Philologos
Bible Prophecy Research
Signs in the Sky
Submitted by: research-bpr@philologos.org
Date: May, 1998
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr/files/Sky_Signs/ss003.htm

Hail, Hale-Bopp!

To God be the Glory

Whilst listening to an audio file on the net regarding   "Prophecy of the Stars," (1) the speaker outlined  how he had plotted the course of comet Hyakutake (hi-yah-coo-tah-key), taking note of each constellation that it had passed through. Armed with a copy of E. W. Bullinger's "Witness of the Stars," he threaded the meaning of each constellation together in the order of the comet's path and came up with the following.

His observations began with the comet in Libra, which Bullinger explains as meaning "price which covers." It then moved on to Bootes, "He cometh," Ursa Major and Minor, "flocks, sheepfolds," Cassiopeia, "the captives delivered" and ended with Perseus, "deliverance of the Redeemed."

Therefore, Hyakutake "spelled" out in the heavens:

"The One who paid the price which covers,
He cometh for His sheepfold
to deliver the captives and
to deliver the redeemed."

As I owned a copy of the same book and was intrigued with the whole thing, I started wondering what message could be revealed if the same method was used to plot the course of Hale-Bopp. The rest of this paper is devoted to that theme. The main purpose is to gather facts and not to emphasize personal interpretation, therefore, some parts may seem disjointed.

From September 1995 through September 1997 Hale-Bopp passed (or is passing) through these constellations in this order: Sagittarius, Serpens, Ophiuchus, Aquila, Cygnus, Andromeda, Perseus, Taurus, Orion, Canis Major, and Argo. (2) Each of these signs will be discussed separately below.

1. Sagittarius (The Archer) - The Redeemer's Triumph

Bullinger's own words here regarding the nature of Sagittarius are noteworthy as they were written before the 1893 edition date of the book. "John, in his apocalyptic vision, sees the same mighty Conqueror going forth. 'I saw (he says) a white horse, and He that sat on him had a bow,... and He went forth conquering and to conquer' (Rev 6:2)."

Ancient Akkadian name: Nun-ki - Prince of the Earth
Coptic: Pimacre - the graciousness or beauty of the coming forth
Arabic: Al Kaus - the arrow

Noteworthy stars in the constellation:
1. Naim - the gracious one
2. Nehusta - the going or sending forth

2. Serpens (The Serpent) and 3. Ophiuchus (The Serpent Holder) - The struggle with the enemy

These constellations show a serpent in the hands of the serpent holder trying to seize the crown which is situated over its head, which it is looking up to and trying to reach. While holding the serpent, Ophiuchus is stepping on the heart of the scorpion which is marked by the star Antares, which means wounding.

Aug 1, 1996 comet in Serpens Cauda (tail of the serpent)
Aug 15, 1996 comet in Ophiuchus (the serpent holder)
Dec 1, 1996 comet in Serpens Cauda
Dec 15, 1996 comet in Ophiuchus
Jan 1, 1997 comet in Serpens Cauda

Hale-Bopp went back and forth from the tail of the serpent to the serpent holder which could be interpreted as denoting a struggle.

Noteworthy star in the constellation:
Saiph (in the foot of Ophiuchus) - bruised

4. Aquila (The Eagle) - The smitten one falling

Noteworthy stars in the constellation:
Al Tair - the wounding
Al Shain - the bright (from a Hebrew root meaning scarlet colored)
Tarared - wounded or torn
Alcair - the piercing
Al Okal - wounded in the heel

5. Cygnus (The Swan) - The Blesser surely returning

Noteworthy stars in the constellation:
Deneb - the judge - also called Adige - flying swiftly
Sadr - who returns as in a circle
Azel - who goes and returns quickly
Fafage - gloriously shining forth

6. Andromeda (The Chained Woman) - The redeemed in their bondage and affliction

This constellation "speaks to us of the captive daughter of Zion." The Greeks believed that Andromeda's husband was Perseus which is the next constellation on the comet's path.

Noteworthy stars in the constellation:
Al Phiratz - the broken down
Mirach - the weak
Al Maach - struck down
Adhil - the afflicted

7. Perseus (The Breaker) - Delivering the redeemed

Again, Bullinger's words say it all: "We see a glorious 'Breaker' taking His place before His redeemed, breaking forth at their head, breaking down all barriers, and breaking the heads of Leviathan and all his hosts. In His right hand He has His 'sore, and great, and strong sword' lifted up to smite and break down the enemy. He has wings on His feet, which tells us that He is coming very swiftly. In His left hand he carries the head of the enemy, whom He has slain."

The Greeks called the head Perseus was carrying Medusa, "being ignorant that its Hebrew root meant 'the trodden under foot.'" (3) The head is also called Rosh Satan - the head of the adversary, Al Oneh - the subdued, and Al Ghoul - the evil spirit.

On April 11th in two consecutive years (1996 and 1997) a comet has passed through this constellation in the head of Medusa at a point almost right between the eyes. The paths of comets Hyakutake and Hale-Bopp formed the shape of a cross where they converged. This seems like a replay of the story of David and Goliath with the comet or "dirty snowball" hitting the enemy between the eyes.

8. Taurus (The Bull) - Messiah, the coming Judge of all the earth

Noteworthy stars in the constellation:
Al Debaran - the leader or governor
El Nath - wounder or slain
Palilicium - belonging to the judge
Wasat - centre or foundation

Clusters of stars in the constellation:
1. The Pleiades - the congregation of the judge or ruler. This cluster is also called The Seven Sisters. It's Syriac name is Succoth - booths.
2. The Hyades - the congregated.

9. Orion (The Glorious One) - Light breaking forth in the Redeemer

"Orion was anciently spelt Oarion from the Hebrew root which means light. So that Orion means coming forth as light." (4) His left foot is raised as if to be placed on the neck of the enemy. He has a girdle/belt with three bright stars and a sharp sword. Some star atlases show the handle of the sword as the head of a lamb. In his right hand he has a club and in his left hand he holds the head and skin of a lion.

Ancient Akkadian name: Ur-ana - the light of heaven
Hebrew name: Peretz

Noteworthy stars in the constellation:
Betelgeuz (on his right shoulder) - the coming of the branch
Saiph (in the right leg) - bruised
Rigel (in the upraised left foot) - the foot that crusheth (like Ophiuchus, one leg is bruised and the other is crushing the enemy)
Bellatrix (in the left shoulder) - quickly coming, or swiftly destroying
Al Nitak - the wounded One
Al Rai - who bruises, who breaks
Thabit - treading on

"Orion is the most brilliant of all the constellations, and when he comes to the meridian he is accompanied by several adjacent constellations of great splendour. There is then above the horizon the most glorious view of the celestial bodies that the starry firmament affords; and this magnificent view is visible to all the habitable world." (5)

10. Sirius (The Prince) - The coming glorious Prince of Princes

In the Denderah Zodiac it is called Apes - the head. It is pictured as a hawk which is the natural enemy of the serpent and on its head it has a pestle and mortar signifying that he shall crush the enemy.

Akkadian name: Kasista - the Leader

Noteworthy stars in the constellation:
The brightest star in the whole heavens is here, called Sirius - the Prince
Wesen - the bright, the shining
Adhara - the glorious
Aschere - who shall come
Al Shira, Al Jemeniya - the Prince or chief of the right hand
Abur - the mighty

In Arabic it means coming quickly

11. Argo (The Ship) - The pilgrims safe at home

The Greeks believed that this ship was used to search for a treasure (the golden fleece) which had been lost. Homer writes how Jason, the captain of the ship, had recovered the treasure from the serpent "which guarded it with ever-watchful eye, when none else was able to approach it." Jason is Graeco-Judean for Joshua or Jesus. This constellation portrays the return of the great ship and all its "company of travellers." (6)

Noteworthy stars in the constellation:
Canopus - the possession of Him who cometh
Sephina - the multitude or abundance
Tureis - the possession
Asmidiska - the released who travel
Soheil - the desired
Subilon - the Branch

Arutz-7 News, Israel had the following to say about Hale-Bopp on March 31, 1996:
"Daniel W. E. Green of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics stated that the latest orbital calculations indicate that the Hale-Bopp comet last passed through the inner solar system about 4210 years ago. An Arutz-7 correspondent noted that according to the ancient Jewish text Seder Olam Rabah, the comet's previous appearance was approximately the same year that Noah began building the ark."

If we string all these constellations together we could interepret it to say:

"The Redeemer is Triumphant
having fought and smitten the enemy and
is returning as promised
to deliver the redeemed from their bondage and affliction.
Messiah, the Judge of all the earth, the Light of the world
will come as our glorious Prince of Princes
to lead the pilgrims safely home."

Addendum

In Numbers 2 there is a breakdown of how the tribes of Israel are to camp around the tabernacle in the wilderness. On the east side under Judah's banner are Judah, Issachar and Zebulon. West side under Ephraim's banner is Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin. North under Dan's banner is Dan, Asher and Naphtali. South under Reuben's banner is Reuben, Simeon and Gad.

Jewish tradition states that each tribe had its own sign per "Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard" (Num 2:2). These four main standards correspond with the signs in the heavens (and also the four beasts of Rev 4:6,7 and Eze 1:10).

Genesis 49 and Deuteronomy 33 are also used as explanations for why each sign was chosen.

Jerome Prado, in his commentary upon Ezekiel gives the rabbinical tradition regarding the four main banners of the tribes: "On the east...Judah...on this standard there was depicted a lion...whom Jacob had compared to a lion...Towards the south...Reuben...The symbol depicted upon this standard was a human head, because Reuben was the first-born, and head of the family...On the west...Ephraim...head of a calf was depicted, because it was through the vision of the calves or oxen that his ancestor Joseph had predicted and provided for the famine in Egypt; and hence Moses, when blessing the tribe of Joseph (Deut 33:17), said, 'his glory is that of the first-born of a bull'...Towards the north... Dan...The crest upon this was an eagle, the great foe to serpents, which had been chosen by the leader in place of the serpent, because his forefather Jacob had compared Dan to a serpent, saying, 'Dan is a serpent in the way, an adder in the path'...for he shrank from carrying an adder upon his flag."

So this would show Judah as Leo, Reuben as Aquarius, Ephraim as Taurus and Dan as an eagle (but in the following Dan is still shown as Scorpio).

According to Bullinger the following is the breakdown of each tribe and their sign but, of course, not everyone breaks them down this way. To be technically correct I should have added the three constellations that comprise each sign but I am only adding in parentheses those constellations that Hale-Bopp went through.

The tabernacle is nestled in the very heart of the camp.

If we track where Hale-Bopp went we see that it started in the North and went through all three tribes (Asher/Sagittarius, Dan/Serpens/Ophiuchus, Naphtali/Aquila), then it went south and through those three tribes (Reuben/Cygnus, Simeon/Andromeda, Gad/Perseus), tracked west and through those three (Ephraim/Taurus, Manasseh/Orion, Benjamin/Canis Major) and ended in the tribe of Issachar/Argo in the east.

The path the comet took through the sky is curious as among all the nations the signs have always been kept in the same order: 1. Aries, 2. Taurus, 3. Gemini, 4. Cancer, 5. Leo, 6. Virgo, 7. Libra, 8. Scorpio, 9. Sagittarius, 10. Capricorn, 11. Aquarius, 12. Pisces.

Hale-Bopp's path: 9. Sagittarius, 8. Scorpio, 10. Capricorn, 11. Aquarius, 12. Pisces, 1. Aries, 2. Taurus, 3. Gemini, 4. Cancer.

It's interesting to note that Hale-Bopp was "out" of sequence when it started in Sagittarius (The Archer) and THEN went to Scorpio (The Scorpion) but that after this it followed the known order of the signs.

The three tribes/signs that Hale-Bopp did not go through are noteworthy:

Judah/5. Leo - Messiah's consummated triumph
Zebulon/6. Virgo - The Promised Seed of the woman
Levi/7. Libra - The Redeemer's atoning work, or the price deficient balanced by the price which covers

Regarding these last three tribes, Judah houses the sceptre and is where the tabernacle was (Jesus/Jerusalem); Levi denotes the priesthood, which every member of the church belongs, with Jesus as our High Priest. This is pretty straight-forward and easy to see in the Bible, but the correlation of Zebulon in this group proved more difficult. Strong's says Zebulon means "habitation" or "to dwell" and states that he was the 10th son (10 usually denoting completion) and that the root is Zavul. According to Avi Mordechai, "Signs in the Heavens," Zavul is used in the Old Testament as a description of the fourth heaven (there are supposedly seven) where God's heavenly Temple is. "Zavul is the fourth heaven. Celestial Y'rushalayim (Jerusalem) is in the fourth heaven. It is also where the heavenly Temple and altar is erected and where God and HaMashiach (the Messiah) dwell." Therefore, Jesus and His Church are together in the New Jerusalem in heaven?

Another interesting thing about Judah/Leo is the Lenoid meteor showers that occur yearly. The meteors radiate from a point in the constellation of Leo and hourly rates are usually 10-15 an hour, but this increases every 33 (?) years when comet Tempel-Tuttle makes its periodic return. In these years, the Leonids can produce hourly rates of thousands of meteors per hour with the occasion fireball observed. The Leonids are very fast and are best known for their long, persistent trains. The Leonids can be observed on November 17, 1997 this year which coincidentally occurs on the day that Noah is said to have entered the ark and the "windows of heaven opened up" (17th day of the second month). The last great Leonid meteor shower was in 1966, so astronomers are expecting high counts either this year or within the next two years.

One last bit of information comes from the Talmud Berachoth 58b: "...I am as familiar with the paths of heaven as with the streets of Nehardea, with the exception of the comet, about which I am ignorant. There is a tradition that it never passes through the constellation of Orion, for if it did, the world would be destroyed." ???????

Endnotes:
1. "Prophecy of the Stars," Bob Wadsworth, The Prophecy Club (http://www.thegospel.com).
2. Where to Find Comet Hale-Bopp, David J. Eicher, (http://www.kalmbach.com/Astro/comet/hbtable.html) and numerous other sources.
3. "Witness of the Stars," E. W. Bullinger.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.

(September 14, 1997, 10/20/97)

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