The Great Christ Comet Read Online Free

actively giving birth to the baby, but had not quite fully delivered it, observers in the Near East saw a predawn meteor storm (Rev. 12:3–4a). The storm was attributed to the action of Hydra’s tail, almost certainly because it radiated from there, probably from the upper section of the tail, between γ (Gamma) Hydrae and the part of the tail near where Corvus (i.e., the Raven, in Bab­ylo­nian thought) perched. Evidently the meteor storm occurred when the upper section of Hydra’s tail was above the horizon and when the sky was dark enough for the dramatic meteor display to be visible to human observers. This meteor storm happened before Hydra “stood.” This standing refers to the point when π (Pi) Hydrae, the tip of the tail, was level with the horizon, so that all of Hydra was above the horizon.
    15. The birth. The night after the meteor storm, for the first time since the baby had appeared in Virgo’s womb, no part of the coma rose in advance of Virgo’s vaginal opening. The whole baby could be seen below the level where 80 Virginis was but above the visible horizon. To those interpreting what they saw through the grid of messianic prophecy, it seemed that the Messiah was born at this very time. 10 The birth was probably on or around October 20, 6 BC, which equates to Tishratu 6 in Bab­ylon and Heshvan 5 or 6 in Judea (depending on whether the new crescent Moon was observed in Judea on the evening of October 14). 11 Both Matthew and Revelation imply that the heavenly birth coincided with Jesus’s birth on the earth. It is most natural to conclude that the coma-baby appeared to be approximately the size of a newborn baby at the point of birth.
    16. Iron scepter. At the point when the cometary baby was born, the comet’s tail was apparently extraordinarily long and possibly silvery-gray. The whole comet seems to have formed an “iron scepter” that stretched right across the sky to the western horizon.
    17. Disappearance into the Sun’s light. In terms of the celestial narrative, the messianic child needed to be delivered from the grave danger posed by Hydra. This deliverance was communicated to Earth-dwelling observers when the cometary coma, after birth, quickly disappeared into the light of the Sun and below the horizon (i.e., it heliacally set).
    18. From Bab­ylon to Jerusalem. Having witnessed the entire celestial nativity drama, the Magi no doubt soon began their journey to Judea. The comet, having switched quickly from the morning to the evening/night sky, probably remained visible to them throughout their journey. It is likely that, every night, the comet moved toward and over the western horizon, seeming to urge them onward to Jerusalem.
    19. South-southwest to Bethlehem. On the evening when the Magi traveled from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, approximately 30–40 days after the conclusion of the sign in the eastern morning sky, the Star reappeared, probably at sunset, in the southern sky. The Star seemed to go before the Magi to Bethlehem. Assuming a journey of 2 hours, the comet would have appeared in the sky to the SSE and moved to the SSW, the direction of Bethlehem from Jerusalem.
    20. Dropping in altitude. After guidingthem to Bethlehem, the comet, having passed its culmination (its highest point, on the meridian in the south), then dropped in altitude (“coming”; Matt. 2:9) until it seemed to “stand.”
    21. Setting on the western horizon. The Star guided the Magi to one particular house in Bethlehem. We can deduce that the coma was close to the visible horizon at that stage and so was about to set. 12 The house where Mary and Jesus were was evidently, from the Magi’s perspective, located along the skyline and was distinct from other structures. Since the Star “stood over” one particular house, it is most likely that at that time the comet had a near-vertical tail, 30–45 degrees long.
    22. Subsequent