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Venus and Mercury will
come into conjunction in the constellation Aquarius on March 14. This will be visible in the morning sky over
the eastern horizon starting about 22 minutes before sunrise as seen from
Jerusalem. In the United States, this
will only be visible in the lower latitudes (Atlanta, Georgia and south, Texas
and Southern California etc.). This is the
first planetary conjunction since August 27, 1999. The dry spell is over. The
“monsoon season” will begin later this month.
Charts 129 and 130 show the
positions of Venus (the Bright and Morning Star) and Mercury (Gabriel) in
Aquarius as they come into conjunction on March 14. Aquarius represents the pouring forth of God’s blessings, such as
the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. See
the April 1998 issue of Biblical
Astronomy.
MASSING OF JUPITER, MARS AND SATURN IN ARIES
Charts 130 and 131 show the massing of Jupiter, Mars and Saturn in the
constellation Aries on March 25. This
is the first time that these particular planets have massed in this area of the
heavens in over 1,800 years. The
massing of these three planets in any constellation is a fairly rare event,
since it can be up to a century between massings. But for these planets – Jupiter (the Lord our Righteousness),
Mars (Michael the Warrior Angel), and Saturn (Satan) – to be in massed in Aries
is of particular interest since it is the sign Aries along with its decan
constellations which portray the events of Revelation 19:6 – 20:3 (see A Voice Crying in the Heavens, 2nd
Edition, pp. 140-142).
On the Celestial Timeline
Template (see the November 1999 issue of Biblical Astronomy), March 25, 2000 is
1,260 days from when the beginning of the Great Tribulation was portrayed and
corresponds to the date of the gathering of the two witnesses, the 144,000, and
the faithful in Christ who are on the planet towards the end of the Great
Tribulation.
Charts 131 and 132 show the
positions of Jupiter, Mars and Saturn
in Aries on March 25, as would be seen looking from Jerusalem toward the
western horizon at 6:40 p.m. Cetus (the
beast from the sea) appears to be on the Mediterranean Sea, with Pisces (the
nation of Israel) to its right. A little south of the eastern horizon, not
shown here, Hydra (the Serpent), is seen
rising out of the Dead Sea (Rev. 13:1).
This is similar to the constellations’ movements in the morning sky
during the Fall Feasts. During the Passover/Unleavened Bread season, this is
seen in the evening sky. Though in
the Fall morning
sky, Draco (the Dragon), which is above the northern horizon, is seen
descending to the earth; while in the Spring evening sky, Draco is seen
ascending into heaven (See the September 1996 and February/March 1998 issues of
Biblical Astronomy)
Charts 131 and 132 also include
two comets. One is Comet 76P
(West/Kahoutek/Ikemura) which is in the neck of Cetus on March 25. There was a recent report by none other than
the Millennium Group that this comet will pass closer than 30,000 miles to Mars
and potentially strike the planet on May 28 or 29 of this year. The fact is that the comet will miss Mars by
at least 2 million miles and will not strike the planet or its moons at its
closest approach on June 4. Both Mars
and the comet will be between the horns of Taurus on that date.
The other comet of interest is 1999S4. This is located in Pisces in the mouth of the fish. This comet has the potential to become a naked eye object of 3rd magnitude in late July (see the October 1999 issue of Biblical Astronomy). Through the next few months the comet will be close to the area that it is now in. Then it will move on to Perseus and then to Ursa Major. There will be more on this comet in upcoming newsletters.
NEW MOON REPORT
Due to cloud cover the first crescent light of the new
moon was not seen from Israel on February 6.
However, it was spotted on that date by observers in Iran, Syria, Yemen,
Kenya, South Africa, and Trinidad and Tobago.
It most likely would have been visible from Israel had it not been for
the clouds.
The next crescent light of the
new moon is expected to be seen near sunset on March 7. This will be the beginning of Adar II on the
Hebrew Calendar.
On March 8, the moon will pass 5
degrees south of Mars. On March 9, the
moon will pass 4 degrees south of Jupiter.
On March 10, the moon will pass 3 degrees south of Saturn. What a lineup!
The Vernal Equinox (first day of
Spring) will occur at 2:35 a.m. EST on March 20. A bit earlier this year than normal, since it will be towards the
end of March 19 on the West Coast.
POPE SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH ARAFAT
The following is a series of articles leading up to the agreement, the
agreement, and reactions to the agreement.
Israel Wire, Feb 15 – Arafat to sign
agreement with Pope – P.A. Chairman
Yassir Arafat is scheduled to meet with the Pope in the Vatican today where the
two will sign an agreement by which the PA commits to normalized relations with
the Roman Catholic Church in Jerusalem.
PA officials quickly interjected
that the agreement is representative of the Church’s recognition of the PA’s
rights in Jerusalem and its continued struggle for independence.
Arafat, who on Monday was
speaking to a forum in Morocco, called upon the international community to take
action against Israeli’s “continued Judaization” of eastern Jerusalem. The PA is working to obtain eastern
Jerusalem as its capital and has recently stated it would declare statehood no
later than September 13, 2000, with or without Israel’s blessing.
Reuters, Feb 15 – Vatican and PLO demand
Jerusalem guarantees – The Vatican
and the PLO on Tuesday signed a basic agreement on their relations and
cautioned Israel that any unilateral
decisions affecting Jerusalem would be “morally and legally unacceptable.” The wide-ranging agreement was signed
ahead of a visit by Pope John Paul next month to Holy Land sites controlled by
Israel and the Palestinians.
Palestinian officials recently expressed concern about new housing in
and around the eastern half of Jerusalem, the Holy City captured by the
Israelis in the 1967 Middle East War.
Palestinian President Yassir
Arafat discussed the Middle East at a private audience with the Pontiff while
their delegations signed the agreement, made up of a preamble and 12 articles. The “Basic Agreement Between the Holy See
and the Palestinian Liberation Organization” deals with matters such as freedom
of religion, human rights, freedom of church institutions and their legal,
economic and fiscal status in Palestinian-ruled areas. It
was the most significant development in PLO-Vatican relations since official
ties were established in 1994.
While the agreement’s 12
articles dealt with day-to-day affairs in the religious minefield of the Middle
East, its preamble packed a political punch.
Nearly a third of the 37-line preamble was dedicated to Jerusalem. The agreement said “an equitable solution for the issue of Jerusalem, based on the
international resolutions, is fundamental for a just and lasting peace in the
Middle East.”
Israel Wire, Feb 16 – Vatican rejects
Israel’s position on agreement with PA – The Vatican on Wednesday issued a statement rejecting Israel’s
criticism of its recently signed agreement with the PA. Israel condemned the agreement signed on
Tuesday between Pope John Paul II and PA Chairman Yassir Arafat, explaining
that the Vatican was interfering in the ongoing Oslo process. The agreement,
among other things, stated that any unilateral changes in the status of
Jerusalem were “morally and legally unacceptable.” The agreement also called for a special international status for
the city as the Vatican pointed out the city serves as the home of three
faiths.
Israeli officials pointed out
that the final decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem are not to be decided
upon during the final status talks and not by the Vatican. “The
agreement…has nothing to do with the (Middle East) peace process as such, but
regulates the presence of the activities of the Catholic Church on Palestinian Authority territory,” chief Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said in
a statement.
My note: I guess the Vatican
already considers Jerusalem as being Palestinian Authority territory. Another deal with the Devil.
Jordan Times, Feb 17 – Jordan welcomes
PA-Vatican accord, postpones Israel trip – King Abdullah on Wednesday hailed as a “positive step” a landmark
agreement between the Palestinian National Authority and the Vatican on a legal
framework for the Catholic Church and the PNA-ruled areas. He said it was a step forward towards
“achieving justice and equality and laying the foundations for a just and
comprehensive peace in the region.” The secretary-general of Arafat’s cabinet,
Ahmad Abdul Rahman, said “the agreement supports our efforts to declare a
state.” Meanwhile, King Abdullah urged
the Israeli government “to deal with the Palestinians like full partners in the
negotiating process” and renewed his support for their quest to achieve their
“legitimate rights on their soil.”
The King also reiterated
Jordan’s support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with
Jerusalem as its capital. “It is not
possible to achieve peace in the region without a just and lasting solution to
the Palestinian cause,” King Abdullah said.
Prime Minister Abdur Ra’uf S. Rawabdeh also praised the
Palestinian-Vatican agreement. “The
agreement signed at the Vatican reinforces the importance of Jerusalem and the
right of our Palestinian brothers with Jerusalem as its capital, “the premier
said.
Jordan, which controlled the
West Bank between 1950 and 1967, has repeatedly said it will continue as
custodian of the Islamic holy sites in east Jerusalem until the PA can exercise
sovereignty over these sites. An
agreement initialed between Jordan and Israel in July 1994, three months before
they signed a peace treaty, recognized Jordan’s “special role” in caring for
holy sites.
Meanwhile, a Jordanian official
confirmed that the King’s expected visit to Israel “has been postponed till
further notice.” The official made no
comment about the postponement, but political circles attributed it to the
stalemate on the Palestinian track and the “Israeli aggression in Lebanon.”
POPE TO VISIT ISRAEL AND WILL ASCEND TO THE TEMPLE MOUNT IN JERUSALEM –
YIKES!!!
The Pope is scheduled to visit Israel from March 21 to March 26. While Jupiter, Mars and Saturn are massing in the heavens, the Pope will deliver a mass in Nazareth and visit the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. I believe that this is the first time in history that a Pope has visited Jerusalem.
Israel Wire, Feb 17 – Papal mass in the
Galilee expected to draw 100,000 – When
Pope John Paul II delivers his mass in Nazareth in March, officials expect some
100,000 persons to be in attendance.
About one-half of the expected worshippers will be Christians that are
visiting the Holy Land at the same time as the Pope to take part in the historic visit. The mass will be held at Korazim, opposite Vered Hagalil.
Israel Wire, Feb 23 – Israel pressuring
Vatican to cancel official welcome by PA officials – Israel is applying pressure on the Vatican to cancel
the planned official welcoming ceremony for Pope John Paul II in the PA
on the Temple Mount. Officials in Jerusalem are concerned that the
residents of the PA as well as PA leadership will take advantage of the
situation to display signs of sovereignty in eastern Jerusalem in an attempt to
embarrass Israel in the international community.
Israel has already been
requested by the Vatican not to provide security agents for the pontiff while
he tours eastern Jerusalem and officials in Jerusalem fear the PA will take
advantage of this ‘opening’ and surround the Pope with PA security agents.
Ha’aretz, Feb 24 – PA to make use of
papal visit to Jerusalem – The PA is
liable to take advantage of the Pope’s impending visit to Israel and the PA to
make demonstrative moves in Jerusalem which will stress its aspirations for
sovereignty in the city – the defense establishment has warned. Pope John Paul II is scheduled to arrive in
Israel on March 21. Ahead of his visit,
Arafat has appointed a five-man reception committee. Israel believes that the inclusion of ministers Faisal Husseini
and Ziad Abu Ziad on the committee reflects a Palestinian intention to
highlight diplomatic issues during the Papal visit to Jerusalem.
The PA is likely to take special
advantage of a Waqf reception for the Pope at the Temple Mount to make
diplomatic gains, for example by having a large presence of its own
representatives at the ceremony. The Pope’s visit to the Temple Mount is set
to draw international attention and Israel will be hard pressed to intervene
and appear as disrupting the Papal visit.
In addition, the Palestinian Authority wishes to take advantage of the
visit in order to raise other political issues besides Jerusalem. It is likely to stress signs of its
independence, mainly during the Pope’s visit to Bethlehem, as well as the
refugee problem during his visit of the Deheishe refugee camp. A senior PA official said yesterday that
“Arafat is staging a big show in the Dehaishe, to which refugees from all over
the West Bank will be invited.
Ha’aretz, Feb 29 – First the pope, then
the Palestinians – The visit by Pope
John Paul II, who is expected to land at Ben-Gurion International Airport on
March 21, {Purim} is designated as a private pilgrimage by the head of the
Catholic Church to the Holy Land. The air will be filled with speeches about
tolerance and interfaith understanding.
The peace process will remain out of bounds for the time being because
the “deputy of Christ on earth” does not dirty his hands with politics. But it is difficult to imagine a more
political event than this visit. After
all, Pope John Paul II will be visiting Jerusalem, the most sensitive spot in
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, at the height of the dispute over the final
status settlement and the future of the city.
Minister Haim Ramon, who
has been placed in charge of organizing the visit, says it is the most important visit in the history
of the state. Israel and the PA will do
whatever it takes to win his blessing for their respective national
aspirations. The enormous media
coverage of the visit will guarantee that each side will do its best to show
the billions of television viewers worldwide who is really in charge of the
city’s holy sites and to demonstrate its ability to defend the safety and
freedom of access and worship at those sites.
Palestinian Authority
Chairman Yasser Arafat considers the visit by the Pope a major station on the
road to Palestinian independence, and he is planning a huge celebration in
Bethlehem. There are those in Israel
who fear Palestinian provocations in Jerusalem, especially that the
Palestinians will turn the Pope’s pilgrimage to the Temple Mount into a
demonstration of Palestinian control over the holy site. The Foreign Ministry has conducted sensitive
negotiations with the Vatican for months in an attempt to limit the boundaries
of the visit. Israel will turn a blind eye to other symbols of Palestinian
sovereignty. It will not be able to
prevent the hoisting of Palestinian Flags in the environs of the Al Aqsa
Mosque, nor will it try to do so.
On March 26, the Pope will fly back to Rome leaving
the Israelis and Palestinians behind to continue sparring. Israeli defense experts expect that the
Pope’s departure will bring the interval of Arafat’s good behavior to an
end. He wants to demonstrate that he
can be responsible and can guarantee security for an event of this
magnitude. But the incident last
Saturday in which rocks were hurled at French PM Jospin at Bir Zeit University
tarnished that image a bit.
Barak has publicly adhered to
the program that he has outlined for the peace process with the Palestinians:
first a framework agreement, then an agreement on a third withdrawal, followed
by a final status settlement to be signed in September. But he has read the military intelligence
estimates that say there is no way to overcome the fundamental difference of
opinion because the opening position of the Palestinians is maximalist in
scope. Intelligence experts say
declaration of an independent Palestinian state as a matter of time, and are of
the opinion that Arafat will not be able to postpone it for a second time if no
agreement is reached. The gaps between
the sides are too wide, especially on the issue of borders and the division of
the West Bank, and that no agreement will be possible.
Barak is being advised to change
the Israeli approach: Instead of opposing the declaration of a Palestinian
state and seeing it as a threat, he
should make the best of it. Israel
should recognize the new state and immediately launch negotiations with it over
the border between the two countries.
Bill Clinton can get his long-awaited Nobel Prize as the reviver of
Palestinian independence and will therefore support the process.
U.S. AND CHINA RATTLE SABRES
Washington Post, Feb 23 – U.S.
hardliners believe rising China poses great risks – While working as an aide to Representative Christopher
Cox, Republican of California, Richard Fisher collected dozens of photographs
and sketches of China’s latest weaponry: the Russian built Sovremenny
destroyer, advanced ballistic missiles, pilotless drones and Su-27
fighters. Mr. Fisher is grimly
confident that someday these weapons could be aimed at Americans.
“This is shaping up to be a
major military disaster for the United States,” he said. Mr. Fisher, who moved last month to a
Washington research organization, describes himself as a member of the “Blue
Team” – a loose alliance of members of Congress, congressional staff members,
research organization fellows, Republican political operatives, conservative
journalists, lobbyists for Taiwan, former
intelligence officers and a handful of academics, all united in the view that a
rising China poses great risks to America’s vital interests. These
hard-liners on China advance the view that China’s steady military buildup will
soon put it in a position to threaten the United States, most obviously by
bullying Taiwan.
The Blue team and its
sympathizers think the United States should recognize that conflict with China
is probable if not inevitable. “Where
the U.S.-China relationship is going is, frankly, toward conflict,” said Frank
Gaffney, a former congressional aide and Defense Department official in the
Reagan administration who now runs a research organization called the Center
for Security Police. Mr. Gaffney
compared America’s current China policy to its relations with Japan and Germany
before World War II. “In many ways,”
Mr. Gaffney said, “this is a time not dissimilar to the 1930s.”
London Times, Feb 25 – U.S. aircraft
carrier deployed near Taiwan Strait – The
deployment of an American aircraft carrier yesterday to the East China Sea has
been taken as a gesture of support in Taiwan but an act of aggression by China
after a week-long war of words that has pushed cross-strait relations to a new
low. The USS Kitty Hawk, stationed in
Japan, has been sent on a “training mission,” according to US officials. But the deployment had not been previously
announced and officials acknowledged that the carrier would be monitoring the
situation in the Taiwan Straight.
A Chinese government spokesman
blamed Washington for aggravating tensions.
“If the US is really concerned about peace and stability in the Taiwan
Strait, then it should stop interfering in China’s affairs,” he said. “U.S. meddling has caused the current
situation.” The Kitty Hawk is part of
the Seventh Fleet, which has long acted as a US counter-balance to Chinese
power. The 80,800-tonne vessel has
about 70 aircraft on board, including FA18s, F14s and a whole range of
helicopters.
This week’s tension was
described as reaching an “historically low point,” according to Chen Shui-bian,
Taiwan’s Vice-President, and coincides with the Taiwanese presidential
elections on March 18. The US deployed
two aircraft carriers in the East China Sea during the last elections in 1996,
after China launched missiles into the strait during an exercise.
London Times, Feb 28 – U.S. Admiral to
warn China that America is prepared to defend Taiwan – The commander of the U.S. Seventh Fleet has traveled
to Beijing to warn Chinese leader, after last week’s threats, that America is
prepared to defend Taiwan. Admiral
Dennis Blair’s visit is seen as an attempt to regain the initiative after Washington
was given no advance warning of Beijing’s threat last Monday to use force
against the Island if Taiwan puts off unification talks indefinitely. The admiral will meet military leaders and
visit the headquarters of the Nanjing military region from where a Taiwan
campaign would be conducted. Last week
the US aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk left its Japanese base in a move seen as
hostile by Beijing.
With presidential elections in
Taiwan a few weeks away, China’s renewed belligerence has turned out to be
quite effective, fostering fears among voters that victory for a
pro-independence candidate could lead to a Chinese attack. A drop in Taiwanese stock indices has
reminded voters that, if Beijing is upset by the poll result, more threats and
financial setbacks could follow.
The Washington Times, Feb 29 – China
threatens to fire long-range nuclear missiles at U.S. – China stepped up its war of words over Taiwan
yesterday, bluntly threatening to fire long-range nuclear missiles at the
United States if it defends the island.
The warning, published in the official People’s Liberation newspaper,
comes as a U.S. aircraft carrier and two cruise-missile destroyers recently
began exercises off Japan. Defense
officials said the warships could be sent to Taiwan Strait in a crisis.
While China is a permanent
member of the Security Council of the United Nations, “on the other hand, it is
a country that has certain abilities of launching strategic counterattack and
the capacity of launching a long-distance strike,” the article said. “The U.S. military will even be forced to
make a complete withdrawal from the East Asian region, as they were forced to
withdraw from southern Vietnam in those days,” the paper said.
Inside China Today, Feb 29 – China
orders military on alert – Chinese
President Jiang Zemin has issued an alert for People’s Liberation Army forces
including on the coast along the Taiwan straight, a newspaper reported
Monday. Jiang, also head of the Central
Military Commission, signed decrees ordering the military regions of Nanjing,
Jinan, Beijing and other units including the East China Fleet to go on alert
from February 23, Chinese-language daily The Sun said, citing unnamed
“insiders” in Beijing. The military alert
order comes as Taiwan, which Beijing deems a renegade province, is to hold its
presidential elections on March 18.
World Net Daily, March 2 – Chinese air
force commander says military prepared to attack Taiwan – According to its commander, China’s air force will go
on the offensive in a war over Taiwan.
“It is difficult to conduct the air force’s mission and tasks without
striking capability in future air defense operations,” stated Lt. Gen. Liu
Shunyao, to reporter Robert Wall in “Chinese War Plans Emphasize Air Force’s
Offensive Role,” Aviation Week & Space Technology.
Liu has been in charge of the
Chinese air force since November 1996.
Under his direction, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force has adopted
a more “active defense” for wartime operations. Liu made it clear that he intended to counter directly U.S.
stealth aircraft such as the B-2 and F-117 with lessons learned from the U.S.
air war over Kosovo last year.
“Air Power will become the main
fighting force in local wars and have increasing influence on the progress and
outcome of war,” said Liu. The
commander also made it clear that the Chinese air force’s role is to preserve
“territorial integrity” – a thinly veiled reference to the current dispute
between communist Beijing and democratic Taipei.
Reuters, March 4 – Taiwan candidates say
can’t accept China timetable – Two of
Taiwan’s most popular presidential candidates on Saturday rejected China’s
military threat aimed at speeding up unification, saying the island would never
accept a timetable for negotiations.
Whether this will turn into a
major conflict within the next two weeks remains to be seen.
The grace of Yahshuah HaMashiach be with you all.
