>>11980340 PB

>>11980342 PB

repost with link to bio

A Bible-Based Chronology

https://thechristmasstar.org/ABibleBasedChronology/

Since discovering the major role Venus plays as the day star in the nativity story in 2014, I’ve prided myself in seeing how close to sunrise I can still see the star before it fades into the white morning sky. I’ll be discussing this issue in more detail in an upcoming lesson.

I want to share what I noticed on this morning’s walk as it relates to what was discussed in lesson 2 regarding atmospherics and the visibility of stars. Lately, I’ve been starting my walks 30-40 minutes before sunrise after it becomes light enough to see where I’m going. Today’s walk started earlier, at 6:15 (it was significantly darker than usual but still light enough to see) about an hour before sunrise because I wanted update and mark the spots and references where I can normally observe Venus along my route. During the summer when Venus didn’t change position on a daily basis (and when it wasn’t obscured by smoke) my reference points remained pretty consistent for a week or more. But now, Venus’ location in the morning sky at specific times changes almost daily.

As I began this morning’s walk, it was clear skies with no clouds. The sky was perfectly dark blue as it lightened toward the eastern horizon and Venus was shining brilliantly in the SE sky (about 15 degrees above the horizon) while the crescent moon, higher and about 30 degrees to the west, shone brightly as well. About five minutes into the walk it happened. Remember, it was about an hour before sunrise and still pretty dark. As I observed the panorama of the sky from east to south, it struck me that nothing else was visible in that bright, dark sky except Venus and the Moon. Not a single star. During the summer, Sirius, the brightest star, was occasionally visible in the SW sky at the start of my walks, but by this morning it had already settled below the western horizon. I looked around to the north to see if any of the stars in the northern constellations, the Big Dipper or any stars in the western sky were visible. Nothing. So, there I was, out in the middle of a beautiful, clear, cold morning, nearly an hour before sunrise and the sky was virtually empty. I thought about the photo of the night sky over Masada presented in lesson 2 and how full the night sky was of God’s glory. But, here in Mountain Ranch on a dark, clear morning, nearly an hour before sunrise, all of God’s glory had faded into the early morning light, all except for the Christ star, Venus and the Moon. When my gaze returned to Venus, shining ever so brightly, it appeared as if it would never diminish or go away and - I could feel Christ’s presence. It seemed that the Lord, through the star, was reminding me that while everything else may fade away, He was saying, “I am your rock, and your salvation. I will never fade away”. It brought to mind the words of a hymn, Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full at his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and Grace. Christ, through Venus, provided that glory and grace for me this morning.

I share this with you because I know there are some who might be skeptical about the Christmas star story and possibly the words I’m about to present, even though they are based on a literal interpretation of Scripture. So, I would very much encourage those with doubts to take advantage of this opportunity to observe the morning sky and determine for yourself whether or not Venus could be the Christ or Messiah star. I recommend that you find a spot with a good view of the eastern and southeastern sky, then spend some time observing Venus and the morning sky (preferably between 6-6:30 AM). After checking out the morning sky turn your attention back to Venus, and while gazing at the star, ask yourself this question, “If I were God, and could choose any celestial object as a sign to let the world know that Christ, our salvation, had entered our world and that it would become a perpetual reminder of Christ’s presence with and in us and that He will never leave or forsake us, what celestial object would I choose?” I’m reminded of the promise God gave Noah when He established the rainbow as His covenant promise to never again destroy the world with water. My hope and prayer with these next few lessons is to make the case that God not only chose Venus to be the Christ Star, but that He was fully capable of temporarily turning the Christ star into the Christmas Star as well. Blessings in Christ, Jim