The Magi series – IV. The Magi – Astrology/Astronomy meets the Jewish Festival Year – Crowning the King – Part 1
This perhaps is the most startling element in this discussion. First a little background information:
A conjunction simply means that stars and/or planets are in the near neighborhood of each other. However when they are very close vicinity it can be most impressive.
Triple conjunctions occur every year in regard to each outer planet. When the earth first comes from behind the sun, against the backdrop of far-away space, a distant planet may be observed as passing, for example, a star. As the earth approaches mid-sun, the distant planet, in relation to the star, appears to stop and go backwards (only a trick of perspective) and has a second conjunction with that star. The planet then stops again, and goes forward, passing the star for the third time, as the earth heads to go behind the sun.
Leo, considered the King Constellation, has the bright King Star, Regulus. Although Saturn is the “Old” King Planet, Jupiter is the “New” King – within the context of the coming Messiah, Yahweh of the Old Testament is the Old King, and Jesus is the New King. Venus has a unique role: when it is the Morning Star it is a masculine virgin; when it is the Evening Star it is a feminine virgin.
As the Heavenly Christmas Ballet began on August 12, 3 BC, in Leo, Jupiter and the masculine Venus met in a very close conjunction – 4 arc minutes apart. This would suggest the joining of “the New King” Jupiter, the God-nature, with Venus as His human nature. The month was Elul, a time of repentance and preparation for the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Succoth, reflecting John the Baptist’s cry, “Repent! … ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight’” [Matthew 3:2-3].
On August 22, the Sun (Supreme Father) entered Virgo (Virgin). On September 1, Mercury (the Messenger) drew close to Venus, then sped ahead, entering the constellation Virgo on September 4, followed the next day by the masculine Venus. Meanwhile Jupiter was about to “crown the King” (the star Regulus) with a triple conjunction.
Jupiter meets Regulus – First Encounter – September 14, 3 BC
On September 14, Jupiter and Regulus were 20 arc minutes apart, in the middle of some very important celebrations and events. September 10 was Tishri 1, Rosh HaShanah (The Head of the Year), the Jewish “New Year” 3759 (Tishri, the seventh month for a new year’s celebration? That’s because Nissan, the month of the Passover, had become the designated first month in Exodus 12:2). Rosh HaShanah was considered the “birthday” of creation as well as the “anniversary” of the world’s renewal, when Noah had first looked out on dry ground [Genesis 8:13].
It was Yom HaDin (The Day of the Trumpets), when heralded with trumpets kings were crowned (an intriguing thought as Jupiter begins to “crown” Regulus), but also was the “pre-anniversary” of Judgment Day when the Lord will assume full kingship over the earth, bringing judgment against evil and the enemies of His People [Zechariah 9:14-15] – therefore it is Yom Teruah (The Day of the Awakening Blast or The Day of the Awakening Shout) meant to jolt the Jew from sluggishness. This celebration was also when the gates of heaven were “opened,” a sort of “All Saints’ Day” in which those who have passed on were remembered with a resurrection emphasis, the fulfillment being the actual reuniting on the day of THE Last Trump.
Yamim Nora’im (The Days of Awe) or Aseret Yamei T’shuvah (The Ten Days of Repentance) followed with the emphasis of examining one’s life and repenting for all wrongs committed during the previous year. The first Sabbath during these ten days was Shabbat Shuvah (The Sabbath of Return), recalling Hosea 14:1’s cry, “Shuvah Yisrael – Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God.” In 3 BC, this was the 14th – the exact day of the first Jupiter and Regulus conjunction.
Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement), September 19, was the capstone of the repentance period. God defined the Sabbath as “a SIGN between Me and you … that I, Jehovah, sanctify you” [Exodus 31:13; also Ezekiel 20:12, 20]. That’s why there was to be no work on the Sabbath – the sanctification was God’s work alone. However, the Day of Atonement was a “Sabbath of Sabbaths,” that is, everything that the Sabbath was, this day was even more so. Normally allowed activities were not allowed on this day, not even eating. When it came to atonement, humanity was utterly helpless. They could only watch as the atonement was accomplished for them.
And what a visual object lesson! The scapegoat Azazel (“Very Removed”), after the High Priest confessed Israel’s sins on it, was driven into the wilderness [Leviticus 16:8, 20-22]. In a dramatic display of atonement, Israel watched what the Psalmist described “as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” [Psalm 103:12]! One did not make himself right with God, but rather he was made right because of God’s action. How easily the relief from this day’s activity would lay the foundation for the Jubilee Year which, every 50 years started, on Yom Kippur [Leviticus 25:9].
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The final festival for this first conjunction was Sukkoth/Asif (Tishri 15-22 – September 24-October 1). For five days each Jewish family constructed a sukkah, “booth,” a shelter of tree branches and other flimsy material, as a reminder of the frail dwellings used by the Israelites in the wilderness after the Exodus. However, the Khag HaSukkot (the Festival of the Booths) had a companion, Khag HaAsif (the Festival of the Ingathering), the fruit harvest celebration. Not only did the family “rough it” in this hut for a week, they also celebrated the bounty that the Lord had provided now in their Promised Land.
Sukkoth, “the Feast” [I Kings 8:2, 8:65; 12:32; II Chronicles 5:3; 7:8] or “the Feast of the Lord” [Leviticus 23:39; Judges 21:19], saw King Solomon dedicate the Temple [1 Kings 8; 2 Chronicles 7]; was the first feast after the return from captivity [Ezra 3:2-4]; and had a Messianic link in Zechariah 14:16, where all nations “shall go up from year to year to worship the King, Jehovah of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.” John uses the “tent” imagery in regard to Jesus’ presence [John 1:14; Revelation 7:15; 21:3]. *We* think it will be heaven when we can be with God; but according to Christmas, Immanuel (“God is with us”), and John, to God heaven will be when He can do the “tenting” with us again.
An interesting side note is found In Genesis 33:17, “Jacob journeyed to Succoth, built himself a house, and made *booths* for his livestock; therefore the place is called Succoth” – a stable is a “sukkah”! Traditionally, as the family camped for the seven days of this festival, each day an “exalted guest” was welcomed into the family’s sukkah – one of each of the seven shepherds of Israel: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph and David. A family in a stable visited by shepherds – and this was rehearsed every year!
Traveling on, Jupiter slows down, stops, and now returns to meet Regulus a second time.
Next: Astrology/Astronomy meets the Jewish Festival Year – Crowning the King Part 2
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Who were the Magi? Why did they come to see Jesus? What caused them to start their journey? These are the topics which will be discussed throughout this series, based on research I had done for my book *Creation’s Ballet for Jesus*. The attempt here was to keep each topic short, however that was not always possible, and Topic V, although not specifically dealing with the Magi, was added to include the missing major festival of Passover into the consideration. The topics will be posted daily here in the following order for eight days, and also will be included on my Blog, *lindespirit.com* (the specific blog address for each topic is listed with each day’s post).
-I. The Magi – Who were they? [p=1257 – same address as below, simply insert this location instead]
-II. The Magi – Zoroaster meets Yahweh [p=1260]
-III. The Magi – Astrology/Astronomy and a Living Prophet [p=1268]
-IV. The Magi – Astrology/Astronomy meets the Jewish Festival Year – Crowning the King Part 1
-V. The Magi – Astrology/Astronomy meets the Jewish Festival Year – Crowning the King Part 2
-VI. The Magi – Creation Mourns the Death of Its Creator and the Nation of Israel is Ended
-VII. The Magi – Herod’s Fear
-VIII. The Magi – Epilogue