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On October 23, Jupiter will be at its greatest brilliancy for the last 12 years. During its 12-year course around the sun, Jupiter lies at its closest point to the sun when it is also at its closest point to the earth only once. This year, when Jupiter is at opposition, is the one time that this occurs. Jupiter will be shinning at a magnitude -2.9 on that evening. This is the magnitude that Mars will be shinning at its closest approach to the earth for the following 1,010 years in late August 2003.

It was on October 23, last year, that Saturn was at its greatest brilliancy for the previous 20 years, when it was in opposition. The time of opposition for Saturn last year was 2:34 p.m. Eastern Daylight Savings Time, at the time when the Wye Agreement was reached between then Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Yasser Arafat (see the November 1998 issue of Biblical Astronomy for all of the details). The time for Jupiter's opposition this year on October 23 is 2:54 p.m. Eastern Daylight Savings Time, just 20 minutes difference from the time that Saturn reached opposition in 1998. But this is just the tip of the ol' iceberg.

Charts 117 and 118 show the positions of Jupiter and Saturn when they were in opposition in 1999 and 1998. Chart 118 shows the position of Saturn during its opposition on October 23, 1998. Note that it is in the band of Pisces (the nation of Israel), and just above the area where the foot of the Lamb (Aries) is breaking or loosing the band. This band is connected to Cetus (the beast from the sea). The following is from E.W. Bullinger's The Witness of the Stars (1893), pp. 100, 101 concerning the Band.

"Its ancient Egyptian name was U-or, which means He Cometh. Its Arabic name is Al Risha, the band, or bridle. It speaks of the Coming One, not in His relation to Himself, or to His enemies, but in His relation to the Redeemed. It speaks of Him who says:

'I drew them with cords of a man,
With bands of love;
And as I was to them as they that take off the
Yoke on their jaws.' (Hosea 11:4, R.V.)

But it speaks also of His unloosing the bands with which they have been so long bound.

In the picture these fishes are bound. One end of the band is fastened securely round the tail of one fish, and it is the same with the other. Moreover, this band is fastened to the neck of Cetus, the sea monster, while immediately above is seen a woman chained as a captive. These both tell the same story, and indeed, all are required to set forth the whole truth. The fishes are bound to Cetus; the woman (Andromeda) is chained; but the Deliverer of both is near. Cepheus, the Crowned King, the Redeemer, "the Breaker," the Branch, is seen coming quickly for the deliverance of His redeemed. These are the three constellations of this sign, and all three are required to set forth the story.

Israel now is bound. The great enemy still oppresses, but deliverance is sure. Aries, the Ram, is seen with his paws on this band, as though about to loosen the bands and set the captives free, and to fast bind their great oppressor."

Though the above was written over 100 years ago, it still holds true today. The Wye Agreement is a covenant that further binds Israel to the plans of Satan. But God will not allow that to come to full fruition. Chart 117 shows the position of Jupiter on October 23, 1999 at the time of its opposition. The Hebrew name for Jupiter is Tzedeq, which means Righteousness. It is also the same Hebrew word used in Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18), or as it is spelled Melchisedec in Hebrews 5:6. Throughout history, Jupiter has always been refereed to as the "king" planet and this from this we get the King of Righteousness. But a better translation that makes a bit more sense comes from Jeremiah 23:5,6 and 33:15,16 which give the name "the Lord our Righteousness." Also, in Hebrew thought, Jupiter was always associated to the Messiah.

Getting back to Chart 117, Jupiter is also positioned in the band of Pisces, and very close to the same position that Saturn was a year earlier. It is Satan who binds, but the Messiah will break the bonds. This assurance is here portrayed in the heavens. This has yet to be fully played out here on planet Earth. When? Most likely soon. I will be getting into the calculations and the great possibility that the "Great Tribulation" will begin this coming Spring in the next newsletter. But we still have this Autumn to get through first.

On October 11, Bethulah (Virgo) will be clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet. Chart 119 shows the Galactic View of the heavens, which would be as if you were standing on a plane parallel to the Galactic plane. The time set is 5 minutes after sunset Jerusalem Local Time. The sun is near the midst of the woman, and the moon in under her feet. This picture of Virgo is not the best, with wings and other non-attributes, but adequately displays the moon in relationship to the feet.

Chart 120 shows the heavens as seen from Jerusalem at 5 minutes after sunset on October 11. The horizontal gray line above the sun is the horizon. The moon at this time is 15 degrees above the horizon and 4 percent illuminated. This is most likely the beginning of Heshvan 2 on the Sacred Calendar. The moon will be 1 percent illuminated and 9 degrees above the horizon on the previous evening at 5 minutes after sunset. It is not positively known if the first crescent light of the new moon will be seen at that time. I am anxiously looking forward to the new moon report from Israel this month.

There are some that contend that Rosh Hashanah comes a month latter this year, here being October 10 or 11. I disagree with this at this time, until I hear further confirmation from Israel on the state of the barely crops this past Spring. There are some who say that the first fruits of the barley harvest were late in ripening this past Spring and would not have been ready for the wave offering as was practiced on the second day of Unleavened Bread under the law of Moses. I do not know which crops there were referring to: whether they were the barley crops up in the hill areas around Jerusalem, or in the lower plains. The crops in the lower plains in the lower plains ripen up to a month earlier than those in the hills. It was the first fruits of Israel that were used for the wave offering, and that would most likely not include the later crops of the hills, unless the crops of the lower plains were somehow completely wiped out. It is only about a day's walk from the lower plains to Jerusalem.

Nevertheless, it was a dry Winter and Spring in Israel last year. This could delay the crops from ripening in the lower plains. Such was most likely the case in 28 AD, which is a possible reason for the Passover being so late that year (April 28/29). If this were the case for the last Passover, then it would have been on May 1 and 2, which seems a bit late in the year.

The figure of speech used in Revelation 12:2 of a woman travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered is also seen in other scriptures such as Jeremiah 30:6-7 and I Thessalonians 5:34, which directly relate to the time of "Jacob's Trouble." The sign in the heavens that relates to this is the woman clothed with the sun and the moon beneath her feet (Rev. 12:1). This occurs about every two to three years, though it can occur two years in a row. Such is the case for October 21, 1998 and October 11, 1999. It does not mean that every time that this sign is seen in the heavens that it is the time of "Jacob's Trouble," but when the time of "Jacob's Trouble" occurs, this sign will most likely be seen.

Venus (the bright and morning star) and Regulus (the King star in the Lion of the tribe of Judah) will come into conjunction on October 8/9. This is the third of a series of three conjunctions between these two celestial bodies, which began on July 12. Charts 121 and 122 show the positions of Venus and Regulus at 5 a.m. Jerusalem Local Time on October 9. These charts are shown in the Ecliptic view.

Venus, the waning crescent moon, and Rugulus put on a marvelous display on October 5 as they were all in close proximity to each other. I did not see it because of cloud cover. I hope that some of you saw it. My apologies for getting this information to you so late. I should have put it in the September newsletter.

The following is from the Comet Observation Home Page:

"IAU Circular 7267 (Oct. 1, 1999) reports the discovery of a comet by LINEAR. This comet, which is currently 16th magnitude, has the potential of becoming a naked-eye comet, according to the preliminary orbit given on the same circular. Based on the orbit, the comet will reach a perihelion distance of 0.72 AU on July 18, 2000. The Northern Hemisphere is favored during most of the apparition.

The comet may be picked up visually by the end of the year. As it slowly brightens, the comet will move into solar conjunction in March 2000. It will emerge in the morning sky at the end of May as perhaps a 9th magnitude object. The comet will brighten rapidly as it moves northward. In mid-July 2000, the comet will be at a high Northern declination (~+57 deg. Max.). The comet will move under the pole from the morning sky into the evening sky. At peak brightness, the comet might be magnitude 3.5… This value is extremely uncertain. The comet will then rapidly dive to the south in the evening sky and will fade. There will be a period in late July and August 2000 when the comet is visible from both hemispheres. During this same period the comet will become a binocular object. In September the comet will slip into conjunction with the sun. When the comet emerges in November 2000, it will be a faint telescopic comet for Southern Hemisphere observers."

I will be giving more data on this comet in future newsletters, Lord willing.

The yearly Orionid Meteor Shower will peak around October 22, though it will most likely not be a great display. The "Hunter's Moon" on October 24 affects the viewing of this year's Meteor shower. The moon is near full on October 22 and 23. The full moon passes four degrees south of Jupiter on October 24. The brightness of the full moon will leave only the brightest meteors observable. This particular shower is caused by of two yearly streams linked to Halley's Comet. The radiant of the shower emanates from the constellation Orion, which is representative of God's wrath being poured forth (specifically the constellation Eridanus which pours forth from under the feet of Orion). Any connection to the position of Jupiter on October 23/24?

The following is a list of earthquakes that have occurred since the writing of the September issue of Biblical Astronomy.

September 20 - 7.6 in Taiwan
September 21 - 6.8 in Taiwan (two - 3 hours apart)
- 4.2 in San Francisco
September 24 - 5.1 in China
September 25 - 6.8 in Taiwan
September 30 - 7.5 in Mexico
October 4 - 5.5 in Peru
October 5 - 5.2 in Turkey
- 5.1 in Chile
October 6 - 5.0 in Assam

The following is from a Yahoo news release on October 4.

South Carolina: Several earthquakes shake Upstate; Larger ones may be on the way - "Several earthquakes in a week have Upstate residents a little shaken up. The small quakes measured a magnitude of only two points. But they were the first measurable earthquakes in Greenville in nearly 40 years, and experts say larger ones may be on the way."

What is highly unusual is to have as many earthquakes registering 6.5 or above occurring in a little over a six week period. Beginning with the 7.8 that hit Turkey on August 16 and ending with the 7.5 that hit Mexico on September 30, there have been at least six of them, for an average of one per week. The normal average for magnitude 6.5 or greater quakes is between one per month to one per six weeks. At least that is what it was up to a few years ago. They have been steadily on the increase over the past few years, but this has been the greatest flux in recent times. Volcanic activity in divers places is also on the rise.

Starting on October 12, the post office box for Biblical Astronomy will be officially changed to P.O. Box 2272. The old box number was 5272. Correspondence will be forwarded from the old address to the new one for a period of one year.

Your MessiahScope

Brother Gary Scarano of Jesus Gospel Ministries International has recently published a set of fourteen tracts titled Your MessiahScope. These are very unique in giving the Biblical meanings of the Zodiac Signs contrary to horoscopes. These are a great witnessing tool. A set of 14, two sided tracts is available for $2.00 (includes shipping). Gary also has a 1 hour and 15 minute audio tape teaching on the MessiahScope available for $4.00 plus $1.00 shipping. If you are interested in these items, the can be purchased from:

Jesus Gospel Ministries International
P.O. Box 173
Ganerville, NY 10923

The following is from an IsraelWire news release on September 22. "According to the officials in the Prime Minister's Office, the fact that the PA paramilitary forces number approximately 30,000 troops in place of the 20,000 as agreed to in the Oslo Accord was not a reason for concern. One of the items mentioned in the Wye River Memorandum signed by the previous Netanyahu administration was to cut the paramilitary forces to 20,000, as per the Oslo Agreement. The list submitted to the office of Barak last week indicated this was not the case and there were still some 30,000 security personnel listed as employed by the various branches of the PA security forces.

A statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office indicated that it was actually good since it assisted in curtailing unemployment in PA-controlled areas. At present, the prime minister does not intend to insist that the force be cut despite announcements by PA officials that this was already accomplished in the past."

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