THE PHRASE “the planets are aligned” carries a connotation of auspicious timing, a moment when things seem to fall into place, creating an opportunity for change.
With this in mind, it is noteworthy that as Donald Trump began what is expected to be a transformational term as President, six planets lined up to form what is called a “planetary parade.”
A planetary parade occurs when a number of planets, despite their varying orbit speeds and distances, are positioned along the Sun... moreBy T W Tramm
THE PHRASE “the planets are aligned” carries a connotation of auspicious timing, a moment when things seem to fall into place, creating an opportunity for change.
With this in mind, it is noteworthy that as Donald Trump began what is expected to be a transformational term as President, six planets lined up to form what is called a “planetary parade.”
A planetary parade occurs when a number of planets, despite their varying orbit speeds and distances, are positioned along the Sun’s ecliptic, so they appear in a line across the sky. While such alignments are not unusual, it is relatively rare to see a lineup of six, which is why the current one involving Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune is creating a buzz in the astronomical community.
According to skywatchers, the best time to view the parade is around the end of January, in the hours just after sunset. Look southwest to spot brilliant Venus and Saturn, and then overhead and eastward to locate the others.
The climax, however, takes place on February 28 when a seventh planet, Mercury, joins the parade to form a lineup of every planet visible from Earth. A parade of all seven planets is quite rare, occurring on average only every few decades.
Adding to the air of auspiciousness, this year’s parade is visible in early evening, when people are still out and about, and during the winter months, when celestial objects look brighter due to the lack of atmospheric haze. It is as if the heavens are extending a special invitation to look up.
BIBLICAL IMPLICATIONS
Since God created the celestial bodies for “signs” to mark important times (Gen. 1:14), it is interesting to consider the particulars around this year’s planetary alignment:
• The alignment began on January 21, the date that Donald Trump began his transformational last term as President. Prophetically, the “last trump” announces the “transformation” of believers at the Rapture (1 Cor. 15:52; 1 Thess. 4:16).
• The parade of six planets becoming seven denotes completion, as in the end of the Church Age (Epistle of Barnabas 15:3–5).
• The planet whose appearance marks the climax of the parade, Mercury:
- Completes the parade as it enters the constellation Pisces, the fish who symbolize the Church.
- Is associated with Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 14:12 KJV).
- Is the planet nearest the Sun, evoking the nearness of the Lord (Ps. 84:11; 19:5).
- Orbits the Sun in 88 days. Since 8 is the number of new beginnings, Mercury’s speedy orbit conveys a sense of rapid change.
- Completes the parade as the 12th biblical month, Adar, begins. Adar is historically the final month of enslavement in Egypt, before the deliverance at Nisan. It is also the month of Purim, the festival that celebrates the Jews’ deliverance from annihilation in ancient Persia (Esther).
• Finally, two weeks after Mercury completes the planetary parade, on the abovementioned festival of Purim (Adar/March 14), another heavenly sign occurs: a blood moon eclipse above the US, the nation home to roughly half the world’s Jews. What’s more, the Purim blood moon occurs two weeks shy of the anniversary of the American solar eclipse at last year’s Nisan. The darkened sun and blood moon above the US in the span of a single biblical year—a pattern not to be repeated this century—echo Scripture’s most notable end-times sign: “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and dreadful day of the Lord comes” (Joel 2:31).
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
God created the celestial bodies for signs to mark important times.
This year’s planetary alignment, coinciding with the transformational Trump presidency and the American eclipses, suggests that we are entering into a period of swift and monumental change.
While the signs portend great trouble for those who do not know Jesus, they are a beacon of hope for those who do:
“When these {signs] begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:25, 28).
2. The first great opportunity for viewing the planetary alignment was January 21, when the moon reached its Last Quarter phase and rose around midnight.
3. On the day that Mercury joins the parade in Pisces, the Moon joins the Sun, symbolizing the Church and Bridegroom, respectively, in Aquarius, the water bearer who symbolizes the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
4. In Roman mythology, Mercury was the fleet-footed messenger responsible for delivering messages between gods and humans. The Romans called Paul Mercury because he was the chief speaker (Acts 14:12 KJV).
