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 147:3-5
He telleth the Number of the Stars;
He calleth Them All by Their Names
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Ps 19:1-2
The Heavens Declare the Glory
of God; And the Firmament
sheweth His handywork.
Day Unto Day uttereth Speech,
and Night Unto Night sheweth
Knowledge.
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Heb 1:1-2
God, who at sundry times and in
divers manners spake in time
past unto the fathers by the
prophets, hath in these last days
spoken unto us by his Son …
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Gen 1:14-19
And God Said, Let There
Be Lights in the
Firmament of the
Heaven …
And Let Them Be for
Signs, and for Seasons,
and for Days, and Years:
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Astrology
The Pretended Art of Predicting the
Future From the Motions and
Positions of Heavenly Bodies
Astrology and Worship of Heavenly
Bodies are Forbidden
Deut 4:19
Is 47:12-14
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Astronomy
The Science that Describes the
Positions, Motions, Magnitudes and
Composition of Heavenly Bodies
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The Word is the Truth
Our Standard of what to Believe
Everything else MUST line up with
the Word
Never believe less than the Word of
God.
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Constellations – Conspicuous
Groupings of Stars Upon Which an
Imaginary Pictorial Representation
Can Be Drawn.
These Figures Are Known Today, as
They were back in the Time of Job,
and Form Animals, Humans and
Some Other Strange Creatures.
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Constellation - Virgo
Source: The Witness of the Stars, E.W. Bullinger
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Constellation - Leo
Source: The Witness of the Stars, E.W. Bullinger
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Gen 49:9-10
Jacob’s Prophecy Regarding His Son
Judah
Judah is a lion’s whelp (cub, young
one) …
The sceptre shall not depart from
Judah…
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The Heavens Declare
• God calleth the Stars by their names
• Let them be for a marking of someone
or something significant to come
• The heavens show knowledge
• The Magi had obtained this knowledge
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Mt 2:1b
There came wise men from the east to
Jerusalem
Wise men - magoi (Greek)
Only ones aware of the Birth by observing
the stars
Even the Judean religious leaders had no
clue the Birth had occurred
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Daniel
While a captive in Babylon
Was made chief of the Magicians
(Dan 5:11)
He could have taught the Magi
concerning the Plan of Redemption in
the stars
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Mt 2:9
and, lo, the star, which they saw in
the east went before them, till it
came and stood over where the
young child was.
They had seen it in the east “in the
rising” and continued to observe it as
“went before them”
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Mt 2:2
… for we have seen his star in
the east, and are come to
worship him.
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Dating “His Star”
Eclipse
Passover
Herod Dies
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What Celestial Events Occurred
that Captured the Attention of
the Magi?
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Significant Celestial Events
7 BC – 1 BC
There were a least 20 important
events that can be determined from
history or calculated as occurring
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Including
• Conjunctions
• Eclipses
• Sightings of a Nova and possibly a
Comet
• 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 one
thousand Earths could fit inside.
Known as the King Planet. Associated
with Royalty.
Planets were thought to be Wandering
Stars.
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Planets were thought to be Wandering
Stars.
• Stars in Constellations – do not appear
move independently of the other
stars in the constellation
•Wandering Stars – move in their own
path and speed – so they were
different
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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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Events that Captured the Magi’s Attention
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
August 27, 2 BC
Jupiter & Venus in conjunction in Leo
Massing of Planets Mercury, Venus,
Mars and Jupiter in Leo
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Jupiter & Venus in Conjunction in
Leo – Aug. 12, 3 BC, 5 AM
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Regulus & Jupiter in Conjunction
Sept. 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 in
Leo, 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 Planets
August 27, 2 BC, 5 AM
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Mt 2:1-10
2 We have seen his star in the east,
and are come to worship him
6 And thou Bethlehem, out of thee
shall come a Governor
9 and, lo, the star, stood over where
the young child was
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Mt 2:9
and, lo, the star, stood over where
the young child was
This event involves Jupiter and the
constellation Virgo
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Rev 12:1-5
And there appeared a great
wonder in heaven; a woman
clothed with the sun, and the
moon under her feet,
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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
September 11, 3 BC
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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 PM
Moonset was at 7:39 PM
Jesus Christ was Born on this Day
Between Sunset and Moonset
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Ps 97:6
The heavens declare his
righteousness, and all the people see
his glory.
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Timeline on the Birth of Jesus Christ
Gabriel Appears
to Mary
Conception of
Jesus Christ
Mary Travels
Conception of John
Course of Abia
D J
F
M
A M J
J
A
S
O
N D J
4 BC
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Timeline on the Birth of Jesus Christ
Birth of Jesus Christ, 9/11
John Born to
Zacharias &
Elisabeth
Mary Leaves
Elisabeth
D J
F
Trishri 1 - Day of
Trumpets
9/14 Jupiter
& Regulus
8/12 Jupiter &
Venus
M
9/19 Circumcision
of Jesus
A M J
J
A
S
10/22 Simeon
& Anna at the
Temple
O
N D J
3 BC
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Timeline on the Birth of Jesus Christ
6/17
Jupiter,
Venus &
Leo
2/17
Jupiter,
Regulus &
Leo
8/27 Massing
of Planets
12/2 Magi
Arrive
5/8 Jupiter,
Regulus & Leo
D J
F
M
A M J
J
A
S
O
N D J
2 BC
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Timeline on the Birth of Jesus Christ
12/2 Magi Arrive
Escape to Egypt
1/9 Lunar Eclipse
Herod Dies
D J
F
M
4/8 Passover
A M J
J
A
S
O
N D J
1 BC
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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 by
Christ Jesus
• Now we look forward to His second
coming
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