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Watch! - The Celestial Signs 2
by: Bob Schlenker
of The Open Scroll

(please visit his wonderful web site!)

This is The Open Scroll March/April 97 feature article. Permission to reprint for non-profit distribution is granted. This article is rather long and is thus divided into two sections for easier viewing and printing. This is html document 2 of 2. The Lunar Occultation of Al Debaran On the very day Hale-Bopp arrived at the location Hyakutake had passed exactly one year earlier, a further celestial event occurred; the Moon occulted the bright alpha star in Taurus - Al Debaran. A Lunar occultation occurs when, as viewed from the Earth, an object is "behind" the Moon and thus obscured from view. This is one way of bringing a certain star to our attention on a particular date, thereby associating the meaning of the star with that date. The star name Al Debaran means "the leader, or, governor." Taurus is depicted as a charging bull in the sky charts with Al Debaran (a red star) being the "red eye" of the bull or re'em. (See endnote #5) According to Bullinger, the constellation Taurus represents "Messiah, the coming Judge of all the earth," but as with many messianic symbols, there is an opposing signification as well. Larry Pahl, who maintains a popular website shared the following with me in a recent e-mail: Al Debaran is the eye of Taurus. Symbolically Taurus represents the juggernaut of the antiChrist. While of course the bull can symbolize a sacrificial offering such as the red heifer and thus symbolize Christ, I think its intended eschatological meaning is the driving, wasting power of the antichrist at the end of time. In the Bible the eagle represents both Christ and Satan as does the lion (your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion,...The Lion of the tribe of Judah), so it is not unusual that this bull could have both significations. The reasons I give this interpretation are put in the heavens by God. The horn of Taurus is striking the heel of Auriga, the charioteer, a plain symbol of Christ. We know that the first prophecy of the gospel in the Bible, Gen. 3:15 says that he, Satan, would bruise the Messiah's heel. Also, Orion, another plain symbol of Christ as the returning conqueror, with his club raised, is raised to strike Taurus. The name Al Debaran, meaning the leader, or governor would thus be Satan, the eye and director of the antichrist. Nearly a month prior to the Lunar occultation of April 11, there was another of the same star as viewed from Europe and the Middle East, on March 14. Bob Wadsworth had noted at that time that "the Muslims see this as a very important sign in the heavens, of their "leader" rising up and leading them to war against Israel. This may be pure speculation, or maybe its not. Most nations of the Muslim influence have the crescent moon with the star on their national flags. Seeing such a sign in the Heavens may inspire them to take certain actions." Certainly, the last few months have been marked by Arab aggression towards Israel, but what I have observed to be particularly fascinating is that the action Bob rather insightfully associated with the lunar occultation of Al Debaran is that of aggression towards Israel. Taking into consideration the two signs which occurred on April 11, 1997, a single message seems to be implied. They point towards the soon appearance of a Satanic leader, an aggressor against God's people, a deceiver and an evil Messianic pretender. Mark the date on your future calendars and watch carefully, fellow prophecy students. We should be watching for the sign for the church, learning about it and sharing what we know with anyone who will listen. We must faithfully prepare to testify when that day of evil comes that Jesus is the true Christ, Y'shua HaMashiach, and that the lawless one is an impostor, a pretender. We should be well prepared to show from scripture the foundation for our claims - and to give our lives for this cause. These remarkable celestial signs warn of a coming day, the very "day of evil" itself. We should be mentally, physically and spiritually prepared when it comes; practicing obedience, humbling ourselves before the Lord as willing subjects, repenting of every sin and honoring what is holy. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Ephesians 6:11-13 The Sign of Argo In the celestial heavens, there is a constellation which depicts a sailing ship (Argo) under which are found the larger and smaller Magellanic clouds, two fish (Volens and Dorado) and a net. (Reticulum) Is this familiar imagery? Compare Matthew 13:47-50 and I Thessalonians 4:17. See also the study I did on John chapter 21 in the July/August 1996 issue of The Open Scroll. The symbolism suggests a harvest of people at the close of an age. The ship is above the clouds, a heavenly vision of where the fish are caught up to from out of the water (nations). Argo, the constellation pictured as a ship, represents "The Pilgrims safe at Home" according to E.W. Bullinger. Its name means "company of travelers." The brightest, or, alpha star is Canopus; "the possession of Him who cometh" with others of the star-names being: Markab, (returning from afar) Sephina, (the multitude or abundance) Tureis, (the possession) Asmidiska, (the released who travel) Soheil, (the desired) and Subilon. (the branch) What makes this region of the sky particularly relevant in our day is the special celestial event that took place in this portion of the sky a few years ago. Astronomers expect this event to reoccur any time now. When it does, look up, for your redemption draweth nigh!!! This remarkable observation came to my attention not long ago when I was contacted by a Pastor from Alabama named Chris Patrick. He shared with me a story not unlike my own when I had been made aware of a particular sign in the heavens a few years ago. He wrote a book called The Zodiac Conspiracy, a very enjoyable book, in which he shares what was revealed to him about the sign that occurred in Argo and about other celestial events too. If this interests you, request the book The Zodiac Conspiracy. Send $6.95 plus $2 S&H (Inside US, add additional postage if international mailing is requested) to: Christian Research Ministries PO Box 620571 Orangevale, CA 95662 "Jerusalem Star of David Synchronicity" An interesting event transpired on January 23, 1997. New Age people gathered in New York for a Simultaneous Global Meditation, welcoming in the age of Aquarius. I heard about it from a friend via e-mail and then I saw them on CNN brief! This particular time was evidently chosen because of an astrological chart of the heavens. The celestial bodies made five points of a star and the sixth was formed by the people themselves, supposedly completing the pattern as they gathered in New York at the location of 4 degrees 4 minutes Gemini on the Ascendant at 12:35 p.m. I downloaded the graphic of the star from the Gaiamind website and noted that the celestial bodies in the alignment shown actually resembles an inverted five-pointed star, enclosed within a circle. Those of you who are knowledgeable about such symbols would recognize this as the pentagram of witchcraft, the Goat of Mendes, the sign of the cloven hoof. Compare the two in the graphic. You might also have noted that the name of the website, "Gaiamind," honors the Mother Earth goddess Gaia. The page notes that at the very moment 4 degrees four minutes Gemini is rising in New York City, that same point is at Midheaven in Jerusalem. (7:35 Jerusalem time) It is also noted that this day, January 23rd, was a special day on the Hebrew calendar (Tu B'Shvat) which is known as the "birthday of the trees", or, as they say, Nature's birthday. I do not doubt that they celebrated Gaia's birthday at that time, welcoming the "new age" of Aquarius as her present to be shared with all her global children. Many "spiritual" men and women consider this to be a very special celestial sign. The appears to be more a sign of antichrist than of the true messiah, doesn't it? But, as noted earlier, the coming of the one is related to the coming of the other. The Heaven's Gate religious sect was recently in the news, bringing to everyone's attention the fact that people, even intelligent people who appear every bit as normal as your next door neighbors are making life and death decisions based upon their interpretation of the heavenly signs. One woman who recently received my publication A Sign to the Magi proposed that if the people involved with the Heaven's Gate would have read this publication, they never would have been deceived. The Sign of the Heavenly Menorah An upcoming alignment of seven heavenly bodies is an extremely rare event, so rare it may be that we have never yet seen such a sight. The alignment of these seven lights in a straight line gives us the representation of a menorah. The menorah is a seven branched lamp that was a fixture in the tabernacle and then in the temple. These buildings and the fixtures associated with them were all patterned carefully after that which is in heaven. (See endnote #6) According to the Jewish historian Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews, book 3, chapter V11:7), the following seven celestial bodies represent the menorah: The Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. It is a fact that these same seven heavenly lights will be aligned in a straight line in the year 2000 - in the constellation Aries. Because this alignment includes the Moon, which moves rapidly, it only lasts for a couple days. One of these days the menorah is formed is the second of the month Iyyar, the anniversary of the dates construction began on both temples. (by Solomon and then by Ezra) The constellation Aries is known in the Hebrew as Taleh - "the lamb." The brightest, or, alpha star in Aries is named, El Nath which means; "wounded, slain." The beta star is Al Sheratan; "the bruised, the wounded." This zodiacal sign is an obvious picture of the lamb who was wounded and slain, our Lord Jesus Christ - the lamb of God of John 1:29 who takes away the sin of the world. The menorah is also a symbol of the church whose Lord is the Lamb. I want you to consider what is written about this Lamb in Revelation 21:22: I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. It is very interesting that the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple in the New Jerusalem. If the heavenly menorah is "in the Lamb," (Aries) it is symbolically placed in the temple in the New Jerusalem. The marking of the anniversary of the day construction began on the earthly temple twice before in history by such a unique celestial sign suggests that we should watch Iyyar 2, 5760 (2000 AD) very closely. The Great Pyramid: - A Polar Alignment There is another facsimile of a temple located in Egypt, the great Pyramid of Giza. The capstone of this ancient stone structure is a symbol of Jesus. It has ever been missing from its pinnacle for it is the stone referred to in the Bible as "rejected by its builders."(Luke 20:7) This is an allegory of Jesus being rejected by national Israel at his first advent. He will be accepted, and the capstone brought out according to Zechariah 4:7. Volumes have been written about its physical architecture, internal and external. Honest skeptics who investigate the claims made about its Messianic teaching turn to accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord. It has been said to be a Bible in stone and a chronograph of the history of man, a revelation of the world's government by its Creator. Much has also been written about its astronomical curiosities. The following was copied from the website http://www.mt.net/7Ewatcher/pyramid.html, a site done by The Watcher, with whom I correspond on occasion. The Descending Passage of the Great Pyramid is perfectly aligned with the center of the zenith of the heavens. Because of the precession of the equinoxes, a Pole Star shines precisely down the Descending Passage only once every several thousand years. In 2170 BC Alpha Draconis, (Thuban, the Subtle One) shown directly down the Descending Passage. A new Pole Star will finally become aligned within the next few years; this star's name in Arabic is Al Ruccaba (The Revolved Upon). This is the principle star in the constellation Ursa Minor. To the ancients this constellation represented "The Stronghold of the Saved". Each year the North Star shines further down the Descending Passage. It will illuminate the entrance to the Well Shaft, tellingly referred to as the Point of Last Escape, in 1997. The North Star will shine on the floor of the Subterranean Passage seven years later in 2004. It might be that the precision of the years noted is debatable, but they are not far off, if indeed they're off at all. What does this mean? The celestial alarm clock is going off. Heaven and Earth are bearing synchronized testimony. Something is going to happen. Watch! Stay alert and watch. Do not be caught unawares. Conclusion: I have documented numerous celestial signs of diverse character and by them, tested the authenticity of one prophet's message. These signs include the Red Moons, the Solar Eclipse Comets, the Shoemaker-Levy Comet/Jupiter collision, the Orion Comet prophecy, the Noahic Flood Comet, the Hale-Bopp/Hyakutake path crossing accompanied by the Lunar Occultation of Al Debaran, the Sign of Argo, the so-called "Jerusalem Star of David Synchronicity", the Sign of the Heavenly Menorah in the Heavenly Temple and finally that of the Great Pyramid ascending passage's alignment with the celestial zenith. I have gathered the astronomical and the historical facts and offered them with what I believe are reasonable inferences. By doing so, it is my hope that you will be impressed upon to act appropriately according to the brevity of time it seems we have left for laboring in the Lord's harvest field. The voice of the heavenly messengers are warning us that time of the great deception is upon us. The lawless one will soon be revealed. The Lord will shortly gather his own to himself. The nations of the world will be judged as the Lord's great wrath is poured out upon them. God's account with Israel will be settled for good. Hallelujah! Various dates have arisen from this study as special dates on which to watch for certain types of events. If the celestial signs have gotten your attention, on your next reading through this issue of The Open Scroll, check the dates on your calendar. I do hope that you're acknowledging the Biblical Feasts and Hebrew special times so that you're becoming familiar with the Lord's appointed times. If you as a Christian brother or sister have denied that the increasing frequency of earthquakes and other signs in the earth are truly signs of our Lord's coming in judgment, how are you going to refute the testimony of the celestial signs? Why not recognize that all the signs foretold from long ago are evident? Humble yourselves before the Lord. Accept His reproof and heed His warning. There are several more signs to come, some of which have been noted by myself and others and still further signs which have yet to present themselves. As time goes on, if we can learn a lesson from history, what seemed to us at first to be a message that was merely a whisper on the lips of the celestial prophets will soon be heard as a shout, so that everyone's eyes will be turned heavenward in wonder. Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. Amos 3:7 For further study: · A Sign to the Magi by Bob Schlenker · Celestial Signs marking Yom Kippur, The Open Scroll - September/October 1996 by Bob Schlenker · Signs in the Heavens by Avi Ben Mordechai · The Zodiac Conspiracy by F. Chris Patrick · Signs in the Heavens by Robert Wadsworth and Dan Stockemer · The Witness of the Stars by E.W. Bullinger Endnotes: #5) See Revelation 1:14 #6) Hebrews 8:5: They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain. This is the end of the second of two documents comprising the article: Watch! - The Celestial Signs. Bob Schlenker The Open Scroll PO Box 620571 Orangevale, CA 95662

Grace and Peace to you and yours!

Eighth Day Assembly Ministries http://www.8thday.org

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