In The Sixth Seal Signs, 2025 will be the year of 2 prominent blood moons…
What to anticipate in 2025?
I have one more chapter and Epilogue to complete for The Signs of Jonah.
TBD - There may be another follow-up to part 4 of this series on “Star Movements” for the Christmas Story.
There is more to be written about regarding the sons of God found in Egyptian papyrus which relates to challenges that we see today as the Beast of the Sea tries to retain its power.
The references to Babylon in Revelation warrant research in 2025.
Our Comet of the Century is now in Aquila, the eagle, - to be researched as there is a link to the trumpets of Revelation.
As noted in The Sixth Seal Signs, there are two 2025 Lunar eclipses, which are impressive Blood Moons. I’ve gone back to analyze these and will share new knowledge for they do have a designated placement in the Mazzaroth. I’m excited to share this analysis in future articles. Stay tuned. You can read the original article here from The Sixth Seal Signs.
More than A Christmas Story
While preparing this 4-part series using The Covenant Signs and specifically the following article.
I discovered many areas that required more research specific to:
Why is the Birth of Christ and “His Star” important to apologetics and eschatology?
Why because it’s more than just a story. Did the supernatural events happen and if there are signs, do they logically match scripture?
The Birth of Jesus Christ was God’s master plan to defeat Satan, the sons of God, and the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim. God sent His son from Heaven to Earth to give the good news to all imagers of God so we have an opportunity to believe in Him.
This research shows that God’s Word is precise. If the story of the Birth of Jesus Christ aligns with the signs, historical records, and Biblical scripture, then we can further confirm and be ready for His soon return. Watch for the heavenly signs and do not be deceived.
Over Christmas dinner, I shared these findings with my family and I believe it is so important that I start on a future book after The Signs of Jonah is completed.
The Signs of Immanuel was a suggestion from my oldest daughter and I believe it is the perfect name for an in-depth research of the signs surrounding the birth, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
IMMANUEL (Ĭm mănʹ ū ĕl) Personal name meaning “God with us.” Name of son to be born in Isaiah’s prophecy to King Ahaz (Isa. 7:14) and fulfilled in birth of Jesus (Matt. 1:22–23).1
As I’m finding with these videos, The Signs of Immanuel requires much more scholarly research and digging which could not be covered in just a single article, video, or series.
For review here are Parts 1 to 3:
Part 4: Herod and The Massacre of the Innocent
In Part 4, the storyline shifts to the dark side as King Herod the Great tries to kill the young King Jesus. He orders the death of all young boys under the age of 2 years old in the town of Bethlehem. How did he know Jesus was under 2 years of age and where he was located?
Data Point 1: Bethlehem: In Matthew 2:4, all the chief priests and scribes are inquired and they tell Herod of the prophecy.
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
Micah 5:2, ESV
John also confirms this,
Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”
John 7:42, ESV
Data Point 2: When did the star [sign] appear? In Matthew 2:7, Herod asks “the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared,” which implies he could then calculate the child's age. Remember we saw in our previous video post that Jesus would be about 14 months, the age of a young child (Greek: paidion).
So with the Bethlehem location and the age under 2 years old, Herod could then execute the Massacre of the Innocents. However, in Matthew 2:13, Joseph is told in the dream by the angel of the Lord to take his young family to Egypt to shelter in a safe hiding place, saving young Jesus from being massacred by King Herod.
“Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”
Matthew 2:132
Herod’s soldiers massacre Bethlehem’s young boys. Jesus Christ the young child king is protected in a safe hiding place until Herod’s death.
The Eclipse of the Moon and the Golden Eagle
Before Herod’s death, he spiraled out of control and his health rapidly declined according to Flavius Josephus as written in the The Antiquity of the Jews. In the historical account, one eclipse is noted.
“And that very night there was an eclipse of the moon.”
The lunar eclipse is recorded during a tumultuous time when Matthias and his companions are burned alive for the following actions.
… Herod had caused such things to be made which were contrary to the law, of which he was accused by Judas and Matthias; for the king had erected over the great gate of the temple a large golden eagle, of great value, and had dedicated it to the temple.
Now the law forbids those that propose to live according to it, to erect images [That the making of images, without an intention to worship them, was not unlawful to the Jews, see the note on Antiq. B VIII. ch. 7. sect. 5.] or representations of any living creature.
So these wise men persuaded [their scholars] to pull down the golden eagle; alleging, that although they should incur any danger, which might bring them to their deaths, the virtue of the action now proposed to them would appear much more advantageous to them than the pleasures of life; since they would die for the preservation and observation of the law of their fathers;
Remember also from a previous research article,
“The Romans lifted the eagle on a pole as a symbol of their legion. If the Aquila (Latin for eagle) was lost in battle, it would bring great shame to a legion.”3
A multitude of Jews were present at the temple and began to destroy the golden eagle as documented by Josephus, but when the soldiers came, most ran away except for ~40 men.
…so he caught no fewer than forty of the young men, who had the courage to stay behind when the rest ran away, together with the authors of this bold attempt, Judas and Matthias,4
The actions by Matthias and his companions were justified in the eyes of many, but Herod orders they be burned alive. Their deaths were marked in the memories of the Jews, followed by an eclipse of the moon that night, and the death of Herod soon followed.
Herod’s Gruesome Death
Herod in his insane rage against all around him dies a gruesome death. You can read the details from the screenshot below after an eclipse of the moon the night of the burning of Matthias and his cohorts.
(source: Gutenberg.org, Flavius Josephus, The Antiquity of the Jews)5
A footnote confirms this finding:
It may also be remarked further, that Josephus hardly ever mentions more than one infallible astronomical character, I mean an eclipse of the moon, and this a little before the death of Herod the Great, Antiq. B. XVII. ch. 6. sect. 4.6
The lunar eclipse made a significant impression on Josephus. Another footnote clarifies the Jewish worldview at the time.
This heliacal setting of the Pleiades, or seven stars, was, in the days of Hyrcanus and Josephus, early in the spring, about February, the time of the latter rain in Judea; and this, so far as I remember, is the only astronomical character of time, besides one eclipse of the moon in the reign of Herod, that we meet with in all Josephus; the Jews being little accustomed to astronomical observations, any further than for the uses of their calendar, and utterly forbidden those astrological uses which the heathens commonly made of them.7
This astronomical sign can now be viewed in Stellarium software, but there are two eclipses. Which eclipse is memorable enough to mark this tumultuous time in Jerusalem?
When Did Herod the Great Die?
Problem: 2 lunar eclipses of 1 BC and 4 BC could have preceded Herod the Great’s death.
If the 4 BC date is correct, then all the 3 BC to 2 BC conjunctions, alignments, and crownings of Jupiter that have been reviewed would not qualify as “His star” because scripture states Herod is still alive after the birth of Jesus. A 4 BC death of Herod implies Jesus was born earlier than 4 BC. Jupiter would not be in Leo crowning Regulus. There is no alignment in the Virgin until Noah (see The Covenant Signs)
In the 16th-century Annals of the World by Archbishop James Ussher, Herod the Great's death is dated at 4 BC. Ussher used the Bible and historical documents to estimate the date of his death. However, were Ussher’s sources correct? If Ussher relied upon the dates of Herod’s sons’ reigns on coins, then there is a problem. They were potentially backdated.
Backdating to Bolster Legitimacy
Author Note: I do not typically use AI in my research, but will here to prove a point on the challenges
Brave’s AI generates a vague response, but does bring to light some data points about backdating by Herod’s sons,
Did Herod's Sons Backdate His Death?
Based on the provided search results, there is a scholarly debate about the date of Herod’s death. Emil Schürer’s calculations suggest it was around 4 BCE, while others, such as Filmer, propose 1 BCE. Additionally, some scholars argue that Herod’s sons may have backdated their reigns to 4 or 3 BCE to assert an overlapping with their father’s rule and bolster their own legitimacy.8
Add sources from Brave AI…
AI’s response is not conclusive.
Dr. Kenneth Berding, a professor at Talbot School of Theology, writes,
Herod Archelaus - He receives one-half of Herod the Great’s territory.
Herod Antipas - He receives one-fourth of the territory and is called “the Fox” by Jesus himself (Luke 13:32). Herod Antipas kills John the Baptist. Pontius Pilate sent Jesus to see Herod as part of Jesus’ trial.
Herod Philip the Tetrarch - He receives on-fourth the territory over Syrians and Greeks.9
Herod Agrippa I (eaten by worms) & Agrippa II are grandsons and great-great grandsons, respectively.
The following paper provides more evidence of backdating by Herod the Great’s sons:
Another paper from the Interactive Bible states, “Herod the Great’s Sons Antedated Their Reigns to 6 BC”, by Dr. Andrew E. Steinmann, professor of ancient biblical languages and chronology10, and Rodger C. Young, a researcher in biblical chronology11,
(source: The Interactive Bible)12
Antedating the coins of Archelaus, Antipas, and Philip to 6 BC
New and groundbreaking research examines the numismatic evidence from the coins of Archelaus, Antipas, and Philip as clear evidence they backdated their coins to 6 BC after Herod the Great died in 1 BC…
Unlike the consensus chronology, where the three sons of Herod must start their reigns at exactly the time when their father died, such a coincidence of starting years is not essential to the view that they antedated the start of their reigns to a time before their father’s death…
That Herod assigned royal status to his sons during this time is suggested by a passage in War 1.461/1.23.5 where, according to Josephus, Herod declared “I am not giving away my kingdom to my sons, but only give them royal titles; by which they may enjoy the easy side of government as princes, while the burden of decision rests upon myself whether I want it or not.” The context of this remark places it in the time when Herod was still in good health,
WHEN DID ANTIPATER EXERCISE AUTHORITY UNDER HEROD?
Antipater’s appointment as successor to Herod is related in War 1.573/1.29.2 and Ant. 17.52/17.3.2. In both passages, Josephus relates that in Herod’s will, should Antipater predecease Herod, then Philip would be Herod’s successor. This declaration by Herod’s in his will reasonably marks the beginning of the time when Antipater reckoned that he “was already a king,” and when the other three sons were given royal titles. The present study shows that Herod’s three sons antedated the beginning of their reigns to sometime in the Judean year that began in Tishri of 6 bc, which is a likely candidate for the time of these events.
After the death of both Antipater and Herod, it would not be unreasonable to propose that Philip, motivated by the timeless principle of sibling rivalry, assumed that when Herod named him as successor to Antipater, the death of Antipater merited his claiming the same rights that Antipater claimed before he was disgraced and put to death. It does not seem unreasonable that Archelaus and Antipas would have followed suit, each not to be outdone by their sibling.
This implies Herod was still alive in 1 BC and therefore Jesus Christ was born in 3 BC or 2 BC.
Factoring in the September 11th, 3 BC Alignment, 3 BC is a likely assumption for the birth of Jesus Christ.
One can also factor in the shepherds annual practice of being in the fields because good grazing was scarce in the summer. Thus His birth makes sense at the end-of-summer timeframe when they watched over their flock far from their sheepfolds.
To contrast and compare, let’s look again at what AI gives us.
Misleading Artificial Intelligence Responses
Author Note: AI generated content has many challenges here.
Various Artificial Intelligence (AI) Large Language Models (LLM) embedded in search engines such as Google, Brave, and ChatGPT are polled here to see what they say about this subject matter.
The way the question is posed makes a difference. The prompts should be direct and specific. For example, one can ask “When did Herod the Great die?”, or explicitly “What are the debated dates of Herod the Great’s death”. Results will vary.
The LLM has been trained to present both 4 BC and 1 BC as possibilities for Herod’s death. However, the AI responses lead the reader to the wrong conclusion.
(source: Brave AI)
Note above in response to Herod’s death,
“recent research: 1 BCE (alternative proposal).”
Then it notes
“Consensus among historians and scholars: 4 BCE… topic remains a topic of debate… 4 BCE is the most widely accepted estimate.”
Author Warning: AI will generate a response based upon majority consensus on limited input through its training. AI is using weighted responses in the LLM. This, however, does not mean it is correct. In other words, “garbage in, garbage out” or “consensus doctrine in, consensus out”. There is little room for new theories and discoveries to rise to the top, no matter how true unless the training is guided.
Google’s AI also describes 1 BC as a “minority view.” When is it trained upon what is truth? The training is a snapshot in time. Who determines what material is true in the next training period?
Google AI also has the same issue shown below,
(Source: Google AI)
ChatGPT responds to the same question with 2 specific dates for lunar eclipses:
March 13th, 4 BC
January 9th, 1 BC
Here is ChatGPT’s response without citations to the source of the material. This has been identified as a major challenge. Without citations, it violates copyrights.
The death of Herod the Great is a topic of historical debate, and scholars disagree on the exact year. The two most commonly debated dates are 4 BCE and 1 BCE. Here's a breakdown of the reasons behind these debates:
4 BCE
Josephus' Account: The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus provides the most detailed account of Herod's death in his Antiquities of the Jews. According to Josephus, Herod died shortly after a lunar eclipse, which he describes as having occurred "just before Passover."
Astronomical Evidence: Scholars who support 4 BCE base their argument on a lunar eclipse that occurred on March 13, 4 BCE. This eclipse fits the description of the one mentioned by Josephus and is close to the Passover time, which typically falls in the spring.
Historical Context: Herod’s death is often placed in the context of the reign of his son Archelaus, who succeeded him, and the date of Archelaus' ethnarchy (which began in 4 BCE) also aligns with this date.
1 BCE
Alternative Lunar Eclipses: Other scholars argue for 1 BCE as the more likely date of Herod's death, suggesting that the eclipse Josephus refers to could have occurred in 1 BCE rather than 4 BCE. There was another significant lunar eclipse on January 9, 1 BCE, which could also match the description in Josephus' writings.
Chronological Issues: Some historians point out inconsistencies in Josephus’ chronology and try to align Herod’s death with other historical events, such as the reign of the Emperor Augustus and the census of Quirinius, which occurred around 6 CE.
Additional Considerations
The "Star of Bethlehem": The Gospel of Matthew suggests that Herod's death occurred after the visit of the Magi, which has been traditionally linked to the birth of Jesus. If one assumes the birth of Jesus happened around 6–4 BCE, this would suggest that Herod died shortly after that event.
Herod's Health and Final Days: Josephus describes Herod as being in very poor health in his final years, suffering from severe illnesses. The details of his death, including the fact that he ordered executions just before he died, have led some to suggest that he passed away at the end of his reign.
Conclusion
While 4 BCE is the more widely accepted date, especially based on the lunar eclipse evidence, 1 BCE remains a plausible alternative based on other astronomical and historical factors. The precise year is still debated, but scholars generally agree that Herod died between 4 BCE and 1 BCE.13
This response is better but no citations. It still leaves the topic as “debated”.
In Closing
The 4 BC lunar eclipse falls in the hand of the virgin near Spica, denoting seed or branch, Messiah as King, Servant, Man, and God. During the lunar eclipse, Jupiter happens to be in between the horns of Taurus, which denotes Christ's glorious coming.14
Then there is a blood moon on January 9th-10th, 1 BC within very close temporal proximity to the wise men's visit to Jerusalem on December 24th - 25th, 2 BC. The blood moon sits in the claws of Cancer. Cancer was originally a sheepfold, manger, or traveler’s inn. It was a symbol of security, a resting place for those who traveled on a donkey with livestock.15 During this blood moon, Jupiter happens to be in the arms of Virgo the Virgin, which denotes “The Seed of the Woman”, and “Christ the Incarnate Son”.16
The blood moon sits close to Acubens the star in Cancer’s claw, which denotes “the sheltering”, “the hiding place”. Joseph, Mary, and the young child are traveling by donkey and hiding from Herod in Egypt. Asellus Australis, the other star in Cancer is the Southern Donkey.
Happy New Year and God Bless.
Note a special Christmas eBook discount for The Sixth Seal Signs.
Additional Research:
The Sixth Seal Signs and The Covenant Signs take the apologetics approach where science and probability reinforce God’s signs and Covenants.
Immanuel. (2003). In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 809). Holman Bible Publishers.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Mt 2:13). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
https://ephesians610.substack.com/i/145822036/roman-aquila
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2848/2848-h/2848-h.htm
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2848/2848-h/2848-h.htm
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2848/2848-h/2848-h.htm#link11noteref-14
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2848/2848-h/2848-h.htm#link13note-21
https://search.brave.com/search?q=Did+Herod%27s+Sons+Backdate+His+Death%3F&source=brave.com&lang=en&summary=1&conversation=854bd56508bf8b9e9c412e
https://www.biola.edu/blogs/good-book-blog/2014/how-many-herods-are-there-in-the-bible
https://www.cuchicago.edu/faculty/emeriti-faculty/andrew-steinmann/
https://biblearchaeology.org/associatesabr/4419-rodger-young
https://www.bible.ca/chronology/bible-chronology-timeline-AD33-crucifixion-2BC-birth-Christ-1BC-death-Herod-Great-reign-antedating-coins-numismatics-Rodger-Young-Andrew-Steinmann-Bibliotheca-Sacra-2020AD.htm
https://chatgpt.com/
https://mazzarothgospel.blogspot.com/
Fleming, K. C. (1981). God's Voice in the Stars, Loizeaux Brothers, Neptune, New Jersey.
https://mazzarothgospel.blogspot.com/
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