EACH YEAR in early summer, the Moon meets up with the Sun in the constellation Gemeni, to form a momentous biblical sign.
To understand the meaning of the sign, let’s consider the individual elements.
GEMENI
According to Joseph Seiss in his 1882 book “The Gospel in the Stars,” the Twins of Gemeni depict the heavenly wedding of Jesus and the Church “after the Lord himself has come forth with the voice of a trumpet, and called up the dead and living saints to meet Him in the air” ... moreBy T W Tramm
EACH YEAR in early summer, the Moon meets up with the Sun in the constellation Gemeni, to form a momentous biblical sign.
To understand the meaning of the sign, let’s consider the individual elements.
GEMENI
According to Joseph Seiss in his 1882 book “The Gospel in the Stars,” the Twins of Gemeni depict the heavenly wedding of Jesus and the Church “after the Lord himself has come forth with the voice of a trumpet, and called up the dead and living saints to meet Him in the air” (p. 111).
The Decans associated with Gemeni—Lepus, the Hare, and Sirius, the Dog—represent the Enemy who is slated for judgment after the rapture–wedding. Seiss writes: “The lifting of the Church into its destined union with Christ in glory is a stunning blow to the whole empire of darkness, and the sure herald of its utter dissolution then speedily to follow” (p. 116).
THE SUN
In Scripture, the Sun is symbolic of God the Father, and also Jesus as the Bridegroom:
“The LORD God is our sun” (Ps. 84:11).
“The sun … is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber …. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other” (Ps. 19, 5, 6).
THE MOON
Since the Sun is symbolic of Jesus the Bridegroom, the Moon, its heavenly counterpart, is symbolic of the Bride, or Church.
A FOURTH ELEMENT
Significantly, the Sun and Moon’s meeting in Gemeni this year will be attended by a third celestial body, the Planet Venus. This is significant because Venus, the “Morning Star,” symbolizes Jesus as the coming Bridegroom:
“Look, I am coming soon! …. ‘I, Jesus … am the bright Morning Star.’ The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’” (Rev. 22:12, 16, 17).
THE COMPLETED PICTURE
With all of the heavenly players in view—Gemini, the Sun, Moon and Venus—here is how the “wedding sign” will appear on July 6, 2024:
Notice how the positions of the elements emphasize the wedding theme:
• The Sun is in the center, signifying the paternal presence of God the Father, and the Son through whom the union is made.
• The Moon is in the bride’s belly, the part of the body viewed as the seat of one’s deepest emotions.
• Venus is at the right hand of the bridegroom, which is fitting as Jesus is associated with the “right hand” of God (Heb. 19:12; Isa. 41:10; Ps.18:35; 89:13; 118:16).
Another fascinating thing about the wedding sign is that—like every year—it occurs during the new moon that marks the conclusion of Sivan. Because Sivan is the month of weddings and betrothals (Ex. 19; Acts 2), its last day conveys the idea of delayed nuptials, as in the parable about the waiting virgins: “The bridegroom was a long time in coming” (Matt. 25:5).
Finally, it is interesting to consider how the wedding sign correlates to a sign nine months earlier.
BIRTH SIGN
During last year’s Feast of Trumpets—the festival associated with “birth” signs (Rev. 12)—an asteroid named “4580 Child” exited the belly area of Virgo, signifying a birth.
What is remarkable is that when we count the maximum number of weeks in a normal pregnancy term—42—from the birth sign at the Feast of Trumpets, we arrive at July 6, the day of the wedding sign.
It is striking that the wedding sign is also the calculated day of birth because a “birth,” like a wedding, is a metaphor for the Rapture:
“Your dead will live, Lord; their bodies will rise …. the earth will give *birth* to her dead. Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by (Isa. 26:19–20).
SUMMARY AND FINAL THOUGHTS
On July 6, the Sun, Moon and Venus will meet up in Gemeni, to paint a picture of the post-Rapture wedding of the Church.
While the Sun and Moon convene in Gemeni every summer, the wedding sign of 2024 is unique because:
• Venus, a symbol of Jesus as the coming Bridegroom, is in attendance.
• The Sun, Moon and Venus (Father, Bride and Son) correspond positionally to the respective figures in Gemeni.
• The sign occurs exactly 42 weeks—a maximum pregnancy term—after the birth sign at last year’s Feast of Trumpets.
What is not unique about this year’s wedding sign is that it occurs, like every year, on a non-festival day, and on the last day of Sivan, the biblical month of weddings. A regular day, at the end of the month of weddings, evokes the theme of the bridegroom showing up late, and on an unexpected day:
“The bridegroom was a long time in coming” (Matt. 25:5).
“You do not know on what day your Lord will come” (Matt. 24:42).
“The Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (v.44).
“About times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:1, 2).
Scripture says the heavens speak to us (Ps. 19:1–4). On July 6, the nighttime sky will proclaim the culminating event of the Church Age, the wedding–rapture of the Bride.
While no one knows the day, much indicates that it is near.
. . .
NOTES:
1. The Gospel in the Stars by Joseph Seiss was originally published in a Sabbatical year, 1882–83, exactly 20 Sabbatical weeks prior to Sabbatical year 2022–23.
2. Seiss correlates the judgment aspect of Gemeni to Isaiah 63, where the Lord is seen treading the winepress because the year of redemption (Jubilee) has come: “I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations no one was with me. I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in my wrath; their blood spattered my garments, and I stained all my clothing. It was for me the day of vengeance; the year for me to redeem had come” (Isa. 63:3, 4).
3. The Moon is emblematic of the Church in that it has no light of its own but relies entirely upon the Sun for its light. Similarly, man has no light of his own but relies entirely upon God.
4. Immediately after the wedding sign on July 6, the newlywed (new-moon) Bride moves into the constellation Cancer, the “Sheepfold” that depicts the Church’s eternal resting place of many mansions (John 14:2, 3).
6. Another interesting birth correlation is that July 6 marks 90 days since the prophetic solar eclipse on April 8. Abraham’s wife Sarah was *90* years old when she gave birth to Isaac, the father of Israel (Gen. 17:17). Also, Psalm *90* teaches us to “number our days” (v. 12).
7. While no one knows when the “birth” of the Church will occur, we can be confident that when the appointed time arrives, God will give delivery: “Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?” says the LORD. “Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?” says your God” (Isa. 66:9).
