A total solar eclipse just passed over my head, and I couldn't help but think of the eclipse that occurred at Christ's Crucifixion. But did you know of the other heavenly phenomenon going on right now? Have you heard about the Woman of Revelation 12 appearing in the stars?





The basic idea is that the planet Jupiter has entered the womb of the constellation Virgo, and Virgo is crowned with stars, clothed with the sun, and with the moon at her feet. Here is a breakdown of all the amazing coincidences happening during this celestial confluence.





The Woman of Revelation 12

Let's start with the passage from Revelation that is appearing in the sky. the triumphant moment of Revelation: the seventh trumpet blast. The long-awaited Ark of the Covenant is about to appear. It had been hidden by Jeremiah at ( It'striumphant moment of Revelation: the seventh trumpet blast. The long-awaited Ark of the Covenant is about to appear. It had been hidden by Jeremiah at ( 2 Maccabees 2:4-8 ) until, according to the Prophet, “God gathers his people together again and shows his mercy."



The Ark returns at the Judgment of the Nations at Revelation 11:19-12:1 :



Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, loud noises, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.





Then, here's the very next verse, the Ark is described as a ... what?



And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery.





This is a description of the birth of the Messiah, who is Jesus, and his mother, the Virgin Mary. So, let's break down how these five basic elements -- the Woman/Virgin, the Sun, the Moon, the Twelve Stars, and the Child -- are all appearing and coming together in the Heavens.





Is this a Unique Event?

Other places are claiming that this confluence of stars and planets is not unprecedented. However, as I will explain more fully below, there are a number of additional factors surrounding the appearance of the Revelation 12 Woman that make this event not just unique, but unprecedented and unrepeatable. These include the following:

The one and only appearance of the "Conception Comet", which traveled from the "loins" of Leo to the "womb" of Virgo, see more below; Coincidence to three other unique events: (a) the 100th Anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima, (b) Rosh Hashanah, and (c) the Hebrew year 5777; and The birth of Jesus also happened to coincide with one of these Revelation 12 events, which itself coincided with another celestial event, the Star of Bethlehem.

Let me know what you think in the comments below. If nothing else, this is an excellent opportunity to talk about the Blessed Mother!





WARNING: I do not present the following connections to Greek myth

ology as an endorsement of astrology, horoscopes, and the like. I present all this to show that the story of Jesus and his mother, as originally prophesied from the beginning of time in Genesis 3:15, impacted all of humanity -

that the story of Jesus and his mother is written across cultures inasmuch as it is written in the stars :

The Constellation Virgo

While Christians hold (rightly) that the woman appearing in the heavens is the Virgin Mary, the constellation of Virgo is based on the Greek mythological figure Astraea (Greek: Ἀστραῖα), which translates as "star maiden." The legend of Astraea has some amazing connections to the Virgin Mary.



Astraea was the virgin goddess of innocence and purity and typically associated with Dike, the Greek goddess of justice. Astraea is to be distinguished from Asteria, the goddess of the stars and the daughter of Coeus and Phoebe.



T he celestial virgin is said to have been the last of the immortals to live with humans during the Golden Age, one of five Ages of Man. This seems to resound with the Christian conception of Mary as the New Eve, the original Eve having been immortal before the Fall. Mary, herself, also never dies but is assumed into Heaven.



Similarly, according to Ovid, Astraea abandoned the earth during the Iron Age, fleeing from the wickedness of this new age of mankind. She did this by ascending into heaven to become the constellation Virgo.



Just as the Virgin Mary appears in Revelation 12 at the Judgment of the Nations, Astraea will also one day return to Earth, according to legend. Her coming will also signal the Utopian Golden Age.

Jupiter

The planet Jupiter is currently appearing within the Virgin's womb (see the animation above). Jupiter is the Latin equivalent of the Greek Zeus. Zeus was the head of the pantheon. He would be the equivalent of God the Father in the Greco-Roman pantheons. Apollo or another son of Zeus would be a closer analogue to Jesus.



However, Zeus was also the son of the Titan Saturn or Kronos (Gk. "time"). Saturn-Jupiter would be a better match for the Christian symbolism. "Saturn" was so called because he was "sated" with years. He would match the Prophet Daniel's description of God the Father as the "Ancient of Days" ( Dan 7:9 ).



It has been written elsewhere that Jupiter was known by the Jews as the "planet of the Messiah." This appears to be a dubious claim, as I am having trouble substantiating this claim in ancient literature.



and Saturn was a scenario proposed to explain the "Star of Bethlehem." This theory was even proposed by no less a personage than the astronomer Johannes Kepler in the Seventeenth Century.1 It does appear, however, that the conjunction of Jupiterwas a scenario proposed to explain the "Star of Bethlehem." This theory was even proposed by no less a personage than the astronomer Johannes Kepler in the Seventeenth Century.

How Long will Jupiter be in the Womb of Virgo? Jupiter will exit the lower part of the womb of Virgo 42 weeks after entering. This is the approximate length of a pregnancy. Gestation typically lasts from between 37 to 42 weeks.

Clothed with the Sun

The Sun is at Virgo's shoulder and will be passing across the constellation. It is as though the Virgin's clothes were provided by the sun's illumination, similar to Jesus' clothes at the Transfiguration.

With the Moon at her Feet

The moon will appear at the feet of Virgo in September 2017.

Crown of Twelve Stars

The Twelve Stars which form the Crown of the Virgin are nine stars from the constellation of Leo the Lion (more on the significance of the lion below), as well as three planets, Mercury, Mars, and Venus.



This reference to the Messiah's mother wearing a "crown of twelve stars" in heaven, by the way, is one of the Scriptural foundations for Catholics calling Mary the "Queen of Heaven." Mary is depicted wearing a crown, i.e. a queen, while in Heaven. For more on this, check out this article on the ancient Jewish tradition of the Queen-Mother , or this one, "Hail, Queen of the Jews."

When will the Child (Jupiter) be Born?

September 23. This also happens to be the Feast of Saint (Padre) Pio, incidentally.





Perhaps more interesting is the day which precedes the "birth" of Jupiter. September 22 coincides with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish feast of trumpets. The appearance of the Woman of Revelation 12 follows the blowing of the seventh trumpet and the Judgment of the Nations in Revelation 11 (more on this below in the "Conception Comet" section). Interesting that the American president at this time would also bear the name Trumpet, isn't it?







Also interesting, this Rosh Hashanah will conclude the Hebrew year 5777. The Hebrew number 7, or in Hebrew shiva, is highly significant as shiva is also the word for the "oath" of God's covenant. This is the basis for the Sabbath day, as God made covenant with man on the 7th day: the shiva on the shiva.



Seven Sabbaths or "weeks" of years, i.e. 49 years, was also important. The Jubilee year followed the 49th year, as described in Leviticus 25:8-13 . Nothing was to be planted that year so the ground could heal; debts were forgiven; and slaves were freed, just as Jesus announced at Luke 4 . As discussed below, this celestial phenomenon began with the conclusion of the Jubilee Year of Mercy. Because the Israelites failed to honor the Sabbath year for so long, God removed them from the Promised Land for a period of 490 years, cf. the Babylonian Captivity and Daniel's Prophesy of the Seventy Weeks.



Can you imagine, then, how important three sevens must be - a Trinity of Sevens?



2 The names of the righteous are immediately inscribed in the book of life by which they are sealed "to live." The intermediate class are allowed a respite of ten days, perhaps corresponding to a purgatorial period. The ten days concludes on Yom Kippur, when the intermediate class is called on to reflect, repent and become righteous. The wicked, however, are "blotted out of the book of the living forever" ( The Mishnah contains a reference to Rosh Hashanah as the "day of judgment". The Talmud tractate on Rosh Hashanah states that three books of account are opened on Rosh Hashanah, wherein the fate of the wicked, the righteous, and those of an intermediate class are recorded, as depicted in Revelation 11.The names of the righteous are immediately inscribed in the book of life by which they are sealed "to live." The intermediate class are allowed a respite of ten days, perhaps corresponding to a purgatorial period. The ten days concludes on Yom Kippur, when the intermediate class is called on to reflect, repent and become righteous. The wicked, however, are "blotted out of the book of the living forever" ( Psalms 69:29).



While we're talking about crowns, Rosh Hashanah stands at the "head of the year." It is the Jewish New Year, but why? Because Rosh Hashanah is the a nniversary of the Creation of Adam and Eve.



On the anniversary of the Creation of Adam and Eve, therefore, a "great portent" will appear in the stars, in which the New Eve will give birth to the New Adam. More on Mary as the New Eve here

Began with the end of the Year of Mercy

Pope Francis declared the Jubilee Year of Mercy to last from December 2015, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, to November 20, 2016, the Feast of Christ the King. The end of the Year of Mercy coincided with the Conception Comet (see below) and Jupiter's entrance into the womb of Virgo.

Conception Comet

The apparent retrograde motion of the planet Jupiter within the womb of Virgo was preceded by a comet. C/2017 E1 (Comet Borisov) is being called the "Conception Comet." This is the only time this comet will travel through our solar system, as it is not a solar comet.



The Conception Comet traveled from the loins of the constellation Leo to the womb of Virgo. Immediately thereafter Jupiter entered the womb of Virgo. This represents the conception of Jesus within Mary's womb.



It is especially interesting that the Conception Comet should appear to travel from the loins of Leo. Leo is the constellation of the lion. This is more Christian symbolism regarding the lion than just C. S. Lewis' depiction in the Chronicles of Narnia of the Son of God as the lion, Aslan. There is also the prophetic depiction of the Messiah as the "Lion of Judah."



The "Lion of Judah" originated at Genesis 49:9 with Jacob's last words to his sons, in particular to his son, Judah:

Judah is a lion’s whelp;

from the prey, my son, you have gone up.

He stooped down, he couched as a lion,

and as a lioness; who dares rouse him up?





This verse is then fulfilled in Revelation 5 , when the Lion of Judah appears to break the seal of the scroll, which no one else had been found worthy to break:

And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, (4) and I wept much that no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. (5) Then one of the elders said to me, “Weep not; lo, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” (6) And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders, I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth (7) and he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.



Did you catch that? The Lion of Judah is described as a ... what? A lamb! The Lion of Judah, the Messiah of prophesy that would conquer the nations in the Name of the Lord, is a lamb? This would be an astonishing scene for a Jew in the First Century.



woman? The Woman of Revelation 12, no less. This is the very same passage of Revelation we're discussing right now. For more on that, This surprising bait-and-switch very similar to the long-awaited reappearance of the Ark of the Covenant at Revelation 11, which is described as a ...The Woman of Revelation 12, no less. This is the very same passage of Revelation we're discussing right now. For more on that, check out this article





Going back to verse 6, you might be asking yourself, what does a slain lamb look like? First century Jews would be very familiar with this image. Every year thousands and thousands and thousands of lambs would be ritually slain in the Temple of Jerusalem for the celebration of the Passover. What did they look like?





J

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Martyr states in his dialogue with Trypho the foll0wing:



For the lamb, which is roasted, is roasted and dressed up in the form of the cross. For one spit is transfixed right through from the lower parts up to the head, and one across the back, to which are attached the legs of lamb.





crucified. Here's more on that from Jewish scholar Did you catch that? The Passover lambs wereHere's more on that from Jewish scholar Joseph Tabory A lamb standing as though it had been slain would be a crucified lamb. Revelation, therefore, is describing Christ Crucified, the conquering Lion of Judah and the slain Lamb of God.

Our Lady of Fatima

Virgo's pregnancy is coinciding with the 100th Anniversary of the appearance of Our Lady of Fatima. Jupiter will be "born" just a few weeks before the October 13th anniversary of the "Miracle of the Sun," another heavenly event, which was visible not only to those in Fatima, Portugal, but across the globe.

Birth or Conception of Jesus

Craig White also points out that this same configuration of stars and planets is also thought to have occurred in 3 BC on September 11. Some scholars believe this points to the birth of Christ on that day.

So What's Going to Happen?

Given the confluence of all these signs, what do you think is going to happen? Please comment below!



There are some who believe that the celestial events of the next months will signal a period in Christian-Muslim relations, because of Our Lady of Fatima's special connection to Islam. More on that next week. Stay tuned!





2. Tractate on Rosh Hashanah I,2; I,16b ↩