March 5, 2017 - A. V. Rauf
Revelation 12 And The Year 2017
I want to start this post by stating right up front that I am not a date setter when it comes to events. However, I invite you to examine this on your own and prayerfully come to your own conclusions as the Spirit of God speaks to you……
Revelation 12: 1-7-—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: 2And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. 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. 4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. 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. 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. 7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
On September 23rd, 2017, an unprecedented astronomical (note: I said astronomical , NOT astrological) alignment will appear in the sky over Israel that seemingly fulfills a literal word-for-word fulfillment of Revelation 12:1-5. The passage describes a heavenly sign where a pregnant woman appears covered in the sun, with the moon at her feet, and crowned with 12 stars. The woman gives birth to a male child who is “caught up” to God. A literal reading of the text tells us seven things that must all be true for a proper and complete fulfillment of the prophecy:
1. It is a heavenly sign, not an earthly occurrence.
2. The sign includes a woman.
3. The woman is pregnant and giving birth to a male child.
4. The male child is royalty.
5. The woman is clothed with the sun.
6. The moon is under the woman’s feet.
7. The woman is crowned with 12 stars.
Looking at the above passages reveals the following:
- The woman here is the constellation Virgo, the Virgin, who every Biblical scholar says represents Israel. In fact, Israel in Biblical days was well aware of these constellations and their meanings. The Dragon ofcourse, alludes to none other then Satan, our adversary.
- For years theologians believed this child was Jesus and this Scripture referred to His birth and how satan attempted to kill Jesus through Herod. However, recently theologians have been looking deeper at the greek meanings behind the words.
- The Greek word for male child as mentioned in verse 5 is different from the other word for child used in the passages.
Child = Greek word : Teknon (Strong’s 5043)
Meaning: daughter, son, figuratively used as children of God
This word in the Greek means a child, offspring, a child as respects to descent and age. Therefore, the child whom the woman is about to give birth to is not Jesus as most early scholars believed. but it is the collective children of God, i.e.. believers in Jesus, who were “birthed” from the chosen people, Israel.
When it comes to the word for “man child,” it is a different Greek word:
Child = Greek Word: huios (Strong’s 5207)
Meaning: son, kingship, Son of Man, Son of God, Son of David, my beloved Son. This word stressed the quality and essence of one so resembling another that distinctions between the two are indistinct. It is also used of male offspring, legitimate as opposed to illegitimate, a son who acts a certain way, who manifests a certain character whether evil of good
Remember that Jesus is the Son of God. The Church has been adopted and/or grafted in and share the same characteristics by virtue of salvation and the New Birth through the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross!
Keep in mind that however, that when the Apostle John , penned these passages in the Book of revelation as inspired by the Holy Spirit never uses “huios” of the believer; he reserves that title for the Lord. Thus, there are TWO separate meanings to the “child” words in the above Scripture in Revelation 12. One set of them refer to the church, wheras the other refers to Jesus. When one studies the Book of Revelation you have to understand the Book is arranged in somewhat of a chronological fashion but also with parenthetical interludes as well.
The woman in Revelation 12 is ready to give birth. But there are two different children referenced. One is a male child who is to rule all the nations with a rod of Iron. The Greek word used to describe Him (“hulios“)is also used whenever Jesus is called Son of Man, Son of God, etc. So, it has to be none other than Jesus Christ Himself.) The other child (“teknon“)that the woman gives birth to, based on the references and meanings where the same word is used, has got to be the church, children of God, believers in Jesus.
If this is all correct than when the woman gives birth to the second child (The Body of Christ???), the dragon tries to destroy it, but the child is quickly caught up to heaven.
This is he same word Paul used when referencing the rapture of the church. Remember that after His Resurrection, Jesus Christ was not caught up or snatched away to heaven. He rather ascended up to Heaven after His resurrection.
Could this possibly mean then that the Rapture of the Church may take place when the Sign described in Revelation 12 occurs in the heavens?????
Now if all this sounds new to you then I invite you to continue reading and take note of the following passages as well:
1 Thessalonians 5: 1-5—But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4 BUT YE BRETHREN ARE NOT IN DARKNESS, THAT THAT DAY SHOULD OVERTAKE YOU AS THIEF, 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. 8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
It amazes me that so many believers in the Body of Christ completely ignore the last part of Thessalonians 5:1-9 and think and say, “Christ will come like a thief in the night! No one knows when,” Scripture clearly contrasts that view point.
God set the stars, moon, and sun in the sky for seasons and for signs for us. What is a sign? It is something that points us to something else or points us in the right direction, or gives us important information. Let’s look at a few scriptures that allude to that…
Genesis 1:14–Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years
Psalms 19:1-4—The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. 2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. 4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.
Originally, God set up the constellations to reflect the Gospel. The constellations were then perverted by satan who used people to create the astrological signs we know today and are warned to stay away from. I believe this may have been an attempt by Satan to prevent us from seeing the heavenly signs God wanted us to see.
Let me give you another example:
If you recall, according to the Bible in the Old Testament, it was the Magi followed a SIGN in the heavens to determine His loction. They were gentile men who came out of the Parthian (Persian) Empire and made this journey of 1,900 miles or so through mountainous terrain and deserts.
This was done after their reading and holding to the prophet Daniel’s detailed prophecy (given by the angel Gabriel in Daniel 9:24-26:
Daniel 9:24-26—24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
This prophecy was concerning the coming of the Messiah and the Magi knew it. So for over 600 years, and after waiting generation after generation for a very specific sign in the skies, and all the while knowing the precise number of days until the Messiah’s birth because of the details given in the prophecy, the Magi began their journey towards Jerusalem when they saw the sign in the sky. They knew how to count Hebrew years, and exactly how many days each year had. They know precisely when to look for the star.
Let’s continue……
Leviticus 23:1-4— And the Lord spake unto Moses , saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. 3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings. 4 These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
Another meaning for “holy convocations” is ‘divine appointments.” or “appointed times” remember, God is never late.
We must also understand this very important truth: Jesus Christ did not come at any time at His first advent. He came at the appointed time according to the Word of God anfd in alignment with the Feasts of Israel. He died, was buried and resurrected all on the Feasts of Passover, Feasts of Unleaven Bread and the Feasts of First Fruits. Furthermore, He sent the Holy Spirit at an appointed time, and that was the Feast of Pentecost. Is this a coincidence???
There are only 7 feasts, and they are literally God’s “appointed times.” The Hebrew word is “moadim.”
The 7 feast all occur year after year within a 7-month period. The first four occur in the spring, and the final three occur within a 15 day period in the fall each year. Each set time for each feast occurs at the time set by God (thus they are “appointed times”). As mentioned above, the first four feasts (Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits and Weeks/Pentecost) were fulfilled by Christ during His ministry.
The final 3 feasts (Trumpets, Day of Atonement and Tabernacles) will be fulfilled in the events of Christ’s second coming and this clearly reveals shows that they do not deviate from the Lord’s already established “appointed times.”
70 weeks was appointed unto Israel. 69 weeks have passed and only the 70th week or exactly 7 years reamins, hence the 7 year tribulation period which commences after the Rapture of the Church.
That being said, then the Rapture of the Church and His second coming will be at an appointed time. Whether or not these upcoming events will occur on the Feasts of Trumpets , the Feasts of Tabernacles remais to be seen. God has his own timetable and will not in any way deviate from it.
This sign is so rare that if Biblical chronologies are accurate and the earth is roughly six thousand years old then the sign has actually NEVER occurred before. And in fact it won’t happen again supposing a future 1,000 year reign of Christ on earth, which is yet to happen and is preceded by the rapture, the seven Year Trubulation period and the Second Coming of Christ.
Thus the sign of Revelation 12 along with every thing else that is transpiring in the world should definitely get your attention.
On a final note,
September 23, 2017 also falls on Rosh Hashana, an important Jewish feast day also called the Feast of Trumpets. (Sept 23-24 of this year!)
The feast started at the first sighting of the new moon. Once the new moon was sighted, trumpets were blown to let everyone know the feast had begun. Therefore, in regards to the feast, people would say “No one knew the day or the hour”. The feast is also called Yom Teruah which means the awakening blast, wakening those who have died. It is known by the Jews as the resurrection of the righteous dead.
During the feast 99 trumpet blasts were blown. The 100th and final trumpet blast was known as “The Last Trump”
1 Corinthians 15:51-52—Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
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