V RaptureChrist Newsletter
March 1, 2005

Venus is called the morning star because when visible, it appears about 3 hours before sunrise.  After sunrise, the light of the sun is so strong that its brightness hides all the shining stars in the heavens.  During another part of the year Venus can be observed low on the horizon, setting about 3 hours after the sun.  That is the reason that planet Venus is called the morning and evening star. The word planet comes from the Greek word planao planao, which means wanderer. Planets were originally called wandering stars because they do not have a fixed position in the night sky.

Mercury can also be called a morning star, but due to the fact that Mercury is so small and so close to the sun, it is difficult to see. In contrast, Venus, the third brightest object in the sky after the sun and moon,  is the planet usually referred to as the morning star.  Venus is so bright, than on moonless nights it can cast a shadow.

In the above diagram, we can locate the Sun, the Earth, Venus, and Mercury.  Planet Earth is shown at the bottom, Venus is the next planet close to the Sun, and Mercury is the closest.  All of the planets have different orbits around the Sun, but in our illustration Venus is orbiting around the sun in a  counterclockwise direction. When Venus is located at any place on its orbital path between positions 1 and 2, on the left side of the picture, it is an evening star.  When it is between positions 3 and 4, on the right side of the picture, it is a morning star.

Between 1 and 3, or between 2 and 4, Venus "disappears," as it is too close to the sun to be visible.  The period of "disappearance" on the near side of the sun between 1 and 3 is about 8 days, but the period on the far side between 2 and 4 is longer, about 50 days.  The complete Venusian cycle around the Sun is about 584 days.

In many ways Christ is like Venus, the morning star, because Venus derives all its power from the sun and it heralds the coming of the sun. Christ says:

John 5:13
I can of myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous; because I don't seek my own will, but the will of my Father who sent me.

Jesus derives his power from the father and heralds the coming of the father - a time when man and God will live together.

Mark 1:14-15
Now after John was put under arrest, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has drawn near! Repent, and believe in the gospel."

The sun is bigger than Venus. God the father, in a similar manner, is greater than Jesus.

John 14:28
Keep in mind how I said to you, I go away and come to you again. If you had love for me you would be glad, because I am going to the Father: for the Father is greater than I.

Christ obeys the commands of his father.  Similarly, Venus follows the sun.  It does not go wherever it wants to go, rather it orbits around the sun, pulled by the attraction of its larger mass.  Interestingly enough, Venus does have a small effect on the sun.  This reminds me of the part in the Bible where it says "anything you ask my father in my name it will be answered."

John 16:23-24
... Truly I say to you, Whatever request you make to the Father, he will give it to you in my name. Up to now you have made no request in my name: do so, and it will be answered, so that your hearts may be full of joy.

Jesus compared Himself to Venus when he stated:

Revelation 22:16
I Jesus have sent My angel for him to solemnly declare these things to you among the Churches.  I am the Root and the offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.

We have noticed that morning stars have a period in which they "disappear."  They are not visible as morning stars.  This period lasts for a few days.  Then they become visible again.

Jesus life, death, and resurrection is similar to a morning star.  A morning star is visible just before dawn for a period of time, then when it reaches the path between the earth and the sun, "disappears" for a few days, then it becomes visible again as an evening star.  In a similar manner, Jesus our Messiah disappeared from existence for 3 days and 3 nights while he was in the tomb and came back to life as a spirit being.