October 2017 - Signs of the Rapture

Few people will probably read this, so my fear of ridicule is small. As I’ve mentioned, I’ve been fascinated with the controversy and arguments surrounding the Revelation 12 Sign of 09/23/2017. Publicly, my personal position on the whole thing is and has been ‘Maybe’ and ‘What if?’ Because I honestly don’t know.

I’m intrigued by how compelling the narrative has become, the mathematical curiosities associated with it and the very long list of what are either associated coincidences, or possibly not coincidences. To my knowledge, historically speaking, nothing quite like this has very happened before, and I’m not just talking about the astronomical alignment, but how this topic has evolved and created such division. It’s difficult for me to understand how anybody can easily dismiss the observation that a literal reading of the Bible verses in Revelation 12:1-5 describes the astronomical alignment which occurred on 09/23.

Either:

a) it is legitimate to be watching for a literal fulfillment of what is described in Rev. 12:1-5 or

b) it is purely symbolic.

If ‘a’, then the ‘Great Sign’ will involve the Sun, the Moon and the Stars. Our only common knowledge of anything representing a ‘woman’ in the sky would be a constellations of stars.

Of the 88 constellations covering the entire sky in the northern and southern hemispheres, I believe only 3 are of women; Andromeda, Cassiopeia and Virgo.
Of these three constellations, only Virgo appears in the ecliptic, which is the path that the sun travels across the sky from sunrise to sunset.
Virgo is the only constellation in which both the Sun and the Moon are ever in proximity to.
So by the process of elimination, the sign would involve the constellation Virgo (symbolic of the Virgin) the Sun, the Moon and 12 stars.

If ‘b’, then any attempt to apply a literal fulfillment to the ‘Great Sign’ would be a waste of time. But I don’t think there are any examples of ‘signs’ which were not manifested in the physical world. By definition, a ‘sign’ would suggest that there is evidence of something specific.

Revelation is a tricky book to decipher. What is symbolic and what is not? and Who is to say?

According to many in Israel, this is the Year of Jubliee. Yesterday was Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Seven days ago was the astronomical alignment being termed ‘The Revelation 12 Sign’ which involved the Sun, the Moon, the planets Mercury, Mars, Venus and the constellations Virgo and Leo. Ten days ago is when Yom Teruah, the Feast of Trumpets began. Other than two major volcanic eruptions in Bali, and a handful of ISIS related terrorist attacks on innocent civilians, what have become almost everyday, commonplace occurences, no global events on a Biblical scale have happened yet, like the Rapture.

Rabbi Samuel Ben Judah, who died in 1517, used Torah to base his opinion that 2017 would be a Year of Jubilee. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proclaimed from the United Nations last week that this was currently Israel’s Jubilee in that it has been 50 years since the liberation of Jerusalem and 100 years since the Balfour Declaration.

This Sunday morning, someone posted a YouTube video clip from a few years ago, of American soldiers during a worship service singing ‘Days of Elijah’ written by Robin Mark in 1994. I’m not yet sure why I’m also seeing “Francis Robert Mark” as being credited with the lyrics. Anyhow, I’ve always liked this song, and especially hearing so many of our men and women in uniform passionately signing it, but today you might say that the lyrics struck a chord for me…the scriptures which Robin Mark chose to create the lyrics of this song closely parallel the Blessed Hope of those who are currently watching for the Rapture, anticipating hearing the Trumpet Call at any minute.

These are the days of Elijah
Declaring the word of the Lord, yeah
And these are the days of Your servant, Moses
Righteousness being restored

These are the days of great trials
Of famine and darkness and sword
Still we are the voice in the desert crying
Prepare ye the way of the Lord!

Say, behold He comes, riding on the clouds
Shining like the sun, at the trumpet’s call
Lift your voice, it’s the year of Jubilee
Out of Zion’s hill, salvation comes

And these are the days of Ezekiel
The dry bones becoming as flesh
And these are the days of Your servant, David
Rebuilding the temple of praise

And these are the days of the harvest
The fields are all white in the world
And we are the laborers that are in Your vineyard
Declaring the Word of the Lord

Behold He comes, riding on the clouds
Shining like the sun at the trumpet’s call
Lift your voice, it’s the year of Jubilee
Out of Zion’s hill, salvation comes
(x2)

There’s no God like Jehovah!
There’s no God like Jehovah!
There’s no God like Jehovah!
There’s no God like Jehovah!
(x6)

Behold He comes, riding on the clouds
Shining like the sun, at the trumpet’s call
Lift your voice, it’s the year of Jubilee
Out of Zion’s hill, salvation comes
(x2)

Some who have been heavily invested in the belief that ‘The Revelation Sign’ of 09/23/2017 is heralding the return of Jesus/Yeshua for His Church are still committed to the idea that THIS is the time, even though nothing has happened…yet. Their latest proposed ideas of how this might turn out are:

Some are looking at the Barley Harvest, which if not mature enough by a certain date pushes the Feast of Trumpets out 30 days as an extra month is mandated to be added to the calendar that year. It has been reported that this year the Barley harvest hadn’t been this immature this 2005.
Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday, and Sunday is recognized as the sabbath by the Church.
Some believe that the Jubilee doesn’t end until Sunday, Oct. 1st due to celestial relationship of the sun and moon on Elul 1.
Some attach significance to 400 days from a conjunction of Venus and Jupiter on Aug. 27, 2016 ends on Oct. 1st at sundown. I checked this, the conjunction was right next to Virgo’s head at sundown as seen from Jerusalem and would have been visible for 1 hour before sunset.
Some have suggested that if God gave Noah 7 days warning before the Flood began, then it began on the 8th day and 8 days from Sept. 23rd would be October 1st.

One skeptical pastor who I’ve had a lengthy conversation with on this topic has suggested that the Revelation 12 Sign needs to have a ‘shelf life’…if nothing happens within a reasonable period of time, then it wasn’t what people thought it was.

From here, all we can do is wait, Watch, and see.

Maranatha!

A few more thoughts about the Revelation 12 Sign of September 23, 2017

Pondering the Lyrics of The Days of Elijah Song by Robin Mark

Archives for October 2017