THE GREAT TRIBULATION

 

CONT., page 8

 

THE SUN, MOON, AND STARS

 

When the Scriptures tell us that the sun and the moon and the stars will lose their light, is this a literal act?  To answer this, simply ask yourself if the kingdom of heaven is literal Jerusalem.  Yahshua came to this earth and repeatedly spoke in parables, and yet Christians want to take passages like these and make them literal.  In truth, they have an understanding equal to those who departed from Him when He told them that they must eat His flesh and drink His blood.  In like manner, Christians have departed from the truth when they take passages like these concerning the sun and the moon and the stars as literal.  Yahshua repeatedly demonstrated that truth is hidden in parables and riddles, and if we want to know truth, we have to recognize this. 

 

Isaiah 13 begins, “The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.”  So, if we are going to be literalists, then whatever took place in Babylon per the fulfillment of this prophecy, will indicate any like fulfillment today.  Thus we ask, when in Isaiah 13:9-11 we read this testimony regarding the sun and the moon and the stars, did it literally take place?

 

Behold, the day of Yahweh is coming, cruel, with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation; and He will exterminate its sinners from it.  For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light; the sun will be dark when it rises and the moon will not shed its light.  Thus I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud and abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.

 

Did Yahweh punish the world when the Medes and Persians took over Babylon?  No.  In fact, He did not even destroy Babylon as clearly declared in Isaiah.  So do you think that the sun and moon and stars really ceased giving their light at that time?  Of course not.  No more than they did when Yahweh said the same thing regarding Egypt.  In Ezekiel 32:2, Yahweh declared to Ezekiel, “Son of man, take up a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him, ….”  In verses 7-8 He declared:

 

“’And when I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud and the moon will not give its light.  All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken over you and will set darkness on your land,’ declares the Lord Yahweh.”

 

This was written after they had come out of Egypt, when the three days of darkness had been on Egypt.  But even in that event, the sun, moon, and stars did not lose their light, for it was light in Goshen (Exodus 10:21-23), and obviously elsewhere.

 

And in Joel 2:10-14, we read that Yahweh’s army from the north comes against Zion, and:

 

“Before them the earth quakes, the heavens tremble, the sun and the moon grow dark and the stars lose their brightness.”  

 

And in verses 30-32, we then read:

 

“I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, blood, fire and columns of smoke.  The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of Yahweh comes.  And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of Yahweh will be delivered.”

 

These latter verses were the very ones quoted by Peter in Acts 2:20 as being fulfilled on the day of Pentecost:

 

“For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day; but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel …. (15-16)”

 

Therefore, on the day of Pentecost when these words were cited, did the sun literally turn into darkness and the moon into blood?  Once again, of course not.

 

And let us not forget the book of Revelation, where we read:

 

I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind.  The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places [Revelation 6:12-14].

 

The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way [Revelation 8:12].

 

So what are all of these verses telling us?  The fact is that they are all parables.  Literal stars cannot fall to the earth like unripe figs shaken by a great wind.  None of these things are literal.  The question has to be asked instead:  What do each of these speak of prophetically?  If Jerusalem speaks of the kingdom of heaven, the church, or even the new Jerusalem that is established on earth, then what do the sun, moon, and stars speak of?

 

To begin with, we read in Genesis 1:16 that “God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; He made the stars also” (Genesis 1:16).  Prophetically, who is it who rules the day, and who rules the night?  Yahshua is given to rule the day, and Satan is given to rule the night.  Thus, we see two clear types – the sun speaks of Yahshua, and the moon speaks of Satan.

 

We see this same application in Revelation 12:1, which states:

 

A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars ….

 

First, who is this woman?  The answer is quite obvious, for we read, “she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. … And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.”  There is only one male child this could refer to, and that is Yahshua.  He alone has the authority to rule the nations with a rod of iron (Revelations 19:15).  He alone, after His resurrection, “was caught up to God and to His throne.”  And there is only one work that has the authority to birth Yahshua – the Elijah. 

 

The Elijah is the Mary who prepares Yahshua’s way.  The Elijah stands in Yahshua’s office, therefore he is clothed in the sun.  He is not the sun, but is clothed in Yahshua’s office.  Satan is placed under the feet of Elijah, thus the moon is under the feet of the woman who brings forth Yahshua.  And, the Elijah bears the latter rain twelve apostles, so there are twelve stars in the woman’s crown.

 

Therefore, we see a clear application of the sun, the moon, and the stars.  Let us now look at yet another.  In Genesis 37:9, we read that Joseph had a dream, and in it the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to him.  Upon hearing this, his father, Jacob, objected, “What is this dream that you have had?  Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?”  Most interesting, when Joseph had this dream and Jacob said this, Rachel had already died.

 

This leads us now to another question:  If there is a type, is there not also an antitype?  And let us also recall what the Greek tells us about the meaning of the word “anti” – it speaks of something “in place of.”  Thus, if Yahshua and Satan are the fulfillment of the sun and the moon, then who are “in place of” them?  We have already noted that from the standpoint of the government over the church, Satan is in the place of Christ.  But from the standpoint of the sun and the moon, we see another testimony. 

 

Though we will not elaborate on these, first, there is no doubt that the body of Christ, Christianity, is clearly in place of Christ on this earth.  They are the sun on the earth, and their sabbath is Sunday.  And as addressed in several writings here, including The Raven, page 2, the Bride is the two-part cherubim that replaces Satan, the covering cherub of Ezekiel 28:14.  Thus, the sun is the type of Yahshua, and His antitype is the body of Christ; and the moon is the type of Satan, and his antitype, even replacement, is the Bride.

 

So, how can these passages regarding the sun, moon, and stars be fulfilled?  Part of this is revealed in Revelation 3:9:

 

“Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie – I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.”

 

Who is the church of Philadelphia?  They are the second Remnant, the Elijah.  (See The Signs That Cause Belief, page 4, and perform a page search for “Philadelphia.”)  Who bows down to the Elijah?  As attested by Joseph’s dream, it is the body of Christ, the sun.  And remember, Joseph’s mother was dead at the time of the dream, as Satan will lose his place.  And in a most unusual testimony, the eleven first Remnant apostles bow down as well.

 

So we see that the sun represents Yahshua, and His antitype, the body of Christ; and the moon represents Satan, and his antitype, the Bride.  And what do the stars represent?  Thus far we see in two testimonies that they represent the apostles – the twelve stars on the woman’s crown, and the stars representing the twelve sons of Jacob, with one elevated to an exalted place.

 

Knowing this, let us now perform a Gospel comparison regarding Yahshua’s words concerning the sun, moon, and stars.  In each case we will begin at the same point in these parallel accounts.  In Matthew and Mark, this is where He was talking about false Christs.  But in Luke, as we have noted, instead He speaks of the times of the nations being fulfilled.  And in all three gospels, these verses end at the same place – at the parable of the fig tree (not quoted here).  Let us now look at all three parallel passages.

 

In Matthew 24:24-31, we read:

 

“For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.  Behold, I have told you in advance.  So if they say to you, 'Behold, He is in the wilderness,' do not go out, or, 'Behold, He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe them.  For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.  Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. 

 

But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.  And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the heavens to the farthest end of them.”

 

In Mark 13:22-27, we read:

 

“… for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect.  But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance. 

 

But in those days, after the tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.  Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.  And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.”

 

In Luke 21:24-28, we read:

 

“… and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the nations until the times of the nations are completed. 

 

There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting/swooning from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  Then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

 

First, you will notice that in Luke, there is no mention of “false Christs.”  Why?  Because the Elijah second Remnant prepares the way for the true Christ, Yahshua.  There have been many pseudochrists who have come in the last 2,000 years, both those who falsely assume His name, as well as those who falsely speak in His name.

 

Also, quite significantly, the reference point of both Matthew and Mark is that these things are relative to “after the tribulation.”  Yet in Luke, once again we see no mention of tribulation.  The time of the great tribulation is indeed in the period of the first Remnant and Christianity; but as promised in those same books, it is cut short for the sake of the elect.  Thus we find in Luke, the elect, that there is no mention of the tribulation.

 

But now for the matter at hand.  You will notice in Matthew and Mark that the statements regarding the sun, moon, and stars are essentially identical.  But once again in Luke the message is distinctly different.

 

In Matthew 24:29, we read:

 

“… the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

 

In Mark 13:24-25, we read:

 

“… the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.

 

But in Luke 21:25, we read:

 

“There will be signs in sun and moon and stars …; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”

 

What can it mean that in Matthew and Mark the sun is darkened, the moon will not give its light, and the stars fall; whereas in Luke there is not the darkness, and the stars do not fall?  And in clear contrast, the testimony in Luke is that there will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars.

 

Given what we know about the first 2,000 years of the church, it is quite fitting that the prophetic message in Matthew and Mark is that the sun is darkened.  As we have seen, the antitype of the sun is the body of Christ; and for that period, they have not been a true light to the world and have all died – the sun is darkened!  Yahshua brought light, but when He left, the sun was darkened in the antitype of Christianity.  Likewise, the moon, or Satan, has not brought forth that light as well; and certainly, he too will die, losing his place.  And finally, the first Remnant apostles did indeed fall; for instead of prevailing and leading the church, they too died.

 

Thus, when you consider the exact phrasing of these statements in Matthew and Mark, they are entirely fitting.  The sun was in fact darkened, for it had given light in Yahshua, but became dark when He left.  On the other hand, the moon did not give its light.  The first Remnant did not see the full truth, nor did it receive the glory.  And certainly Satan gave no light.  The statement concerning the moon would not have been accurate if it too said that the moon became darkened.  No, the moon never gave its light.  Thus, both statements as they read are entirely accurate.

 

But in Luke the message is not darkness and falling, but rather that the sun, moon, and stars will provide signs.  What could those signs be?  Based on what we are seeing regarding the Scriptures’ testimonies for this day, the sun-clothed woman will prepare the way for the Son of God, the true and lasting sun who does not lose His light.  Also, the Bride will be formed and replace Satan, and the moon will become full, attesting to the beginning of the new era of time – the Millennial reign, the beginning of the new heavens and the new earth.  And the stars will not fall from heaven; but rather, with the rest of the Bride will ascend into heaven to receive their immortal, incorruptible bodies.

 

But Luke also attests to events unique to the other two gospels that are most revealing and very hopeful.  Inserted between the passage regarding the sun, moon, and stars, and the common statement concerning the powers of the heavens being shaken, we find the following:

 

“… and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity [being at a loss] at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting/swooning from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world ….”

 

And even before this, you will recall the like highly significant message entirely unique to Luke:

 

“… and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the nations until the times of the nations are completed.” 

 

As we have noted, the times of the nations have been taking place for 6,000 years, wherein the nations have had the rights to rule the earth, including ruling over the kingdom of heaven.  This was never more evidenced than when the nations had the legal right to kill God, the Son of God.  And this continuing right has been evidenced in the church where the nations have had the right to rule over it. 

 

But this has to change.  When we read that Yahshua will rule the nations with a rod of iron, clearly at some point the dramatic shift is made when the nations lose the right to rule, and that right returns to the kingdom of heaven.  The question is: When is that change made?  Does it not change until Yahshua returns, or does it change before then? 

 

Indications here in Luke are that the change takes place before His return.  We read here in Luke that (1) the time of the nations will be completed and (2) they will then and thereby experience dismay and be at a loss as to what is taking place.  Thus, their time ends, resulting in dismay; and all of this takes place before Yahshua’s return.

 

This makes great sense, for the Elijah comes to prepare the way for Yahshua’s return, and there needs to be that change before He comes so as to prepare His way.  Likewise, we read that Elijah restores all things before Yahshua’s coming: 

 

 

 

 

As we read in Luke, before Yahshua comes, the nations enter into a time of turmoil – dismay and being at a loss.  What could this mean, and what could cause this?  Christians take this verse and try to make it into apocalyptic calamity; but as we read in Luke 17:28, it is a time of relative normality – “they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building.”  So then how can one put these two seemingly different passages of normality and dismay together?  Simple, they both occur at the same time.  There can be a sense of normality, yet things taking place whereupon the nations are in dismay, being at a loss as to what is taking place.  Even in the midst of the worst of economic times, though lifestyles can change, there can still be the kind of normality mentioned here.  Yahshua said both things, and both were relative to the same time – the time of His return.  Therefore, there has to be compatibility in these two passages.  We cannot ignore what both of them say.

 

What could cause this dismay – being at a loss of what is taking place, and even having fear and wonder concerning the things that are coming upon the world?  First, we do know that when the former rain came, there were like reactions to this first outpouring of the Holy Spirit. 

 

Everyone kept feeling a sense of fear [the same Greek word used to describe the fainting/swooning from fear]; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles [Acts 2:43].

 

And great fear came over the whole church [after Ananias and Sapphira were slain by Yahweh], and over all who heard of these things.  At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all with one accord in Solomon's portico.  But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem [Acts 5:11-13].

 

It is hard to imagine what the outcome and response would be to a like move of the Holy Spirit today, especially when the latter rain is a double portion of the Spirit!  Add to this the transfer of the office of the Elijah from Satan to a man (a sign in the moon), the “preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5) and the “spirit of truth” who reproves “the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8), the prospect of such change is quite hopeful.

 

Also, you will recall that the testimony of the 1,335th day was an earthquake (Acts 4:31), pointing to today.  This is the same testimony that took place when Yahshua came out of the tomb (Matthew 28:2).  And in like manner, it was an earthquake that delivered Paul and Silas from jail (Acts 16:26).  Likewise, there was the earthquake in Ezekiel 37:7 that brought the dry bones together.  Today, there needs to be that earthquake in people’s beliefs, in their thinking, in their lives.  Those things that are not true and lasting need to be shaken down, so that truth can take their place.  And as we see further attested in Acts 4:31, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit and speak the word of God with boldness.

 

Another thing to consider is what the affect would be for yet another related flip to take place.  We have already considered that the nations will no longer have authority over the kingdom of heaven, but that the kingdom of heaven will have authority over the nations.  Related to both of these – the nations and the kingdom – there is an element in each of them that affords power and success.  For the nations, that power is afforded by money.  For the kingdom of heaven, that power is afforded by the Holy Spirit.  What money is to the nations, the Holy Spirit is to the kingdom of heaven. 

 

For 6,000 years the currency of choice has been money.  This has equally been true in the church.  Why?  Because money has been able to effect things in the church that the Holy Spirit has not provided.  But what would happen when the nations and the kingdom of heaven flip?  Would not money and the Holy Spirit flip as well?  In that case, suddenly the currency of choice would not be money, but the Holy Spirit.  So what would that do to money? 

 

Recorded only in Luke, 16:9, in fact in the chapter just before these passages regarding Yahshua’s return, He stated, “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.”  According to Yahshua, there will come a day when money fails.  Why?  Because of the flip back to when the Holy Spirit was moving over the face of the deep and was the preferred currency – the wealth of righteousness instead.  Money will no longer have the value we know today.  It will become the far lesser, as scarce as the Holy Spirit has been in the church.  Money has had the legal right to prevail; but when the flip comes, it too will lose that legal right.  The Holy Spirit failed during the first Remnant, and money will fail during the second Remnant.

 

In fact, there are foreboding signs right now that money, as Yahshua said, is about to fail.  Already the American dollar is evidencing signs that it is about to collapse.  Up to now I have completely avoided the messages of doomsayers; but when I saw that money and the Holy Spirit would flip and money would fall from its prevailing value, I began taking a more serious look at what many economists are saying.  Here are five links to articles that address both the failing dollar, as well as warning of an imminent stock market collapse:

 

Fed rate cut abandons dollar, WorldNetDaily

http://worldnetdaily.com/news/printer-friendly.asp?ARTICLE_ID=57759

 

Stock Market Crash, The History of Financial Train Wrecks

http://www.stock-market-crash.net/coming-crash.htm

 

America’s Total Debt Report

https://web.archive.org/web/20090908092815/http://mwhodges.home.att.net/nat-debt/debt-nat.htm

 

Robert Kiyosaki On The Coming Stock Market Crash

http://www.nichegeek.com/robert_kiyosaki_on_the_coming_stock_market_crash

 

Bernanke & Bush: The Perfect Storm

http://chartingstocks.net/2007/09/23/bernanke-bush-the-perfect-storm/

 

 

Trumpets, October 25, 2007, marks what is hoped to be the day when these legal flips take place, effecting sudden results, and/or a time of ensuing quick change.  In this regard, it is quite noteworthy that October 24, the day before Trumpets, is United Nations Day.  The United Nations was established on October 24, 1945, and on October 24, 1948, the first United Nations Day was observed.  The year 1948 is also the beginning of the test of Carmel (The Passing Over Principle, pages 3 and 4).  October 24 would then mark the end of the times of the nations, and Trumpets, October 25, would be the beginning of the times of the kingdom of heaven.

 

It is also noteworthy that on October 24, 1929, Wall Street crashed, marking the beginning of the Great Depression.  The prosperity and excess of the Roaring Twenties, begun by the Curse of 1920, collapsed.  Stock prices fell on October 24, and continued to fall; and it took twenty-five years to return to the those previous levels.  Thus, we will watch and see what October 24 and 25 and thereafter will bring today for the value of money. 

 

Also, you will notice that one of the articles cited is titled, “Bernanke & Bush: The Perfect Storm.”  Ben Bernanke is the present Chairman of the Federal Reserve.  Of course George Bush is our President at the time of writing this.  This is not a flattering article for either of these men.  But the fact is, President Bush stands in the prophetic place of the second Remnant (Bush –> Clinton –> Bush); and if there is to be the flip of money and the Holy Spirit, what more fitting testimony is there than that Bush flip money to be the lesser?  If money is going to fail, let it be by a prophetic second Remnant!  It needs to fail, for money is “unrighteous wealth.”  And in like manner, if the Holy Spirit is going to prevail, let it be by the true second Remnant.

 

Therefore, based on what we read in Luke 21:25-26, as well as the recorded affects of what took place after Pentecost, would not a flip as we anticipate between the nations and the kingdom of heaven, and between money and the Holy Spirit, produce the kind of things spoken of here?  Indeed!

 

There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting/swooning from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

 

The former rain was brief, interrupted, and in fact eventually failed.  What then would happen for the latter rain to come, bringing like results, yet this time increasing all the more?  The impact evidenced in Acts 2-4 would be sustained and increase all the more.  What we need today is what we saw foreshadowed with the Twin Towers, the World Trade Center.  Remember, evil is an Elijah that prepares the way for good. 

 

What is needed today is what we saw experienced in the World Trade Center – the fall of finances and turning to things that are eternal.  And like the Twin Towers, as on the day of Pentecost, it needs to be a sudden experience, a Gihon, a “bursting forth”!  Or as we read in Revelation 18:10, mystery Babylon falls in one hour.

 

 

Continue to page 9 of The Great Tribulation for THE BOOK OF REVELATION

 

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