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Nehemia Gordon from Jerusalem Israel compiled the following Barley Report on March 7, 2008.
Aviv Not Found, Thirteenth Month to Begin after Shabbat
“On Tuesday March 4, Wednesday March 5, and Thursday
March 6, 2008 an international team crisscrossed the Land of Israel searching
for Aviv Barley. We examined barley from the Negev in the south all the way to
the border of Lebanon in the north and from the Jordan Valley in the east to
the Coastal Plain in the west. Most of the barley we found, including the
barley in the Northern Negev, was no further than the "cotton" stage
also referred to as the "flowering" stage. In the Jordan Valley we
found small amounts of barley in the "worm" stage,
also referred to as the "soft dough" stage. We did not find any
barley in the Aviv stage anywhere in Israel and therefore we must wait until
after the Thirteenth Month before beginning the new Biblical Year. The
Thirteenth Month will begin with the expected sighting of the New Moon from
Israel on Saturday night March 8, 2008. The holiday of Chag HaMatzot will run
from April 21 at sunset through April 28 at sunset.
For the dates of the other biblical appointed times
please see: http://www.karaite-korner.org/holiday_dates.shtml
This year's Aviv Search was truly an international effort with participants from Israel, the United States, England, and South Africa. The Karaite searchers were joined by adherents of several different faiths and persuasions including members of "Yahweh's Philadelphia Truth Congregation" and "Hoshana Rabbah Messianic Discipleship Resources".
Ruthanne Koch, a Certified Crop Advisor from
Colorado participated along with her husband Bernie, her brother Erich Draht,
and his wife Gloria. Other participants included Ferenc Illesy, Rivkah
Michaeli, Avi Ben Mordechai, Johan Schutte, Glen Cain, Tracey Cain, Frank King,
Eileen King, Sharon King, Nathan Lawrence, Sandi Lawrence, Linda Lampkin, and
Richard Bay. I want to thank American Karaites Yochanan Labombarbe and Sean
Reuland for making the trip over to Israel to do the Aviv Search and Devorah
Gordon for helping make the Aviv Search a
success. Finally, I want to thank everyone who supported the Aviv Search both
financially and in other ways.”
Nehemia Gordon from Jerusalem, Israel compiled the following New Moon Report for the month of March and the beginning of the Thirteenth Month of the Biblical Calendar.
“On Saturday March 8, 2008 observers across Israel
looked for the New Moon but it was not sighted due to heavy cloud
coverage. Had there been no clouds the
moon would have been visible and according to the potential visibility March 9
is New Moon Day.”
The next new moon is expected to be visible from Jerusalem
near sunset on April 7, 2008 when it will be easily visible with 3%
illumination. It will be 19o
above the horizon at 5 minutes after sunset.
That new moon will be the New Moon of the Aviv and the beginning of the
first day of the First Month on the Biblical Calendar.
Chart 458 shows the position of the moon when it will be seen
from Jerusalem on April 7, 2008 at 7:26 pm in the sign Aries. This is an ecliptic view.
Chart 458 – Position of the New Moon of
the Aviv in Aries as seen from Jerusalem on April 7
The new moon is seen here in or near the mouth of
the Lamb. I used the ecliptic view here
instead of the local view with the horizon so that you could see where the sun
is in Pisces at the time of the new moon as well as the positions of the
planets Venus (Nogah) and Mercury (Catab) at that time. The two
planets are in the morning sky; the moon is in the evening sky. The sun and the
two planets are in and in conjunction with the band and fish that represents
the House of Judah. Pisces represents
the nation of Israel. The fish on the
left represents the House of Ephraim or House of Israel (the ten northern
tribes of the old kingdom). Venus
represents the Bright and Morning Star and Mercury the
messenger or announcing angel Gabriel.
Venus and Mercury will come into a close
conjunction a few weeks earlier in the Sign Aquarius (Deli) on March 23/24,
2008. Chart 459 shows the
positions of Venus and Mercury in the water flow of Aquarius
at the time of the conjunction as seen from Jerusalem on March 24. Mercury is the small dot just below Venus. The mark next to the label for Mercury
is a pointer. The water flow represents
God’s blessing being poured forth for and on His people. See the feature article on Aquarius in
the January 2008 issue of Biblical Astronomy for more information on the
Biblical meaning of that constellation.
Chart 459 – Venus/Mercury conjunction
in Aquarius on March 24, 2008 as seen from Jerusalem
The Vernal Equinox this year will
occur on March 20th at 1:48 am EDT.
I
missed putting some pertinent information in the February newsletter. I didn’t notice that it was missing until
after I sent it out. I will be including
that information later in this newsletter as well as some updates on the
February 20, 2008 eclipse. I was
multi-tasking and was up for a few days without sleep trying to get the
newsletter out so that the postal subscribers would get it before the
eclipse. I should have rested and put
it off for a day. I seem to get burned
out a lot faster since I reached 60.
From now on I will stop and go to bed if I find myself falling asleep as
I am typing and concentrate on one task at a time. I apologize for any inconvenience. Please forgive me.
The Lyrid Meteor Shower peaks every year on April 22/23 except for leap
years when it peaks on April 21/22 between late evening and early morning. This year, April 21/22 will be Passover/First
Day of Unleavened Bread according to the Biblical Calendar.
The Lyrid is not normally a real active shower such as the Perseids and Leonids. The shower usually has a rate of 10 to 20 meteors per hour, but every now and then it puts on a good show. The following excerpt if from an online Sky & Telescope article on the Lyrids by Roger W. Sinnott.
“The Lyrid meteor shower has been observed for more than
2,000 years; Chinese records say "stars fell like rain" during the
shower of 687 BC. But in recent times the Lyrids have generally been weak. They
have a brief maximum that lasts for less than a day, and even then only 10 to
20 Lyrids per hour may appear.
But there have been some
remarkable exceptions. In 1982 the rate unexpectedly reached 90 for a single
hour, and 180 to 300 for a few minutes. A brief outburst of 100 per hour was
also seen in 1922. And on April 20, 1803, residents of Richmond, Virginia, upon
being rousted out of bed by a fire bell, were startled to see great numbers of
meteors in all parts of the sky. "This unpredictability always makes the
Lyrids a shower to watch, since we cannot say when the next unusual return may
occur," note Alistair McBeath and Rainer Arlt of the International Meteor
Organization.”
The chart below shows the radiant
of the shower near Lyra, the harp.
Lyra
is a decan constellation of the Sign Sagittarius. It mainly represents praise prepared for the
conqueror (see the August 2006
issue of Biblical Astronomy for more on its Biblical meaning).
Another
decan constellation to Sagittarius is Draco, the dragon being cast to the earth (see the
September/October 2006 newsletter).
There is rejoicing in the heavens when the Dragon is cast out (Rev.
12:7-11) and Lyra portrays that event as well.
As
I mentioned in last month’s newsletter, when Biblical events unfold on Earth, Zedek
(Jupiter) is always in the main Sign that portrays such an
event. Zedek will be in Sagittarius during the Spring Feasts this year. Sagittarius portrays not only a bowman on a
white horse going forth to conquer, but also the casting down of the Dragon to
the earth with its decan constellation Draco. This event most likely occurs just before or
at the beginning of the 1,260 days or 42 months of the Great Tribulation. Zedek will be in Aries, which with all of its
decan constellations portrays the events of Revelation 19:6 thru 20:3 during
the Fall Feasts of 2011. I believe the
1,260 days will end on the Day of Trumpets at any given year when this event
unfolds. At that time the two witnesses
along with others who belong to Y’shua and are on the earth at that time, will
be taken up and gathered to Y’shua.
After that the wrath of God is poured forth on His enemies for three
weeks. On the Last Great Day, the Twenty
Second Day of the Seventh Biblical Month, Messiah will come with His saints and
defeat the beast and the armies of the beast.
There
are 1,260 days between April 17, 2008 (Aviv 10) and September 29, 2011 (Day of
Trumpets). If the events of Revelation
12 and 13 occur during this particular 12-year cycle of Zedek we
will soon know. There have been a number
of unique and rare signs over the past 15 months. I will give a recap of them later in this
newsletter.
This report was to be in last month’s newsletter. On February 24, 2008 the planet Saturn reached
opposition (its closest approach to the earth for the year and its brightest
magnitude). This occurred 4 days after
the total lunar eclipse. Last year
Saturn reached opposition on February 10, 2007, three weeks before another red
total lunar eclipse that was visible from Jerusalem on Purim. That eclipse also occurred in Arieh
(the Lion). Saturn was also in Arieh at that time as
it was this year.
The two eclipses are very similar and both occurred either on Purim or
12 hours before Purim. Both occurred in
Arieh along with Saturn, which was shining brightly.
The chart below shows the position of Saturn at its time of opposition
on February 24, 2008 in the constellation Leo (Arieh).
The chart below shows the position of the moon during the total eclipse of March 3/4 2007. See Chart 456 in the February 2008 newsletter for the position of the moon and Saturn during the eclipse on February 20, 2008.
Much of the following is from the February 2007 newsletter.
Arieh represents the Lion of the Tribe of Judah
or Messiah, or the Tribe of Judah. Saturn represents Satan. The Lion is
making war with the water serpent Hydra,
or a beast from the sea. The Lion crushes the serpent’s head. In ancient times, Hydra had seven heads.
A Blood Red Eclipse
represents the atoning blood of Messiah and also blood and war on His
enemies. Considering the signs in the
Sign Scorpio from December 2006 thru February 2007, this most likely represents Messiah making
war on His enemies.
These two red
eclipses occurred on, or on the eve of Purim, which commemorates the time that
the people of Judah who lived in the land of Persia during captivity were to be
destroyed by Haman’s deceitfulness, but instead, the armies that came up
against the Jews in the land if Persia were destroyed. Read the book of Esther for all the
info. It is far more accurate and
detailed than the movie “One Night With The King.” At any rate, there was war against the
enemies of Yahweh’s people at that time, and those enemies were destroyed. Haman was hanged.
I believe these
Blood Red Eclipses on Purim 2007 and Purim 2008 represent blood and war against
the enemies of Yahweh’s people with the enemy being utterly destroyed. Whether this starts to take place at this
time remains to be seen, but the heavenly signs are strong, as you will
understand as you read on. (See the
February 2007 newsletter to read on).
The eclipse on
February 20, 2008 was also in the Lion of Judah. The moon passed conjunction with the star
Regulus at the beginning of the eclipse.
Regulus is the King star of the Lion and also the King star of all the
stars in the heavens from antiquity.
Regulus represents the King of Judah and the King of the Universe. The planet Saturn (Satan) was in the Lion
during this eclipse as it was in 2007.
Below is a chart
that shows the Moon, Regulus and Saturn at the time of the eclipse as seen from
the mid-west U.S. on February 20, 2008
As seen from the United States the eclipsed moon was red. Viewed from Oregon City, Oregon, it had a slight reddish tinge. It appeared more reddish in color the further east in the U.S. it was viewed from. I saw it live from Oregon City and also viewed it live on Fox News, which was broadcast from the eastern U.S. I predicted that it would be gray. I was wrong. It’s back to the drawing board for me. It was most likely even redder as seen from Greenland and Iceland.
Below is a striking photograph of last month’s eclipse taken from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
Here
the red moon is seen as though to strike or fall on the Dome of the Rock.
As I
mentioned earlier, a red eclipse can represent the atoning blood of Messiah,
which to those who are in Messiah, protects them from the wrath of God, but to
those who are against Messiah, this blood becomes a curse and the wrath of God
will fall upon them.
This
becomes particularly interesting in light of the fact what occurred six days
before the eclipse. On Friday February
15, 2008 there was a 5.3 magnitude earthquake that shook Israel. The following article concerning this
earthquake and the damage it did to the Temple Mount was written by Ezra HaLevi
and published by Arutz-Sheva news on February 17, 2008.
“(IsraelNN.com) An earthquake shook Israel at 12:37 PM
Friday. The only damage reported in Israel was on the Temple Mount and near
Shechem (Nablus).
The earthquake measured 5.3 on the Richter scale; its epicenter
was located in northeastern Lebanon. Earlier last week an earthquake measuring
4.1 was felt in northern Israel, also originating from Lebanon, near its
northern city of Tyre.
A large hole opened up on the Temple Mount during Friday's
earthquake (click here for pictures), which was soon covered by
officials from the Wakf Islamic Authority that administers the mosques built
atop Judaism’s holiest site.
The only other reported damage in the Holy Land was incurred
between Palestinian Authority-controlled Shechem (Nablus) and Jenin, where an
old home collapsed, blocking the main road to the village of Khufin. The
village is not far from the site of the Biblical Joseph’s Tomb, which was set
ablaze by Muslim vandals last week.
At least five people were injured and two homes were destroyed in
southern Lebanon as a result of Friday’s quake.
Wakf Officials Blame Israel
Wakf officials tried to blame Israel for the 6-foot by 5-foot
hole, which is about three feet deep, claiming it was caused by Israel, which
it accuses of tunneling beneath the Temple Mount. They demanded an end to all
Israeli excavations in the area.
Though several excavation projects are taking place around the
Western Wall Plaza, none of them entail tunneling past the wall itself and
beneath the mount. The Wakf’s official position is that there was never a
Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount and has gone to great efforts to erase
archaeological evidence of Judaism’s historical ties to the site.
Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz issued a statement rejecting
the Muslim claims. "These are mendacious reports without a grain of
truth," he said, adding that work in the Temple Mount compound would be
contrary to Jewish law. “Such claims are a desecration and cause hatred and
incitement for no reason whatsoever,” Rabbi Rabinowitz said. He stressed that
work on the Rambam (Mughrabi) Gate ramp to the Temple Mount is vital for the
safety of those who visit the Western Wall and called on the authorities to
finish the work speedily.”
Below are the photos of the damage the earthquake did on the
Temple Mount not far from the Dome of the Rock.
Is this a sign from Yahweh to his enemies to get off his Holy
Mount? Will the Dome soon come tumbling
down?
So besides signs
in the heavens, we seem to have signs in the earth as well. The following is a list of celestial events
starting in December 2006 and ending with the Lyrid Meteor Shower in April.
December 8-11, 2006 – Planets Jupiter (Zedek) – represents Yahweh or Yahshua); Mars (Adom) – represents the archangel Michael; and Mercury (Catab) – represents the archangel Gabriel, mass in a close grouping in the head of Scorpius (Akrab). Also at this time recently discovered Comet McNaught was in Scorpius but not shining very brightly. The scorpion represents the enemy or the serpent’s seed. Its Hebrew name Akrab means conflict or war. This constellation portrays the war between the serpent’s seed and the woman’s seed. See the feature article on Scorpius in the June 2006 newsletter as well as the info in the December 2006 newsletter.
January 2007 – Comet McNaught greatly increased in brightness to become the brightest comet in decades. It reached a peak brightness of –5.2 around January 12, about 2.5 times brighter than the planet Venus. This comet was a rare hippeus (horse) comet. It appeared as the white mane of a horse. It did so when it was at its brightest in the constellation Sagittarius, the bowman on the white horse. See the January 2008 newsletter for the update and picture of this horse comet.
February 2007 – On February 4, 2007 a rare naked eye nova occurred in Scorpius. This is another rare sign in the Scorpion. Saturn reached opposition on February 10. It was in the constellation Leo (Arieh) at the time of opposition.
March 2007 – There was a total eclipse of the moon seen from Israel, Europe, Africa, and over half of the United States on the evening/early morning of March 3/4. This moon appeared red in color and occurred on Purim on the Biblical calendar. The moon was in Leo (Arieh) the Lion of the Tribe of Judah at the time of the eclipse.
June 2007 – Jupiter reached opposition while in the constellation Scorpius on June 5, 2007. Jupiter had been going through some interesting atmospheric changes since April of that year. See the June 2007 newsletter for more info.
August 2007 – Venus and Saturn came into
conjunction in Leo on August 9, 2007.
There was a total eclipse of the moon that appeared orange-red in color
that occurred on August 28, 2007. This eclipse
was seen throughout the United States but not from Israel. Up until the eclipse of February 20, 2008
this eclipse was the best eclipse that I have ever viewed. This eclipse occurred in the constellation Aquarius.
September 2007 – On September 1, 2007 the Aurigid meteor shower put on a rare great show. The radiant of this shower is in the bosom of Auriga the Great Shepherd. The particles of this shower came from a comet that passed the earth 2,000 years ago when the Great Shepherd was walking on Earth.
October 2007 – On October 24, 2007 the very faint Comet Holmes (25,000 times fainter than the faintest star to the naked eye) went into outburst and within 36 hours increased one million fold in brightness. It became a 3.0 magnitude comet and is still a faint naked eye object. It blazed a trail through the constellation Perseus when it was at its brightest and came into a very close rendezvous with the star Algol (evil spirit) in Rosh Satan (the head of Satan) on January 22, 2008. See the November and December 2007 newsletters for more info.
February 2008 – Jupiter and Venus came into a very close conjunction on February 1, 2008 in the constellation Sagittarius. On February 20/21 there was a total eclipse of the moon seen over 5 continents. The color of this eclipse appeared from a light red, orange, orange red and red, depending on where it was viewed from. This eclipse occurred in the constellation Leo 12 hours before the beginning of Purim Jerusalem Local Time. Saturn was shining brightly near the eclipse and reached opposition four days later on February 24, 2008. The planets Venus and Mercury came into conjunction in the constellation Capricornus on February 24/25, 2008.
March 2008 – Venus and Mercury come into conjunction in Aquarius on March 24, 2008.
April 2008 – Lyrid Meteor Shower peaks on the evening/morning of April 21/22 (Passover/First Day of Unleavened Bread). Jupiter is in the sign Sagittarius.
Below are the projected dates (in raw data
form) for the first days of the months for Biblical calendar for the
coming year. The dates are near sunset when the moon is expected to be
visible from Jerusalem. I have the percent of illumination of the
moon to the closest whole number, and the degrees above the horizon also
to the closest whole number (not broken down to fractions). These
calculations are for the moon at 5 minutes after sunset. The
dates are from sunset of the first date on the left of the slash to sunset of
the second date to the right of the slash. Where there are borderline
situations I have also listed a secondary possible date.
2008
First Month - April 7/8
3% illuminated, 19 degrees above the horizon.
Second Month -
May
6/7 2% ill., 15 deg. ah
Third Month - June 4/5 1% ill., 10 deg. ah (possibly
June 5/6)
Fourth Month - July 4/5 3% ill., 15 deg. ah
Fifth Month - August 2/3 2% ill., 7 deg. ah
Sixth Month - September 1/2 4%
ill., 7 deg. ah
Seventh Month - October 1/2 5% ill., 8 deg. ah
Eighth Month - Oct 31/Nov.1 6% ill., 12deg. ah (possibly October 30/31)
Ninth Month - November 29/30 3% ill., 10 deg. ah (possibly November 11/12)
Tenth Month - December 29/30 4% ill., 16 deg. ah (possibly December 28/29)
2009
Eleventh Month – January
27/28 1% ill., 11 deg. ah
Twelfth Month - February 26/27 2% ill., 16 deg. ah
First Month – March 27/28 1% ill., 10 deg. ah
Feast Dates for 2008
Passover/Feast of Unleavened bread – sunset April 21 to sunset April 28.
Pentecost
(Shavuot) – sunset June 14, to sunset June 15.
Day of Trumpets
or Shouting (Yom Teruah or Yom Zicron) – October 1/2.
Day of Atonement
(Yom Kippur) – October 10/11.
First Day of
Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) – October 15/16.
Last Great Day (Shemini Atzeret) – October 22/23.
Feast of
Dedication or Feast of Lights (Hanukkah) – will most likely start at sunset on December
23 and end at sunset on December 31,
2008.