THE BRIGHT STAR AS THE RETURN OF MESSIAH OR THE RETURN OF NIMROD?
On 21 December 2020、convergence of the two planets; Jupiter and Saturn was observed in the southwestern heavens worldwide. In the Bible, an astronomical phenomenon is frequently related to Messiah’s coming and there is also another facet of this astronomical phenomenon...
Then Balaam spoke his message: ‘Balak brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains. “Come,” he said, “curse Jacob for me; come, denounce Israel.” How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the LORD has not denounced? From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them. I see people who live apart and do not consider themselves one of the nations. 10 Who can count the dust of Jacob or number even a fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and may my final end be like theirs!’ NUMBERS 23:7-10.
Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam. He struck his hands together and said to him, ‘I summoned you to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them these three times. Now leave at once and go home! … Balaam answered Balak, ‘Did I not tell the messengers you sent me… Now I am going back to my people, but come, let me warn you of what this people will do to your people in days to come.’ Then he spoke his message: ‘The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor, the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly, the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened: ‘I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a sceptre will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the people of Sheth. Edom will be conquered; Seir, his enemy, will be conquered, but Israel will grow strong. A ruler will come out of Jacob and destroy the survivors of the city.’ NUMBERS 24: 15-19.
A quote from Micah 5:2 in the Gospel of Matthew,
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times,
was the Magi’s source of their assurance that the King of Jews was born in Bethlehem.
It tells us that the star the Magi had seen in the east went ahead of them and it came to rest over the place where the child was. The behaviour of this star is strange and over the centuries several interpretations have been suggested; that it was a planetary conjunction, a comet, a supernova (a new star), or God-led supernatural star.
In 1614, German astronomer, Johannes Kepler suggested that the “Star of Bethlehem” could have been a conjunction of the solar system’s two largest planets; Jupiter and Saturn.
On 21 December 2020, coinciding with the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, another convergence of these two planets was observed in the southwestern heavens worldwide. The previous sighting was 800 years ago and it is not expected to appear again until 15 March 2080.
A bright star appearing in the night sky in the midst of astronomically, socially and spiritually darkest days seems very significant. In the Bible, an astronomical phenomenon is frequently related to Messiah’s coming.
As quoted at the beginning, when King of Moab hired a pagan prophet Balaam, he prophesied a ‘star’ coming out of Jacob, i.e., Israel and that the days will come when Israel rules over the world through her Messiah.
Rabbi Maimonides, known as Rambam, the foremost Torah authority of the 12th century, interpreted that the Messiah would come one day from Jacob, i.e., the descendants of the tribe of Judah, and the Zohar, a commentary on the Torah describes the star in Numbers 24:17 as a precursor to the Messiah, who would be recognized by the Jews.
After the Jews denied Jesus the Nazarene as their Messiah in the first century, the prophecy of the ‘star of Jacob’ was applied to Simon bar Kochba, whose adopted name meant “son of a star” in Aramaic. But the failure of his revolt against the Romans in 132 CE led the Jews to lose their hope in any future fulfilment of the prophecy, interpreting it already fulfilled in the time of King David.
However, bible believing Christians know that Jews’ Messiah, Jesus Christ is coming back as a ruler of the world, following astronomical signs. While many Christians attempt to positively tie this recent convergence to the return of the “Star of Bethlehem”, there is an interesting different opinion.
The warning in the following article could be another facet of this astronomical phenomenon.
I would like to address is what perhaps is the meaning of this conjunction happening at the end of a tumultuous year… The heavens are telling us that there is a king that is about to rise, who will bring about a New Age of unity and [false] peace. He will be a great man, one who conquers (as the great hunter, Nimrod), but his image and character will be that of the goat (Satan); born forth in darkness, cult, and deceit. It is the sign of the rise of the Beast. …On October 3, 2020, the Lord spoke to me and said, “Tell my children that a season of great testing is coming. Those who remain in Me will endure and come out victorious. But those who are not rooted in Me will lose faith and fall by the wayside.” … we are entering into a time of persecution, and many are not prepared. We are at the precipice of the end of the [church] age, and the great tribulation. And although the Bride is not appointed to wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9), it does not mean that we will not see and experience trials and persecution. What has unfolded in 2020 should be proof of this. Yet many Christians are still living under the illusion that we’re NOT at the end of the age, that good times are still ahead, the great awakening (which is a new age term used in the church) is coming, and America will be great. These are all lies. Trouble is coming…trouble is already here. And for many, it will overtake them as a flood. We need to make sure in the coming year that we are ground-rooted in the One who is unshakeable (Jesus Christ), because all things are about to be shaken. As with all things, take this to prayer for confirmation.
☞Audio Podcast Link: “The Rise of Babylon & The Return of Nimrod”
