THE STAR OF JACOB EXPLAINED

THE STAR OF JACOB  
by Irene Baron www.irenebaron.com           

Trying to make a splash on the internet, some presenters are either not understanding the Bible verses about the “star of Jacob” or are deliberately misinterpreting them.

The KJV CROSS REFERENCE STUDY BIBLE,  Numbers 24: 16-17 states what the prophet Balaam said.
“He has said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the most High, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open: I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.”

Balaam was a Gentile prophet hired by King Balak of Moab to curse Israel. The many interpretations of his vision include:
     1. The ruler of Israel will smite the people of Moab and destroy the sons of Sheth.
     2. Israel will possess all Edom and Seir.
     3. They will overcome their enemies.
     4. A king in the distant future will defeat Israel's enemies and crush the corners of Moab. This anticipates King          David's victories, the promise of his throne, and the promise of the Messiah whom the Gentiles will obey.
     5. Foretelling the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Immanuel, the Christ, who was born in Bethlehem and whose            birth was announced by a star. 

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Beginning in 2008, I spent every night over three years using 68 NASA-provided mathematically precise astronomy computer programs to find the Christmas star. As a trained Information Specialist, this research was a delight! I learned the facts of what happened in the sky when Jesus Immanuel was born. 

The resulting book, "Unraveling the CHRISTMAS STAR Mystery – Validation of the Holy Bible” 
was awarded the Gold Medal of the Illumination Book Awards sponsored by the Jenkins Group. The award is designed to honor and bring increased recognition to the year's best Christian Education title written and published with a Christian Worldview.  You can't get more worldly than discussing Christ's birth.

Facts I learned in the process, by reading almost 100 astronomy reference books obtained through my local reference librarians from libraries all over the United States, provided the data I needed about the Babylonian symbols for everything that happened in the sky.  I was therefore able to interpret what was seen in the way the ancient Wisemen/astronomers/astrologers/cosmologists/magi/magicians/priests/alchemists interpreted their stars.

Everything they saw in the sky was believed to be a God. Besides the Sun and Moon which moved so much, there were other “wandering stars” which we call planets.  They did not know what a planet was. Yet these wandering gods were very important in their symbolic interpretations. The manner in which ancient astronomers interpreted motions of celestial objects has been gathered over the years by historians and archaeologists.  They used evidence from ancient buildings and temples with statues, wall carvings, paintings, pictures, stories written in stone, and ancient documents found in Asia, China, and through the Middle East. 

Important is the fact that astronomers of over 2,000 years ago used dawn as the time of day for their celestial observations. Past researchers looking for the Christmas star sought to find the Christmas star in the early evening skies. To be accurate, calculations during my computer searches were set for dawn in the local time zone of Bethlehem using the correct latitude and longitude for that location. I consistently used six o'clock in the morning. 

The birth of Christ was arranged by God to be at the time and place when everything was perfect. The Romans had created peace during the reign of Augustus Caesar (32 BC-14 AD). Everyone could travel about the Roman world with a high degree of safety because the Roman militia was based in all the provinces and quickly stopped conflicts.  The birth of Christ occurred in the history of mankind when the celestial announcement could be observed, interpreted, and understood. 

Galatians 4:4-6 states, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” 

Before the birth, in the dawning skies, God placed the announcements. The actual Bethlehem star did not announce the birth. It acted only as a GPS marker to mark the place. Earlier star configurations gave the facts of the birth. By knowing the ancient Babylonian predictions and interpretations of what happens in the sky, I understood the information. Earthlings still use those traditions and interpretations in the false science of cosmetology of horoscopes.  The horoscopes they read daily are from information thousands of years old!

The ancient astronomers had several months of celestial events creating a celestial birth announcement that told the new God would be the most powerful God in the Universe. This was going to be a God who would change their way of thinking and the religions of the world. The Wisemen became, perhaps, the first Gentiles to worship Him.

The ancient astronomers, like those of today, were some of the most brilliant people alive and most knowledgeable men in their nations, empires, or kingdoms. They would have been prime counselors to the rulers. Then the celestial events for Christ transpired, the rulers would have been informed what the related symbolisms meant and what action should be taken. What happens in our sky is mathematically precise and predictable to the nanosecond. Astronomers of ancient times could predict the future celestial happenings because of their precise movements just as astronomers of today can. Computers can quickly predict star and planet positions thousands of years in advance or in the past. 

The computer programs I used were for historical data finding of celestial positions.  My older computers took much time to compute. I would put in the data to be found and assign the printer. At times had to wait several days for the information to surface.  Using a “PRINT IT” program, as soon as the data entered the screen it would be printed.  I was using the connected sheets in my printer and often twenty or more sheets would print out. Sometimes the data was useless.  However, ten times it was perfect. 

I found nine events that predicted the birth of Christ, the last being the position marker for the birth. In my book I explain why none of them were a nova, supernova, comet, planet conjunction, etc.

Matthew 2:1-3:  "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wisemen from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is He that is born king of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him."

The Greek phrase, “in the east” translates to an object “rising before the Sun.” This would be at dawn when astronomical observations took place. It can logically be concluded that the birth of the Christ child took place in the early morning hours, before dawn. The wisemen were following a morning event. 

FACT: The last of the ten birth announcement events began 20 November 0004, according to the computer programs. Saturn had been rising higher at dawn as Venus dropped towards the horizon. Venus disappeared during the dawn of the 20th while Saturn continued to climb within the ecliptic path, the path followed by what they called wandering stars. 

ANCIENT SYMBOLIC INTERPRETATION: Saturn, the ruler of their universe, continued to rise in the sky to make the announcement concerning the location of the birthplace of the new God. As the astronomers watched Saturn, the father of the kings moved toward the west as they would have earlier predicted.  In EARLY DECEMBER, Saturn would have appeared to be almost over Bethlehem at daybreak.  It was at an elevation about 75 degrees above the horizon in the southern sky. 

The astronomers, with their mathematics and planning, knew these celestial events would happen and knew when and where they would all end. By going to the location below the Saturn god, they would find the birth place of the new Earth-born God, just outside of Bethlehem. Jesus Immanuel, the Savior of mankind and the Christ, must have therefore been born in early December.  The birth event for Bethlehem in Judea, approximately 31-degrees, 40 minutes North of the Equator and 35-degrees, 20 minutes east of the prime meridian,  must have taken place at six o'clock in the morning for the year 4 AD.

Any astronomer from any country east of Bethlehem, including China astronomers using Tarshish ships, would naturally be expected to make a beeline for the point of Bethlehem. For Mary to have given birth to Jesus east of Bethlehem would have made it easier for them to find the child as they would pass that location when arriving from the east. They would find the child in a lowly cave and bring their treasures in homage.  Men honored the God who was honoring them by being born on Earth. 

With the rising Sun, the Moon caused solar eclipses, the antics of planets Jupiter, Mars, Saturn and Venus, the previous astrological signs were worthy for the birth of a new king and leader for mankind. 

When the emissaries witnessed the might of Jesus in His infant state in Bethlehem, they were the first Gentiles to worship Him. These influential leaders and their fellow travelers would take the awe of the new God back to their lands. Jesus Christ, perhaps, began to change the world with the opinions of those learned men.

December 25th was set for the birthday of Jesus in the year 354 AD by agreement with converted Romans who realized, for the populous to change their religion, the seven-day pagan celebrations held during the solstice had to be saved.  The citizens looked forward to the pagan holidays. No new religion could remove their freedom of riotous celebrating. The Roman ruler, newly converted to Christianity, knew he had to have a substitute celebration for “Saturnalia” to get people to change, by his command, to Christianity. Once the agreement was made, the date to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ was changed within the month of December to coincide with the harvest and solstice celebrations. 

To the ancient astronomers, except for the Moon and Sun, everything in the sky was a “star.” The Christmas “star” was a “wandering” star, the one we call Saturn. It is not rare.