The Sign of Jonah?

Just thought I should alert readers to a developing situation in the com box over at the earlier post Signs in the Sky, which seems to be pointing towards the significance of the "sign of Jonah" described in Matt 12. Fellow blogger federalexpression has highlighted some interesting features of the path of the 1999 solar eclipse (which I argue in the book was one of the "signs in heaven" described at the opening of the sixth seal). It turns out that this eclipse traverses some highly symbolic sites, some of which can be connected to the last post about the Three Days of Darkness. We're still in the process of researching this, and I'll have to compose a post to cover the material in more detail; but I think some of the findings that are unfolding here are fascinating!

I'll post the discussion so far below:

federalexpression:

The Solar eclipse you mentioned on 8/11/1999 reached totality [point of greatest eclipse] very near Ocnele Mari, Romania. I researched this area and quickly found an escavation report here:http://alexisphoenix.org/oltrivervalley.php

This is most interesting.

The Ghost Church of Ocnele Mari

When on the road to Rimnicu Vilcea, on the right bank of the Olt River, and about 5-6 Km before it, one can follow a road to the left, to Ocnele Mari. The small town of Ocnele Mari is about 8 Km from this crossroads. It is very old and important, because there are still a lot of rock-salt mines, which are used as a chemical feedstock for industry in the manufacture of many items.

The name Ocnele Mari means Large Jails. The criminal residents of the jails were used as forced labour in the salt mines, a valuable asset at all times for the country. In the middle of the town is this old Royal Church from the Middle Ages, now in ruins.

Photo: Adrian Gheorghe 2007


The walls of this church are cracked and broken, and trees grow up on top of and inside the old building. There are many signs around the church warning people to keep out, because at any time the walls could collapse and kill someone.

Dr Gheorghe asked many people in the town why the building is allowed to remain in this derelict condition, why it is not pulled down. He was told that the church cannot be destroyed, because once when a company was contracted to pull it down, every time that an attempt was made, someone from the company was killed, so that the contractors gave up their commission.

The local inhabitants say that even though the church is obviously not in good condition, the walls are cracked and broken, even so, no strong wind, or snow, or heavy rains can pull it down. The church endures.


Emmett:

That's amazing Fed! I would never have thought of researching this...

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock."
(Matt 7:24-25)

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
(Matt 16:18-19)

This has to be the most symbolic total solar eclipse ever! The path of totality then moved from Rimnicu Vilcea in Romania to Turkey, somewhere between Izmit, the site of ancient Pergamum (the "throne of the beast"), and the site of the Battle of Manzikert. I'll have to try to find a more detailed map of the path of the eclispe.
This is insane! I've just realised that this ties together three distinct passages in the Book of Revelation:

“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.

“‘I know where you dwell, WHERE SATAN'S THRONE IS. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells."
(Rev 2:12-13)

"The fifth angel poured out his bowl ON THE THRONE OF THE BEAST, AND ITS KINGDOM WAS PLUNGED INTO DARKNESS. People gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds."
(Rev 16:10-11)

So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.
(Rev 16:2)

I'm going to have to research this further and put the material up on a blog post.


federalexpression:

I bet there is more to this. I'll poke around a little more If I can get more details on the path of this eclipse. I think we should look at the other eclipse later in the year as well...

Emmett:

More detailed maps can be found below:http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEmono/TSE1999/TSE1999.html

This is very interesting! Below is a detailed map of the path of the eclipse in the Middle East:http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEmono/TSE1999/TSE1999Map/TSE1999MidEast.jpg


It does pass very near the site of the Battle of Manzikert, but as you can see on the map, it also passes through Al Mawsil - the city of Mosul in Iraq. This is right beside the ancient site of Nineveh! The sign of Jonah?!:

"Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
(Matt 12:38-42)

This passage is directly after Jesus speaking of Satan being cast out, and the binding of the strong man!


federalexpression:

Look at this: The engraved map of Kizkapan
http://blog.kurdistan-adventures.com/2012/06/12/kizkapan-a-cave-that-paints-the-ancient-history-of-a-people/

This site is just West of As-Sulymaniyah in Iraq and was also in the path.

Not sure what to make of it because I lack knowlege of the Medes. I wonder if it means anything to you.

The blog in the link above contains the following information:

The engraved map of Kizkapan

Abdulla talks about a map engraved on the walls of the cave, and states that in the map there are two men with their hands held up and their arrows on the ground, seemingly conveying a message of peace.
“This map is different from many other archeological maps as it has a message about war and hostility. There are two explanations on the map, the first explanation belongs to the archeologists Admon, M. Tofiq Wahbi and Taha Baqer, who believe that the men are two Zartosht religious men that take an oath by the fire. The second explanation proposed by other archeologists is that those two men are not religious men but rather leaders.
According to historical accounts, there had been a sun blockage around 585 B.C. At that time a fatal war ensued between the Medes and Ledes, but when the sun was blocked and it got dark, they stopped the war and announced a truce. Later the Ledes’ princess married the Medes’ prince in a marriage of political convenience to coincide with the truce.

Emmett:

This is amazing! I just read something about this today on Wikipedia:

"Eclipses have been interpreted as omens, or portents. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus wrote that Thales of Miletus predicted an eclipse that occurred during a war between the Medians and the Lydians. Both sides put down their weapons and declared peace as a result of the eclipse. The exact eclipse involved remains uncertain, although the issue has been studied by hundreds of ancient and modern authorities. One likely candidate took place on May 28, 585 BC, probably near the Halys river in Asia Minor. An eclipse recorded by Herodotus before Xerxes departed for his expedition against Greece, which is traditionally dated to 480 BC, was matched by John Russell Hind to an annular eclipse of the Sun at Sardis on February 17, 478 BC. Alternatively, a partial eclipse was visible from Persia on October 2, 480 BC. Herodotus also reports a solar eclipse at Sparta during the Second Persian invasion of Greece. The date of the eclipse (August 1, 477 BC) does not match exactly the conventional dates for the invasion accepted by historians."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse#Historical_eclipses