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Introduction

The Book of Revelation Chapter 9 (The Locusts, verses 1 to 11) describes a scene whereby an angel with keys releases locusts onto the Earth to torment men for five months. The locusts are clearly described as looking like horses, wearing crowns of gold with women's hair, having the teeth of lions and breastplates of iron. Audibly they sound like horses and chariots rushing to war.

While the scene appears chaotic, there is a rational interpretation as described in this article. The observations of John of Patmos, the author of the Book of Revelation, are astronomical and trigonometrical. They have been encoded and form a puzzle to be solved by the reader.

Approach and assumptions

By adopting an approach whereby one assumes that there is nothing supernatural about John's vision, that it is structured, it is rational, and it follows the doctrine of Biblical inerrancy), there is only one logical conclusion. The chapter supports itself in evidence.

First steps

According to the text,

1. the angel of the abyss comes from the sky as a star,
2. it comes from the sky to the Earth,
3. the sun and sky are darkened as the locusts are released and
4. the locusts fly upwards into the sky with the smoke and then descend on the Earth.

The common denominator is the sky. Four elements, namely the star, the sun, the movement of rising and falling, and the flying locusts can only co-exist if the sky is present.

If one continues this logic, the star and the sun are clearly celestial objects. A darkened sun and sky suggests an eclipse. The chapter later makes references to horses, chariots, iron and lions (Pegasus, Mars, Auriga and Leo) which supports the hypothesis that the scene is staged in the sky.

The narrative commences with mention of

1. scorpions and their power,
2. people and their foreheads,
3. the stings of scorpions and
4. people seeking death.

These are four pairs of clues with people and scorpions alternating. The chapter concludes in a similar way.

1. tails with stingers like scorpions
2. tails with the power to torment
3. people tormented for five months.
   

While the introduction pairs scorpions and people, the ending has two scorpion references and one person reference, indicating they are to be treated differently.

The scorpions and the people indicate a start and end of two "loops" on two separate planes. The first plane is that of scorpions, the second is that of people. The plane connected to the people is a single rotation. The plane connected with the scorpions is more than one rotation with Scorpio being passed through twice.

Identifying the structure and nature

There are two sets of celestial objects identifiable from the narrative. The "inner set" follows the 60 degree North ecliptic path. Auriga, the chariot, Pegasus, the horse to name but two are on this co-ordinate line. The "outer set" follows the ecliptic path itself. This is the path the seven classical planets travel along. The "inner set" includes the people with foreheads seeking death (the head of Ophiuchus) and the outer set starts and ends with the scorpions' power and stings (Scorpius). (Ophiuchus is the only human in the stars and was struck dead by Zeus. )

The puzzle itself has two stages.

1. Identify the obvious celestial objects which exist on these paths
2. Identify the remaining objects determined by a conclusion from the first stage.

Identifying the elements

The Elements

In the first instance we will only concentrate on the nouns in the passage.

Date

• Furnace - the constellation Libra. (The reference to the furnace is from Daniel 3 where the three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are thrown into the furnace but not harmed. They are joined by a fourth. This is an astronomical observation from 20 September 579BC during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar when there is a conjunction of Saturn, Mars and Mercury (the three men) in Libra with the moon. Libra represents judgement which is associated with cleansing by fire. )
  
• Sun - already identified as itself
  
• Smoke - the moon in front of the sun causing a darkened sky
  
• Star - the sun
  
• Abyss - the sky below the horizon
  

The date is 13 October 79AD which would have likely been during the author's lifetime. It coincides with the date given by Pliny the Younger for the eruption of Vesuvius, "IX kal Sept" in his description. It is the ninth day of the sun in the seventh house, Libra. (Aries was considered the first house. ) There is mention of an eclipse which appears to have happened simultaneously in Pliny's letter to Cornelius Tacitus and archaeological evidence suggests that the eruption was in the autumn and not August as commonly believed. Chapter 8 of the Book of Revelation is consistent with a volcanic eruption and Pliny's comments. It is therefore reasonable to assume that John either heard of the eruption or witnessed it personally. The locusts appear immediately after the events of Chapter 8 and it is therefore reasonable to assume that they are part of a sequence at the same time.

It is sunset. The fallen star is the sun which is on the brink of the abyss, the sky below the horizon.

Structure

The structure comprises two circles, or loops.

• Scorpions - (already identified as Scorpius)
  
• People (already identified as Ophiuchus)
  

The scene itself (verses 7 to 11) - Stage 1

• Horses: Pegasus
  
• Battle
• Heads: no constellation or planet seems appropriate so left to second stage
  
• Crowns: Andromeda (a princess)
  
• Gold: the sun
  
• Faces: no constellation or planet seems appropriate so left to second stage
  
• Human faces: IC4665 in Ophiuchus
  
• Hair: Coma Berenices
  
• Women's hair: Venus on Virgo's head
  
• Teeth: no constellation or planet seems appropriate so left to second stage
  
• Lion's teeth: Beehive cluster, with a magnitude of 3.1 is on the ecliptic and near Leo's mouth
  
• Breastplates: Perseus (Perseus used a breastplate given by Athena to defeat Medusa)
  
• Breastplates: no constellation or planet seems appropriate so left to second stage
• Iron: Mars
  
• Wings: Aquilla, the eagle
  
• Horses: no constellation or planet seems appropriate so left to second stage
  
• Chariots: Auriga
  
• Battle: no constellation or planet seems appropriate so left to second stage
  
• Tails: Serpens Cauda, the tail of the serpent (NGC6633)
  
  

• Appolyon/Abaddon: the sun, Apollo (there is only letter difference between Ἀπόλλων (Apollo) and Απολλυων (Apollyon) and suggests a transcription error at some point, or indeed that the angel is like the sun but not completey), or Abaddon (which literally means "to perish"). The sun has "perished" during the eclipse. Alternatively, Abaddon translates to "Destroyer" and is therefore the moon destroying the sun. Nonetheless, Apollyon and Abaddon are required as a pair and represent the eclipse on the date in question.
  

There are seven elements which are to be identified in stage 2.

Charting the elements

Note how Perseus's chest and Coma Berenices are perfectly on intersection points.

The period of five months represents the time to the next eclipse on 10 March 80AD, confirming the hypothesis again that the narrative is based on astronomical observations.

There are two great circles that John identifies.

The first circle - the "inner circle"

Looking at the "inner circle" first, there are eight elements. Starting at the bottom and moving anti-clockwise, there are three elements separated by 15 degrees, a gap of 90 degrees, a single element, a second gap of 90 degrees, then four elements 30 degrees apart. There is a final gap of 60 degrees. The chart clearly shows the intersections between the 60 degree ecliptic path and the 30 degree "spokes".

3, 1 and 4 are the first three digits of Pi. They are arranged symmetrically in a circle. The leading elements on the face of Ophiuchus, Coma Berenices, Auriga and Pegasus form a square, another trigonometric shape.

The second circle - the "outer circle"

The "outer circle" is equally as interesting. On the ecliptic path alone the eclipse to Venus in Virgo to the Beehive cluster is three elements separated by 45 degrees making a total distance of 90 degrees. Then there is a gap of 120 degrees, a single element and then another gap of 150 degrees. The ratio of 90:120:150 is 3:4:5, a right-angled triangle. This is the foundation for Pythagoras' theorem.

If one moves from the eclipse around the ecliptic path and includes the tail of Scorpio on picks up an extra element. This produces 3, 1, 4. It has been identified that the "outer circle" requires two rotations. The next element to be passed is the single one representing the number 1. One picks up another element at Scorpio creating five elements and stops at this point. This is the number 5.

The completed sequence is 3, 1, 4, 1, 5 which are the first five digits of the number Pi, 3.1415926...

All distances are factors of 15 degrees, 1/24th of a circle. This connects with the twenty four elders around the throne in Chapter 4. Note how Saturn and Jupiter have not been included because they are not in satisfactory positions.

According to the text, Apollyon/Abaddon, the sun, is king of the locusts. Connecting the sun in eclipse to the elements on the outer circle reveals the solution to the second part of the puzzle. The missing elements are determined by the lines which intersect certain constellations and are visible on the above diagram. They are also included later in this article.

The full list of astronomical elements

Those marked with an asterisk are those determined from the second stage of the puzzle.

• Sun - itself
  
• Smoke - the sun in eclipse
  
• Abyss - the sky below the horizon
  

• People loop: Ophiuchus
  
• Scorpion loop: Scorpius
  

• Horses: Pegasus
  
• Battle*: Mars
• Heads*: Serpens Caput, the head of the serpent
  
• Crowns: Andromeda
  
• Gold: the sun
  
• Faces*: Hercules' face
  
• Human faces: IC4665 in Ophiuchus
  
• Hair: Coma Berenice
  
• Women's hair: Venus in Virgo
  
• Teeth*: Leo's mouth
  
• Lion's teeth: Beehive cluster
  
• Breastplates: Perseus
  
• Breastplates*: Perseus' waist, at the intersection of the line drawn from the Beehive Cluster to Mars
• Iron: Mars
  
• Wings: Aquilla, the eagle
  
• Horses*: Pegasus again where the line from the tail of Scorpius to Mars intersects the Pegasus constellation
• Chariots: Auriga
  
• Battle*: Hercules' club
  
• Tails: Serpens Cauda, the tail of the serpent (NGC6633)
  
  

• Appolyon/Abaddon: the sun, perished (ie in eclipse) in Libra

The final seven elements

The final seven elements to be determined in the puzzle are another representation of the digits 3, 1 and 4. 3 is Mars to Perseus to Beehive Cluster
4 is Mars to Andromeda to Hercules to Serpents
1 is Mars to Pegasus

The elements are in white.

What is intriguing is that these elements are all creating right- angles. John is providing a demonstration of his knowledge of spherical geometry and is perhaps indicating to the reader how he has been able to calculate the positions of the planets in the constellations.

With this in mind one prepares to approach the narrative again, armed with the knowledge that John is versed in working with the number Pi, triangles and there is a next step to take which is that of spherical geometry.

The next layer

It is necessary to review the words that were omitted during the initial investigation. Examples are:

• Power/Thundering: Jupiter (Zeus) was the king of the gods and ruler of the skys
• Torment/Torture: Saturn (Cronos) was imprisoned and tormented/tortured
• Sound: Lyra?
• Earth: the ecliptic

The first elements can be marked on the chart thus:

Scorpions-God's seal on their foreheads-Power
Scorpius-Head of Ophiuchus-Jupiter

Torture-Them-Sting
Saturn-Ophiuchus-Scorpius

Scorpion-People-Death
Scorpius-Ophiuchus-Ophiuchus

This is the completed chart

This chart also has marked on it the line from the "Winepress" (Crater) to the "Horses' Bridles" (Pegasus) as described later in the book. The distance is 1600 stadia. From this it is possible to extrapolate the distances between the planets during this observation.

Conclusion

The Revelation of John Chapter 9 demonstrates the skills of an astronomer and mathematician in encoded form. There are three layers:

1. Astronomy: John would probably have calculated the position of the stars and planets to recall events in 79AD.
2. Mathematics 1: John has prepared his text so that at he can signal to his reader that mathematical constants such as Pi (Twice 3.14 and once 3.1415) and the 3:4:5 triangle play are part
3. Mathematics 2: John demonstrates he has been measuring distances between constellations and planets and is embarking on spherical geometry to acquire more information about the heavens.

It is interesting how John has structured his analysis.

1. The foundation is astronomy and layered on this are two mathematical layers. This is in the ratio of 1:1:X
2. His first layer of mathematics uses two circles and two stages to the problem. His demonstration of Pi is in the ratio 1:1:X. In both cases, if this were a triangle with the shorter sides measuring 1, the hypotenuse would measure the square root of 2, a significant number when working with circles.

It would appear that John has built into his narrative, patterns to guide the reader, informing them that they are on the correct path.

References and notes

Category:Apocalypticism Category:1844 books Category:Christian eschatology