Signs of the Rapture

What to Look For

The Woman in Travail

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, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws nearThe Woman in Travail, which is a painful or laborious effort.

The astronomical events referred to as the Revelation 12 Sign of Sept. 23, 2017 were a depiction of a woman, a conception, a full-term pregnancy, and the birth of a male child.

Allow me to highlight these points:

  • WOMAN
  • CONCEPTION
  • PREGNANCY
  • BIRTH

There are two ways of interpreting both the scripture in Revelation 12 and the associated story ascribed to the astronomical events of Sept. 23, 2017 commonly being referred to as ‘The Revelation 12 Sign’.

The first is obvious;  the woman is the Virgin Mary who gave birth to the Messiah, Jesus/Yeshua.

However, an event that happened a little more than 2,000 years ago hardly qualifies as being prophetic, as prophecy deals with the future.  John the Revelator was given a vision of things to come, not things which already happened.

The second interpretation requires a little more insight.  The woman represents Israel and the male child is the Church.  The most common and immediate objection to this interpretation is that the Church is always referred to in the ‘female’ form as ‘the Bride of Christ’.  However, the Church is also referred to in the ‘male’ form in the following verse about the Rapture..

For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.

But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.

You are all sons of light and sons of the day.

– Thess. 5:3-5

Is the Church not the ‘body of Christ’ where He is the Head and the Church is the body?

Is Christ not the ‘first fruits’ of the dead who are raised to life?

Does the head not precede the body during natural birth?

Was Christ not ‘born again’ when He rose from the dead having put off the perishable for the imperishable? Trading His fleshly body for His eternal body?  He did not see decay…he was transformed.

A woman’s labor is like a short time of pain that will lead to joy that continues forevermore.  A 7-year period of time is quickly approaching when Israel will be persecuted like never before.

This period of time is known as the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, or the Tribulation and will be a time of great pain and sorrow.

However, before this period begins, those who know that Jesus/Yeshua is the Messiah, both the dead and the living, will rise to meet Messiah in the clouds to be with Him forever. This is the Blessed Hope.

By no means is the mention of dates a suggestion that the Rapture or ‘catching away’ of Jesus/Yeshua’s Church will happen on any of those days.

PASSOVER                                                         2018               Sunday, April 1st

ASCENSION                                                       2018               Thursday, May 10th

PENTECOST                                                      2018               Sunday, May 20th

IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL                                     2018               Saturday, May 12th

ISRAEL’S 70th ANNIVERSARY                      2018               Monday, May 14th

US EMBASSY MOVING TO JERUSALEM  2018               Monday, May 14th

However, to those who are ‘awake’ and who are paying attention, it certainly does seem likely that something significant will happen soon that is tied to the events on these dates.  The convergence of Signs has only intensified these last six months as global events seem to be following Biblical prophecies of the End Times as if a script were being acted out.  For instance, the countries which are foretold to invade Israel in Ezekiel 38 never before have formed a coalition, yet this has happened and already been reaffirmed in the last couple of months. Russia, Turkey, and Iran are now formally united against Israel.  Never before has Damascus, Syria been on the verge of being totally destroyed, to the point of being uninhabitable.  Today, most of the city is destroyed, but not yet completely destroyed. The stockpiles of chemical weapons in and around the city could very easily be the cause of the city’s upcoming desolation.  It’s not hard to imagine how either the chemical weapons themselves, or nuclear retaliation for their use against innocent civilians in neighboring Israel could be the cause of the city’s pending destruction.

All the while, whether they are aware of how they are fulfilling prophecy or not, the leaders of the world are calling for ‘Peace and Safety’ or ‘Peace and Security’.

Whether one puts any stock into the validity of the astronomical event of Sept. 23, 2017, or not, global events which were prophesied about 2,000 or more years ago are accelerating right now like never before.

That being said, give thought to this… In Isaiah 66, the woman (Israel) is said to give birth to her ‘children’ BEFORE she was in labor, before her pain came.  This event is emphasized as being highly unusual by the asking of the question, “Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things?”  So the question must be asked, “What if it is true that the Church is the male child?” The male child who is born BEFORE the upcoming painful, sorrowful time for Israel.

What if the use of the Greek word ‘harpazo’ in Revelation 12:5 is acutely intentional and does in fact mean ‘rapture of the church’ in this context?  This interpretation can’t be ruled out.  It is possible.  And if it is possible then our time may be very short.

Be faithful witnesses and look up, for our redemption, our Blessed Hope, draws near!

Personally, I am more inclined to believe that the Rapture would coincide with the Feast of Trumpets in the Fall.  This  ‘moed’ or ‘appointed time’ is historically known as ‘the hidden day’ or ‘the day which no man knows the hour’ as it was dependent on the sighting of the new Moon.  But God is Sovereign and will come when He will come, which could be at any time…especially in light of world events.

Share the Gospel. Share the Good News that despite our sin and having broken God’s Law, God himself paid the price for us, having humbled Himself to leave His throne in heaven to be born as a sinless human, being God in the flesh with a mission to pay the penalty for sin which required death, but in death our place.  And having died on the cross, He rose from the dead three days later having conquered death…so that those who believe and who confess their sin and their need for Jesus/Yeshua’s gift might inherit His free gift of everlasting life in His presence.

Pray out loud or silently, “Jesus/Yeshua forgive me, for I have sinned against you by breaking your law.  Please come into my life, save me.  I believe you died for my sake because you love me. I believe you rose from the dead and that you’re coming back soon.

Amen.

Global Reports of Mysterious Blasts

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Recent articles describe “mysterious blasts” that are rattling places across the Earth, from Alabama to Michigan, Idaho to California, Russia to Denmark.

Here’s what I’ve discovered:

Similar reports in the last week were reported in Russia, Denmark, Florida, Louisiana and Texas.

On Nov. 18 Michigan reports boom/rattle from the towns of Wyandotte, Ecorse, Lincoln Park, etc.

On Nov. 14 Idaho reports boom/rattle

On Nov. 13 1:39 pm CST, Alabama reports boom/rattle

On Nov. 8, there were reports in Tennessee.

On Nov. 4, in Bend, Oregon.

On Nov. 3, in Minnesota.

On Nov. 2, in San Diego.

On Oct. 25, New Jersey reports boom/rattle
On Oct. 25, Sydney Australia reports boom/rattle

Large meteors frequently produce sonic booms which can be heard before they are slowed to below the speed of sound by Earth’s atmosphere.

A meteor 100 kilometers high would boom about five minutes after it appears. Such an object is called a “sonic” meteor.

Sonic booms from meteors are not a rare event, occurring a dozen times a year over the U.S.

The fact that sonic booms were heard indicates that this meteor penetrated very low in [the] atmosphere, which implies a speed less than 15 km/s (33,500 mph),” Cooke told SPACE.com in an email….”Assuming this value for speed, I get a mass for the meteor of around 70 metric tons. Hazarding a further guess at the density of 3 grams per cubic centimeter (solid rock), I calculate a size of about 3-4 meters, or about the size of a minivan (though much, much more massive).”

Seismographs scattered throughout the (Los Angeles) basin routinely record the shock waves from sonic booms, but they are easily distinguished from earthquakes.

The Orionids meteor shower is Active from September 23rd to November 27th, 2017

Orion is one of only three constellations mentioned by name in the Bible, in 3 separate verses and it is the only constellation mentioned three times.:

He made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades,
And the chambers of the south;
He does great things past finding out,
Yes, wonders without number.
– Job 9:9

“Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades,
Or loose the belt of Orion?
Can you bring out Mazzaroth in its season?
Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs?
– Job 38:30-32

He made the Pleiades and Orion; He turns the shadow of death into morning And makes the day dark as night; He calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the face of the earth; The Lord is His name.
– Amos 5:8

Then there at least 8 Bible verses which speak of ‘falling stars’:

Mark 13:25
Isaiah 14:12
Luke 10:18
Matthew 24:29
Acts 19:35
Revelation 8:10
Revelation 9:1
Revelation 6:13

And a couple of Bible verses which speak of ‘angels cast from heaven’:

And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.
– Luke 10:18

So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
– Revelation 12:9

Some may wonder if there is a connection between the reports of sonic booms being heard all across the planet these last 30 days or so, meteors, the Orionids, and the angels cast from heaven after the Revelation 12 ‘Great Sign’ which when read literally, matches the astronomical alignment that occurred on September 23, 2017 involving the constellation Virgo, the Moon, the Sun and twelve stars.  It’s interesting that the Orionids meteor shower began on September 23, 2017 according to the American Meteor Society.

Sources:

http://www.wnd.com/2017/11/boom-mystery-blasts-rattling-the-globe/

http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/ask/257-Can-a-meteor-make-a-sonic-boom-

https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-blogs/astronomy/loud-noise-last-week-was-a-sonic-boom-from-a-meteor-1/49685

https://www.space.com/15385-daytime-fireball-california-nevada.html

Meteor Shower Calendar

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=revelation+12&version=NKJV

The Venus and Jupiter Conjunction of November 12-13, 2017

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Venus Jupiter conjunction of November 12-13, 2017As the story goes, about 2020 years ago on Sept. 11, 3 B.C.,  wise men in the East noticed an unusually bright star in the western sky.  We now know with a very high degree of certainty that the celestial object they saw was a conjunction of the planets Venus and Jupiter, which separately are the two brightest objects that can be seen in the evening sky.  When the orbits of the two planets came together, one on top of the other like a figure eight, they would have formed the brightest celestial object ever seen by man.  A conjunction involving Venus and Jupiter is not rare, it happens every year…often times during the day.  What is rare is being able to see it.  For the first time since the birth of Christ, a conjunction between Venus and Jupiter will be visible on November 12-13, 2017 on the Eastern horizon just before the sun rises. As the earth turns and the sun begins to rise, the incredibly bright ‘star’ will begin to fade into the daylight.Why do I mention this?  I mention it because unlike some, I believe that Biblical astronomy is worthy of study, as it relates to signs of Jesus coming and signs which involve the ‘Sun, Moon and Stars’ as mentioned in the Gospel of Luke 21:25.

The upcoming conjunction of Venus and Jupiter is the last astronomical event this year involving a string of highly unusual events which began 3 1/2 years ago.

  • First, there were a series of four blood moons which fell exactly on the Jewish Feast Days of Passover and Feast of Tabernacles (Succot) for two consecutive years.
  • Then there was the Great Eclipse of 2017 which cut a swath of darkness across America from the northwest to the southeast.
  • Then there was the retrograde event of Jupiter for 9 months, 2 weeks and 6 days within the womb of the constellation Virgo, exiting on September 9-10.
  • Then there was the Revelation 12 Sign, an alignment of the Sun, Moon, and Stars which matched a literal reading of verses from Revelation 12:1-5.
  • Then there was the predawn conjunction of Venus and Mars, to which I can attest, appeared to be a much brighter star than usual.
  • And next is the predawn conjunction of Venus and Jupiter.

There are two very interesting, polar opposite theories about the Venus/Jupiter conjunction:

1) In Revelation 22:16  Jesus Himself allegorically states, “I am the bright morning star”  which is another name for the planet Venus.  Why would He say that? It is theorized that the Venus/Jupiter conjunction is symbolic of Jesus as the Head of the Church, coming together with Jupiter as the Body of Christ, for the first time in 2,000 years.  We have already read about the symbolism of Jupiter as the Body of Christ, or the male child in Revelation 12 who is raptured to the throne of God. Jupiter symbolically representing the actual body of Christ as well, as portrayed in Isaiah 53, with stripes and with a bloody red spot where He was pierced on the side. When they are seen for the first time in 2,000 years coming together, Venus will set on top of Jupiter, symbolizing the head on top of the body.

2) Another theory is that Venus represents Satan who is also characterized in the Bible as the ‘morning star’ in Isaiah 14:12: “How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!” (NIV). The KJV and NKJV both translate “morning star” as “Lucifer, son of the morning.” The theory states that the church (Jupiter) after having been born from Israel (Virgo) is chased by Satan (Venus) before being ‘caught up’ to the throne of God (raptured).

Two other similar words used in the Bible used to describe Jesus and Satan are ‘lion’ and ‘ruler’: Jesus as King is the Lion of Judah, while Satan is the lion who seeks to devour and destroy.Jesus is King of the Universe (Melech ha’Olam), while Satan is referred to as the Prince of the power of the air, Prince of Darkness (Eph.6:12),  or the ruler of THIS world (2 Corinthians 4:4) but with limited authority.

Between the two theories, I’d be more inclined towards the first one, since Jesus is also described as the Groom who goes to retrieve His bride, the Church, to take her away to the Father’s house.

Just as the Bethlehem Star did not signify a specific date to the wise men, but an event, it might just be that the series of unusual astronomical events these last few years should be viewed the same way, as portents of an upcoming event, not of a specific day.  What if?

Eph 5:23 – Christ IS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH: AND HE IS THE SAVIOUR OF THE BODY.

Col 1:18 – And he is THE HEAD OF THE BODY, THE CHURCH: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Rev 22:16 – I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and THE BRIGHT AND MORNING STAR.

Rev 2:18-29 – But hold fast what you have till I come. And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations – ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’ as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him the morning star.
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”‘

So it would seem that Rev. 2 does refer to the male child described in Revelation 12, who is given the same rod of iron and who is also given the ‘morning star’. Could this be a portrayal of the Church (male child/Jupiter) coming together with Jesus (Venus/morning star), or it could be said Jesus is going to give Jupiter the morning star (Venus).

A few mathematical date related oddities which relate to November 12/13 are:

  • 777 days from the last Blood Moon on Sept. 28, 2015
  • 444 days from a Jupiter/Venus conjunction on Aug. 27, 2016,
    • which itself was 333 days after the last blood moon of September 28, 2015.
  • 50 days after the Revelation 12 Sign of September 23, 2017.

So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many,
will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those
who are eagerly waiting for him.

– Hebrews 9:28

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

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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?

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

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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!