Astronomical Calendar in Revelation 12 & 13 Pointing to Antichrist’s Birth?
Please take the time to read through this entire article as I believe this is one of the most amazing discoveries I’ve been blessed to uncover. It has astronomical implications!!! One of my hobbies is amateur astronomy. I’ve always been fascinated with the night sky as it declares the glory of God. I do not subscribe, endorse or believe in astrology of any sort. However, the Bible does declare in Genesis that the purposes of the stars were for measuring TIME, as they are the benchmarks God created to mark the seasons, days and years (Genesis 1:14).
During Roman times, a person’s destiny was believed to be linked to the signs in the sky at birth. For kings and rulers, it was known as a ROYAL PORTENT. As described in the book ‘The Star of Bethlehem: The Legacy of the Magi’, the Magi were witness to such a royal portent at Jesus’ birth. The author makes a compelling argument that the Magi were motivated to visit the baby Jesus based on a unique celestial event that occurred at a specific time (Jesus birth). If you’ll remember the story of Christmas, when the Magi visited Herod inquiring of a royal birth (Matthew 2:1-7), that Herod asked them WHEN the man-child had been born. Based on that information, feeling threatened by the arrival of a special person, Herod killed all the male children two years and under. All males two years and under would seem like a little overkill if the child were just a newborn, which seems to indicate that there were several months between the time the Magi saw the birth-event in the sky, which compelled them to go, and their arrival in Jerusalem. The book is a fascinating and very plausible account of the Magi’s story.
Fast forwarding to our generation, the book of Revelation describes a person who would be the antithesis of Jesus. Revelation chapter 12 vs. 1 describes a woman ‘clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet’. This, I believe is in reference to VIRGO, the constellation lying just above the ECLIPTIC, the path through which the Sun, Moon and other planets travel over TIME. For instance the Sun, appearing to travel in its course through the year, crosses the equator two times. Once around March 20/21 and then again around September 22/23, which are known as the equinoxes. These are the days in which the days and nights are equally long. As the Sun appears to follow the Ecliptic path it passes the SOLSTICE around June 20/21 and December 20/21 which are the longest and shortest days with daylight. This Ecliptic path is literally a CALENDAR in the sky. If you know where the Sun is along this path at any given time, the date can be determined. VIRGO, the woman in the sky lying in the prone position is parallel with the ecliptic, just above it. The Sun and the Moon, along with the planets pass just below her left foot each year. The woman ‘clothed with the Sun and the Moon under her feet’ is in reference to this Ecliptic path traversing the length of her body. She is further identified by the ‘crown of twelve stars’ as the constellation known as the COMA BERENICES hovers above her head, which contains the star known as DIADEM (crown) and the CORONA BOREALIS (Crown) hovers above her feet.
It recently occurred to me that the dragon appearing in heaven (verse 3) was actually referring to the constellation DRACO. In fact, the word for ‘dragon’ used in the Bible in the Greek language is DRAKON (G1404). The Bible goes on in verse 4 to say that the dragon’s tail ‘drew the third part of the stars of heaven’. Looking at a star chart of the northern sky, from the perspective of Polaris or the pole star over the North Pole, the sky is divided into 24 hours, portioning out the sky like a 24 hour clock. Locating stars or other points in the sky can be done by knowing its hour of RIGHT ASCENSION (R.A.) and the DECLINATION (height above the equator). The TAIL OF DRACO wraps around the heavens from about 11’ 30” (11 hours, 30 minutes) R.A. (the star that is at the tip of its tail) all the way to about 19’ 30”. The total portion of the sky that the DRAKON crosses is 8 hours of Right Ascension (R.A.). There are only 24 hours of R.A., 8 being a third of 24 which means, the dragon’s tail drew A THIRD OF THE STARS!!!!! ONE-THIRD of the stars visible lie within the R.A. lines to which the TAIL OF THE DRAGON EXTENDS! The WOMAN in verse 4 ‘which was ready to be delivered’ is the constellation VIRGO, which depicts a woman in the PRONE position ready to give birth. The dragon’s HEAD (DRACO) is pointed towards VIRGO below her feet, which is the dragon standing before her ready to devour her child. In between DRACO’s head and VIRGO is the constellation BOOTES which is THE SHEPHARD carrying a rod!!!! Revelation 12:5 says ‘she brought forth a man child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron’. This is clearly a representation of Jesus, our SHEPHARD. The dragon (DRACO) is at the height of the heavens, near the pole. The person (Jesus) in chapter 12 is in contrast to the person (antichrist) described in chapter 13.
Moving to the description of the antichrist in Revelation 13, verse one describes a beast rising out of the sea, having multiple (seven) heads. In between the equator (the bottom of the horizon) and the ecliptic, is the constellation HYDRA. The head of Hydra rises just above the equator while the rest of its body lays below the equator, hence ‘the beast rising from the sea’. Hydra is the mythological sea beast that HAS MULTIPLE HEADS and when one was cut off, two would grow in its place (13:3) referring to ‘I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death and his deadly wound was healed’. The weakness of the HYDRA was that only one of its heads was immortal. In Revelation 13:2, John begins to breakdown the description of the beast. He starts with ‘LIKE unto a leopard’. The Greek word for leopard is ‘pardalis’ (G3917). It is important to note the beast is not a leopard, but LIKE (G3664) a leopard. Then the Bible says something more specific which is the FEET of a bear, not a bear as many assume, but the FEET of a bear. Its mouth is AS (G 5613) the MOUTH of a lion. The specific order is: like a pardalis (leopard); FEET of a bear; and the MOUTH of a lion. The end of verse two states that the DRAGON gave him his power, seat and great authority.
In ancient times, the constellation we know as URSA MINOR was DRACO’s wing, the tip being POLARIS the pole star around which everything else revolved. Polaris is the top. Moving down from the pole star Polaris is the constellation CAMELO-PARDALIS, which means camel LIKE A LEOPARD: OR a giraffe (camel) spotted like a leopard. The Greek word pardalis in Camelo-pardalis is the exact same Greek word used in the Bible. In order, scanning the sky from Polaris, through Camelopardalis, we come to URSA MAJOR, the BEAR! You know it as the Big Dipper. There are specific stars which make up the BEAR’s FEET. Still scanning in a straight line from Polaris, through Camelopardalis and through URSA MAJOR the Bear we come to the MOUTH OF THE LION which is the constellation of LEO!!!! Below Leo’s mouth is the HEAD of HYDRA, the sea beast rising from the sea! In specific order the Bible lays out, mostly along the 9th hour of right ascension (R.A.) is the specific order of constellations. If you have Google Earth, switch to the sky mode and select ‘Historical Sky Maps’. It shows a clear picture of the constellations with their assigned representations. If you do not have Google Earth, click on the link below or paste to your browser which is a simple sky map. However, it has no pictures of the beasts described, just the names of the constellations.
http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/java/Leo.html
On the right hand side, move the scroll bar to the top (or if in Google Earth (Sky) drag it). The star in the very center is Polaris. Slowly drag or move the scroll bar down and you will see the spectacular order the Bible has laid out. You will see Draco with the tip of its tail just above the Big Dipper (the Bear). Draco’s WING in ancient times was the constellation now named as Ursa Minor (Little Dipper). Camelopardalis (like a leopard) is between Polaris and Ursa Major (bear’s feet). Dragging or scrolling down you will see the Leo (lion’s mouth) come into view and farther down would be Hydra low in the sky (rising from the sea).
I believe that this list of star constellations, all falling within two hours of right ascension (2 out of 24 hours), is pointing to a specific time on the Ecliptic date clock. Connecting with a line perpendicular to the equator, those constellations listed specifically from Polaris, through Camelopardalis, through the front feet of the bear, by the mouth of the lion and severing the head of Hydra follows the line which is the 9th hour of right ascension. This pointer specified in the Bible crosses the Ecliptic calendar at the 9th hour Right Ascension line, which is at 17 degrees declination. In my article 'Heads, Horns and Crowns', I described how both beasts, the one in Revelation 12 and the one in Revelation 13 had 7 heads and 10 horns which both totals 17 and that one had 7 crowns and the other had 10, together crowns totaling 17. Three references to 17 point to the 17 degrees of declination which crosses the Ecliptic at exactly the same point as the line described in the Bible connecting the constellations. A line passing from the bear’s hind foot (star) through the mouth of the lion (Leo) crosses the Ecliptic at 9 hours 42 seconds and 17 degrees declination. A third confirming line passing from Draco’s (the dragon) mouth (devourer), through the CENTER of the six stars that make up the bear’s feet, passing through the mouth of both Leo Minor and Leo’s mouth, piercing the Hydra’s head ALSO cross the Ecliptic at 17 degrees declination, 9 hours, 32 seconds!!!!! The dragon gave him his power, seat and great authority! Three 17’s in the description of the two beasts all intersect the Ecliptic at the 9 hours RA and 17 degrees Declination!!! These three lines intersect a pinpoint of the Ecliptic inside of less than 1 MINUTE of Right Ascension!!!! The question then becomes: What day of the year is it pinpointing? It could vary within a two day time frame exactly what day it is based on where the Sun is along the Ecliptic calendar. From year to year it changes slightly, but generally the date is August 3rd through the 5th!
The current prime ANTICHRIST CANDIDATE was BORN on AUGUST 4 which is BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA! Using his stated PLACE of BIRTH (Hawaii – Rising from the Sea), August 4th 1961 at 19:24, the Sun was at EXACTLY 9 hours 1 second of Right Ascension, 17 degrees declination which is the EXACT same point the three intersecting lines crossed the Ecliptic! If you calculate this yourself, most astronomical calculators are in UTC time. For BHO’s time in UTC, it is 8/5/1961 05:24.
There may be more to be gleaned from this astronomical discovery, but I believe that what I have found so far is accurate. At this point, it is impossible to say that the August 4 the prophecy is referring to is specifically in 1961. The Ecliptic is a day counter, not year specific. However, I believe that I can say unequivocally that the prophecy is pointing to a date to mark the life of the beast (antichrist) described. I invite you to critique this article. Let me know your thoughts.
In Christ,
Kevin Heckle