During the last week in November , 7 BC the father of John the Baptist was ministering with his priestly division of Abijah during their allotted time to serve as Temple
priests. It was there and then at the Temple that God announced that Zechariah would have a son who would prepare the way for the Messiah.
At the same time, the planets Jupiter (Suffering Savior) and Saturn (the Ruler) were just completing a rare Triple Conjunction, during which the planets had come close together three times. This Triple Conjunction was part of a long series which began just before the Flood of Noah and ended with the Christ’s advent in 7 BC. John the Baptist would have been conceived just about the time of the Winter Solstice, at the time when Sagittarius, the sign of Christ’s coming, entered Winter, the season of His coming.
Jesus, who was six months younger than John the Baptist, would have been conceived near the time of the summer Solstice 6 BC and born near the Spring Equinox of 5 BC. The Star of Bethlehem, an exploding Nova recorded by Chinese astronomers in the Spring of 5 BC, was also seen by the Magi from the East who then set out to find the Christ child. However, we know that the Triple Conjunction of 7 BC was one of the signs that the Wise Men had been observing because they told King Herod of signs beginning two years before 5 BC.
Thus, the 7 BC Triple Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn was a sign in the Sun, Moon, and Stars which led to Christ’s advent. The next Triple Conjunction, scheduled for 2100 AD, may be one of
the “signs in the Sun, Moon, and Stars” which herald the Second Coming of Christ.
On December 2, 2012 Jupiter will be at opposition (i.e., on the opposite of the sky from the sun) and will be at its brightest and closest to earth. Jupiter will be in Taurus (the Bull) near the Hydes Star Cluster, and will visible all night. Take your binoculars and look in the eastern sky around 9:00 pm for a truly beautiful sight.
And remember how Jupiter, representing the Suffering Savior,
led off the celestial signs of Christ’s advent as the angel spoke to John the Baptist’s father.
