Thursday, September 14, 2017

Signs in the Heavens - American Solar Eclipse: Part 1



The 2017 American Solar Eclipse is a solar eclipse which traverses the country from sea to sea and touches no other country. This phenomena has drawn the attention of the world to the things in the heavens. Over the last week, God has pointed out another supposed signs in the heavens as well. Let us take a close look at both this sign and the one that is supposed to come on September 23rd and what they may or may not mean.

Know the Times

Before we talk about what these things mean, let’s clear up some misapplied facts about knowing the time of things. Most people will quote two verse about the Lord’s return:
For you yourselves know perfectly well that the day of the [return of the] Lord will come [as unexpectedly and suddenly] as a thief in the night. (1 Thessalonians 5:2 AMPC)
Many use this verse to dismiss talk about the return of Jesus and the Tribulation. If you look only at this one verse, the Bible is plainly saying that it will come unexpectedly. Context is everything. We need to keep reading this passage to discover that this is speaking about those who are not walking with God. It is seen two verses later:
But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. (1 Thessalonians 5:4 ESV)
I encourage you to read the entire chapter in Thessalonians to get an accurate picture of what is being said. The unbelieving, or those who have fallen asleep will be surprised by the coming of the Lord, but the faithful will be ready. The second verse people quote about the hidden timing of His return is this:

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only…” (Matthew 24:32 ESV)
Taken out of the context of the surrounding passage, this verse seems to say that it is futile for man to try and figure out when Jesus is returning, so talk about the Tribulation is useless. This verse starts out with “but” which means there is something that has come before to which this verse if referring. We need to look at the entirety of that topic. I do encourage you to look at the entire passage and I will summarize the meaning here.

Jesus begins this discussion with a list of vague things that have happened. He states that these are warning signs of what is coming. He then gives a list of things that will happen next (He was speaking to His Jewish brothers):
  • Jewish people will suffer greatly and be put to death
  • Jewish people will be hated by all nations for my Name's sake 
  • many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another 
  • false prophets will arise and lead many astray 
  • lawlessness will be increased and the love of many will grow cold 
All of these things have taken place, too. Jesus finishes up the list with one final thing:
…this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14)
Have we accomplished this yet? Are there tribes in the Amazon jungle, the remote parts of Africa or Australia who haven't heard the news yet? Whether or not this one has taken place is unknown. That is okay because Jesus continued explaining and gave a very specific things we should watch for:
“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains….For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. (Matthew 24: 15 & 21 ESV)
This is perhaps the biggest key to this entire speech. Jesus gives a specific thing that heralds the beginning of the “great tribulation.” The “abomination” refers to something that is completely rebelling and in direct opposition of God. “Of desolation” is letting us know that this person brings destruction. This is the Antichrist. “Standing in the holy place” is standing in the temple that will be rebuilt in Jerusalem. Since the temple has not been rebuilt, this has not been fulfilled yet.

God has let me know that in the future I will be writing a book to explain many things about the Great Tribulation, but for now, just know that Jesus gave an unmistakable sign of the Great Tribulation which is yet to be seen. For our purposes let us continue looking at what He was talking about.
And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. (Matthew 24:22)
The elect refers to God’s people, the nation of Israel. There is an allotted time for the Tribulation. Then Jesus will return. This will happen earlier than the maximum time. The next twelve verses describe the second coming of Jesus where He will appear in the Heavens for every eye to see. He then gives us instructions:
So also, when you see all these things, you know that He is near, at the very gates… (Matthew 24:33)
Our Lord is commanding us to know when the time is upon us. This is what comes directly before the “but no man will know…” It is the actual “day and hour” when He is coming back early to establish His earthly reign for the sake of those who are enduring the Great Tribulation. It makes sense that God doesn’t want Satan to know exactly how long he is here on Earth, lest he kill every man, woman and child on the planet.

This is consistent with the other teachings of Jesus. When the Pharisees were asking for a sign He took them to task saying:
You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. (Matthew 16:3 ESV)
The Pharisees should have known it was time for Jesus to appear. Then they would have heeded the message of the Witness of the Coming of Jesus, John the Baptist.

The Signs in the Heavens

First Sign


The American Eclipse was the first sign in the Heavens that has drawn the attention of the world in a very long time. There are three things people are saying about this none of which are completely accurate.

One

Misconception: An eclipse occurred over Europe just before a financial collapse so this means America will be judged for their sins and a collapse is imminent.

The Truth: European countries have a different relationship with God than America. This country is the only country founded so that the Gospel can be preached. It was also founded by Christians on Godly principles.

The proof can be seen with what happened the last time there was an American Solar Eclipse in 1918. Ninety-nine years ago, when an eclipse traversed this country World War One ended with victory on our side.

Conclusion: This eclipse doesn’t signify doom, it signifies an event of great importance.

Two

Misconception: Nineveh experienced an eclipse before God sent His wrath and destroyed them. The eclipse means America will be destroyed because of our sin.

The Truth: There is some minor truth in this. There was an eclipse and there was a prophet; Jonah. Nineveh righted their path for a while after Jonah’s warning, but when they returned to their wicked ways, then God destroyed them.

Conclusion: If America is in danger of destruction, like Nineveh, we should look for the appearance of a prophet, like Jonah, to appear with signs and wonders instructing us to turn from sins he or she will name. Every time God’s people were in sin throughout the Bible, God always sent a prophet to give correction and a chance to escape punishment before the destruction came.

Three

Misconception: The American Solar Eclipse occurred on the first day of the Jewish month of Elul; the technical beginning of the Feast of Trumpets. Another sign, which I will explain next, will appear on the final day of the Feast marking it as the rapture, so get prepared!

The Truth: The eclipse happened on the 21st day of August. Elul began on August 23rd.

Conclusion: Anytime you hear someone say that the American Eclipse coincided with first day of Elul, know that their conclusions are in error because their beginning is wrong; it is two days off.

Second Sign


This is a second sign that many claim will occur on September 23rd. It will be seen from the temple mount in Israel. I will summarize the main points they are claiming:
  • Two constellations will rise over Israel: The Lion (Jesus) and the Virgin
  • The Lion sits right on top of the Virgin.
  • The sun will appear on the Virgin's head and the moon will be at her feet
  • Three additional stars will appear with the lion on this day: Pluto, Venus, Mars making 12 stars in the Lion who is crowning the Virgin.
AND A great sign (wonder)—[warning of future events of ominous significance] appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and with a crownlike garland (tiara) of twelve stars on her head. (Revelations 12:1 AMPC)
Virgin and Lion

Jupiter will reside in the middle section (the belly) of the Virgin for 9 months. During the 10 month is when this configuration appears and Jupiter will then exit the belly of the Virgin between the legs of the constellation.
She was pregnant and she cried out in her birth pangs, in the anguish of her delivery. (Revelation 12:2)
This occurrence over Israel clearly seems to fulfills this verse in the book of Revelation. However there are nine main stars in the Leo constellation and many lesser stars. The claim that the entirety of this configuration with all these factors has never happened before in the last 6000 years still needs to be verified.

Whenever you see people slanting the truth, giving only the facts that make their point, this should give you pause. Sure, this may be a warning that the rest of what is mentioned in Revelation may be on the horizon: the tribulation may be coming soon. However, because this commentator slants the facts to make his point can we really trust his revelation.

Interpreting the Sign

When the American Solar Eclipse occurred, I was on a mountaintop in Idaho viewing the phenomena. I asked God what it meant and the Holy Spirit whispered, “As the moon hides the glory of the sun for two days before the Feast of Trumpets, so shall the full glory of the Son be hidden for two years while the trumpet is blown and the church awakes.”

In the Bible, the Son of God, Jesus is compared to the brightness of the "sun." The moon reflects the sun as the Church should reflect the glory of Jesus. During the eclipse the light shone with brilliant white around the darkened center of the sun. It wasn’t the blinding glory of the sun, but there was light and it was beautiful to behold. It drew millions across the world to it. During the Awakening God will draw people to Him.

Instead of 30 days of trumpet blowing during the month of Elul, there will be some years of the Awakening. The glory of God will still be seen, it will still be experienced, but it won’t be the Outpouring of God's glory that many are looking for.

The American Solar Eclipse says that something is happening in America. For the next three years we will experience an Awakening, a preparation, for the fullness of God’s glory that will be poured out, first across America, then across the whole world.

There are many things that are echoed throughout history and the Bible concerning this eclipse. What else does appearance of this sign mean? Is there coming doom? Why spare America? The assumption about the American Solar Eclipse forecasting judgement for America as it did forNineveh isn’t completely wrong. It is a complex topic so I will explain that in my next blog post.

American's Doom - American Solar Eclipse: Part 2 


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