This year the Hebrew Feast of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, comes with a display of atonement in the heavens.
The Day of Atonement was a time on the Jewish calendar established by God when the high priest made atonement for the sins of the people during the past year (Lev. 16). The high priest made a sacrifice and then symbolically placed the sins of the people on the head of a scapegoat and sent the goat out to the desert. This ceremony was a prophetic picture of the atonement for our sins made once and forever by Jesus (Heb. 9:6-14).
The atonement of Christ is represented in the heavens by the constellation Capricorn (the goat) which reaches its highest level in the southern sky at 11:00 p.m. Capricorn is a picture of a dying goat, as is confirmed by the star names Algedi: (the goat), Dabih (the sacrifice slain), and Deneb Algedi (the sacrifice comes). This picture of Christ’s sacrifice is enhanced in the associated constellation Aquila (the eagle), whose stars Altair (the wounding), Alcair (the piercing), and Alokal (wounded in the heel), remind us of the Genesis 3:15 prophecy of Christ’s wounding in the heel and His piercing on the cross.
Joining with Capricorn this year is Mars, which is at perihelion on Sept. 16 and is still near its brightest showing in 15 years. In the ancient pagan world Mars was thought to be a god of war because of its blood red color. However, some priests of Mars came closer to the truth by ritually shedding their own blood rather than the blood of others. In reality is was the blood of Christ which bought our lives, and that blood is pictured in the blood-red planet Mars.
On the night of Yom Kippur, Sept.19, the moon will also enter Capricorn and will be only 4.5 degrees above Mars. The moon, the faithful witness in the sky (Ps. 89:37), represents the believers. We are thus invited to enter in to the atonement provided by the sacrifice and blood of Jesus.
So look to the South at 11:00 p.m. on the Day of Atonement, Sept. 19, to celebrate your salvation. And don’t forget to tell a friend about the atonement pictured in the heavens. {eoa}
Ron Allen is a Christian businessman, CPA and author who serves in local, national and international ministries, spreading a message of reconciliation to God, to men and between believers. He is founder of the International Star Bible Society, telling how the heavens declare the glory of God; the Emancipation Network, which helps people escape from financial bondage; and co-founder with his wife, Pat, of Corporate Prayer Resources, dedicated to helping intercessors.
