The Christmas Star

[erawdrah]

Although I have some disagreement with his doctrine, John MacArthur constructed and excellent, well researched presentation on the Magi, including his take on the Christmas star. It's available to read or listen to, at no charge, here...
http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermon+Series/96

If you can get past his occasional ranting, MacArthur's work holds up to historical accuracy.

I fully agree with you on some of his doctrine. And some important ones at that, but he did an awesome job with the magi. The only thing he doesn't get into is that astrology in the ancient world was their religion. This religion was all started by Nimrod and Semerimus. It is surprising how many pagan ritual's have been accepted in the church and especially in the emergence church. I have been reading a book called "The Two Babylons" and I can say is "WOW". I just came back from Israel and Egypt on Thanksgiving. And you can see Nimrod woven into everything. Islam is from this world religion, they worship the moon god as allah.

[Gman]

I fully agree with you on some of his doctrine. And some important ones at that, but he did an awesome job with the magi. The only thing he doesn't get into is that astrology in the ancient world was their religion. This religion was all started by Nimrod and Semerimus. It is surprising how many pagan ritual's have been accepted in the church and especially in the emergence church. I have been reading a book called "The Two Babylons" and I can say is "WOW". I just came back from Israel and Egypt on Thanksgiving. And you can see Nimrod woven into everything. Islam is from this world religion, they worship the moon god as allah.

Oh I see... So anyone who opposes John MacArthur's view is considered a pagan?

I knew I shouldn't have started this post...

[erawdrah]

I fully agree with you on some of his doctrine. And some important ones at that, but he did an awesome job with the magi. The only thing he doesn't get into is that astrology in the ancient world was their religion. This religion was all started by Nimrod and Semerimus. It is surprising how many pagan ritual's have been accepted in the church and especially in the emergence church. I have been reading a book called "The Two Babylons" and I can say is "WOW". I just came back from Israel and Egypt on Thanksgiving. And you can see Nimrod woven into everything. Islam is from this world religion, they worship the moon god as allah.

Oh I see... So anyone who opposes John MacArthur's view is considered a pagan?

I knew I shouldn't have started this post...

What are you talking about? I have not called you pagan. I don't agree with some of MacArthur's doctrines and some pagan practices have been adopted by the church especially in 331 AD. Now if you practice astrology, palm reading, oui board, and witchcraft then I will call you pagan. I don't have a problem with comparing constellations with events and things in the Bible. And this was directed to Rodyshusband not you.

[Gman]

What are you talking about? I have not called you pagan. I don't agree with some of MacArthur's doctrines and some pagan practices have been adopted by the church especially in 331 AD. Now if you practice astrology, palm reading, oui board, and witchcraft then I will call you pagan. I don't have a problem with comparing constellations with events and things in the Bible. And this was directed to Rodyshusband not you.

Ok... No problem, my bad. It wasn't clear which is why I put it in the form of a question. And yes I would agree with you that astrology is a pagan practice which is condemned in the Bible. By death...

Other than this however I think MacArthur is a great Christian leader.

[Gman]

This is another interesting one...

Revelation 14:14-16

The Harvest of the Earth

14. I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one "like a son of man" with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15. Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, "Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe." 16. So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

This is clearly the constellation Bootes or the "coming one" with a sickle in his hand and a small crown on his head. This constellation also relates to Christ in his second coming where he will harvest the earth.

Also note that certain stars of this constellation are visible during the day so it could be depicted floating among the white clouds or evening sky.

[ageofknowledge]

[Gman]

Folks,

I just finished The Bethlehem Star on dvd and I found it to be pretty amazing. If you want you can purchase it here or view parts of it here.

One thing that I didn't see before was what happened at Christ's death...

Interestingly enough, if you go back to April 3, 33 AD, Friday (with a star program) the moon turns into a red (blood) moon the day he died and then it eclipses. This is also verified in Mark 15:33 "At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour." And confirmed in Revelation 6:12.

Ancient non-Biblical sources also confirm this. Phlegon Trallianus records in his history, Olympiades:

"In the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad [AD 32-33], a failure of the Sun took place greater than any previously known, and night came on at the sixth hour of the day [noon], so that stars actually appeared in the sky; and a great earthquake took place in Bithynia and overthrew the greater part of Niceaea."



To summarize, Larsen put's it this way..

"The sky at Christ's birth can be viewed as a kind of visual poetry, with the new moon symbolically "birthed" at the foot of Virgo, the virgin. To complete that celestial poem, on the night of Jesus' death the moon had returned to the foot of the virgin. But now it was a full moon. A life fully lived, blotted out in blood."

Source: http://www.bethlehemstar.net/day/day.htm

Pretty amazing stuff.... I really dig this. But that is just me I guess.

[Gman]

But then again maybe people would rather chase UFO's or watch the stock market...

[cslewislover]

Wow, that's really neat! It's amazing we have the technology now to go back and know what happened celestially.

[Gman]

Wow, that's really neat! It's amazing we have the technology now to go back and know what happened celestially.

Isn't it?? I was really floored when I saw this. You can see it all in action with the Starry Night software... http://www.starrynightstore.com/

[Gman]

On top of Bullinger's book, you can also get Frances Rolleston's book called "Mazzaroth." She is one of the first pioneers on this...

[ageofknowledge]

Wow, that's really neat! It's amazing we have the technology now to go back and know what happened celestially.

Isn't it?? I was really floored when I saw this. You can see it all in action with the Starry Night software... http://www.starrynightstore.com/

I use that software. It's cool. If you have a telescope that's compatible with it you can hook it up and control it with a notebook computer.

[Gman]

Yup..

I just used it and went back to April 3, 33 AD and he was right. It turns into a red blood moon about 7:30 to 8:00 pm, eclipses, then about 9:30 pm it goes to a full moon.

[Gman]

Actually I'm a bit wrong.. The moon rises as a red blood moon on the Jerusalem horizon about 6:08 pm. It eclipses at around 3:00 pm the time of Christ's death.

Now that's pretty freaky...

Here it is The Star of Bethlehem Part 6

This is from the same producer that created "The Passion of the Christ."

[Gman]

Age.. I'm watching this now. This is very in depth. Do you have it? It's quite good, I would say a bit better than Larsen's.