COMET NEAT

Comet NEAT was first spotted in the Spring of 1996. It passed the earth on its way to the sun on March 8/9, 1996, at a distance of 1.466 Astronomical Units (1 Astronomical Unit is the average distance of the earth from the sun, or about 93 million miles). The comet reaches perihelion (closest approach) with the sun on July 27, 1996. It reaches its closest approach to the earth on September 26, 1996, at a distance of 1.162 Astronomical Units, on its way back to the outer solar system. The comet is not expected to be very bright. But what is neat about the comet NEAT is: On September 23, the comet will be in the throat or neck of Draco (the Dragon), very close to the same spot that Jupiter is in conjunction with on the evenings of September 26 and 27 (compare Chart 1 of this newsletter and Chart 62 from "A Voice Crying in the Heavens" ). The orbital period of this comet is about 20,000 years. This is the first time that this comet has been in this neighborhood of the solar system since the creation of Adam. Is this coincidence that it should show up in Draco at its closest approach to Earth at this particular time? It will still be in the constellation Draco on September 27 (Chart 2 of newsletter). See "A Voice Crying in the Heavens", pp. 54-60 for the significance of the date September 27, 1996.

The comet Hale-Bopp will be visible to the naked eye in late September, and will be in conjunction to the star Rastaban (circled star in Chart 2) in the head of the Dragon on Sept. 27.

ARAB SUMMIT

In late June, 1996, there was a summit held in Egypt in which leaders from most of the Arab nations attended. This may have been

Psalm 83 unfolding before our very eyes. Up to June 1996, this Psalm had not yet been fulfilled.

Psalm 83:1-8 (KJV) Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God. For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in rememberence. For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee: The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes; Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the Inhabitants of Tyre; Assur also is joined with them: ...

The ten kingdoms which I underlined in Psalm 83 are most likely the ten kingdoms over which the ten kings who receive power as kings one hour with the beast (Rev. 17:12) rule. It appears that the stage is being set.
This insight on Psalm 83 comes from the book "Revelation of the Beast" by Colin H. Deal, End Time Ministry, P.O. Box 455, Rutherford College, NC 28671.
The following list of which areas the above mentioned kingdoms now represent is taken from "The Revelation of the Beast".

THE TEN KINGDOMS

1 Edom (southern Jordan)
2 Ismaelites (Persian Gulf Arabs)
3 Moab (central Jordan)
4 Hagarenes (Egypt)
5 Gebal (northern Lebanon)
6 Ammon (northern Jordan)
7 Amalak (northern Sinai)
8 Philistines (Gaza)
9 Tyre (southern Lebanon)
10 Assur (Syria)
If September 27, 1996, is the date of the casting down of the Dragon to the earth, it is most likely that the beast and the ten kings will receive power on, or very soon after that date (Rev. 13:1-5, 17:12). The power that they receive is supernatural in form. How this will look, I do not know. It may take some time to gather their armies together and invade Israel and Jerusalem. From this point, part of Israel flees to the mountains and then to the wilderness, where they are protected and nourished for 1,260 days.


SOLAR ECLIPSE

A solar eclipse will be seen in Israel on October 12, 1996, shortly before sunset. Chart 3 shows the moon as it is passing in front of the sun. the sun and the moon are in the sign Virgo (the woman). This is a partial eclipse. The moon will cover about 20 percent of the sun as seen from Israel.
On October 13, "the woman" will be clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet (Chart 4 & Rev. 12:1). This may be the time when "the woman" takes flight to the wilderness.
Chart 4 shows the position of the moon on October 14, at 12:30 a.m. Jerusalem time. The moon at this time will be far below the horizon and not seen from Jerusalem. This is where the moon will be seen before it sets from the eastern part of the United States. The position of the moon as seen from Jerusalem on October 13, at 5:30 p.m., Jerusalem local time, is drawn in near the lower foot of Virgo. The position of the moon as seen from Jerusalem on October 14, at 5:30 p.m. Jerusalem local time is drawn in between the stars Zubeneschamali and Zubenelgenubi. The moon passes beneath the feet of Virgo between October 13 and 14.

WHO IS THE WOMAN

In Revelation 12:1, the woman is clothed with the sun, and the moon beneath her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. The only scripture in the bible that corresponds to this verse is found in Genesis 37:9,10. "And he (Joseph) dreamed a dream, and told it is brethren, and said, Behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?
Jacob understood what the interpretation of the dream was. The sun was Jacob, the moon was Joseph's mother, and the eleven stars were Joseph's brothers. Joseph would be the twelfth star. These twelve stars are represented in the twelve signs of the Zodiac. The following is from E. W. Bullinger's "Commentary on Revelation", p. 388.
"Now, when we have such a scripture as this, why go out of our way to seek another explanation outside scripture altogether. That the same twelve stars are referred to in Genesis is clear, because Joseph himself made the twelfth. Here we have the earliest reference to the twelve signs of the Zodiac. These are the only "twelve stars," or asterisms, in the heavens. There are the "seven stars" meaning seven planets; but the twelve stars can mean only the twelve signs (or stars) of the Zodiac, thus embracing the whole heavens."
Israel is compared to a woman many times in the Old Testament (Isaiah 54; Lamentations 1:1-12; Jeremiah 3). It is most likely that the woman in Revelation 12 represents the twelve tribes of Israel. Here it may be specifically representing the 144,000 of Rev. 7:4-8. They are virgins according to Rev. 14:1-5. The celestial sign that most likely represents the 144,000 is the sign Virgo. The remnant of the woman's seed (Rev. 12:17) is most likely the rest of Israel which is represented by the sign Pisces. Pisces has long been known as the sign of Israel. The Dragon will make war against the remnant of Israel.

I will have a listing of upcoming seminars that I will be teaching on Celestial Signs of the End Times in the shortly upcoming August newsletter.
Peace be to you and love with faith, from God the father and our Lord Jesus Christ.