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Elk Grove, CA – February 20, 2010. Apostolic News. The earth’s path around the sun is not a perfect circle but an elliptic. The earth is closer on part of its journey around the sun than at other times in the year traveling around the sun. The path of the earth is not horizontal in the sense of at a 90º degree angle to the Sun. Though it seems that the sun travels around the earth, in actuality the earth travels around the sun. The path of the sun we see from the earth is called the ecliptic of the sun or path even though the earth is going around the sun. Think of it like a ball on a string being swung around and earth is the ball and you are holding the string. See picture next to the picture of the axis of the earth.
The Sun’s path or “Ecliptic” is noted and marked on any planetary program. Astronomical “east” is when the sun rises in the east on any horizon as calculated by the sun at the equinox. Though both equinox’s are the same, most astronomers and ancient sources use the spring equinox as a marker of the planting season. Geographical east, north, south and west are measurements on the earth itself. The sun’s positions are measured every day of the year for the last 10,000 years and will be measured and known when the sun will rise for the next 10,000 years on any horizon. The sun rises in astronomical east only twice a year. This is an astronomical fact that was known to many ancient civilizations going as far back as 3500 B.C. and maybe further back than some will admit. The location on the horizon of wherever on earth a person is can be known by the buildings that were built and aligned to face the rising sun at the equinox or by the stars and constellation that were being observed.
At the vernal equinox the rising of the Sun moves northward on the horizon in the summer months and southward in the winter months to return to astronomical east on a day and hour called the Equinox. The furthest point of the ecliptic is summer and winter solstice from equinox. The sun on the horizon is the sun rising in the east and the green line notes the path of the sun or ecliptic. Because of the measured and calculated movement of the earth and moon, solar and lunar eclipses can be located to the area of the earth where the event will happen. NASA has complete tables for solar and lunar eclipses that have occurred several thousand years past and will occur in the future with the exact date and hour and duration of an eclipse.
Gen.1:14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years,
Jer 10:2 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
It is noted in the Hebrew that the word “seasons” in Genesis 1:14 could also be translated as “festivals” since the Festivals of the Hebrew calendar marked the equinox of spring and autumn in their celebration.
The seasons of the earth and equinox and solstice of the sun are created by the “tilt” of the earth. Because of our moon and the earth’s path around the sun, the moon holds the earth in a position that brings about summer and winter. Without the moon, the earth would not have seasons. The earth would travel around the sun straight up and down on its axis and the earth would be frozen on the top and bottom with summer only in the middle of the planet. Like Mars that is frozen on top and bottom with no seasons. Many astronomers believe that without the moon holding the earth in place, the earth would wobble around the sun making life impossible.
Spring and autumn are the equinox since there is equal sun light and night for the two separate days of the year as the sun crosses the equator from north to south and south to north. The summer and winter are the solstice since this is the longest day and shortest day of night time of the year. The four seasons are measurable as three months a season and are calculated by the movement of the sun, moon and the earth’s travel around the sun. The Bible notes the cause of the seasons is because of the Moon. Other astronomical events mentioned in the Bible are: “the sun turns to darkness” is a Solar Eclipse and “the moon turns to blood” is a Lunar Eclipse.
Psalm 104:19 He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.
Gen. 18:22 As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.
Joel 2:31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come.
THE HEBREW CALENDAR
Though names of some of the months from the Hebrew calendar are mentioned in the Bible, there is no direct mention of a calendar or exactly how the calendar worked. The names we have are the same names in use in today’s Hebrew Calendar. I believe that the Hebrew calendar originally, before the book of Exodus chapter 12, started at the Autumn Equinox. Today the Hebrew calendar starts at the correct season and the vernal equinox but not exactly at the equinox due to changes that were made in the calendar to conform to the current use of the Julian Gregorian Calendar and Babylonian influence. The Hebrew calendar is based on the festivals given to Moses and are noted as the festivals of the spring and fall equinoxes. More about this as we go.
The festivals and astronomical timing match the beginning of the planting and the end of the harvest for the year. The Hebrew calendar had as its purpose to worship God and to plant and harvest crops. I believe that the original Hebrew calendar was re-started every year at the equinox. In other words, at the end of the Hebrew calendar year, measurement of days would stop and have days that would not be accounted for or between the months, months would be shortened to 29 days. Either way, the High Priest would start the calendar when he noted the equinox, as today the Rabbi decide within the scope of the changes by Rabbi Hillel in the third century.
The calendar that the Hebrews had and God spoke about in Exodus 12 was always in sink with the planetary movements and seasons of the earth because the calendar was always re-started at the equinox. Originally the Hebrew calendar started at the Fall Equinox a day around the end of our September and the Spring Equinox started around the end of our March. Where our Julian calendar is fixed over astronomical time that moves around it, the Hebrew calendar matched the yearly equinox and patterns of the moon and rotation of the earth. Note that the Hebrew calendar had 12 months of 30 days each of a total of 360 days, not 365 ¼ as in the Solar calendar developed by men who began to worship the Sun. There no mention of a 13th month or additional months to the Biblical Hebrew calendar.
1 Kings 4:7 “And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, which provided victuals for the king and his household: each man his month in a year made provision.”
In the calendar of the Hebrew’s, it was important to match up the regular Sabbaths of seven day cycles and festivals that would fall between the regular Sabbaths. All of the festivals in the Hebrew calendar would start and/or end with a regular seven day Sabbath with the exception of the Feast of Atonement. In the attempt to fix the Hebrew calendar in the third century, the Hebrew calendar had leap years with a thirteenth month. Passover was to start at the 14th day of the first month and some years had two first months. Passover as the 14th day of the first month on the current Jewish calendar does not always fall on the 14th day after the Spring Equinox depending on when the leap year that is added to the Hebrew calendar.
I believe the creator of the universe gave His creation a method of keeping time that is astronomical. Astronomical time was meant to help man know of how orderly the stars, planets and heavens were placed in their order such that man could plant, harvest and know that a God put everything in its order for the sake of man. Man was given dominion over the earth but God kept dominion over the heavens. As man sinned and drew away from God, man kept the knowledge from the God who gave it and corrupted himself. The wisdom of man became man’s owns foolishness. In other words, I believe man went back into caves and not came out of them. That man worshiped the creature rather than the Creator. There are still cave men today and men living in tents today in the middle of space stations and nuclear bombs.
ANCIENT BUILDINGS and ASTRONOMICAL ALIGNMENT
The Bible and ancient records of many societies had astronomical knowledge and speak of the heavens as though these people had astronomical measurements much like we have today. Landmarks that have been found of the ancients societies were able to measure and design a building to the Astronomical timing and alignment on a North, South and East, West axis of the movement of the heavens, i.e. Stonehenge and the Pyramids of Meso-America. I will review some of these landmarks. No need to use astrology, just astronomy and seasons to know when to plant. Ignore the religion and note the astronomy.
Stonehenge. On a mid-summers day the Sun rises directly over a particular stone in Stonehenge. The “heel stone” as it is named was located outside of the circle of the stones that formed doors in a circle. Every year and the only day that people can get near Stonehenge, wait for the sun to rise over the heel stone as viewed from the inter circle of stone to mark the rising sun of the Summer solstice.
This step pyramid has a ground plan of square terraces with stairways up each of the 4 sides to the temple on top. On the Spring and Autumn equinox, at the rising and setting of the sun, the corner of the structure casts a shadow upon the stairway in the shape of a plumed serpent along the west side of the north staircase.
Dzibilchaltún
Dzibilcaltun is an archaeological site in the Mexican state of Yucatan. The most famous structure is the Temple of the Seven Dolls. At the spring equinox, the sun rises so that it shines directly through one window of the temple and out the other.
The largest and most famous of ancient land marks is the Great Sphinx of Giza, sited at the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile River and facing due east. The face of the Sphinx faces the rising Equinox Sun. What if the Sphinx was astronomically aligned to the equinox when it faced the constellation of Leo the lyon? The date of the Sphinx would be 8,600 B.C. Astronomy and not astrology.
There is also the Goseck Circle of Germany, Cahokia Mounds, in Collinsville, Ill., and Mnajdra is a megaliths temple complex found on the southern coast of the Mediterranean island of Malta. There are more.
TEMPLE OF GOD AND THE TEMPLE MOUNT
Again, let me define the term equinox. The astronomical event known as the equinox happens twice a year. Because of the tilt of the earth at 23.5 degrees and the earth’s rotation around the sun, the sun shines more in the north on the earth for six months and shines more on the south on the earth for six months. Twice a year the sun crosses the equator. For three months it is summer in the northern hemisphere and for three months it is summer in the southern hemisphere. When the sun crosses the equator, the event is known as the equinox. At this time there are equal hours of day light on that day and equal hours of night time. In the northern hemisphere if one were looking at the east horizon there would be a day when the sun would rise over one point on the horizon twice a year. As spring turned to summer, the sun would travel north on the horizon until the summer solstice and then return to the point on the horizon known as the equinox. Then as autumn turned to winter, the sun would rise and travel south on the horizon until the winter solstice, stop and return to the point of the equinox. This is an astronomical fact that can be predicted and measured every year for the last 10,000 years and into the future for 10,000 years.
Because the calendar of the Hebrews was a planting and harvest calendar and a calendar for worship, the equinox timing was kept. The Bible makes much of the points of the compass and the astronomical alignment of locations and as I believe the temple of God was. In the every beginning of the creation the Bible it reads:
Gen 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
Man was turned out to the east or the rising of the sun. To return, man would come from the east to the west. The tribe of Judah was placed to the east of the tabernacle (Num. 2:3) and we know that messiah was to be born of the tribe of Judah as Jesus fulfilled in himself. Judah was one of the thirteen tribes of Israel. The twelve tribes were placed in groups of three to the north, south, east and west of the tabernacle. The thirteenth tribe was Levi whose service was to the temple and the Lord in the center of the twelve tribes. When the Lord returns, according to the book of Zechariah, the Lord shall return to the Mount of Olives that is to the east of the temple mount and walk west to the temple of God.
Zech 14:4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
This is a strong indication that the temple of God was astronomically aligned east to west with the equinox. When the Hebrews entered the promise land, Joshua encamped the people to the east of Jericho (Josh. 4:19) on the first month. That is, the people were to start their military campaign at the Spring Equinox at the time of Passover as Jesus had his victory campaign at the Spring Equinox and died at the Passover so that people could enter the promises of God and gain the promise land.
The wise men that were sent to confirm and recognize the birth of messiah were not from Israel but men from the east. I believe these men were stirred by God that men might recognize the plan and hand of God to bring in His messiah.
Matt 2:1-2 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 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.
We know that the Temple of God on Mount Moriah would have faced east and the east gate (possibly the beautiful gate, Golden gate, Shushan Gate). I also believe that the east gate would have been a door way to see the rising Sun at the time of the equinox. I believe that the Temple was originally set in such a way as to determine the equinox.
As the sun rises in the east over the Mount of Olives, the sun would be seen in the arch way of the east gate from the door of the Temple or the sun would be viewed over the top of the gate. The High priest could then determine the equinox and the starting of the calendar and seasons for the festivals as the sun would shine through the east gate and light the door of the Temple of God.
Ezek 43:1-2 Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east: 2 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.
Ezek 46:1 Thus saith the Lord GOD; The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of the new moon it shall be opened.
Interesting to note that on the map below I drew a red line from east to west from the Mount of Olives to the west through the Temple mount. We can geographically note that the life of Jesus in this area was from east to west. The Tower of Ascension on the Mount of Olives (where Jesus went to heaven Acts 1) is at the east point and the Church of the Sepulcher (the traditional site of Calvary) is to the west of the Temple mount. Jesus died in the west and rose in the east and very possibly, east measured by the equinox rising of the sun. The geographic position of The Dome of the Rock is at 31º 46’ 40.7” N; The Tower of Ascension is at 31º 46’ 39.96” N. Both areas are within seconds in degrees of each other at 40.7 seconds and 39.96 seconds.
Some Bible scholars note that the altar of sacrifice of the Red Heifer (Num. 19) would have been outside the camp. The release of the scape goat was also outside the camp (Lev 16). To be ritually outside the camp the sacred place would have to be at least 2000 cubits or using the standard conversion of 18 inches per cubit it would be about 3,000 feet. The Miphkad Altar, as it is known, was east of the Temple and the priest had line of site or view from the altar place. From the east gate was a bridge that connected the east gate to the Mount of Olives so that the priests would not walk down into the Kidron Valley but across to the Mount of Olives. In other words, as the priest sacrificed the red heifer, on the Mt. of Olives, the priests could see the door of the temple over the east gate and would sprinkle the blood in the direction of the door. Even if we were to use a ‘royal cubit’ of conversion, it would not make a difference to my premise.
The Mishnah (Jewish collection of religious-legal development of the Old Testament) points out: There were five gates to the Temple mount: the two Huldah Gates on the south, that served for coming in and going out; the Kiponus Gate on the west, that served for coming in and going out; the Tadi Gate on the north that was not used at all; The Eastern Gate on which was portrayed the Palace of Shushan. Through this (gate) the priest that burned the (Red) Heifer, the Heifer, and all that aided him went forth to the Mount of Olives_ Middoth 1:3
A very interesting festival came up this year of 2009. The festival is not mentioned in the Bible as are now many festivals of the Jews but none the less noteworthy. The festival of Birkat HaChama is celebrated once very 28 years in its cycle and came up April 08, 2009 or 14th Nissan the year 5769 in the Hebrew calendar. The festival is the blessing of the sun. It is noted that this is the day when the sun returns to the position it occupied when it was created at the beginning of the fourth day of creation in Genesis chapter 1. The Talmud states: “The Rabbis taught: Anyone seeing the Sun at its turning point should say “Blessed is He who made the Creation”. A type of sun celebration festival is mentioned in a negative sense in the book of Ezekiel. Could be that the Hebrews corrupted the festival of Birkat HaChama and worshiped the sun rather than the creator of the sun in the Old Testament, only now to return the blessing to the God who created the sun?
The day and festival is Passover or 14 days after the spring equinox. Quoted from the Orthodox Union: “the beginning of the spring season in halacha (Jewish law) which is several days after the astronomical vernal equinox. The astronomical vernal equinox typically occurs on or about March 20; the “halachic equinox” falls on March 25 of the Julian calendar, which is April 7 of this year, adjusting for the Gregorian calendar.”
I guess the current Rabbi did not know or forgot what the priests of the Old Testament knew on how to determine the equinox. Well I can’t blame them, the Rabbi do not have the temple aligned with the east gate to view the sun coming over the Mt. of Olives. Of course, now we just go to a good planetary program that runs in your computer or go to http://aom.giss.nasa.gov/srvernal.html. The NASA site gives the date of the equinox in Julian Gregorian calendar terms and the date of the equinox in any given year. It is not about March 20th in 2009 it is March 20th. The equinox date in the Julian Gregorian calendar changes over time and changed a lot when Gregorian dropped 10 days out of the calendar in 1582. Because of the fixing of the Hebrew calendar, some how the Rabbi came up with the equinox at March 25th, hmmm? Therefore, the Jews celebrated Passover on April 09th and Birchat HaChama on April 8th. It would do the Rabbi good to take a beginners course in astronomy.
My theory is that the Temple of God on the temple mount was astronomically aligned with the equinox. The sun rose immediately south of the Hotel 7 Arches on the horizon of the Mount of Olives. This Hotel has a panorama view of the temple mount. If the temple was aligned with the equinox, then the face of the temple would face Latitude 31º 46’ 30” N; Longitude 35º 14’ 38.1” E. This is the area just south of the Hotel 7 Arches on the slope of the hill. Just like shooting a rifle, to hit the target one lines up the sights.
This was determined by a personal witness of the sun rise at the autumn equinox in 2009. This was also determined by pictures of the rising sun at Birkat Hachama celebrated on April 08, 2009. On this day the sun rose at an area of the Tower of Ascension, the possible area where Jesus rose to heaven as He gave his last instructions to His disciples. All I did was compute back in feet to the equinox. The other picture I used was the sun rise at Pentecost. The sun rose in the area of the Moslem quarter on the Mount of Olives. Again I computed back to the equinox. The sun would travel on the Mount of Olives horizon at 48.41 feet per day going north from Nisan 01 at the equinox.
If we accept the Golden Gate, or the gate that is beneath the Golden Gate as the true east gate of the time of Solomon, we have two points to draw a line of site. The sun would have shone its light over the Mount of Olives, thru the east gate and lighted the door of the Temple of God. But, this would place the temple very north and practically at the Antonia Fortress. The same is true for the theory of the temple at the Dome of Spirits; the line of sight cannot be achieved from where the sun would rise at the equinox if the Golden Gate is the east gate.
Using line of sight from the equinox sun to the temple area, if the Temple was where the Dome of the Rock sits, then there would have to be another east gate on the southern area of the wall on the east face of the temple area. Possibly where Dr. Ritmeyer mentions and discovered the “bend” in the wall. The same is true for the theory of “the southern alternative 1 and 2 placing the Temple in the El Kas region as noted by Tuvia Sagiv.
So let the Archeology begin, where is the “East Gate” and the “Miphkad Altar” and the bridge that crossed from the East Gate to the Mount of Olvies? The gate and the altar would be on a line drawn from 31º 46’ 30” N; 35º 14’ 38” E to the temple mount area. The line of site can be to the Dome of the Rock and south of the Dome on the temple area. At the Equinox there is the astronomical position of 90º to north. The Temple of God would have been set north and south to the line drawn to the temple mount in order for the Temple of God to face east to the equinox. The temple would face the east gate to create a line of position or a line of site from the temple door to the rising of the sun on the Mount of Olives. The Longitude location of the temple would be a 90º angle from the latitude line; this can be done only at the equinox when the sun is in the position of crossing at the equator. NOT Astrology BUT ASTRONOMY.
I would welcome any comments on this subject and have been trying to collaborate with someone in Israel or and archeologist or person of interest. I also could use a picture of the sun rise over the Mt. of Olives on March 20th, 2009 as viewed from the temple mount area looking east of course. There is a longer more researched article if interested. From this study came about verifying historical dates that fell at the festivals of the Hebrew Calendar. A DVD is available of this presentation from “the Rock Church.org” or email me, only $10.
Oscar J. Terrazas: o.terrazas@comcast.net
