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The Celestial C-Section


A reader recently asked a question that many of us have probably wondered: if the Revelation 12 Sign occurs on September 23rd, why does it appear that the male child (Jupiter) is born two weeks earlier on September 9th?

It's a good question that appears to have a Scriptural answer.  Not only an answer to the objection, but further confirmation and evidence of the precision and significance of this September's sign.

In Revelation 12:1-2 the sign is described with all of its simultaneous details: the sun, the moon, the crown of twelve stars, and the woman in labor.  The text explicitly says that the woman is undergoing travail and labor pains at the time the sign occurs.

In verse 5, the male child is born and then quickly raptured to Heaven.  You would logically think that she gave birth to the child after the labor pains described in the first two verses, but there is a huge prophetic clue suggesting something else is going on.

The male child "she brought forth" in verse 5 is called huion arsen in the Greek.  Huion is masculine, but is modified by the neuter word arsen.  This is a grammatical error because huion should only be modified by another masculine word.  How could God's Word contain such an obvious and basic grammatical mistake?

The answer is that God's Word makes no mistakes.  Every jot and tittle has its perfect purpose, including here in Revelation 12:5.

The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic, but was later translated into the Greek version we now know as the Septuagint.  The Septuagint does contain a few errors because it is only a translation of the original text.  This exact same error with huion arsen is contained in the Septuagint's version of Isaiah 66 and it just so happens that the topic at hand in Isaiah 66 is the same as Revelation 12: a woman in labor (Zion or Israel per the text) giving birth to a male child.  However, in Isaiah 66 the male child is a corporate entity, not an individual.  A nation.  Since the text tells us plainly that the woman is Zion, it would seem evident she is not giving birth to herself.  There may be parallels here to the rebirth of Israel in 1948, but I believe the nation she gives birth to is the Church.  In 1 Peter 2:9 the Church is called a holy nation.

And here is the answer to the puzzle from Isaiah 66:7-8:

Before she goes into labor,
   she gives birth;
before the pains come upon her,
   she delivers a son.
Who has ever heard of such things?
   Who has ever seen things like this?
Can the earth be made to bring forth in a day
   or a nation be brought forth in a moment?
Yet no sooner is Zion in labor
   than she gives birth to her children.

The birth in Revelation 12 is a special birth, a miraculous birth.  A birth that takes place in reverse order, contrary to the normal order of things.  The baby is born before the woman has labor pains.  This is exactly what we see happen in September 2017.  You might call this a celestial C-section performed by the Divine Physician Himself.

In Isaiah 66:8 above you can see that the earth is said to bring forth.  This leads to further confirmation of the sign because this appears to connect directly to Isaiah 26, a prophecy that contains the same picture of labor, a miraculous birth that represents the resurrection and is described as the earth giving birth.  Furthermore, the context is the Tribulation and what appears to be a prophecy of the rapture of the Church.  See for yourself in Isaiah 26:17-21:

As a pregnant woman about to give birth writhes and cries out in her pain,
   so were we in your presence, Lord.
We were with child, we writhed in labor,
   but we gave birth to wind. We have not brought salvation to the earth,
   and the people of the world have not come to life.

But your dead will live, Lord;
   their bodies will rise—
let those who dwell in the dust
   wake up and shout for joy—
your dew is like the dew of the morning;
   the earth will give birth to her dead.

Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by. See, the Lord is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins.

The author of this prophecy is the Jewish prophet Isaiah.  He says the pregnant woman is "we" - the nation of Israel, which had been tasked by God with bringing salvation to the earth.  They failed.  Notice that the woman gives birth to wind after her labor pains.  In September 2017 the sign occurs on the 23rd, two weeks after the birth.  In Revelation 12:1-2 the pains are simultaneous with the sign, yet Isaiah 26 tells us the woman only gives birth to wind after her labor pains.  Her womb is empty!  The baby was already born via miraculous delivery.  This is exactly the order we see in September - a birth before the sign.  The baby is born and delivered before the Tribulation comes.

I want to challenge the rebuttals of the Revelation 12 Sign presented by Joel Richardson, Tim McHyde, Dr. Danny Faulkner, and others.  I've carefully studied each of their attempts to disprove the significance of the alignment on September 23, 2017, and through their rebuttals I find even further confirmation of the uniqueness and significance of the alignment.  To be clear, I'm not doing this for argument's sake.  And I also leave open the possibility I could be mistaken somewhere in my interpretation.  However, I think their readers/followers will be grossly misled if they don't research each of their claims for themselves.  Study their claims for yourself to see if these things be true (Acts 17:11).

Below are the main claims and my response:


1. Date setters have always been wrong because they rely on subjective calculations, interpretations, and star charts.

It's true that date setters have always been wrong.  It's also true that they've relied on subjective calculations (such as the perceived length of a biblical generation in the case of 1988 predictions or lackluster interpretations of Old Testament chronology in the case of Harold Camping).

However, this argument overlooks the inherent strength of what I and others are suggesting.

For starters, there is no calculation or interpretive spitting in the wind involved here.  The alignment simply is what it is.  I didn't invent it.  Scottie Clarke didn't invent it.  It's God's own sun, moon, and stars in an alignment that is arranged precisely how Revelation 12:1-2 describes.

Everyone mentions Stellarium - perhaps this is just some coincidental quirk with how Stellarium displays things, they say.  Yet the alignment has nothing to do with Stellarium.  Stellarium is just one of many astronomy programs that show the exact same thing.  The alignment would still occur in the sky whether we knew about it or not.  Virgo has been the only woman constellation in the ecliptic since time immemorial.  Likewise, Leo is the only constellation above her head.  Ancient Israel, Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, and Persia all had similar depictions and placements of Virgo and Leo.

Secondly, William Miller, Ellen White, Edgar Whisenant, and Harold Camping all had one significant thing in common that Richardson and others are overlooking: they were individuals presenting a private interpretation of prophecy (see 2 Peter 1:20).  They had many followers, but no peer review - in fact what peers they had were telling them they were off their rockers.

Our friend Scottie Clarke first discovered the alignment in 2010 or 2011, but independent of him, I and dozens of others studied the Scriptures for ourselves, studied the skies, and arrived at the exact same conclusions.  You can certainly find multiple people to agree to just about every doctrine out there, but the fact that the Bible repeatedly says a matter is established by multiple witnesses would seem to differentiate the Revelation 12 Sign crowd from Miller, White, Whisenant, Camping, and others.

Thirdly, it would seem that we now have the clearest, most demonstrable biblical sign since the rebirth of Israel and yet most of us watching refuse to set a specific date for the rapture.  Almost all of us admit we could be wrong, we're not prophets, we're just speculating - a level of measured confidence and hesitation not seen with the aforementioned Miller, White, Whisenant, Camping, and others.  That should tell you something.  In fact, I've never seen or experienced this kind of mutual and sophisticated Scriptural study leading to broad agreement on a specific prophetic event occurring in the present.

Lastly, previous "date setters" had something else in common that differentiates them from those of us watching this sign.  They were all predicting the date of the rapture or second coming.  It was an unobservable event they were predicting.  We're not predicting the exact day of the rapture or second coming.  We're predicting the exact day of a specific biblical sign that may or may not coincide with an immediate prophetic event.  The sign is observable - even today.  You can open just about any astronomy software and see it for yourself.


2. The vast majority of conservative evangelical scholars disagree with this new interpretation of Revelation 12.

I'm generally of the opinion that Christians should submit themselves to the teaching of spiritual authorities.  I think this is something the modern Church is sorely lacking.  Everyone wants to go their own way these days in violation of the wisdom given in Proverbs 18:1.

That being said, this argument has three major flaws:

First, an argument from authority is widely regarded as a logical fallacy because it avoids the actual question.  The question isn't what do the majority of conservative evangelical scholars think?  The question is, does the Bible describe a sign in the sky that occurs on September 23, 2017?  The answer to the question stands or falls on its own evidence.

Second, a lot of thanks is due to the Reformers, especially Luther and Melanchthon for restoring early Church teaching on soteriological doctrines such as sola fide, sola scriptura, and the priesthood of all Believers.  However, the Reformers largely carried over Augustinian eschatology from the Catholic Church.  They continued the beliefs of prophetic allegorism and Replacement Theology.  The issue at the time wasn't eschatology, it was soteriology.  That was the issue that the Holy Spirit through indwelt Believers tackled at the time.

Yet now we are nearing the end of the age and eschatology is of the utmost importance.  Is it any wonder that in the century leading up to the rebirth of Israel, the reemergence of early Church dispensationalism, pre-tribulationism, and premillennialism took hold?  Christian scholars began studying the Word and seeing that prophecy is not just fuzzy allegory.  It is full of concrete, literal, tangible meaning just as the prophecies of Christ's first coming were.

The reason that many/most supposedly conservative scholars still believe that Revelation 12 is just a retelling of ancient history is because they overlook numerous differentiating details and their eschatology is still heavily colored by Roman Catholic allegorism.

Third, it's misleading to suggest that the majority of conservative evangelical scholars disagree with the specific interpretation of the astronomical alignment on September 23rd because only a very small handful have addressed it.  When presented with the clear astronomical evidence alongside the clear contextual and Scriptural evidence, who is to say what some of them might think?


3. Revelation 12 is obviously about Jesus' first coming.

There are no doubt parallels.  I don't want want to dismiss those similarities, but at the end of the day we have to read the Scriptures for what they say, not what we think they mean.  Is this not the same problem some have with suggesting Ezekiel 38 and Armageddon are the same battle?  The details?  Revelation 1:1 declares the content of the book to be future, although Revelation 1:19 presents a caveat (probably for the preceding few verses or chapters 1 through 3).

Revelation 12:1-2 describes an actual alignment in the sky complete with sun, moon, and stars.  The passage never defines this as a parable or allegorical dream or vision.  It has prophetic meaning, but it is first and foremost a real alignment in the sky.  I write about this in more detail here.

The contextual details are simply different than Christ's first coming.  The dragon is explicitly defined as satan and not Herod within the passage itself (Revelation 12:9).  The male child undergoes rapture and not ascension - two different words in Greek with two very different meanings.  The child is raptured before the woman flees into the wilderness, which indicates the wilderness journey is obviously not the same one undertaken by Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in Egypt.  No mention is made of the death or resurrection of the child, which would surely be key details if the male child only represented Christ.  And as a matter of fact, there is scholarly consensus that the woman represents Israel and the dragon also represents satan's entire earthly system based on overwhelming contextual evidence.  The timing of the dragon sweeping a third of the stars out of the sky in verse 4 as it stands ready to devour the child is also evidently a future event based on verses 7 through 9 and Daniel 12:1-2.  Lastly, there are at least seven contextual considerations that suggest the child is the Church.


4. Leo plus Mercury, Mars, and Venus cannot be the crown of twelve stars (e.g. the twelve stars are below Leo, Coma Berenices contains the twelve stars, Leo already has twelve stars, etc).

Borrowing from my article Ten Questions To Ask Yourself:

In every known depiction of the constellation Virgo, whether ancient or modern, her head is near the star called Zavijava and there is one and only one constellation above her head - the constellation Leo the Lion. Leo is also visible in the ancient Jewish mosaic of the Mazzaroth.

Sources differ on how many stars constitute any given constellation, so which source do we listen to?

For starters, any large constellation like Leo is going to have dozens and dozens of visible stars. If the crown consists of all the visible stars in a given area above Virgo's head, then Revelation 12:1 could never be fulfilled - she could never have a crown of twelve stars. We can deduce from this alone that we're only looking for a meaningful grouping of stars above her head and that only leaves the constellation Leo. Some have suggested the constellation Coma Berenices is her crown of twelve stars, but this constellation is definitely not on her head and it only has three main stars.

As far as which source to listen to regarding the number of stars in Leo, both ancient and modern sources differ one from another. Ancient Egypt differed from ancient Babylon which differed from ancient Greece and so forth. Some ancient and modern sources even show Leo with thirteen or fifteen stars - too many to be the crown.

In my research I discovered that this dilemma is easy to resolve. The most prevalent depiction (by far) shows Leo with nine stars. You can find this nine-star depiction in virtually any astronomy software except for Google Sky (Stellarium, Starry Night, Neave, among others). The nine-star arrangement is found in the Western sky culture, which is considered to be the most common and traditional arrangement of the constellations. Additionally, the nine stars in question are found in all the various arrangements from all the different sources. In other words, the common denominator across all depictions of Leo are these nine stars.

Since we can pretty emphatically say that Leo is the only object that can be the crown and it cannot have more than twelve stars if it is the crown, then nine stars is definitely the best and most universally understood number of stars within it. That leaves three missing stars. Planets are the only solution to these three missing stars because the Bible also calls them stars. The five visible planets are also very, very bright from earth's perspective compared to most regular stars, so they stand out significantly.

The five visible planets are Mercury, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn. Jupiter has already been identified as the male child, so that means three of the stars in Virgo's crown must be from those remaining four. You're not left with many options!

5. Virgo is not clothed with the sun on September 23, 2017.

Borrowing from my article The Revelation 12 Sign Compendium:

This is FALSE. Several people have pointed out that the disc of the Sun rests on the shoulder of Virgo rather than over her midsection. This is evidence, they say, that the woman is not clothed with the Sun. As far as the astronomical alignment is concerned, this is the only point that can withstand any scrutiny, but it doesn't ultimately hold water for several reasons:

First, from the perspective of an earth-based observer, the Sun itself is significantly smaller than the constellation Virgo and so regardless of where the Sun is positioned, the woman could never be fully clothed with the Sun if the disc itself is in view in Revelation 12:1. Even if the disc rested over Virgo's midsection, it would only cover a small portion of her torso. On September 23rd, 2017, the Sun clothes the woman's shoulder, which in my opinion is just as significant as any other part of her body. You can see the vast difference in apparent size between the constellation Virgo and the Sun below, and why its location within the constellation makes no difference:


Second, the Greek word for "Sun" in Revelation 12:1 is ἥλιον, transliterated hēlion, which is Strong's 2246 - hélios. The word can carry several meanings: the Sun, the rays of the sun, sunlight, and daylight. Ancient Greek didn't have different words for these four meanings as we do in English, so hélios carries other connotations beyond just the literal meaning of "Sun". The use of the word in the Septuagint with its definite article in 2 Samuel 12:11 is perhaps a good example of this where the idea is "broad daylight" - τοῦ ἡλίου. The Revelation 12 Sign not only appears in its fullness over Israel during the day on September 23rd, but because the Sun is in the area of the constellation, the woman appears fully "clothed" in the Sun's rays.

Third, and lastly, arguing that the disc of the Sun doesn't "clothe" the woman is an impossible standard. Virgo is the only constellation in the biblical Mazzaroth that represents a woman and out of 88 constellations in the sky, one of only three that represent women. Of those three, it is the only one that the Sun moves through - hence Virgo being part of the Mazzaroth - the twelve constellations that lie along the Sun's ecliptic. For this reason, if John's vision was of a literal sign in the sky (which is what the text in Revelation 12:1 plainly says), Virgo is the only possible constellation in the entire sky that could symbolize the woman. The Sun's ecliptic is exactly the same every year and the only time the Sun ever enters the torso of Virgo is when it passes just behind the angle formed by Spica as seen below:


The image above shows the deepest possible point in the constellation that the Sun traverses (the red line is the Sun's unchanging path every year). The Sun will never hover over Virgo's neck or chest, or be centered anywhere in the quadrangle of the constellation's womb, nor will it ever cover her legs, so "clothed with the Sun" must simply mean that the Sun is passing through the constellation as it does every Fall for a little over one and a half months. You can test this yourself using any astronomy software - whether you choose 3000 BC or 3000 AD makes no difference. It is interesting to note that if you bisect Virgo into two equal parts, the Sun's position on September 23rd, 2017 is about as close as the Sun ever gets to being perfectly centered over the constellation. "Clothed in the Sun" probably also draws on the connotations mentioned in the second point above, which is that the woman is clothed in sunlight or the rays of the Sun.

In September 2017 we see a perfect match with John's prophecy.

6. The Church is not mentioned in Revelation 12.

Borrowing again from The Revelation 12 Sign Compendium:

This is FALSE. Many watchers are making the connection between the Revelation 12 Sign and the rapture based on the male child's possible corporate identity as the Body of Christ - the Church. A number of detractors dismiss this possibility, but in my opinion the evidence is simply too powerful to ignore and even if the astronomical alignment on September 23rd is not the Revelation 12 Sign, I would still argue that the man-child in Revelation 12:5 is meant to represent the Church in union with Christ. Here are the reasons:

First, it is repeated ad infinitum by detractors that the Church is the bride of Christ and thus the man-child cannot represent the Church. This is a very exegetically weak argument for several reasons.

For starters, the Church is called a man in Ephesians 2:15. There are a number of metaphors for the Church in Scripture besides a bride. The most common is actually Christ's body (e.g. 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, 12:12-13, 25-27; Romans 12:4-5; Colossians 1:18, 24, 2:19, 3:15; Ephesians 4:4, 11-13). And what might come as a shock to some, the Church is never explicitly identified as the bride of Christ. The closest you can come to that analogy is in 2 Corinthians 11:2 and Ephesians 5:22-24. In the Ephesians passage the Church is likened to a bride in that that the Church is subject to Christ who is the head, but the Church is not said to actually be the bride. The only explicit reference to Christ's bride is found in Revelation 21:2, 9-10. The bride is the city of New Jerusalem, which is revealed after the millennial reign of Christ. New Jerusalem has characteristics from both Israel and the Church, with gates named after the sons of Jacob (men who died long before Christ's first advent), and foundations named after the Twelve Apostles. Zion, which is a prophetic term for heavenly Jerusalem, is likened to a woman in labor in Isaiah 66:8, so in a certain sense it is really Zion, the mother of all the saints both pre- and post-Christ, that is the wife of the Lamb. We need to remember that bride is just one analogy of many for the Church, just as body is. The Church is just as often compared to a temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:5).

Second, the Apostle John makes a grammatical error in Revelation 12:5 when he modifies the masculine huios (son) with the neuter word arsen. If you believe that God's Word is infallible, then you're only left with one option: John made this mistake intentionally. And sure enough, his use of arsen appears to come directly from the Septuagint version of Isaiah 66:7-8 where we see the same imagery of a woman in labor with a male child. Isaiah 66:8 gives the male child an unmistakable corporate identity - he is a nation born in a single day. 1 Peter 2:9 says the Church is a holy nation.

Third, Revelation 12:5 says that the male child "will rule all the nations with an iron scepter". This is an important clue. There is no question that this phrase relates to Christ as can be seen in Psalm 2:9 and Revelation 19:14-15. However, Revelation 2:26-27 unmistakably gives the promise to "rule with an iron scepter" to the Church, as well. There is no way to get around verse 27 - Christ, in union with His Church, will rule the nations with a rod of iron.

Fourth, the corporate identity of the male child preserves the symbolic pattern of Revelation 12: the woman is Mary and Israel, the dragon is satan and his kingdom, and the child is Christ and His Church.

Fifth, the use of harpazó in Revelation 12:5 is a huge clue. Harpazó is the same word used for "rapture" or "caught up" in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 and means a sudden removal by force. Jesus' ascension was never once described using this word and in fact the Apostle John himself (the author of Revelation) calls Jesus' ascension anabainó in John 20:17 - meaning to go up, ascend, or rise. When Jesus ascended to Heaven He had already conquered death and sin. He was in absolutely no danger from anyone. The Bible says He left not to escape satan, but because it was beneficial for the Church (John 16:7). There is simply no way to reconcile the context of Revelation 12:5, which is a sudden snatching away by force from the imminent danger of the dragon, with Jesus' ascension.

Sixth, Revelation 12 is significantly placed right in the middle of the book and is an interlude presenting a broad overview of Christ's first coming all the way up to the end of the Tribulation: Christ's birth, the gestation and birth of the Church, the war in Heaven, the rise of antichrist's kingdom (seven heads and ten horns), Israel being pursued by the dragon during the first-half of the Tribulation (Revelation 12:13), Israel being miraculously protected by God for the last-half of the Tribulation (Revelation 12:14), and even satan's pursuit of the Tribulation Saints once he realizes he can't touch the divinely protected Jews (Revelation 12:17).

Seventh, I firmly believe that the early Church was dispensational, premillennial, and pretribulational. However, with the rise of Augustinianism, the Church went through a 1,400-year hiatus where prophecy tended to be mistrusted and allegorized. The founders of modern dispensationalism who re-popularized the pre-trib rapture such as Darby and Ironside found Revelation 12:5 to actually be the chief proof-text of the pretribulational rapture of the Church. By the early 1900s, this proof-text was largely forgotten by pre-trib proponents and arguments in favor relied primarily on secondary evidence, which led to the rise of mid-trib, pre-wrath, and post-trib views in the Evangelical churches. I find it fascinating that around the same time the Revelation 12 Sign was first spotted using astronomy software (sometime in 2011 or 2012), a number of scholars, such as Michael Svigel, re-discovered the use of Revelation 12:5 as the chief pre-trib proof-text. The timing is impeccable.

In addition to the seven points above, there is an eighth piece of evidence, which is that the raptured child in Revelation 12:5 is called teknon, rather than huios.  Jesus was always called huios, which is the proper and honorable name for son, except on a single occasion when Mary found Jesus in the Temple at the age of 12.  It would be highly unusual and out-of-place for John to call Jesus teknon here, yet that is the exact word we see.  It is a more familiar, less honorable word.  Elsewhere John uses teknon to refer to us, the Church as the children of God (1 John 1:12, 3:1-2, 10).


7. The alignment in September is not unique because the sun and moon are in Virgo every year and Jupiter is in Virgo every 11 or 12 years.

At the heart of these attempts to disprove The Revelation 12 Sign is the argument that this alignment is really not anything special.  This is where I feel that Richardson, McHyde, Faulkner, and others are missing the mark.  The uniqueness and precision of the September alignment is its greatest strength.  It's not enough that the moon and sun are near Virgo once a year.  It's not enough that Jupiter passes through Virgo's womb every 11 or 12 years.  Every condition in the text has to be met and that's  what's unique about the alignment on September 23rd.

The woman must be clothed with the sun.

The woman must have the moon under her feet.

She must have a crown of exactly twelve stars.

She must be pregnant and give birth.  Pregnancies only happen in wombs and they last 37 to 44 weeks.  It's not enough for Jupiter to just pass through Virgo or retrograde nearby.  It needs to stay in her womb in a way that pictures a pregnancy.

There have now been three separate, extensive studies to see if this alignment has occurred before or will occur again to test the claim of September 23rd's uniqueness.  Scottie Clarke literally took 7,000 screenshots, one for each of the six thousand previous years and one for each of the next one thousand years and found no matches.  Mark Chiswell used an algorithm for a similar length of time and found no matches.

I ran across another study by John Bell that used a precise algorithm to find only those years where close matches occurred.  His study was even more extensive, ranging from 6000 BC to 4306 AD - a 10,305 year period!  He found only nine other close matches besides 2017 and none of them perfectly fit the text.

I've decided to put together a chart showing every close match or suggested match that I've run across in addition to Bell's matches to show you how incredibly unique and precise the alignment in September 2017 is.  I've personally investigated each claimed match to see which of the conditions they meet.  There are four essential conditions and I've added "Birth Before Labor" as a fifth, possible condition.  If our interpretation of Revelation 12:5, Isaiah 66, and Isaiah 26 is correct, then that also becomes an essential condition.

Moon under feet. In my investigation I discovered that having the moon under Virgo's feet is rarer than I first thought.  This actually does not happen every year unless you want to argue that the moon simply passing by the constellation is sufficient.  Because of the wobble of the moon's apparent path through the sky, in many years the moon is very far from Virgo's feet and when it crosses the imaginary line demarcating the bottom of her feet, it has actually left the constellation Virgo and entered the constellation Libra.  It's not anywhere near her feet.

Crown of 12 Stars. The crown of twelve stars was the most difficult condition to judge because of the frequent ambiguity.  September 2017 has the most perfect and clear alignment of the crown in this entire list, but other years arguably had a crown of twelve stars, too.  For example, 2705 BC at first glance looks like it only has ten stars, yet  if you look above Leo you'll see Mars and Venus.  Venus is closer to Cancer than it is to Leo, though.  To complicate things further, Saturn is right over Virgo's face near the sun.  It's not really on her head, so should it be counted?  To judge these ambiguous years I apply some reasonable rules.  The first is that a planet must be closer to Leo than Cancer to be counted.  The second is that close conjunctions of planets in Leo or close conjunctions with Regulus are maybes because it's unclear if they could be easily distinguishable from earth.  The third is that a planet must be near the top of Virgo's head or higher.

Pregnancy. The pregnancy condition, which Revelation 12:1-2 itself gives, was easy to judge.  I found this to be the condition that really makes September 2017 stand out.  Many times Jupiter undergoes retrograde before or after it passes Virgo's womb.  In these cases it passes right through in under two months.  Definitely not a pregnancy.  Other times it undergoes retrograde in Virgo's womb, but its retrograde path takes it very far outside the womb, so again - no pregnancy.  When I closely investigated each of these claimed alignments, I was actually able to eliminate the 3915 BC date, which I had previously suggested was a perfect match in other articles.  The baby is far outside the womb for half of the pregnancy!

Clothed in Sun. The sun passes by Virgo every year, so this is the one condition each claim met.

Birth Before Labor.  This condition was simply determined by Jupiter's presence inside or outside the four-star quadrangle that most consider to be Virgo's "womb" at the time of the claimed alignment.

From what I can tell, over a 10,000 year period, 2017 is the only year that fits the text.  That's pretty astounding if you think about it.  Leaving the fifth maybe condition aside, there were only three near-matches in over 10,000 years: 3974 BC, 3915 BC, and 2705 BC.

I want to finish this article with a couple of concerns that I have about some of my fellow watchmen in the Bible prophecy community.
 
First, when we started Unsealed seven years ago we held tentatively to the pre-wrath view of the rapture because that's where, at the time, we felt like the evidence led us.  It wasn't our pet theory.  We just wanted to study the Scriptures for ourselves and see what was true and what was false.  That was in the days when the ENP treaty, Javier Solana, and the WEU was all the rage.  Yet as the years went by and we studied diligently, our understanding of the Scriptural evidence led us in a very different direction.  When it comes to a non-salvific issue like eschatology, an area of study prone to much disagreement and ambiguity, it seems like Christians are far too quick to carve out personal territory and far too slow to respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, the Word, and other Believers' voices.  This is especially true of leaders in the community because they've often written books or tied their name to a theory.  Once they've made that internal commitment it seems that no amount of scrutiny or pleading from other Believers or the Word will change their opinion.
 
Consider the post-trib authors out there who are simultaneously making a living selling survival supplies or books.  Suggesting a different eschatological understanding might seem like an attack on their "territory", affecting even the living they make.  Yet if they do not have the heart of a Berean who daily studies to see which claims are true and which are false, then in effect they've inoculated themselves from truth.  If there is something unscriptural about one or more of their teachings then it becomes impossible for them to see it since they've already made the decision that whatever it is they're teaching is unchallengeable truth.  This is a dangerous path to walk.  Not only for them, but for their followers, as well.  
 
This doesn't just affect the post-trib side.  It can affect the pre-trib and even the "pan-trib" sides as well.  Pre-tribbers (like me) can be just as prone to carve out territory as anyone else.  Some have carved out the territory of "imminency" and defend it so profusely that they take it to such an extreme as to suggest that God Himself has yet to appoint a specific date for the rapture and second coming.  No signs of any kind precede the rapture they say.  Yet what about Israel's rebirth?  What about the conquest of Jerusalem?  Both of these things happened in our lifetimes and our parents' lifetimes and it seems plainly evident they had to happen before the Church is called home.  Certainly Jesus said "no man knows the day or the hour", but what was the context?  The rapture?  The second coming?  The end of the world one thousand years later?  An exegetical argument can be made for any of those three, yet Scriptures also say that for watching Christians the rapture or the second coming will not come as a thief or be a surprise (1 Thess. 5:1-4, Revelation 3:3, Matthew 24:42-44).
 
For pan-tribbers there is a certain line of thinking where only the unknown is considered Scriptural.  Christians and scholars disagree, so it's futile for me to pick a side or study more diligently myself.  What if that thought itself is untrue?  What if through more careful study of God's Word you can figure it out - or at least learn more about the topic?
 
My concern here is especially directed towards pastors and leaders of large or well-known ministries.  Don't just defend your territory.  Don't just play it safe.  Study God's Word as if it was the first time you opened the book.  Consider that even after years and years of study you might know less than you think.  Perhaps there's a greater reward in Heaven for diligent Scriptural study and humility then there is for Facebook followers and book sales.
 
Also, though we might be wrong in regards to the September sign and the other numerous things that seem to be converging this year, consider for just a moment the possibility we might be right and you didn't bother to even entertain the possibility.  You dismissed it out of hand for one reason or another without really handling the specific claims and interpretations we're making.  That's just astrology.  That's just gobbly-gook.  No man knows.  No different than any other failed prediction.
 
It seems like it's easy to say Jesus is coming soon in fuzzy ambiguity.  Not so easy to say He might possibly be appearing before a sleeping Church in four or five months or even sooner.
 
I'm careful to acknowledge that I and others are only speculating based on our fallible, human understanding of God's Word and I do not know the day or hour of the rapture or second coming.  That said, I also have eyes to see that many other Believers are independently seeing the same thing, including its Scriptural significance, and that would seem to make this a whole different ball game then Miller in 1844, Whisenant in 1988, Camping in 2011, or Cahn in 2015.

Second, I've been witnessing a disturbing trend where some individuals and ministries are profiting off of The Revelation 12 Sign.  Some have even plagiarized this very site because a lot of what is known about the sign is from Unsealed.  There are even some new ministries springing up with new books and DVDs to sell you.  Personally I find this heartbreaking.  It's one thing to solicit voluntary donations to support a ministry.  Pastors are paid through voluntary donations after all (tithes and collections).  It's another thing to take God's Word and sell it like a commodity.  I'm all for others using and sharing our materials.  I'm not even particularly concerned about credit.  I am concerned when what we intended to be shared freely with the Church and the world is repackaged and sold for profit.
 
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. - Matthew 10:8

I'm not the judge and I certainly don't know every individual's or ministry's motivation, but I think it's unscriptural and unbiblical to sell God's Word for a profit.  And for those considering purchasing their materials, I can assure you they are not offering you anything new.  You don't need their books and DVDs.  Everything you need to know about the upcoming sign you can learn for yourself by opening your Bible and reading what it says.
 
9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” 11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. 12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

20 Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God.
- Acts 8:9-21


Hats off to Scottie Clarke, Daniel Matson, Adam Fink, Jaco Prinsloo, Greg Lauer, our own Greg, Jeff E, Matt P, Barry Scarbrough, Steven Sewell and others for feeding the flock for free in wisdom and humility.  Let's continue to watch humbly, patiently, and prayerfully, not forgetting THE MISSION.  Let's also not forget to pray for discernment.  

If The Revelation 12 Sign does not occur in September, please LORD, show me now, because it doesn't seem to me that you've shown me yet.

Post A Comment

72 comments:

  1. As always, good job! Your reasoning to me is sound.

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    1. Thank you! I hope this was encouraging.

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  2. Bless YHWH, Gary, thanks for all your hard work! SCOTTIE REMARKED Isaiah 26:18: WE HAVE BROUGHT FORTH WIND = Ruah in the original ר֑וּחַ check it out for yourself we have brought forth ruah... as in ruah Ha Qodesh = the Holy Spirit. We have delivered the (Holy-)Spirit (filled body)!! Amen! so few love his appearing! So few are like the Magi in Matthew 2:10 ''When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.'' Glory to YHWH and Yeshua! Daniel.

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    1. MAY GOD BLESS YOU ABUNDANTLY FOR YOUR ELABORATE WORK in favour for the believers! Thank you LORD for showing me this webpage and blog. I am from Germany where I already seeked to wake up some brethren but most of them want to sleep in ignorance of the season coming. Sad.

      I like to mention here that from 9-23th September there are 14 days. The number 14 is 2 x 7 (completeness / fullness in creation) and is a very important number for Israel in the OT. Anyway I think that apart from this "birth to rapture discussion", God has given us enough additional information for the timing in 1 Corinthians 15,52 "at the time of the last trump" (at the Feast of Trumpets in New Moon period, when the 100. trump sounds - or would regularly sound if the feast was celebrated which it isn't today but traditionally joint with Rosh Hashanah in ignorance of scripture and lack of knowledge by the Jews).

      Thus, we can see it like from a Google maps viev focusing onto a specific point in time: from a heavenly sign to a Jewish feast date depicting the rapture to some exact time during that specific feast. I think this is not too hard to see how this clock works. Agreed? Blessings to you all!

      Corinna

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    2. Wonderful, Corinna. Thank you for the encouragement. And, wow! Another 9/23 confirmation. The birth of Jupiter on the 9th and the actual Rev. 12 alignment on the 23rd—9 and 23 :)

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  3. Great great article and renews my hope that this indeed is the great sign!

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  4. Thank you so much! I greatly appreciate the article - it addressed a lot of my concerns. This is a terrific resource.

    I have also heard the arguments for 'immanency', and although I believed it for a long time I have come to realize it can't possibly be true. In Revelation 2 and 3 the Lord gave John a series of letters to the churches. It's fairly well-established that those letters cover all of church history, from the apostolic era to the modern church. But stop and think - Christ gave John an overview of all of church history. That means that all of those letters must be fulfilled before the Rapture can happen; after all, once the church is gone there can be no more church history! Therefore there actually IS something that must happen before the Rapture. You simply cannot teach that we are in the era of Laodicea and hold to immanency at the same time. If we are in that era then that era had to happen before the Rapture, and that is the end of immanency.

    Regarding "no man knows": Paul said that the doctrine of the rapture was a "mystery". Arnold Frutchenbaum, in his excellent Footsteps of the Messiah, does a great job of demonstrating that "mystery" refers to a new doctrine that had never been revealed before. Therefore, when Jesus gave the Olivet Discourse He was not addressing the Rapture - that was still a sealed doctrine. Given that He talks about the abomination of desolation and His return after that event, it becomes clear Jesus is discussing the Second Coming, not the Rapture. It is true that in Acts 1:7 Jesus said it was not for His disciples to know the times and seasons - but after all of His disciples died except for the apostle John, the Lord came to John in order to give him a revelation of things that must shortly take place. What was once hidden doctrine was now being unsealed. Jesus has revealed to us a mystery that He did not even reveal to His apostles (except John, of course).

    Do scholars disagree? Of course - but scholars disagree about every verse in the Bible. Even among conservative scholars there is enormous disagreement on many topics. It is up to us to study the text to see what it has to say. I want to know the truth, whatever it might be.

    Concerning the charge of astrology: have people forgotten that there is precedent for using the stars to announce the coming of our Lord? Matthew 24:30 tells us that the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven before the Second Coming. The wise men were also led to the young child Jesus by way of the famous star of Bethlehem. If the Lord announced His birth by a sign in the heavens, and will announce His Second Coming at the end of the Tribulation by a sign in the heavens, it's not unreasonable to argue that the Rapture will also be heralded by a sign in the heavens. It fits the pattern.

    Can we know the date? Not really. The sign of the Son of Man appears *before* the Second Coming. The star of Bethlehem appeared to the wise men *after* His birth. One sign appeared before the event and one sign appeared after. Then you have Luke 4:17-21, where Jesus read from Isaiah and said that text was fulfilled in their hearing. Jesus quoted Isaiah 61:1-2 - but if you read that text you'll discover that Jesus stopped at a comma. Jesus proclaimed the acceptable year of the Lord, but the verse went on to mention the day of vengeance. Thanks to Jesus we know that the acceptable year of the Lord was fulfilled in His day - but the day of vengeance is still to come. Yet Isaiah 61:2 does not even hint that there's an enormous gap of time hidden in that verse! It is therefore impossible to rule out a gap of time between the sign of Revelation 12 and the Rapture. (I'm not saying there will be a gap; I'm just pointing out that we have no grounds for making definitive statements about the timing of the Rapture.)

    All we can do is watch - which is what the Lord commanded us to do in the first place.

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    1. "The star of Bethlehem appeared to the wise men *after* His birth. One sign appeared before the event and one sign appeared after.*

      You've piqued my curiosity...can you elaborate on this a bit? I'd always casually assumed there was one sign that appeared at the time of His birth, but I've never really studied it out.

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    2. Sure. Let's walk through the timeline. In Matthew 2:1-2, the wise men tell Herod that "we have seen his star in the east, and have come to worship him". They saw a star and traveled from their homeland to Jerusalem, which is where they mistakenly thought Jesus would be. Since they were most likely from Parthia, this journey could easily have taken a year or more. The wise men meet with Herod, who isn't sure where Jesus is, and then leave. How do they find the Lord? The star appears again brings them there:

      Matthew 2:9-10: "When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy."

      The star/heavenly sign that actually led them to the child, and showed them where He was staying at that time, most definitely appeared significantly after He was born. When we think of this story we tend to think of the initial sign, but that sign only led them to Jerusalem. It was the second one, after His birth, that brought them to Jesus.

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    3. Interesting. But couldn't the "star" mentioned in Matthew 2:9-10 be the same "star" that had been guiding them from the beginning? And I put quotes around "star" just because I personally am not convinced it was an ordinary star. I get that it took them many months to get to Bethlehem, but I have no idea what it was that was guiding them--in verses 1-2 OR verses 9-10. For example, in verses 9-10, I don't quite see how an ordinary star could guide someone to one specific dwelling. To me, that smacks of something supernatural, but I don't know. But it's very easy and natural for me to read this entire passage as if as if it were the same "star" in both mentions. For example, in both cases it's referred to as the star that they saw "in the east."

      Not going to be dogmatic about it, but I agree that it's worth looking at carefully.

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    4. But then again, if the same "star" was guiding them the whole way, why would they have needed to stop and ask King Herod anything? Maybe you have a point.

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    5. "But then again, if the same "star" was guiding them the whole way, why would they have needed to stop and ask King Herod anything?"

      Exactly. There's a lot of really odd things going on in this passage. The wise men apparently saw something from their homeland that told them Jesus had been born, but since they went to Jerusalem it must not have told them exactly where Jesus was. (These wise men were paying attention; if the star had said "Go to Bethlehem" I have no doubt they would have done so.) After going to Jerusalem and not finding Jesus there, they saw the star again and this time it led them to a specific house. That's why I thought it was two different sightings/signs. The second appearance was much more specific than the first one.

      Of course, that raises its own questions. How could a star possibly lead them to a specific house? I could see an angel doing that, or maybe a pillar of fire or something, but the passage calls it a star. It's very odd.

      The story of the wise men is something I covered in a sermon last year. There's so much more to it than people realize - the backstory and details tend to get missed. I've posted the sermon text on my blog here:

      http://stories.cyragon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/The-Wise-Men.pdf

      I enjoy delving into these sort of things - the Bible is an amazing book, full of unexpected wonders.

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    6. "Of course, that raises its own questions. How could a star possibly lead them to a specific house? I could see an angel doing that, or maybe a pillar of fire or something, but the passage calls it a star. It's very odd."

      It occurs to me that Angels are referred to as Stars in the Bible, so wouldn't that open up the possibility that an Angel of some sort guided the Wise Men to Jesus' birthplace?

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  5. Good stuff, Gary. I'm still chewing on some of it.

    BTW: "Consider the post-trib authors out there who are simultaneously making a living selling survival supplies or books."

    I'm chalking that up as another little confirmation:

    http://www.alittlestrength.com/articles/2016/1606-thieves.htm

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    1. Greg, just got finished reading "den of thieves." I pray many more read your excellent and thorough exposure of those who are robbing Christians of the "blessed hope."

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    2. Great article! Will likely be sharing this soon.

      And if anyone is wondering, I wrote what I quoted before reading your article (:

      I definitely think you can chalk it up as a confirmation.

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    3. Thank you. Incidentally, I just listened to Jan Markell's broadcast over at Olive Tree Ministries, and her guest was Rev. Billy Crone, pastor of a big Baptist church in Las Vegas.

      It's so egregious...both were wringing their hands over this spurious REV12 sign nonsense, with Billy Crone making the case that we're engaging in astrology.

      Yes. Astrology.

      He tossed in most of the usual straw men, but that was a new one. And Jan just chimed right in with him every step of the way.

      I am literally speechless at the depths mainstream ministers are stooping to just to trash the REV12 sign...ministers I love and respect.

      It's heartbreaking.

      http://www.olivetreeviews.org/news/headlines/item/

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    4. I have followed Jan's site for a while now. I'm also saddened to hear this. I haven't listened to her most recent broadcast yet...I almost don't want to, precisely because I don't want to cringe. Thank you for sharing.

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    5. Oops. That was me. I was using my "smart" phone.

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    6. It's you, Greg! We can both lament together now...

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  6. Great Article! A quick comment on "clothed in the sun". As a wedding and engagement photographer I "clothe people in the sun" all the time. Where do photographers put the sun to do this? The neck, head and shoulder area. The location of the sun in the Revelation 12 sign looks perfect to me!

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    1. Amen! Picture perfect at the golden hour.

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  7. Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. Isaiah 66:7

    Possibly she has no pain in this birth (of the church/believers) because the curse God placed on Eve in Genesis 3:16 is now removed/lifted?

    Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. Genesis 3:16

    and
    5) Virgo is not clothed with the sun on September 23, 2017.
    It makes sense the Revelation 12 woman is clothed with the sun. And that the sun appears to be on or just above her shoulder. Think about it - our clothes hang from our shoulders. The "clothed with the sun" ouftit seems to be gathered or clasped at the shoulder, golden, brilliant raiment cascading, flowing down over her chest, pregnant tummy, hips, thighs, legs ... seems one could easily visualize this.

    Thanks, June P

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    1. Nice! Thank you for the additional information and confirmation.

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    2. Wow great find. I may have to include one of these images in an article.

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  11. Also the Christ angle that appears only at this time in history. Takes place at the Giza pyramids which do not appear to be built by the Egyptians as they don't have anything on or in them that the others do and the Sphinx appears to have been chiseled down from a lion head to the pharoah face. See here for article: http://watchfortheday.org/signsoftheend/giza.html

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  12. Well done, brother. Let's keep defending what God has unsealed. It's a shame that some are calling "not-so-great" what God's word says is "great" (Rev. 12:1).

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  13. such a well written post covering something sooo outta this world,...Glory to God in the Highest! Set your controls for the heart of the Son! so be it, amen. / tony in vt. i give thanks

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  14. Invitation to the brethren to go and get the poster for the International Day of Peace... 21 september 2017.
    One look and your heart will rejoice greatly:

    It shows ''birds'' flying away into some clouds,
    while people on earth cover their heads with their arms,
    in a wave that moves from green to red; with the motto:

    ''together for PEACE - respect SAFETY and dignity for all ''

    GLORY TO YHWH IN THE HIGHEST! and His love and blessings on the brethren.
    Daniel Anonymous.

    PAGE
    http://www.un.org/en/events/peaceday/

    POSTER
    web link: http://www.un.org/en/events/peaceday/pdf/IDP_2017_Web
    print link : http://www.un.org/en/events/peaceday/pdf/IDP_2017_Print

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    1. Interesting theme for a peace day that comes 2 days before the Rev 12 sign. Reminds me of 1 Thessalonians 5:3- 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.

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  15. its all too much! \o/ its time to ''take it UP'',...tony in vt

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    1. Tony - I loved talking to you tonight. I loved sharing our child like faith and wonder at the soon coming of our blessed hope. Blessings my friend - Greg

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  16. [img]http://i.imgur.com/1i84ULb.jpg[/img]

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  17. Another important point to consider: This sign can be deemed more trustworthy than prior "predictions" because at the foundation of this sign a communication method which is more sure. By more sure, I mean this: God uses two uncorruptable sources of information to make this sign known to us.
    1. The Word of God
    2. The heavens

    Both of these, in their original form are pure and true, direct from God, free from man's and Satan's influence. The stars and planets are outside of our influence completely, we can only observe and study them, nobody BUT GOD could set their path or even adjust it in the slightest. And the word of God is true in its original text as proven conclusively over the last 2000 years for anyone who dares look at it objectively. He has preserved it for all to see, even down to providing countless original manuscripts as evidence.

    So I beleive this sign has more weight because of this, the method of communication used is beyond corruption. Yes, Satan has attacked the stars with the courtfeit Astrology and Horoscope garbage, and because of that many believers are apprehensive to even look at the stars. But attacks have never stopped against the word of God either... But we know in their original form it is pure truth. These attacks are counterfeits and only point to valuable nature of the true from (as nobody counterfeits things that aren't valuable). Satan has been trying to district and hide the truth from us since the beginning, I believe he has attempted this for the stars through the deception of astrology as well. We must be sure we remove this veil from others when sharing this sign.

    In closing, our Great Father has wisely transmitted this great sign using two uncorrupted sources of information... His Word and the heavens.... and the connection between the two must be made within each of us just like any matter of faith. Are we willing to open ourselves up to The Spirit who will lead us to all truth? Are we willing to plainly believe the evidence which we are seeing and reading with our own eyes? If we do.... then are will willing to double our efforts to share the good news with others while there is still time? The wise men crossed the desert for a King they never met, are we willing to cross our streets to share our blessed hope with our neighbors and bring honor and glory to our King who has saved our souls?

    -Brad

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    1. another aspect to your post: God requires two witnesses. here we have His Word and the heavens He created as witnesses.

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  18. If you read a little more of Isaiah 66 it might interest everyone that the birth occurs on the side....

    Isaiah 66:12-13 For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

    Just saying...

    Sometimes I can be a real cut up. I hope you guys will see my side.

    Btw, someone else was pierced on the side. If you know what I'm talking about.

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  19. Thanks Gary for another good article. I laugh now how I worked hard on the Great Pyramid Sign of September 20, 2017 back in 2006 and failed to look three days forward. But that was good, because we don't want a one man show and we all needed to work it out and eventually come together on this. I just hope that more are able to see what is literally staring them down from the sky every night leading up to September 23rd or read what is in print in millions of Bibles across the world.

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  20. What an excellent article. The research has been done and done well. This is all so HUGE and real... All glory to the Most High for weaving this beautiful pattern! Thanks for the mention but as you know, we are but servants doing our part.

    Love,

    Adam Fink

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  21. Superb job once again Gary! Thanks for your diligence in searching the Scriptures and for your humility about this whole matter. I think your analysis and careful exegesis of the Word of God are right on. It all fits together perfectly.

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  22. This is a great article. added more to things i knew, and gave great back up and rebuttal evidence. I did not think at all about Isaiah 66 born before giving birth. ive always seen it as in 1947/8 israel becoming a nation in a day. Thanks again for great work here.

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  24. Let's agree that Revelation 12 does address the church in the Rapture. Being a good Berean I've thoroughly researched this for myself and agree. Also, being a staunch Pretribulation Rapture believer, I am and have been looking for several years and was always encouraged by the work of Scottie Clarke. I am laboring here lately to wake up the Rosh Hashana only group to also look at Pentecost. Rosh Hashana is not a harvest festival and is strictly dealing with Judgement, therefore I strongly believe Rosh Hashana will be fulfilled during the later part of the soon coming Tribulation after we're removed here shortly. If we go through this PENTECOST And we're still here, I will look at Rosh again, but be even more excited about Pentecost. A note on Steven Sewell. I've sent him several emails. He has recently been taking scripture way, way out of context like his Matthew 21 video by replacing 1st Century Israel with Pastors and Bible scholars that don't buy into his alpha omega time line ridiculously concocted eschatology. Steven Sewell is operating out there on the fringe without proper peer evaluation. Enough said. But, We who are earnestly watching are super excited. I think it safe to say, we know we're going home soon. Praise God! Hallelujah! Rejoice! Maranatha!

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  25. Gary. Another note, this is my 1st visit to your Blog. I'm really impressed with your clarity and through research on this very sensitive subject
    . There is no doubt, the Revelation 12 Astrological sign can not be dismissed. Any good Berean knows Scripture is clear that the Heavenly Bodies are clearly signs by design, given by our Heavenly Father. Since I believe The 49 Barley Harvest Omer up to Pentecost is a very high Rapture watch window, then subsequently, September 23 Rosh Hashana could very well be a marker for the mid trib event as Revelation 12:6 clearly points out.

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  26. Gary, you need a 50 pt font text at the bottom that says "Mic Drop". Wow that was amazing.

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    1. Lol (:

      Glad you liked it. Share it if you can!

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  27. This is interesting:
    Theodor Herzl wrote in his diary (September 3, 1897):
    “Were I to sum up the Basel Congress in a word - which I shall guard against pronouncing publicly - it would be this: At Basel I founded the Jewish State. If I said this out loud today l would be greeted by universal laughter. In five years perhaps, and certainly in fifty years, everyone will perceive it."

    So, as in the days of Noah: 120 year ago
    Noah went into the ark: 7 days later the rain came
    Sep 3rd + 7 days (3,4,5,6,7,8,9) = September 9th!!!!!!!!!! (Jupiter crosses the line)

    Does who knows is this fuzzy math or coincidence? Could 3rd-9th be the 7 days grace period?

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  28. This Orion ribbon looks like a red serpent:

    http://earthsky.org/todays-image/ribbon-ammonia-orion-molecular-cloud

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    1. Has anyone noticed that Saturn (Satan?) has been 'stuck' (restrained) in Ophiuchus (the 'Restrainer' of Serpens?) during the September time window?

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  29. Mercury also does a 3 loop around regulus starting in July. Mercury is known as the messenger planet. Also Jupiter made the same exact 3 loop around regulus at the time of Yeshua's birth before it meets up with venus to make a huge bright star then goes retrograde for the magi.

    Also the great american eclipse sits right on regulus the kimg star and it happens on Elul. That is 40 days from the day of atonement. Same EXACT pattern happened to Ninevah at the time of Jonah. They also had an eclipse, total solar. God is speaking and few are hearing!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Thank you for this exhaustive defense of the Rev. 12 star sign. It can get discouraging to read the critics. Thanks to this blog, every criticism can be countered.

    I am and always have been in the PreTrib camp but one thing that has me scratching my head is this:

    From the date of the first Blood Moon on April 15, 2014 to September 23, 2017 is 1260 days or 3.5 years. Rev. 12:5 tells us The Woman will flee to the wilderness for 1260 days or 3.5 years.

    Do you have any insight into this?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a good question. One thing I noticed is that its not actually 1260 days between the first Blood Moon and 9/23. It's actually 1257 days. Close, but not 1260: https://www.timeanddate.com/date/durationresult.html?m1=4&d1=15&y1=2014&m2=9&d2=23&y2=2017

      I do think there are many types and shadows though, but the Trib has clearly not started just yet.

      Delete
  31. Thank you for this article. It is most helpful in explaining our position and stands as an excellent and open invitation to self-examination of Scripture. I started studying the Sign almost a year ago and found it quite by accident. It was during a study of Rick Larson's Star of Bethlehem that I made the connections and started to see the patterns of evidence.

    Most telling to me are the specific ways in which the sign follows Levitical law and is aligned with the Sabbaths (specifically Shabbat Shuba). Let us not forget the first Sabbath of the New Year that floats between Feast of Trumpets/Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. Sabbath Return is often called the Sabbath of Repentance, but repentance and return are two different words in the Hebrew. Unless I am mistaken, please explore this for yourself, Shabbat Shuba better translates as "Sabbath of her return" as "shuba" translates as "She is returning". (Note feminine usage)

    As a pastor I find it important to study this sign and how all of The Law and Prophets frame it. Does it hold up to scrutiny? What does the Holy Spirit tell us? How do we pray for clarity and wisdom in this? What is our response as a church?

    I would challenge each of us to respond in Love. Love is the Commandment and Love is the Command from our LORD. Sign or no sign, we are commanded to first and foremost love the Lord God and love others as we love ourselves with a love that we ourselves hope to receive. This is all the Law and the Prophets. I would challenge each of us to respond in love by being EXTRA diligent in spreading encouragement, living our faith and sharing Christ with all me meet.

    I have been blessed seeing the conversion of an atheist this past week. One more family aboard the Ark! This is our mission as time grows short. As I teach and tell my flock, we are not promised tomorrow. We are not promised an hour from now. We only have this moment; live it in awe and adoration of the One who gives so freely the water of life!

    The command of the Great Commission still stands. Even more urgent is the day that we diligently reach out to those who yet may be saved; even if for no more reason than God loved us so much He sent others to share the Gospel with us. This much at least we owe to those who have yet to hear the Gospel in their heart. This should be the centre of it all for us; breaking the chains of bondage and freeing the slaves through an intimate and personal revelation and confession of Jesus Christ!

    I have come to independent agreement with the findings in this website and continue to explore the sign in context of all of Scripture and find comfort in the precision of the Word and knowledge of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

    Pastor Rich Faulkner

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Rich,

      Love is the key and I haven't always been loving, but I know God gives grace. It's a hard balance to walk because I want other pastors and churches to realize this is serious and unlike anything Christians have seen before. This on an entirely different level than Y2K, the Mayan Calendar, or Harold Camping.

      Glad to hear from a pastor who is leading his flock to the Word and not "playing it safe".

      Delete
  32. Here's a piece of encouragement I was shown this past Sunday:

    "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."

    (Hebrews 10:23-25 NKJV)

    We can also understand the word "exhorting" to be "encouraging". Thank you LORD for encouraging me and confirming your calling to us in these days leading up to the Day.

    Love like there's no tomorrow!


    Pastor Rich

    ReplyDelete
  33. One more note:

    IIRC, Jupiter is in retrograde in Virgo for 44-weeks? (Correct?) If so, then each trimester is equal to 14-2/3 weeks or 7+7+.667 (I've terminated the repeating remainder at the third decimal).

    The number 14 may be rendered as יד in Hebrew. יד is also Hebrew for "hand". One lesson I teach is on the significance of the number six in Hebrew. Six is signified by the letter ו. Vav as it is known was originally fashioned after a tent peg in ancient Hebrew. A tent peg, nail or spike. We all know the number of man is six. Thus how many spikes (Vav) were used to nail our Lord to the cross?

    So I can see a hand full of vav or sixes or Christ crucified. I could also see reference to a name (man) written on the palm of a hand. Hmm, where have I read that before?! :)

    Look-up Strong's 1466 and this is what you'll find: (Greek Feminine Noun) egkrateia: mastery, self-control; (Hebrew Feminine Noun) gevah: lifting-up, confidence, pride

    1466 egkráteia (from 1722 /en, "in the sphere of" and 2904 /krátos, "dominion, mastery") – properly, dominion within, i.e. "self-control" – proceeding out from within oneself, but not by oneself.

    For the believer, 1466 /egkráteia ("self-control, Spirit-control") can only be accomplished by the power of the Lord. Accordingly, 1466 /egkráteia ("true mastery from within") is explicitly called a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:23).

    Just thought I would share some of the looks that I have taken at this part of the sign.

    PR

    ReplyDelete
  34. Gary (the author I presume?),

    How will we know if you are wrong about this?

    Thanks,
    -Dustin

    ReplyDelete
  35. Hello,

    I appreciate your article. I can tell that proper interpretation of scripture and prophecy is a passion of yours. It is a new passion of mine, and although I am still digging into your entire article and your other article on the Revelation 12 sign, something caught my eye that seemed "off":

    You mention that Isaiah 66:7-8 may have parallels to the birth of Israel in 1948. I believe it's a little more that that:

    On the evening of May 14, 1948, at 4pm, the member of the People's Council in Israel signed the proclamation and the declaration was made that, "The State of Israel is established. This meeting is adjourned!" Israel not only became a nation, but also was brought forth as a nation in one day.

    I'd like to mention that the fulfillment of the passage is also notated by Ken Johnson, TH.D., author of "Ancient Prophecies Revealed".

    Of course there are such things as Typological or Duel-Purpose Prophecies, so we can't rule out that it's prophetic for another time in history as well.

    I am a notice at Bible prophecy, but I interpret the verse in the following manner:
    -Israel is born in 1948. This is the "birth" of the final generation that Jesus speaks about in Matthew 24.
    -We know the end of the final generation will be experiencing labor pains, that will increase in frequency just prior to the Great Tribulation.
    -Do you suppose the passage is speaking of the birth of Israel PRIOR to the final generation's labor pains? Or am I off-basis in this notion of thought?

    Thank you, I appreciate your work!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous, keep in mind the UN declaration in November 1947 was after the new Jewish New year for 1948 had started, so Israel's declaration in May of 1948 was actually in the same Jewish year that the UN declaration was made.

      Delete
  36. Happy Birthday to Jupiter! September 9, 2017. I took some screen shots from Sky Guide...Mercury is in conjunction with Regulus right now (8:45pm Eastern) and accompanied by Mars and Venus.

    Beautiful!

    PR

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The guy in this video is saying that something else occurred with Jupiter today
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoMQmLsQiXE

      Delete
  37. If the baby is born around September 9th then presumably it is snatched away to God's throne soon after that time.
    So what is the dragon waiting for on September 23rd?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The point I'm making is not 'where' is the dragon on September 23, but why should you be even expecting the dragon to be waiting near the woman on that date?

      Rev. 12 says that the woman is pregnant- and the dragon is waiting for her to give birth so that he can eat her child.
      But the woman in the stellar alignment of September 23 is no longer pregnant, she's given birth some time ago, on the 9th or 10th of September.

      So it's only until that time -September 9th or 10th-that the dragon would have been waiting for the woman to give birth.
      Maybe that's when people should have been looking for him.

      Delete
  38. Has anyone suggested that on September 23, 2017 the constellation Leo will be rising just before dawn in Jerusalem followed by Virgo just as the sun is rising thus "clothing" Virgo from sight? I'm not sure if this is relevant to the "experts" scoffing about the sun just being upon the shoulder of Virgo...or what? Does the sun have to completely cover the constellation from the neck down? I'm not sure where those badmouthing the sun on the shoulder being seen as "clothing" Virgo support their argument against Virgo being "clothed"???? Of course, there's the "expert" Dr. Danny...this guy spouts off a barrage of half-facts and he expects people to support his argument?...why?...because he's got a Phd in Astronomy??? Whoopie do! I've got 4 degrees in the sciences with a Masters in Medial Biochemistry and for the life of me I can't figure out why anyone in his/her right mind would listen to someone like that guy?...definitely unimpressed with his "impeccable" background in Bible Prophesy...but apparently he does know how to use a big telescope!...cool!

    ReplyDelete
  39. Gary,
    I commend you for your honesty; you freely admit that your ideas of timing may or may not conform with God's timing which of course must be paramount. Also, I understand perfectly your frustration with those who refuse to address specific points.
    I wish I had found Unsealed much earlier - I have only come upon it in the last couple of weeks. Still, it is "just in time" for 9/23. I was one who was convinced that the male child in the sign was Jesus and could be no other. However, reading your explanations has convinced me that the male child must be the church. What convinced me more than anything was the word "harpazo". Clearly this refers to the church!
    My mind reels at the tantalizing possibilities - will 9/23 (or 24) see the Rapture? The End of the Age? The beginning of the Tribulation? Or will some other famous prophecy see fulfillment: Gog/Magog perhaps?
    Thank you for your efforts. You have done a great work here and in my opinion you have done it honorably.
    - Robert

    ReplyDelete


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