Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!uflorida!gatech!mcnc!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: billg@bony1.bony.com (Bill Gripp) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: ENDTIMES STUDY Message-ID: Date: 2 Jun 91 05:41:54 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: The Bank of New York Lines: 32 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article BINDNER@auvm.auvm.edu writes: >The mention of the twelve is in keeping with revelation as a mysitical >book. Twelve apostles are used as the new model of the twelve sons >of Isreal (the twelve tribes). These correspond to the twelve stones >which are found on the walls of the new Jerusalem. These twelve stones ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I don't have a Bible here at work, but aren't these 12 stones 12 layers of the foundation of the New Jerusalem (not the walls)??? >are the twelve birthstones of the zodiac. This is an obvious allusion >to astrology. From this allusion (a as in aardvark, not i as in illusion) >we can conclude one (or both) of two things: 1. God is the author of >astrology and approves of its use (the middle aged church believed this) and >2. the author of Revelation was knowledgeable in the area of astrology. >If you don't believe me look it up in Rev and crossreference with a jeweler >or an astrologer or book on astrology. ..or 3) Astrology adopted these stones after Revelation was written (as a link to "justify" and/or legitimize astrology). 4) God has a sense of humor (see this parallel thread) and used these stones even though there is no relationship between astrology and Judaism or Christianity. BTW: If you check different sources for birthstones, you are likely to find that not all months have the same stone in the different sources. Some month have as many as 2 or 3 different stones depending upon which sources you check.