Religous Symbolism in the Sky on August 22nd?

By now I think everyone has heard of or read Princeton professor Bernard Lewis's piece in the Wall Street Journal OP ED section. It has sparked a debate regarding the date August 22nd that has hit the mainstream, with all kinds of speculation regarding Iran.

Source
What is the significance of Aug. 22? This year, Aug. 22 corresponds, in the Islamic calendar, to the 27th day of the month of Rajab of the year 1427. This, by tradition, is the night when many Muslims commemorate the night flight of the prophet Muhammad on the winged horse Buraq, first to "the farthest mosque," usually identified with Jerusalem, and then to heaven and back (c.f., Koran XVII.1). This might well be deemed an appropriate date for the apocalyptic ending of Israel and if necessary of the world. It is far from certain that Mr. Ahmadinejad plans any such cataclysmic events precisely for Aug. 22. But it would be wise to bear the possibility in mind.

Well, that is one interesting perspective, but in my opinion, I think Mr. Lewis only provided enough information that would inspire the MSM, there are some 'other' things he left out that may or may not matter.

For example, Astrologers expect a low crescent Moon over the Middle East on the night of August 22nd. Interestingly enough, there will be a star visible behind the crescent, a bright star, in fact, it will be the same star as represented through the crescent and star that represents Islam.

Did you know that Mercury, Saturn, Venus, and the crescent Moon are grouped together low in the East on August 22nd? Did you know that behind this formation will be the Beehive cluster? The expectation is, if you are in the Middle East and you look at this crescent moon, Venus will be visible in a position that similarly represents the crescent and the 5 pointed star. If you use special equipment, you will see 5 points around the Venus star. Hmm...

This picture shows how the stars will be aligned.
www.astroplanet.org...

This is very interesting to me, because the star in the Islamic symbol of the crescent and the star, and the star has 5 points. This star in the Islamic symbol has been said to symbolize Venus. Venus often appears prominently close to the Moon at the first sighting of the new crescent (also known as the hilal) after New Moon, usually shortly after sunset, and this marks the start of the first day of a new month in the lunar Islamic calendar.

Charles Krauthammer took his shot at the prediction market back in March and discussed Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's religious philosophy by saying the man is attempting to bring about the end of the world, and expects to this by fulfilling Islamic prophecy of the 12th Imam. Is Krauthammer a nut job? I don't know, maybe, am I?

Krauthammer bases his beliefs on a series of speeches Ahmadinejad gave back in 2005.

According to Shi'ite Muslim teaching, Abul-Qassem Mohammad, the 12th leader whom Shi'ites consider descended from the ProphetMohammed, disappeared in 941 but will return at the end of time to lead an era of Islamic justice.

"Our revolution's main mission is to pave the way for the reappearance of the 12th Imam, the Mahdi," Ahmadinejad said in the speech to Friday Prayers leaders from across the country." Therefore, Iran should become a powerful, developed and model Islamic society."
[...]
Ahmadinejad refers to the return of the 12th Imam, also known as the Mahdi, in almost all his major speeches since he took office in August.

Krauthammer also bases his opinion on the speech Ahmadinejad gave at the "The World Without Zionism" conference. That is the transcript of his speech for those who want to know what he is actually saying, as opposed to Krauthammer's version.

Either way, Ahmadinejad is clearly a religious nut. But is stars in the sky enough of a religious sign to convince non-believers? Well...

Lets not forget, the experts have already said that Iran will be able to build the bomb by August 2006. While some people consider Juan Cole the expect in Iranian nuclear technology, I tend to go with the US Military Assessment. After all, what Juan Cole perhaps forgot was, the US built a nuclear bomb using 1940s technology in 5 years by itself from scratch, while Iran has been using modern technology, assistance from Russia and A. Q. Khan, and has been developing its nuclear program for at least 7 years according to the IAEA.

Am I sold August 22nd is the start of some Islamic Armaggedon? Nope. But I do find it interesting that on the eve of August 22nd, a significant religious holiday occurs with ties to the 12th Imam, and on the evening of August 22nd there will be a low crescent moon with Venus positioned in a way that will light the sky with the symbol of Islam.

While not probable, it is certainly possible Ahmadinejad has every intention to capitalize on as much symbolism as possible, and try to lead as many Islamic believers as he can around the world down a path of war with the West. Given the politics of today, the conflicts in the Middle East, and the central position Iran plays in both the prophecies, the day in quesiton, and current conflicts in the world, it certainly is something worth watching carefully, just in case the prophecy is self fulfilled by the politicians who can't get enough war.

What frustrates me most about this is how only an observant minority -- at least obstensibly -- is sounding the alarm bell at his rhetoric. In particular the Aug. 22 date.

This to me is indicative of the under estimation of Ahmadinejad intrinsic in our government. I really fear that this man is a master international political chess player, and is working hard behind the scenes for some great masterstroke against the U.S. and Israel. Our intelligence seemingly is so convinced that he won't have the bomb for a few more years -- but we've seen the disasterous failures of U.S. intel in the past (9/11 anyone?).

I think calling him mad also dangerously dismisses him. No leader who makes it to a level of power in a society is truly just nuts. He has conviction, genius, and that makes him completely dangerous. Plus he is decietful, which makes the future of this nation, nay, modern world, precarious at best.

This man knows there is a power vacuum in this world now. America's dominance is on the decline, and there is no polarizing power in place. He sees who is emerging -- China, Russia. But really, with Iran's vast oil wealth, his country holds the trump card.

I believe he has been working furiously behind the scenes to align himself with both Russia and China to counter the west in a stalemate for his stated goal of disposing us as a world power and destroying Israel to bring about the 12th Imam and even a Middle Eastern Islamic Empire.

And yet we dance around him as though he is a gnat in our ear.

God help us all.

If you remember the night of September 11th, 2001, later on that night we saw a glimps of the moon in its waning crescent phase. I remember when I looked it it, I saw a very bright star between the horns of the crescent. It looked like the Muslim symbol, and was pretty unerving to see.

So who knows.

You know, I typically toss aside these kind of predictions or what ever you want to call them However, this one does intrest me for many reasons. It will be interesting to see what happens. Hopefully this will once again be one of those things that never comes to pass.

for the thread, very well put and informative. Luckly the 22 is only 11 days away, so I wont forget about it before it gets here.

I for one wouldnt put it past the Iranian pres. to try something.

Originally posted by darksided
For example, Astrologers expect a low crescent Moon over the Middle East on the night of August 22nd.

Only the ME? Odd... I thought the entire world got to see the Moon.

Did you know that Mercury, Saturn, Venus, and the crescent Moon are grouped together low in the East on August 22nd? Did you know that behind this formation will be the Beehive cluster?

Oddly enough, as the day goes on, they'll be almost straight up above an observer in the ME (or anywhere on the planet) and then later than that they'll appear just above the western horizon! Oh noes!

If you're on level ground, you should be able to see these objects rise from 5:30 AM to about 6:00 AM. It'll be the early morning light though, with Sunrise at approx 6:30. The complex begins to set at about 6:30 PM with Venus and ends around 6:57 PM. Sunset is at approx 7:22 PM.

Also, only about 1% of the visible disk of the Moon will be illuminated, making it very hard to see. Also, I set my location for 27 N 46 E, which is as near to the center of the ME as I could guess, so the times for your locales may be slightly skewed. If you want me to, just put your location (down to a city, I don't need specific coordinates or addresses for your homes) and I'll let you know what the corresponding times are.

The expectation is, if you are in the Middle East and you look at this crescent moon, Venus will be visible in a position that similarly represents the crescent and the 5 pointed star. If you use special equipment, you will see 5 points around the Venus star. Hmm...

Okay, couple problems... "Venus star?" Since when did Venus become a star? Secondly, what special equipment? A telescope with really fouled up optics?

This is very interesting to me, because the star in the Islamic symbol of the crescent and the star, and the star has 5 points.

But that has the star in front of the Moon. On the 22nd, Venus will be behind the Moon.

This star in the Islamic symbol has been said to symbolize Venus. Venus often appears prominently close to the Moon at the first sighting of the new crescent (also known as the hilal) after New Moon, usually shortly after sunset, and this marks the start of the first day of a new month in the lunar Islamic calendar.

Well, that just happens because during New Moon phase the Moon is between the Sun and Earth (though not always in a favorable position to cause an eclipse). Also, Venus orbits the Sun between the Earth and Moon. It never appears farther away from the Sun than than about 48 degrees away. So the chances of the two being in the same area around the same time really isn't that outstanding.

...and on the evening of August 22nd there will be a low crescent moon with Venus positioned in a way that will light the sky with the symbol of Islam.

No, it's backwards...

August 22 is my birthday. That is really why all of this is happening. Sorry guys but this is all for me.

This is frustrating trying to explain this to people. Does Iran have a nuclear weapon? I don't know. Does anybody really know for sure outside of Iran? No, I don't believe so. I'm not saying they do, I'm not saying they don't. This is what I am saying though. Everybody wants to look at the big picture. They want to look at the worst possible thing which would be Iran with a nuke. And, the problem is with you people, whether you believe Iran has a nuke or not, that's what you form your opnion about August 22nd off of. This is what i'm trying to say..

IT DOESN'T MATTER IF THEY HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!!!

This 12th Imam, according to the Islamic religion, must be brought back in "lights over Jerusalem" and through "chaos and destruction" on August 22nd of this year. Do lights mean nuclear weapons? Does chaos and destruction necessarily mean nuclear weapons? No it doesn't. Regular attacks and bombs can create chaos and destruction and lights and flashes. Clearly, a nuclear weapon would be more destructive, but what muslims believe, and particularly Iran's President, they believe if they bring back this prophet through "CHAOS AND DESTRUCTION" he will destroy the "evil" around the world, in this case, U.S. Israel etc..

They believe if they get the chaos and destruction started, maybe simply by just plain old bombs hitting Jerusalem, that will be enough to bring back this prophet and he'll do the rest..CLEARLY this prophet wont show up..we all know that. But we've seen how crazy these people are about their religion. They truly believe this. If you want to understand your enemy and know their intentions, you have to know the beliefs. You have to know how far their willing to go. You have to think like them. There's no satellites, spies, or fancy technology that can detect that. You have to be smart. If we continue to dismiss this threat it's going to be the worst failure this world has ever seen because, consequently, this could end up being World War 3.

Originally posted by dstarsfan879905
This 12th Imam, according to the Islamic religion, must be brought back in "lights over Jerusalem" and through "chaos and destruction" on August 22nd of this year.

...but what muslims believe, and particularly Iran's President, they believe if they bring back this prophet through "CHAOS AND DESTRUCTION" he will destroy the "evil" around the world, in this case, U.S. Israel etc..

Could you please provide a source for this? An Islamic scripture, religious text, comic book...

Well, there are things that may appear in the sky on August 22nd.....However, I am assuming that any kind of "vision" of Muhammed of Christ in the sky would be brought about by the "Blue Beam" project. for those who are not familiar with "Blue Beam" I may need to explain.


Basically Project "Blue Beam" is a psyops project that the world's governments have invested in to project images in the sky. I would certainly be skeptical of any alleged sightings of holy figures in the sky, whether they be massive sightings or singular.

It is well known by some of us that the U.S Government has been planning a mock "return of Christ" for quite some time using "Blue Beam" technology. We all must be aware that there is a great deception coming and all of this may be a part of it.

Originally posted by mythatsabigprobe

Originally posted by dstarsfan879905
This 12th Imam, according to the Islamic religion, must be brought back in "lights over Jerusalem" and through "chaos and destruction" on August 22nd of this year.

...but what muslims believe, and particularly Iran's President, they believe if they bring back this prophet through "CHAOS AND DESTRUCTION" he will destroy the "evil" around the world, in this case, U.S. Israel etc..

Could you please provide a source for this? An Islamic scripture, religious text, comic book...

I'm sorry. I forgot where exactly I saw it. You probably think i'm making that up but i'm not in the least bit religious so I assure you i'm not making that up. I read it somewhere I just don't remember where. I will post the link if I find it again.

Originally posted by dstarsfan879905
This is frustrating trying to explain this to people.

...i think you've done a good job bringing levity to this thread.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

imho. Bernard Lewis' intent, is to bring to the fore, that these Persians
are intent on bringing about their sacred scriptures prophetic word.
And the State Dept & Intel might oughtta place more emphasis on that
'line of thought' rather than focusing exclusively on pragmatic
'war college' tactics...by us or our potential enemy.

++++++++++++

and your 'lights over Jerusalem' & 'chaos...' so as to pave 'the conditions for the hidden Iman to return'...
yes Ahmadinejad did say that stuff, but i've also lost specific articles & quotes,

someone might try www.ahmadinnejad.ir...
his blog site

[edit on 14-8-2006 by St Udio]

The only fear that people needs to have is on our own government here in the US.

Iran has nothing to gain from using a nuclear bomb on any nation, they probably will target an enemy closes to them that we in this side of the world.

Now my fear is the US waging another pre-empty war against Iran in the name of stopping their nuclear ambitions.

That is going to be devastating to our nation overall.

i wish people would stop with give bs dates

how about this:
go watch a movie that night

laugh the next morning at how concerned you were about that day

Originally posted by St Udio
imho. Bernard Lewis' intent, is to bring to the fore, that these Persians
are intent on bringing about their sacred scriptures prophetic word.
And the State Dept & Intel might oughtta place more emphasis on that
'line of thought' rather than focusing exclusively on pragmatic
'war college' tactics...by us or our potential enemy.

Well put St Udio...the strength of apocalyptic/eschatological beliefs in influencing behavior have, until relatively recently, received short shrift in the strategic planning of many. Take the Branch Davidians for example...setting aside for the moment the issues surrounding the confrontation between Law Enforcement and the Davidians...simply on a tactical level, a familiarity with Davidian eschatology would have made Law Enforcement aware that their approach would only validate and strengthen the Davidian's self-perception as a persecuted minority, whose eschatology was apparently occurring before their very eyes.

Any SDA, Shepherd's Rod, or Davidian who was following events could have seen the end result coming.

And others took what happened at the Davidian compound at Waco, and placed it into their own "eschatology", the results of which we saw in Oklahoma City:

Murrah Federal Building Memorial:




The results (so far) of the Israeli/Hizbollah War may only serve to bolster the Iranian leadership in their self-perception vis-a-vis the non-Muslim world.