A newly discovered green comet is poised to wow us in the coming week: Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura). It’s already readily visible and the best views are just days away.
The ball of rock and ice, whose exact size remains unknown, is named after the Japanese amateur astronomer Hideo Nishimura who first spotted it on 11 August.
Comet Nishimura is now visible in the predawn skies for Northern Hemisphere observers. It’s rising later each morning as it tracks quickly through the stars of Leo the Lion. On September 7, it will rise around 4:20 A.M. local daylight time. By Sunday morning (the 10th), it will rise around 5 A.M. local daylight time. This is because the comet is rapidly approaching the Sun, so it appears to be moving quickly through our sky.
Step outside an hour before sunrise tomorrow morning and you’ll see the front half of Leo rising above the eastern horizon. But Nishimura is moving fast. It will continue tracking east, “falling” toward the Sun in the predawn sky. The comet will slide just under Denebola, the star marking Leo’s tail, and cross into Virgo on the 15th. After this date it won’t be as easily visible with the naked eye.
The activity surrounding this comet is fascinating as it was never spotted before and was never found to be moving until recently when it was discovered. It will be so bright that it will possibly outshine Polaris (the North Star).
What makes this a remarkable find for Bible Prophecy is that the comet will be passing through the constellation of Virgo “the maiden” (in Latin it means a virgin woman), beginning on the Feast of Trumpets on Friday, September 15 and will exit the woman’s body after Wednesday, September 20. It will be completely out of the Virgo constellation by the end of the Ten Days of Awe on September 25 (Yom Kippur), as seen in both of these images:
The Virgo constellation will have the sun near her head and the moon at her feet, just as outlined in the vision of Revelation 12:
Revelation 12:1 “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars”
This will occur on September 18, shown here:
Here is a time lapse of the moon from Sept 15-Sept 19:
The meaning behind the name of the astronomer who found the comet translates to “an exalted man child’ (first name Hideo), and ‘to the west’ (last name Nishimura). The full name comes out to “an exalted man child goes to the west” and this fits the description of what is outlined in Revelation 12 since the man child is referring to Jesus who came from a virgin:
Revelation 12:5 “ And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.”
The woman also symbolically refers to Israel as Jesus came from the lineage of the descendants of Abraham and the 12 tribes of Israel as it describes she has a crown of 12 stars on her head, each star representing each tribe.
But before the comet reaches Virgo, what happens before then is also interesting. Right now, the comet is traveling through the constellation of Leo which is right above Virgo. The comet is currently next to “The Sickle” constellation which makes up the head of the lion, as shown here:
What’s worth mentioning is at the bottom of the sickle constellation in Leo is one of the brightest stars in the night sky, Regulus. It’s name in Latin means ‘little king’ or ‘prince’ but in the Greek it translates to Basiliscus or Basilisk which means ‘serpent’ or ‘dragon’. This refers to Greek mythology of a serpent with venom that is very toxic and whose look would have such a petrifying gaze it would kill any onlooker that made eye contact with the serpent.
Here is an ancient depiction of this creature:
The word Basilisk in the Hebrew also translates to the dragon or serpent, here is a list of several references in the bible: https://www.openbible.info/topics/basilisk
Revelation 12 mentions the dragon and the serpent (the devil) several times, here are a few verses:
Verse 3 “And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.”
Verses 7-9 “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
Verse 17 “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
The sickle that is seen in Leo belongs to the serpent, not God. This is not referencing a time of harvest for the believers, or the rapture. The dragon’s name is set as a signature at the bottom part of the sickle.
Could this sign in the heaven also lead to the opening of the 4th seal which is the pale horse rider in Revelation 6:8? The pale horse is actually not a pale gray color, but it is green. In that scripture where it mentions the pale horse, the word for ‘pale’ in Greek is ‘chloros’ which refers to a pale yellowish green color. As we now know, Nishimura is a green comet.
So who is the rider mentioned on the pale horse? The name given to him is ‘Death’, it is the only rider that is given a name and we should pay close attention to who this character is. Many images depict this rider as a grim reaper figure holding a sickle, meant to collect the souls of those that belong to him. His name ‘Death’ (as shown in the Greek Lexicon) is actually the Greek word for ‘Thanatos’, this name is given to an ancient figure belonging to several cultures and mythology as one who brings death.
The verse says that Hades follows after him, that means he’s collecting souls to put in hell. This particular seal brings death on earth on a major scale (a fourth of the population) and it states it happens through the sword, famine, pestilence and the wild beasts of the earth. (Revelation 6:8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with pestilence, and with the beasts of the earth.)
This all ties into what Revelation 12 really shows us about an appointed time that is about to take place, an unimaginable time of trials, sorrow, death, and persecution, which is often referred to as The Great Tribulation.
In these verses below, it mentions the 3.5 years or the last 42 months where unprecedented suffering takes place. The woman, or Israel, is kept safe in the wilderness but the church is sought after by the dragon.
Revelation 12:6 “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.”
Revelation 12:14 “And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.”
Revelation 12:17 “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
You can read the chapter in its entirety here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+12&version=KJV
These signs are what makes this comet in the heavenlies very significant, we have a dragon, a sickle, a virgin, a man child, the sun and moon at the right place and it is all taking place during these very important biblical holidays: the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah), the Ten Days of Awe and Yom Kippur. And we know that God uses signs in the heavens to mark very important events on his biblical calendar. As mentioned in the Gospels, he used a star to show the 3 wise men that the Messiah had arrived in Bethlehem.
During Rosh Hashanah, or the Feast of Trumpets, it actually marks the beginning of the Hebrew Year 5784 on September 15 (right when the comet enters Virgo). The previous year which we are currently in is 5783. The number 4 is the Hebrew letter for ‘Dalet’ which translates to door. Here is an important video on the meaning behind ‘Dalet’ and the number 4:
As mentioned in the video, we can see how this relates to the new Hebrew Year we are now entering. We have a door that is about to be opened to a very important time in human history and those that are in Christ will be kept secure (peace of mind and heart) no matter what they face so long as they put their trust in him just as the Israelites put the blood of the lamb on the doorpost when they were in Egypt. We also have the same promise so long as we keep Jesus at the doorpost of our hearts. Not only that but the number 4 reminds us of what God created on Day 4 as mentioned in the book of Genesis, he created the sun, the moon and the stars and he told us what their purpose was, to tell us of appointed times through signs in the sky!
