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Church of the Firstborn (Part II): The Early Risers



After a catastrophic fall from glory while in the Garden of Eden, we have been trying scratch and claw our way back to the stars ever since. Though we are made of the dust and will return there upon physical death (Gen. 3:19; Ps. 103:14-16), this "limitation" hasn't prevented mankind from ascending to great heights and trying to attain godhood by any means necessary. The image of God in man may have been marred and disfigured at the Fall, but our inherent dignity and worth remains to this day and keeps us yearning and searching for paradise lost.

Tragically, in the age-old quest for eternal glory, some have tried to build their own stairway to heaven, only to miss the mark yet again (Gen. 11:4). Others, however, have waited patiently for God's own ladder to come down and bridge the gap for them (Jn. 1:51; cf. Gen. 28:12, 16-17).

One faithful shepherd-king reflects on the opening chapters of Genesis, our special place in YHWH's plan, and the enduring hope of heavenly glory:

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings [Heb. elohim] and crowned him with glory and honor (Psalm 8:3-5, ESV).

A young David, pleasantly tired after keeping his flock all day, glances up at the night sky and ponders the immense honor and authority the sons of Adam wield over the rest of this earthly realm. A child of the suburb can have the same experience today once he gets away from all the smog and light pollution, looks up, and asks himself, "Who am I, and what is my purpose?"

Years ago, I recall one such child of the suburb, a broken young man (yours truly), who was being drawn by the LORD as he looked up at the stars and wondered in his heart, "Is there a God, and does He care about me?"

Thankfully, the One who created the stars and gave them a place and a name (Isa. 40:26) also had me in mind when He sent His one and only Son into the world to die for the sins of all mankind. Little did I know then, not only was I individually chosen to be saved, but I was also baptized by the Holy Spirit into a collective group—the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12-13; Eph. 4:4). After further exploration and study, I discovered that the future is exceedingly bright for the members of Christ's body, and now it is my desire that more of my brothers and sisters comprehend and appreciate our gracious escape from worldwide judgment and the glory to come.

My aim for the "Church of the Firstborn" series is to explain and defend an exclusive privilege granted to the Church, the body of Christ: We are a part of a select group among the redeemed of all ages who will be the first to rise up from the earth before the Day of the LORD and the start of Daniel's 70th week (a.k.a. the future 7-year Tribulation period). See Part I (here).

The goal of this particular post will be to verify the intent and meaning of Revelation 2:28: The gift of the morning star to Christ's ruling body, the Church. What is "the morning star"? And how should we interpret this verse within the context of chapters 2–3 and in light of the book as a whole?


A Place Among the Stars

Before we launch into Revelation 2:28, let's ground ourselves in the first-century context. Instead of treating every astronomical reference in the Bible (e.g. Rev. 12:1-2!) with a post-Enlightenment, heliocentric lens, we need to take seriously the way that the original readers and hearers would have viewed and understood the words being communicated.

Another hurdle we must overcome is the over-allegorization of Scripture, or, in other words, always searching for an ethereal, esoteric, and elusive meaning when the plain sense is right under our noses. Oftentimes, our commentaries and church traditions bypass the literal/historical referent in favor of a more "spiritual" or "heavenly" interpretation. Even if a heavenly/spiritual meaning for the word "star" is explicitly revealed (cf. Rev. 1:20; 9:1-2; 22:16), we can still have a "both/and" in play because of texts like Hebrews 8:5; 9:23, which affirm the existence of earthly "copies of the heavenly things." As always, context is crucial.

Though we are far removed from the first-century today, the salvo of end-time signs in the sky (i.e. "heaven," Lk. 21:11, 25) that has aligned in this decade has resulted in the rediscovery of an ancient lost art. Interpreting YHWH's astronomical messaging can be accomplished now with a Bible and a computer, and the corrupted use of the constellations has been reclaimed and proclaimed, not by the experts so much, but mainly from the unknowns and the amateurs:

For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will set aside the understanding of the experts.' Where is the philosopher? Where is the scholar? Where is the debater of this age? Hasn't God made the world's wisdom foolish? (1 Cor. 1:19-20, HCSB).

Like the ancient magi who scoured the heavens nightly, kept meticulous records, and clearly understood that the arrival of the King of the Jews had come (see Gary's post: God's Calendar), here we are in these last of the last days looking at the same sky and confidently expecting the King's return in our own generation.

Moreover, the world today is filled with reports of the King's arrival much like it was in the era of the BC/AD turning point. It's not merely believers who live under the specter of His return, the religious and non-religious alike are inundated with news about the coming of Christ as major media outlets consistently cite end-times prophecy (usually with a heaping scoop of sarcasm and scorn).

Sadly, not much has changed. The first-century world also had its fair-share of true and "fake news." Yes, it was indeed the appointed time for Messiah's arrival (Dan. 9:25; Gal. 4:4-5); however, the "secular media" also had to chime in and muddy the waters. For example, aside from the faithful and true biblical records, there were two notable Roman historians who anticipated the arrival of a king (or series of kings) that would come from Judea to rule the world:

(1) Tacitus, writing circa AD 105, acknowledges a "mysterious prophecy" that concerned the rise of "men from Judea" who would possess and rule the world (see Histories, 5:13)

(2) Suetonius, writing circa AD 119, adds that this oracle/prophecy was widespread throughout the empire, "There had spread over all the Orient an old and established belief, that it was fated at that time for men coming from Judea to rule the world" (The Lives of the Caesars, "Vespasian," 4:5).

And, let's not forget about the famous Jewish historian, Josephus, who apparently under pressure from his captor-benefactor conveniently appropriated biblical prophecy about Israel's Messiah to exalt Rome rather than Home:

But now, what did most elevate them in undertaking this war, was an ambiguous oracle that was also found in their sacred writings, how, 'about that time, one from their country should become governor of the habitable earth.' The Jews took this prediction to belong to themselves in particular, and many of the wise men were thereby deceived...this oracle certainly denoted the government of Vespasian*, who was appointed emperor in Judea...these men [the Jews] interpreted some of these signals according to their own pleasure, and some of them they utterly despised, until their madness was demonstrated, both by the taking of their city and their own destruction (Jewish Wars, 6.312-15, emphasis mine).

*Vespasian rose to power as emperor of Rome just before Titus overthrew Jerusalem and destroyed the temple in AD 70.

So, you see, even the first-century mainstream news outlets had caught wind of messianic prophecy, but it was the low-key magi who correctly interpreted the signals in the sky (Matt. 2:1-2). The rise of a bright star from the East, we know to be Jesus (Num. 24:17); however, the rest of the world at that time revered the Roman emperors as gods and believed that these men returned to the heavens and took their place among the stars after they died. Hence, Vespasian is recorded to have said at his death:

Woe is me, I think I'm becoming a god! (Suetonius, "Vespasian," in the Lives of the Caesars, 23:4).

In short, the first-century recipients of the book of Revelation—the seven churches located in the heart of the Roman empire—had at least a minimal understanding of the stars and their importance to world events. And this belief of going back to the stars at death had a name. It's called a catasterism (noun), or in the Greek verbal form: katasterizo, which literally means, "to place among the stars" (source).

All things considered, including the corrupted view of the constellations and their Creator, the Greeks and Romans weren't too far off when it came to looking up at the stars and longing for heavenly glory. I've already quoted David in Psalm 8, but also take a look at Daniel 8:10; 12:3; Matthew 22:30 (cf. Mark 12:25); 1 Cor. 15:40-41; Philippians 2:15; Jude 13 (negatively, "wandering stars"); and, of course, Revelation 1:20.

The literal expanse of lights above our heads is often used as an analogy, or illustration, for a "heavenly" or unseen reality, and in a very real sense, perfected believers in Christ will one day be radiant and glorious just like the shining stars in the sky. Elohim, angels, heavenly beings—these lofty descriptions are common in Scripture, but it can be difficult for many Christians to think of themselves as "angels" and, yes, elohim (emphasis on the little "e").


Nevertheless, in regard to the book of Revelation, I believe the "angels" of the seven churches were actual human beings, perhaps, a bishop or an elder, who had been given the divine descriptor as an already-but-not-yet reality, much like the other dignified titles for believers throughout Scripture such as "saints/holy ones" and "sons of God" (cf. Rom. 8:14-17; Gal 3:26; 4:6; Eph. 1:1; Php. 1:1).

The genuine believers among the seven churches were facing serious pressure to compromise, and if you've been walking with the Lord for any length of time, you have also encountered some form of persecution. In the midst of heavy fire from the enemy, Jesus offers several incentives to those who have ears to hear and have their sights set on heaven.

And so, with a first-century frame of mind, let's address the text in question...


The Morning Star in Scripture

After Christ offers the overcoming Church the authority to rule over the nations in Rev. 2:26-27, which is the same divine right and responsibility given to Jesus by His Father (cf. Ps. 2:7-9), the Son of God then adds:

And I will give him the morning star (Rev. 2:28, ESV).

The Greek phrase ton astera ton proinon, "the morning star," doesn't have an exact word-for-word parallel elsewhere in Scripture. However, there are key passages in the Bible that help us to gain a better understanding of the inner-biblical use of this term. Ton astera is the noun, "the star," and ton proinon, commonly translated "morning," is the modifying adjective.

Just to be thorough, here is a definition of the adjective proinos from the Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (BDAG):

Pertaining to the early morning, early, belonging to the morning... (pg. 892).

Therefore, another nuanced definition of proinos is "early." It is the "early/morning" star that is promised to the overcoming Church. The most logical cross-reference to 2:28 is Rev. 22:16, where Christ says in the same book that He is "the Bright Morning Star" (Grk. ho aster ho lampros ho proinos, and literally translated, "the star the bright the morning"). As you can see, there is the same modifying adjective: "early/morning" + the same noun: "star," but there is also an added modifier: "bright." Naturally, one would assume that this sets Jesus apart from the rest of the morning stars—He is the brightest of the bright!

There are three key passages that shine further light on the early/morning star: Job 38:4-7; Isaiah 14:12-13, and 2 Pet. 1:19.

(1) Job 38:4, 7:

Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth...when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (ESV).

The phrases in bold emphasize the parallelism in verse 7: The morning stars are the same as "the sons of God," which is a reference to God's heavenly creatures (also known as angels, or elohim). Verse 4 is included because it provides an important contextual detail: The morning stars sing as the LORD creates a new realm, our realm. This is Genesis 1:1 territory.

Verse 7 in the LXX (Greek version) reads a little differently, "When the stars came into being, all of my angels praised me with a great voice" (cited from The Lexham English Septuagint). Thus, the "stars" in the first clause are the inanimate heavenly bodies created on Day 4 (cf. Gen. 1:14-19), and the "angels" in the second clause, who have already been created, are the living, divine beings that the stars symbolize and represent.

(2) Isaiah 14:12-13:

Shining morning star*, how you have fallen from the heavens! You destroyer of nations, you have been cut down to the ground. You said to yourself: 'I will ascend to the heavens; I will set up my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of the gods' assembly, in the remotest parts of the North (HCSB).

*Also translated, "Day Star, son of the dawn." And just as an aside, the asterisk * comes from the Greek word asteriskos, meaning "little star!" 

Not content with his gracious standing as a guardian cherub in the council of YHWH, the once brilliant morning star fell from the highest heaven and will one day find himself in the deepest, darkest pit forever (cf. Ezek. 28:11-19; Lk. 10:18; Rev. 20:1-2, 10).

The LXX translation of verse 12 is intriguing and worthy of our attention, "How the dawn-bringer, who rises early, fell from the sky; the one who sends to all the nations was crushed into the earth" (LES). In the phrase, "[the one] who rises early," we find the root word proi (early/morning) which forms the prefix to the adjective in Rev. 2:28, morning star. The term rises [Grk. anatello] is the same verb found in our next key passage, 2 Pet. 1:19, and is defined, "to move upward above the horizon, rise, spring up, dawn" (BDAG, pg. 73).

Finally, the term translated "dawn-bringer" in the LXX is the Greek word phosphorus, meaning "light-bringer/bearer" (hence, the Latin-Vulgate/KJV translation for Isa. 14:12, "Lucifer"). This is not the same Greek word found in Rev. 2:28 (astera), but the two terms are synonymous nonetheless.

Now think about the implications of this passage in Isaiah. Satan, our chief enemy, who once held the prestigious honor and title of "morning star," has to be absolutely infuriated by Jesus' words to the Church in Revelation 2:28. At the time of the resurrection/rapture of the Church, there will be a role-reversal as the body of Christ is lifted up and glorified while Satan and the rest of the fallen stars will be thrown down to earth (cf. Rev. 12:5, 7-9).


Afterwards, like the morning stars mentioned in Job 38, the newly-glorified Church will join the chorus of God's heavenly creatures to sing a new song before the dawn of the kingdom and new creation on earth (cf. Rev. 4–5; 11:16-18; 19:1-8)!

(3) 2 Peter 1:19:

So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts (NASB).

The term often translated "morning star" is phosphorus (cf. Isaiah 14:12, LXX), and this is a word that is often associated with the planet Venus in Greco-Roman literature (found in Plato, Plutarch, Cicero, etc., BDAG, pg. 1073).

Some folks needlessly stumble over the fact that both Christ and Satan are referred to by the title "morning star," and the Mormons certainly take the association too far. However, the confusion is easily cleared up once you read the whole counsel of God and conclude that Jesus is not a mere creation, but co-equal with the Father in nature (e.g. Jn. 10:30; 17:5; Php. 2:6). For a more in-depth discussion, please see Michael Heiser's article, "The Morning Star."

Thus, the contrast between the "morning stars," Jesus and Satan, is stark—a night and day difference. One says in his heart, "I will exalt myself" (Satan), and the other says, "I will humble myself" (Jesus).

Heiser's summation of the morning star reference in 2 Peter 1:19 highlights the imminent re-appearing of Christ and the subsequent exaltation of believers:

Because all believers are in Christ and he is [in] them, they will be resurrected to rule and reign with him, and they will receive the new body promised through the guarantee of the Spirit. Peter's 'in your hearts' idea is communicating something like 'until this hope rises in you'—until you see the blessed hope dawning (brackets and emphasis mine, see the link above for the source).

Hmmm...that also sounds like another well-known Rapture verse—one that affirms the deity of Christ and the longing of those who watch and wait for him:

[We are] looking for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13, NASB).

All in all, through these three passages, we have seen "the morning star" used in reference to divine beings (holy angels), Satan (now a fallen angel), and the re-appearing of Christ (who is above all and distinguished as the Bright Morning Star – Rev. 22:16). Also, in the context of Isaiah 14:12 (LXX), we have the concept of one who rises early associated with the "dawn-bringer."

In the final section we will take what we've learned and seek to determine the specific meaning of the morning star in Revelation 2:28.


Before the Day Breaks

Let's approach this from a first-century perspective, shall we? Without telescope, satellite image, or access to astronomy software, just picture yourself standing on good ol' terra firma in the fourth watch of the night, eagerly anticipating the dawning of a new day. As you sharpen your focus toward the eastern sky, what are you looking for even before the sun rises above the horizon?

Ah, yes, the dawn's early light—the morning star.

And what might this morning star represent to the theologically-informed believer as it rises above the earth, going up, up, up into the sky?

Naturally, it would be the resurrection and glorification of the believer.

Not only does the nature of the morning star represent our glorification (this is obvious from the OT/NT references to luminous, divine beings), but the sheer act of the early light rising up from the earth into the sky also represents our resurrection.

In modern astronomical terms, the rise of the morning star is called a heliacal rising. It's something that first-century believers would have been able to observe with the naked eye, and there is also evidence that the magi from Matthew 2 saw a similar rising of the Messiah's star:

The statement of the Magi [in Matt. 2:9] is not a reference to a time of day, but rather is calendrical (cf. the phrase 'the time of the star's appearing'...in 2:7): 'rising' means the star's heliacal rising, i.e. the first time in the year that it was visible rising ahead of the sun before dawn (Timothy Hegedus, "Attitudes to Astrology in Early Christianity," Ph.D. dissertation, University of Toronto, 2000, pg. 175).

In a footnote on the same page, Hegedus notes that Numbers 24:17 is the only place in the LXX where the Hebrew verb darak ("to tread, march forth") is rendered by the Greek term anatellein (from anatello – recall Isaiah 14:12 LXX!). Anatello is the root word from which we derive anatole found in Matt. 2:2, 9, "at its rising" (often translated "in the east").

Look again at Revelation 2:26-28:

(1) 2:26 – "...I will give him [the overcomer] authority over the nations..."

(2) 2:27 – "...and He will shepherd them...[and] shatter them..." (Psalm 2:9)

(3) 2:28 – "...and I will give him [the overcomer] the morning star..."

Question: At what point in time did the Father officially deputize Jesus as the inheritor and ruler of the nations (i.e. when did God the Father say to the Son the words spoken in Psalm 2:7-9)?

Answer: According to Acts 13:33-34, the words of Psalm 2:7 (and by inference, our promise of 2:9 as well) are sandwiched between two statements about the resurrection/glorification of Christ, "God has fulfilled this to us their children by raising up Jesus, as it is written in the second Psalm (v. 33)..."Since He raised Him from the dead, never to return to decay (v. 34)..." (HCSB).

So, before the Church can be officially deputized as co-rulers with Christ over the nations, what has to take place first? Answer: The resurrection and glorification of the entire body to be united with the Head (Eph. 5:23; Col. 1:18).

In conclusion, while standing on the ground and observing the rise of a morning star on the horizon, we are informed about two aspects of Christ's gift in 2:28:

(1) The first aspect is our resurrection/glorification. The heliacal rising of a morning star like Venus, Jupiter, or some other luminary mirrors the resurrection of the dead from the earth, rising, shining, and going up into the air.

(2) The second aspect is one of timing. When, or at what time, does the morning star rise? It rises first before the sun and before the break of dawn. And when does the body of Christ rise in glory to meet Christ in the air? We rise up first before the start of the Day of the LORD!

It's a simple illustration that the first-century believers would have understood with ease. Those in Thyatira were under a burdensome and grace-stifling religious system much like the Roman Catholics are today. Jesus' promise to the overcomer flies in the face of any "Christian Church" that believes they are ruling for Christ in this current age instead of holding fast to "His works" until the Resurrection and Rapture of the true Church.

Furthermore, these two aspects of the morning star gift in Rev. 2:28 cohere with the immediate context of the imminent return of Christ to both bring judgment (the Tribulation) and rescue/deliver true believers (Resurrection/Rapture). Thus, the gift of the morning star is in parallel with Christ's promise to keep the overcomer from the "hour of testing" that will come upon everyone who lives on the earth (Rev. 3:10). For an in-depth study of the return of Christ in Revelation 2–3, see Robert L. Thomas' article here.

In his book The Brides of Scripture, J. Denham Smith writes about the union of Isaac and Rebekah as a type of the coming union of Christ and His Church (cf. Gen. 24:62-67):

What a home-taking will that be! He will then be seen not, in His own Home, or down here in the wilderness where we now are, but in these lower heavens as the Morning Star, to herald the departure of this long night of our separation and death. The Morning Star is that peaceful luminary which always precedes the rising of the sun; its scene is just above the horizon, but below the higher heavens. Thus, in like manner, the Lord when He comes will descend from heaven to the air, and we who are alive and remain, together with those who sleep in Jesus, will be caught up to meet Him in the air. Thence He will take us to the Father's house, thence again to reign over His kingdom (pg. 38, cited from Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, vol. 4, pg. 141).

Rejoice, brother or sister in Christ! Not many of us are of "noble birth" or destined for world greatness this side of glory (1 Cor. 1:26). However, with the assured promise of ruling with Christ in the future and the awesome gift of the morning star (i.e. our resurrection + glorification before the big Day), you don't need a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 

I say, again, rejoice! Your name is already written in heaven and you will rise early to meet Jesus, the Bright Morning Star (Rev. 22:16)!
Post A Comment

57 comments:

  1. "The second aspect is one of timing. When, or at what time, does the morning star rise? It rises first before the sun and before the break of dawn. And when does the body of Christ rise in glory to meet Christ in the air? We rise up first before the start of the Day of the LORD!"

    JEFF! This is beautiful and glorious! Thank you!

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    1. ON THE MORNING OF THE THIRD DAY
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fbMESDp7Fw&t=892s

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    2. Thank you, Hillary! I'm rejoicing too in the beauty and simplicity of it all :)

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    3. Thanks Jeff - I too really like the type of the star rising and coming before the sun. In connection to that it is interesting that the last chapter of the last book in the Old Testament pictures the Lord's coming as the sun:

      Mal 4:1-2 "For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff... "But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.

      And the last chapter of the last book of the New Testament pictures His coming as the morning star:

      Rev 22:16-17 "..I am the... bright morning star." The Spirit and the bride say, "Come."

      :: Malachi gives the promise of the Lord's coming to Israel as the sun after the darkness of the Day of the Lord to bring healing and restoration.
      :: Revelation gives the promise of the Lord's coming to believers as the morning star, rising before the day of the Lord, for the Bridegroom to meet His bride.

      Believers will both see the morning star (Jesus) and have the morning star rise in our hearts as you have said. His glory will be revealed in us on that day.

      Col 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

      Goodness... What a day that will be! : )

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    4. I've always loved the imagery in Mal. 4:1–2.

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    5. Elohim is plural for El, the Canaanite deity also known as Molech, Chiun, Saturn

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  2. Romans 13:10-14

    Love does no wrong to its neighbor.
    Therefore love is the fulfillment of the Law.

    [Put On Christ]

    And do this, understanding the occasion. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

    The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

    Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.

    Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

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    1. Excellent article Jeff.

      A reinforcement of our hopes. :)

      I think about the phrase that "It is always darkest before the dawn".

      We hold out for the breakthrough.

      It also tells me that we will see incredible danger and perilous times right before we leave.

      To anyone without the hope and faith that we possess, will be terrified. No wonder they will call upon the rocks to hide them.

      It also answers a question about "He comes at a time we do not expect." :)

      There is truly, a freedom in Christ, available for free, and those who have it are free indeed!

      :) <3

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    2. Thank you, lwjackn. Night is nearly over!

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  3. Fantastic research and encouragement. The promise of the morning star never seemed significant before. Amazing! It's really a quite perfect analogy.

    Maranatha.

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  4. Jeff, this article brought such bright light to my heart and mind. Not sure if you are familiar with my post a few weeks ago, but I had a dream. I believe it was a message describing Christ's love for His Church and the nearness of the hour. One thing I could not understand is why in the dream, He was serenading the person who represented the Church with "Morning Has Broken...". I mean why that song? It's not even a song I knew well. This study of yours helped me see the significance of that song; it is the significance of the morning breaking.

    Also, the difficulty that is present when realizing the Bible gives similar words/descriptions for satan and Christ is fully removed in light of understanding the full context of those descriptions. Satan WAS A morning star. Christ IS THE Morning Star. The principles used to arrive at this conclusion is something I can now apply to many other parts of my study of the Bible. This was such a light bulb for me.

    Thank you Jeff for this. Maranatha!

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    1. Yeah no kidding! :)

      I have come to learn in the recent years, that "Lucifer" is not a proper noun/name, but a phrase, a description of a being (like lower-case elohim is), or an adjective of a position (title/office).

      It should not be capitalized like it has been. Though it references the entity we all know it is talking about, we should not give any regard or extension to him, by capitalizing it or any name given to him. He is nothing...

      This has really been a thorn for a long time, for many.

      :)

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    2. I wonder if at some point Saturn was visible to the naked eye... (through either cleaner air or some other means.) I've heard several prophecy people associate it with the enemy... Would it have been a morning star if visible? Is the enemy's fall why it no longer is?

      Makes you wonder what is actually up there in the sky... Soon the Lord Jesus will show us, Maranatha!

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    3. Grateful for your response, Miguel. I had to slog through this one, chipping away here and there when I could find time. I was so glad to have it all come together and even more blessed to see that it helped you too.

      Peace, brother.

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    4. Here is a beautiful song by The Brilliance; it's called: Night has passed/Morning has broken. It has a few lines from the morning has broken, I really like this song. Very fitting for this article and all the thoughts shared on here!

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    5. You're welcome, Miguel, once I read your comment, that song came straight to my mind. Can't wait for the day He comes for us, but in the meantime, every day He gives us is a gift!

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  5. Hmmmmm ... makes me wonder what the prophetic significance of this is, if any.
    http://halturnerradioshow.com/index.php/news/world-news/2937-this-only-happens-once-every-2373-years

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    1. Interesting...

      If one of those planets is really Saturn, then that may help answer part of Kris' question above.

      Thanks for sharing.

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    2. I saw that article too, I guess that photo has been circulating since 2012, so it doesnt hold any weight at all! I like to read Hal Turner articles, but I always try to verify them through another source. He does seem to have the inside scoop on government affairs.

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  6. The next early morning, pre-sun-up and viewable conjunction of Venus and Jupiter is Jan 22, 2019, if that might provide any meaning.

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    1. Hopefully a sign to the world that we are already gone! (:

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  7. I've enjoyed this blog for a good while, and even more so now that Michael Heiser has been referenced! :)

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    1. Thanks for tuning in! Glad to get Heiser in there somewhere. Now, if he would only be open to Revelation 12 being a future prophecy...

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    2. I dearly love Heiser's teaching on OT, but he freely admits he doesn't "get" prophecy and when we begged him to do Revelation on the Naked Bible Podcast he just flat refused. He said, I wouldn't know where to start, it's just such a mess. Love what he knows and what he does better than most and ignore the rest. That's what we should all do with everyone. Not everyone is gifted in every area and if one closes their mind to something, God will not pry it open with a pry bar. He just simply allows you to "hang on to your pet theory" and be wrong, it's every person's choice. He will still remain a perfect gentleman. If someone has missed his "The Unseen Realm" book it is a treat waiting to be discovered by you. Blessings - Sherry

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    3. thanks Sherry,...blessen's

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  8. Very deep and insightful article, thank you Jeff!

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  9. Jeff dear brother, reading through your article again so thouroughly research ed and eloquently put, I like to notice how the MODERN form of CATASTERISM is still to be found in the common beliefs of the unsaved and in many obituaries and eulogies. One very prominent poet and writer in Europe who is often quoted with his book "The little Prince" is the French Antoine de Saint-Exupery. His quote goes like this:

    >>You—you alone will have the stars as no one else has them...In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night...You—only you—will have stars that can laugh.<<

    This is a classic used all over Europe still today and has formed the mindset of last centuries' (unbelieving) generation. Of course, this mindset is amplified by evolutionism and "Stardust" cosmology.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Annabelle, interesting comment for sure. Admittingly I do have to say that I find the 'little prince' book to be just about my favorite* book ever, don't you agree that it truly is a marvel of a tale filled w/ a sound so sweet?

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    2. comon' Annabelle, 'draw me a sheep'!

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  10. Jeff, wonderful and so encouraging! Thanks so much for your labor to "unpack" this amazing truth with such patience and precision. I am longing and hoping with you all for a soon sudden departure!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Keith. I appreciate the encouragement, and I'm right there with you—longing for our home-going departure to be the Lord.

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  11. Dear Jeff, again brother I urge you to read the BOOKS OF ENOCH & JASHER to get more details on the angelic realm and its hierarchy in general and WHY Colossians 2:18 contains such a stern warning (as well see Revelation 19:10 this is an ANGEL but "sundoulos" in Greek = servant who serves the same master, here: responsible as Watcher / Guardian angel over the brethren).

    The "angels of the 7 churches" are literal ANGELS not humans as the angels have responsible duties over certain tasks and areas according to Enoch and as it was explained to him in the "book of the Watchers" (Enoch 1-36). If you read through it you will instantly understand the divine concept (Hebrews 2:14). It is also no myth but biblically confirmed that every human being has got his own correspondant angel in Heaven too (Matthew 18:10).

    http://endtimesandcurrentevents.freesmfhosting.com/index.php?topic=279.0;wap2

    https://modernhomily.wordpress.com/2013/05/24/the-satan-part-1/

    Blessings to you! :-)

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    Replies
    1. Just to clarify, Jeff: This urge to read Enoch I mean not to discredit anything you worked on here... Please don't get me wrong! I just am pretty convinced that we might be ashamed when we don't properly prepare to MEET with the ANGELS soon - and what impression does it make when not knowing anything about them or guessing around being quite embarrassed the "Who is who of angels" when God provides with the right information in Enoch and Jasher? Much love brother!

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    2. Thank you, Annabel. You very well could be right about the angels of the seven churches. It's a tough call, for sure, but I also wanted our brothers and sisters to see that the body of Christ will be elevated from our current lowly status to being above the heavenly angels in rank just as it says of Jesus in Heb. 2:5-13 (see also 1 Cor. 6:2-3; Php. 3:21).

      Oh, and take note—Jesus even calls John the Baptist an angel (Grk. 'aggelos') in Matt. 11:10. Interesting, huh?

      Peace to you, sister!!!

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    3. Wow, Jeff. All the time I've been studying Scripture and I never noticed the connection between v. 5 in Hebrews 2 and v. 6a:

      " 5 For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. 6 It has been testified somewhere,

      'What is man, that you are mindful of him...' "

      Wow, wow, wow.

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  12. Just beautiful Jeff and written with great care to honor the simplicity as well as the complexity of the Word. Once again we see clearly the not either/or but Both concept in full manifestation. Venus and the rising will now always have a very different place in my heart and mind. Blessings - Sherry

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Sherry. So glad to share this insight with you and the rest of the fam.

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  13. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzqTFNfeDnE&t=17s

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  14. I needed this. I took notes and cried (happy tears). I love mornings by the way.. his mercies are always new and everything feels like a fresh start. What a mighty God we serve. Thank you, Jeff.

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    Replies
    1. Wow. Thank you, Andrea. We serve a mighty God, indeed. While I wouldn't have considered myself "a morning person" when I was growing up, that's all changed now, lol. I'm usually awakened by the cries of my daughters, ages 3 and 1. They have so much energy, so early, and it's hard to keep up!

      So glad that this post was meaningful and timely for you. Glory to our Father who knows us and meets us where we are!

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  15. Morning everyone, just wanted to share this uplifting quick 10 minute video from Anne Graham Lotz. It's titled " hold on there's a new world coming.
    MARANATHA DONNA N



    https://youtu.be/q6a88MTDrHs

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    Replies
    1. That's awesome, thank you for sharing, Donna!

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    2. Thank you for this!

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  16. Would you say that satan is a "failed star"? See that wording in the following article about a mystery planet with almost 13 times the mass of Jupiter and 200 times greater magnetic pull. It uses the wording as a description of a brown dwarf. The article describes this new object as somewhere between a planet and a failed star. I wonder if there is a clue to the red dragon. Just thinking out loud.

    https://www.newsweek.com/astronomers-detect-giant-rogue-planet-floating-near-our-solar-system-1058270

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    Replies
    1. Hi Miguel,

      Very interesting! Thank you for sharing!!

      I too have been rooting around as it were for the red dragon sign.

      Keep in mind that there are many *failed* stars in this universe and burnt out stars thus they are rather common. It is interesting that this one has been detected so *close* and is not tied to a parent star and part of a solar system.

      Scripture gives us that the we should look for another sign in the form of a,

      "great red dragon" (Revelation 12:3)

      The first sign in the heavens that comes to mind to fit that description is the constellation Draco. It occupies 120-degrees of the sky (1/3rd of the sky) and always has some portion of it visible in the northern sky. Draco is literally *wrapped* around the north star Polaris and contains the star that was once the north star being Thuban. Thuban was the north star in the time of the Pharaohs.

      Draco has a *head* of seven (7) stars via binary systems. From earth they look like single stars while in fact they are binary stars. I am just now looking at the star counts to see how it fits with (Revelation 12:3) for heads, horns and diadems.

      Two of the most fascinating facts regarding Draco are the upcoming meteor shower this October 7-9th. The radiant point for the shower is the *mouth* of the dragon. This year looks to be a good year for meteor activity. The shower falls days after Shemini Atzeret too!

      Even more interesting is the amount of x-ray radiation surrounding the constellation. This radiant cloud may be upwards of 1-million degrees in temperature and is NOT VISIBLE to the naked eye. Hidden as it were in plain sight! Best of all, this cloud of super hot gas looks like fire breathed out of the dragon's mouth!

      You can see this using software as simple as Sky Guide using the X-Ray filters while looking at Draco.

      Get out your favourite software and turn your eyes to the stars. There's some interesting things happening up there!

      A final note about the stars of Draco...many of them are old and dying. Many are red giants or becoming red giants and will die *soon*. Many are binary systems (looks like one star but is actually two). It *exults* itself to dominate the top of the heavens (northern sky), sweeps down the stars of heaven (annual meteor shower), occupies 1/3 (120-degrees) of sky and can be see as breathing fire in the X-ray spectrum.

      Study it. Pray about it and then decide for yourself.

      Very interesting things.

      PR

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    2. Rev12daily got a whole topic thread recently about the Draconids meteor STORM (!) to be expected this year. As a kind of reminder, here's the video link again:

      https://youtu.be/11eB3AtlTW8

      One third of stars falling to earth in 2018! (Signs from Heaven YT channel)

      MARANATHA!

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    3. Dear Miguel, TY very interesting! I think we should expect lots more of these kind of articles since the media was silenced around 1983 (first press releases of "Planet X") to not have the people panicking. But as they soon cannot be hidden any longer, I guess now is the time to release such articles to prepare the public. These celestial bodies are up there for a while and slowly approaching earth. From Dr Claudia Albers on YT I have learned that they must be have invading into our solar system around 1850 AD which makes Revelation 12:4 "the dragon STOOD BEFORE THE WOMAN" (Israel) understandable to me as in fact the first wave of Zionist immigration (First Aliyah) into Palestine began simultaneously in 1882/83 AD.

      These old "dead" stars (Dr Albers calls them stellar cores which is precise scientifically) began to interact with the sun and drawing energy from it to emit their own light again. Spiritually spoken, this is also what Satan does: He invades church and sucks word and doctrine from Jesus (our sun of righteousness) until the bible is twisted and the gospel weakened and gives no more light like our real sun but he gives his own 'false' light to destroy the faith of many by deception. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 / Jude 1:13 As stars were also given by God to navigate and orientate on earth, these "wandering (fallen) stars" give false direction to men. It's all depicted in the sky as well.

      The "fire" from Draco which Richard mentions is also interesting as Revelation 12:4 also talks about to "DEVOUR the child..." which means "to eat up" or "to utterly destroy by FIRE". I think we will need to be traveling in the air in glorified and incorruptable bodies also because the "red dragon" star will literally try to destroy the church by fire (perhaps some CME or plasma burst) at last minute.

      But we must not fear as we already know he must utterly fail. Satan knows that too btw - but he will try anyway. This always has astounded me, how someone can be so much of evil that he attempts to do sth which he already knows will be a failure beforehand. As Satan is so much more intelligent than we are, how much of rebellion, evil and hatred must be in him that not even an average intelligent human would invest so much of energy into utter failure?

      MARANATHA!

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  17. Thank you Richard and Annabel for your thoughts. I feel we have some pieces figured out, but not completely so I keep looking. The meteor storm in October is fascinating but it is still just a guess. Another, we-will-know-it-when-we-see-it moment. None of the mainstream scientific publications are predicting much activity, and this shower has a history of disappointing but also surprising, so we are on the edge of our seat about this one...

    I am finding the scientific community news in general extremely telling though. Look at all these and these are only as sample from a single source:

    the video at the top of this link at the 13 second mark says "...star consumed and destroyed an INFANT planet". DESTROYING AN INFANT!!!! did they really just word that as such?. The link discusses the rogue planet mentioned above.
    https://www.newsweek.com/astronomers-detect-giant-rogue-planet-floating-near-our-solar-system-1058270

    This one is about an "alien red star that is 350 times larger than the sun" and destroys other planets.
    https://www.newsweek.com/rz-piscium-strange-star-smashes-and-eats-its-own-planets-756860

    This article is from october 2015 but discusses an unusual TWIN star system. (Hint, see Jimboni's discussion over at rev12daily.) What really strikes me is that the explosion that could occur would be the largest since the big bang! That's pretty big (whether you think there was a big bang or not).
    https://www.newsweek.com/rare-merging-stars-spotted-soon-explode-385772


    This one has all kinds of things to unpack. Take a look:
    https://www.newsweek.com/green-comet-makes-closest-approach-earth-1060283

    Maranatha!

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    Replies
    1. Dear Miguel, TY for all these links. Indeed, the "wording" is often quite telling. The 'star devouring / eating his own planets' reminds me of the myth of KRONOS or CRONUS (google yourself) the Greek head of the Titans, another name of some race of the hybrid angel-man antedeluvian interbreed of Genesis 6. He would eat up his own sons in order to prevent a prophecy about them to rule over him. Sounds like Satan too and what he intends to do with the church... Don't forget who is behind NASA: these people are working for the NWO elite on this planet and know a lot about bible prophecy as they are spiritually counseled by fallen angels (via Satanists and channeling etc). This is no joke. These people from Psalm 2 seek actively contact and advice from evil spirits about bible prophecy and advanced technology alike as it was in and since the days of Noah also. Satan knows his time is short. Revelation 12:12

      I hardly read those mainstream NASA-feed articles promoting evolution and big bang. They make my head spin and I cannot believe their numbers of size, time, age, distance etc. in space anyway. Most pictures are CGI. So I cannot prove what they say. But I surely can make you laugh about the latest NASA lies with the "Parker Solar Probe" which is ridiculous already for a layman. Watch this: https://youtu.be/4WzPS5OIFjs (NASA's attempt to kiss the sun / Planet X News) LOL!!!

      Much blessings to you :-D

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  18. Yes Annabel, is there significance that this solar probe launch will happen 8/11/18 and the launch window begins at 3:33AM??

    ReplyDelete


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