suffering any more than Paul did, but who am I to question the Potter? I am committed to getting as much out of this as I can. What the devil has meant for harm, God will use for good.

Also, about two weeks prior to the fire, my daughter Sarah had a dream that I was killed. Since then she has been praying repetitively and fervently, “God have mercy on me and don‘t let my parents die.” Obviously, He heard and answered her prayers. We also have several testimonies of people waking in the middle of the night just in time to pray for Vicki and me before, during, and after the fire. Mercy, mercy, mercy.

Always remember, it is how you respond to taking a big hit that reveals if you are a champion with a strong depth of character. “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small” (Proverbs 24:10). The fire has also ignited resolve in our hearts to fulfill our purposes, and we are thankful for the extension of time we have been given to do that. I actually have less fear now than ever before because Jesus redeemed our lives from destruction. Satan made two mistakes: 1) trying to kill us; 2) failing in the attempt.

Lots of lessons—expensive and precious. Praise the Lord, I have my wife and I have my life.

How You Can Help

For those of you who may be wondering how you can help us, here are some suggestions.

• Please pray that we can learn as much out of this as we can and that we would share the lessons with God’s people. I knew when I was ordained and especially as an apostle that I would be set up for such things. Please pray for peace, grace, and at least a double portion of restoration.
• We need money to buy back what was plundered. Vicki and I are thankful for the burning of some ballast, but there are some things we would like to replace. Checks, made payable to Dale M. Sides, may be sent to the LMCI address: 1029 Turnpike Rd., Suite F, Bedford VA 24523. (Please note that such checks are NOT tax-deductible; they are personal gifts.) Many of you have already done this. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
• I had the thought last night that if anyone has a house full of really nice furniture (perhaps left by parents or grandparents) that they don’t want and are willing to donate, it could be a great answer to what we need. What we lost in the fire, at least at this time, was our inheritance to give to our children. They have assured us that our lives now are their inheritance. In addition, if you know anyone who would like to make a sizeable donation to the ministry, we could buy or build a location for Vicki and me to live in.
• We so appreciate the gifts that you have already given and your wonderful hearts of benevolence. However, please do not give us what you would normally send to sponsor LMCI. We appreciate your kindness, but it’s in a time like this that if we are not wise, we could end up with personal things while the ministry suffers.

I am planning our strategy carefully. A spiritual warrior’s most effective and powerful position is on his knees. All of his moves and weapons are launched best from this position. We have weapons of power and authority to command God’s heavenly purposes to come to earth. Thanks for joining us in the operation of these.

In summary, Vicki and I have both adopted the same attitude as the Lord—we got what we wanted out of the fire, and that was each other. We have both had to deal with trauma but we are so grateful for the scriptures we have memorized that have freed us from it. This is one of the greatest lessons of all and we are committed to continue teaching people this vital key on how to prepare for hard times. It has become more valuable than all our earthly treasures.  

Vicki and I have a cute little furnished house to move into on January 1^st while the other house is being rebuilt. This temporary home is right next door to Joe and Mary Ellen Dobrota. We are presently staying with our daughter Sarah and her husband Keven and enjoying the therapy of our grandchildren. My granddaughter Kaitlin said to me the other night as I was putting her to bed, “Pop (my affectionate grandfather name), I am sorry that your house burned down but I know something good that can come out of it.” “What?” I asked. She said, “You can write a book about what you learn.” Out of the mouth of babes!

From the first night of the fire, Vicki and I began confessing “Jesus Christ makes all things new.” Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your love, prayers, and support for us.

God bless you all. We love you.

P.S. Please note that we have already received all the clothes that we need; and although we will eventually need furniture, we presently have no place to store it. However, we would love to receive some furniture once the new house is finished, which should be within six-to-eight months. We will certainly let you know when that happens. 

Victimized by Suicide (And How to Overcome It)

In August of 1999, I was in the President of Nigeria’s office when I got a phone call that continues to ring in my ears today. It was my wife’s voice informing me that my mother had taken her life. At that split second in time, I unknowingly became a victim of suicide. Even now, I have to work to forget the helpless feeling that came over me. As I tried to grasp my loss and grief, I fell to my knees weeping. My mother had stolen my relationship with her—and there was nothing I could do about it but cry and moan.

To this day, I have tried to redeem some good out of that situation, and all I have been able to recover is the lesson of how to overcome the victimization of suicide. I hope that this can help you or someone you know who has experienced the trauma of a loved one committing suicide.

Victimization is the consequence of a bad situation happening to you over which you had no control. It can be the result of an accident or a violation such as abuse, rape, abduction, or a robbery. The main victimization of suicide is that your loved one has stolen their relationship away from you. When someone you loved and knew so well commits the abuse (in this case, suicide) it sets it apart from a situation where a stranger has committed the offense.   

The whole direction and focus of your life from that point on will be determined by how well you are able to forgive the offense your loved one committed against you. A victim of any tragedy can be tempted to carry a helpless, hopeless attitude that affects every area of their life, including all their other relationships. Yes, people do get victimized, and suicide is one of the ways this happens; but there are ways to overcome it. It is not easy, but it can be done.

Forgiveness

The only way I know to overcome the victimization of suicide is to forgive the one who committed the act of taking their life. I learned this lesson rather abruptly after carrying the unforgiveness of my mother around for almost 10 years. At a deliverance conference, I was confronted with the question of who I needed to forgive. I cannot tell you how many times I have asked this of others in my deliverance meetings, but this time, the question was addressed to me. When I consulted the Lord, He responded with, “Your mother.” Even though I had counseled others about this very thing in their lives, I was stunned by His response and realized I had been weighed down with the same offense. The realization hit me that I needed to forgive my mother for stealing my relationship with her. What could be more dastardly that to steal someone’s relationship with their mother, especially when it is the mother who steals it? The betrayal and loss is irrevocable. So there I was, staring down this huge offense and realizing that I had to forgive her—for my own sake. My dilemma was—how?

Forgiveness can be tricky. I actually believe it is one of the most difficult Christ-like characteristics to develop. It necessitates acting from your spirit and not your soul. Your soul, or mind, struggles against it because it holds the offense in its memory. Therefore, the decision must be made from your spirit, contrary to your mind, and then spoken from your mouth. It is a heart decision that presents itself in the physical realm by speaking it out. In my case, it was saying, “I forgive my mother,” and then, in essence, handing the Lord her I.O.U. note. We give Him the offense and trust Him to do justice with the debt that the person owes you. It is not that the person gets off scot-free but that you allow Jesus to hold the note and decide what to do with it. As you continue to speak forgiveness towards the offender, you will accept it in your heart. You will know it has reached your heart when you can trust Him to handle it.

Empathy

As I said, forgiveness of the person is paramount. Another concept that helped me in processing this was trying to imagine what caused the person to have such thoughts. This helped make me more empathetic toward them. The one who commits suicide at some point believed a lie that was exacerbated by demons of deception, including self-pity. To some degree, the study of iniquity can open our understanding of generational curses to help us see why people are the way they are and why they act the way they do. On the other hand, there are some things we will never know or understand in our earthly lives.

Don’t Play the “What If?” Game

When our mother took her life, my brother Larry shared something he heard Charles Stanley say, “Those things you don’t understand, put them in a bag, tie it up, give it to the Lord, and never open it again.” Great advice! Failure to do this can open the door for the devil to play the “What If?” game. What if you had been with the person or had gone to see her or called, then such and such would not have happened. NO! Don’t play that game! The devil tried to play it with me by whispering, “Well, if you had been with her then she would not have done this.” The truth of the matter is that she would have done it anyway. Don’t play the game. Control your thinking and give the things you do not understand to the Lord.

Remember the Good

Don’t let their suicide overshadow your loved one’s goodness and accomplishments. Remember the good things about them. It is easy to allow tragedy to overcome us in times of weakness, but we must “hold fast to the good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

In Closing

I hope that this article helps you or someone you know who has become the victim of a loved one’s suicide. The ultimate peace and reconciliation of the tragedy rests with the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the judge of the living and the dead. He holds the keys and only He truly knows the heart of man. He is a just and righteous judge.