Source: Michael S. Heiser, Reversing Hermon: Enoch, The Watchers & The Forgotten Mission of Jesus Christ (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2017), 55–70.
This podcast argues that understanding the New Testament requires looking at the context familiar to first-century Jews, particularly their beliefs about astral theology and the sin of the Watchers. The author proposes that celestial events described in Revelation 12, such as the woman clothed with the sun and the position of stars like Virgo, Leo, and the conjunction of Jupiter and Regulus, point to Jesus' birth occurring on September 11, 3 B.C.. This date, traditionally the Jewish New Year and Noah's birthday, would have signaled to ancient Jews that Jesus was the promised Messiah who would reverse the consequences of the Watchers' transgression and the subsequent Flood. The text suggests that Psalm 19:4 supports the idea that the heavens communicated this divine plan.
The Link Between Jesus' Birth and the Sin of the Watchers: The sources propose a surprising connection between the birth of Jesus and the sin of the Watchers described in Genesis 6:1–4 and the book of 1 Enoch. This connection, although potentially unfamiliar to modern audiences, is presented as relevant to the theological and intellectual framework of first-century Jews. The argument suggests that literate Jews of that era would have understood the Messiah's arrival as an event intended to reverse the negative consequences of the Watchers' actions. While the Gospel birth narratives themselves do not explicitly make this link transparent, the sources indicate that this connection can be found in other New Testament passages, requiring a perspective grounded in the historical context that produced these texts, rather than later Christian traditions. The idea is that understanding the worldview and beliefs prevalent among Jews in the first century is crucial for discerning how the birth of Jesus would have been interpreted in relation to these earlier narratives about divine beings interacting with humanity and the resulting corruption and giants (Nephilim).
Universal Knowledge of the Messiah's Coming Through the Heavens (Astral Theology): The sources explore how, according to Paul in Romans 10, people everywhere could have heard about Jesus, even if they had not had a preacher. Paul's surprising answer draws on Psalm 19:4, which states that the "voice" and "words" of the heavens have gone out to all the earth and its ends. Psalm 19 describes the heavens and the sky declaring the glory of God and pouring out speech and revealing knowledge through the cycle of day and night. This idea fits within the concept of astral theology, where the creator uses celestial objects like the sun, moon, and stars (which were designated for "signs and seasons" in Genesis 1:14) as a means of communication. While pagan cultures had their own forms of astral worship, faithful Jews of the first century held a biblical perspective, believing that the true God could use celestial signs to communicate divine activity relevant to earthly events. Paul's use of Psalm 19 suggests that the heavens themselves transmitted information about the coming of the Messiah.
Revelation 12 as Astral Prophecy Regarding the Messiah's Birth: The sources propose that the celestial messaging Paul referred to in Romans 10 is detailed in Revelation 12:1–7. This passage is presented as containing astronomical signs associated with the birth of the Messiah, which, if interpreted astronomically, could provide a real-time date for Jesus' birth laden with symbolism meaningful to first-century Jews. The vision in Revelation 12 describes a "great sign" in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars. She is pregnant and gives birth to a male child who is destined to rule the nations. Another sign is a great red dragon that seeks to devour the child. John is specifically stated as looking at signs in the heavens. The interpretation suggests the woman represents the faithful community of Israel, from whom the Messiah comes, and specifically links her description to a constellation.
Astronomical Interpretation of Revelation 12 and Related Celestial Signs: The sources offer a detailed astronomical interpretation of the signs in Revelation 12. The woman is identified with the constellation Virgo, given that being "clothed with the sun" is astronomical language for the sun being within a constellation. The description of the sun clothing the woman (mid-bodied) and the moon being at her feet points to a specific alignment on the ecliptic. This combination narrows down the time window significantly. The child born to the woman is explicitly identified as the Messiah, alluded to through language from Psalm 2 and a reference to resurrection/ascension, signifying his victory over the dragon (identified with Old Testament chaos monsters like Leviathan, potentially linked to constellations like Hydra or ancient Scorpio). Beyond Revelation 12, other celestial signs present at the time are considered, such as the constellation Leo (symbolizing the tribe of Judah and kingship) and the star Regulus (the "King Star") within Leo. The conjunction of Jupiter (the "King Planet") with Regulus is highlighted as a significant royal sign and a likely candidate for the "star" tracked by the Magi. This combination of signs leads to the astronomical calculation of Jesus' birth date.
Pinpointing the Date of Jesus' Birth to September 11, 3 B.C. and its Jewish Significance: Based on the astronomical interpretation of Revelation 12 combined with other celestial events like the Jupiter-Regulus conjunctions and Jupiter's retrograde motion (which could explain the star's movement to the Magi), the sources conclude that the astronomical signs point to a specific date and even a narrow time window on that date for the Messiah's birth. This date is identified as September 11, 3 B.C. What makes this date dramatically significant is its correlation with the Jewish calendar. September 11, 3 B.C., was Tishri 1, the beginning of the Jewish New Year (Rosh Ha-Shanah) and the Day of Trumpets. This day held multiple layers of meaning in Jewish tradition, including being viewed as the anniversary and renewal of creation, a day of divine judgment, a proclamation of God's kingship, and, notably, the traditional day for the inauguration of kings in ancient Judah. Thus, a Messiah born on this specific date, accompanied by these celestial signs, would have carried profound theological weight for first-century Jews.
Connections to Noah's Flood, the Nephilim, and the Renewal of Creation: The significance of Tishri 1 is further amplified by its traditional association with Noah. Jewish tradition held that Tishri 1 was Noah's birthday. The sources examine the chronology of Noah's Flood narrative in Genesis 7-8, noting that Noah and his family emerged from the ark in the second month of the year, just over a year after the Flood began. This second month is linked astronomically to the heliacal rising of the Pleiades and Orion (known as kesil in Hebrew and naphilaʾ in Aramaic). Naphilaʾ is the Aramaic root from which the term Nephilim derives. Orion, in ancient Mesopotamian thought, was associated with kingship ("true shepherd of Anu"). Therefore, a Messiah born on Tishri 1 (Noah's traditional birthday) whose birth was followed by the rising of the Pleiades-Orion in the second month (when Noah emerged from the ark after the judgment on the wicked, including the Nephilim) would have been seen as Yahweh's true shepherd-king. This timing would have strongly associated Jesus with Noah and presented him as a "better Noah," whose coming marked the beginning of the permanent reversal of the effects of the Watchers' sin and the judgment associated with the Nephilim, which the Flood only temporarily addressed. The birth on Tishri 1, the traditional start of creation, also linked Jesus to a renewal of creation, further connecting his arrival to the pre-Flood world that required divine intervention.