Sunday, November 25, 2018

Sealed Until the Redemption



And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth
—the gospel of your salvation—
you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,  
who is the pledge of our inheritance
until the redemption of those who are God’s possession,
to the praise of His glory.
Ephesians 1:13-14



Redemption - hanging out with our SOLD tags on!!

…10as a plan for the fullness of time, to bring all things in heaven and on earth together in Christ. 11In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will, 12in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, would be for the praise of His glory. 13And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth—the gospel of your salvation—you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory.
"Who has their boarding pass?" – A question posed by NASA regarding their “Mars Landing” scheduled for Monday, November 26, 2018.

More importantly, who has their SPIRITUAL boarding pass?

The boarding pass - ticket is given freely by the Conductor!

For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23



And when these things begin to come to pass,

then look up, and lift up your heads
for your redemption draweth nigh.

Luke 21:28



There are many things calling our attention to look up at this time!


The sky is calling our attention

with special conjunctions of Sun, Jupiter and Mercury at Acab in Scorpius, Akrab (Hebrew = scorpion, conflict, or war) and Moon in Gemini (bride & groom). Also, the annual show of the Leonid meteor showers had us looking up!


The world has called our attention

with so many events and odd happenings in our world. The “Mars Landing” NASA scheduled for Monday, November 26, 2018. Antares means “rival of Mars” (the star at the “heart of Scorpius”).  A number of circumstances surrounding Jerusalem. The celebration of Hanukkah and the awarding of the Noble Peace Prize to name a few events.

The word of God is calling our attention

with the Lion of Judah, Prince of Peace, and the Shiloh prophecy in Genesis 49:10.
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.


The heavens declare the glory of God - the story of redemption,
the story of Shiloh - The Redeemer
- coming to pick up His purchased possession.
May we shine bright, as we go forward - out to meet the Bridegroom.




Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
Psalm 19:5

More references:
Matthew 25:13
Malachi 4:2
Revelation 5:5
Daniel 12:3
Isaiah 26:20
https://biblehub.com/ephesians/1-11.htm






As we have observed the celestial signs, over the past few years, there has been one singular story threaded throughout them all: the Messiah, our Redeemer. By studying the story, and observing the celestial clock, we can see that we are being reminded of: Christ's first coming, what prophetic time we are at right now, and even the next prophetic chapter. We see so many signs reminding us of Scripture - and that time is extremely short.




Wait on the Lord: be of good courage,
and he shall strengthen thine heart:
wait, I say, on the Lord.
Psalm 27:14


So many thoughts and connections on a day of train fun!  The process of the purchase, receiving tickets, waiting for the day and the time to board.  The Bible gives us examples that can relate to our times today. Dates and events to remember, remind us to be patient, trust and wait for the prize.



‘Boarding Pass to Heaven’ – Full Gospel Church, Oslo


People get ready
There's a train a-coming
You don't need no baggage
You just get on board
All you need is faith



People Get Ready - sung by Seal written by Curtis Mayfield


Maranatha!

And at midnight there was a cry made,
Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Matthew 25:6


Pidyon: The Hebrew Word for Redemption
Psalms 49 – One of the psalms from the sons of Korah





Saturday, November 24, 2018

Fom al-Haut – "the mouth of the [Southern] Fish" - Alpha Piscis Austrinus - Hastorang



For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them,
and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters:
and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

Revelation 7:17




Fomalhaut   is Alpha Piscis Austrinus (the brightest star in the Southern Fish). The name Fomalhaut derives from the Arabic فم الحوت fam al-ḥūt, meaning “Mouth of the Fish.”  
The Great Fish is portrayed as swallowing the water being poured out by Aquarius, the water-bearer constellation. It was called Hastorang by the Persians, one of the four "royal stars."
Because it contains the first magnitude star Fomalhaut, Piscis Austrinus is more noticeable in the night sky than the zodiacal constellation Pisces (two fish). It has also been referred to as the Solitary One, for there are no other bright stars located in its proximity.


But whosoever drinketh of the water
that I shall give him shall never thirst;
but the water that I shall give him
 shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

John 4:14

~~~


But what does it say?
The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart,”
 that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:
that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”
and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.…

Romans 10:8-9

Beautifully expressed in this blog on Fomalhaut:


This is the 4th star in our series:  Stars in Heaven / 4 Royal Stars

שום דברים The four "Royal Stars" with their modern and ancient Persian names were:

Aldebaran (Tascheter) - vernal equinox (Watcher of the East)
Regulus (Venant) - summer solstice (Watcher of the South)
Antares (Satevis) - autumnal equinox (Watcher of the West)
Fomalhaut (Haftorang/Hastorang) - winter solstice (Watcher of the North)



By 700 BCE the Nineveh and Assyrians had essentially mapped the ecliptic cycle because of the four stars and were in result able to map the constellations, distinguishing them from the planets and the fixed stars. 

Nineveh, the oldest and most-populous city of the ancient Assyrian empire, situated on the east bank of the Tigris River and encircled by the modern city of Mosul, Iraq.



The big fish called Piscis Australis, which is a decan of Aquarius, can simultaneously be viewed as a symbol for Noah and his family inside the Ark, Jonah within the belly of the big fish.



Nineveh / Jonah / Big Fish / Fomalhaut

But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
Matthew 12:39

Matthew 12:39, 16:4; Luke 11:29-30 

Food For Prophetic Thought #9 - The Sign of Jonah!
Yeshua, in the Gospels, spoke of a great sign on three separate occasions. 
Do the Scriptures & today's headlines give evidence for a third fulfillment in our day? 
Time will tell! 

  

Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah.
And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah 1:17

Jonah proclaimed God’s word to Nineveh – Yonah means Dove




 In the last day, that great day of the feast,
Jesus stood and cried, saying,
If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said,
‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”

John 7:37-38

Nineveh in the news – no water

The Vintage News (press release) (blog)-Nov 19, 2018
... found came from Nineveh, the largest city of the ancient Assyrian empire. ... myths of kings and queens, and fantastic animals, birds, and fish.

HollandSentinel.com-Nov 2, 2018
After spending three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, Jonah ... obeys God's command to go to Nineveh and preach repentance.

Reuters-Jul 25, 2018
Nineveh is becoming a dust bowl, and farmers, who came home after ... to clean up the water supply in Nineveh and dig wells to help farmers.

Aljazeera.com (blog)-Oct 29, 2018
In the deserted Nineveh Street in al-Sa'aa (clock) neighbourhood, I met Adel Hassan, who had .... "There is no electricity, no water, no services.

Al-Fanar Media-Nov 12, 2018
... been looted or destroyed by the Islamic State in Nineveh province, this ... residents from al-Jabour tribe invited us to eat Iraqi-style grilled fish ...
   An investment in Iraq’s religious diversity would not only take advantage of the rich history of Islam and Christianity in the country, but also the Jewish heritage. Iraq was the spiritual center of the Jews for nearly a thousand years as well as the home of many of the tombs of Old Testament prophets in different parts of the country, like that of Prophet Ezekiel in Babylon, the tomb of Ezra the Scribe (Ha Sopher) in Maysan governorate, the tomb of Daniel in Kirkuk and many other shrines, which form a great opportunity to rebuild the links between new generations of Jews and Muslims and to be liberated from decades of hatred and fears of conflict.



And when these things begin to come to pass,
then look up, and lift up your heads; 
for your redemption draweth nigh.

Luke 21:28




Fascinating to study this constellation! 
The shape reminded me of the house - Constellation Cepheus.


Fomalhaut/Earthwork B, in Mounds State Park near Anderson, Indiana, lines up with the rising of the star Fomalhaut in the fall months, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. In 1980, astronomer Jack Robinson proposed that the rising azimuth of Fomalhaut was marked by cairn placements at both the Bighorn and Moose Mountain Medicine Wheels in Wyoming, USA and Saskatchewan, Canada, respectively.



https://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/solitary-fomalhaut-guards-the-southern-sky

Tuesday, November 27, 2018
• Whenever Fomalhaut is "southing" (crossing the meridian due south, which it does around 6 or 7 p.m. this week), the first stars of Orion are just about to rise above the east horizon. And the Pointers of the Big Dipper stand upright low due north, straight under Polaris.
https://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/this-weeks-sky-at-a-glance-november-23-december-1/

Monday, December 24, 2018
Our local newspaper highlights today in the sky: "Sculptor, sculptor's workshop, passes across our SW sky in December"


Near Fomalhaut!
In Chinese astronomy, five stars in this area were seen as forming a hook shape that represented Fuzhi, a sickle used for harvesting crops.

Tradition connects Fomalhaut with the angel Gabriel:
Γαβριήλ (גַּבְרִיאֵל, from גֶּבֶר, strong man, hero, and אֵל, God), indeclinable, 
Gabriel, one of the angel-princes or chiefs of the angels 
Fomalhaut (Haftorang/Hastorang) - winter solstice (Watcher of the North)  

Luke 1
17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.
20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1396.htm - verb - gabar: to be strong, mighty

And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, 
which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.  
Ulai was the Hebrew name for a river near the city of Susa. 
It was known as Eulaus to the Greeks. It is mentioned twice in the Bible: Daniel 8:2 
Ulai - the Eulaus of the Greeks; a river of Susiana. It was probably the eastern branch of the Choasper (Kerkhan), which divided into two branches some 20 miles above the city of Susa. Hence ( Daniel 8:2 Daniel 8:16 ) speaks of standing "between the banks of Ulai", i.e., between the two streams of the divided river.


UPDATE - NEWS REPORTS OF FOMALHAUT & NINEVAH

Fomalhaut appears solitary in the evening sky at this time of year. In 2019, however, Fomalhaut has company. The bright planets Jupiter and Saturn are up in the evening, too, pointing the way to Fomalhaut on the sky’s dome
11-2-19 evening sky: Fomalhaut, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter

Is Iraq’s Nineveh Boiling Over – August 12, 2019

Despite $380M in US aid for religious minorities persecuted by ISIS, 1 million from Nineveh Plains remain displaced -  September 26, 2019 07:18 PM - https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/despite-380m-in-us-aid-for-religious-minorities-persecuted-by-isis-1-million-from-nineveh-plains-remain-displaced

Nineveh Plains Transitional Justice Report: September
International Christian Concern Posted 2019-10-01 22:11 GMT
http://www.aina.org/news/20191001181108.htm


Fomalhaut in fictional literature/entertainment:
The New Scientist magazine termed it the "Great Eye of Sauron", due to its shape and debris ring, when viewed from a distance, bearing similarity to the aforementioned "Eye" in the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings films.
In Walter Tevis' novel Steps of the Sun, Fomalhaut is visited by the protagonist, and two potentially inhabitable planets are found (and described). 
Parts of Philip K Dick's novel Lies, Inc (originally titled The Unteleported Man) are set on the fictional planet Fomalhaut IX. Ursula K. Le Guin's first novel Rocannon's World is also set on a fictional planet in the Fomalhaut system.
Philip Kindred Dick, book author - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_K._Dick
March 2, 1982 (aged 53 from stroke), Santa Ana, California / Blade Runner released June 25, 1982



Stars in Heaven / 4 Royal Stars

שום דברים The four "Royal Stars" with their modern and ancient Persian names were:

Aldebaran (Tascheter) - vernal equinox (Watcher of the East)
Regulus (Venant) - summer solstice (Watcher of the South)
Antares (Satevis) - autumnal equinox (Watcher of the West)
Fomalhaut (Haftorang/Hastorang) - winter solstice (Watcher of the North)


More can be discovered at:

THE HEAVENS DECLARED  (booklet PDF) - 50 pages
THE HEAVENS DECLARED (poster PDF)