Prophetic Dream given by Stephanie Johnson - Tuesday, October 28,
2008
(with line
upon line interpretation in italics)
I was in a resort
town - seemed to be a Mexican resort, but the location was not
important. I was about the age of 45, although I was not
really me (my family was not with me). I was staying in a
facility that was almost like a mission facility with two story
apartments overlooking the ocean. Behind the facility was a
large parking lot on a slope that lead up to other buildings.
In the distance on the right of the building, was a kind of valley
with athletic fields. On the left were rocky hills leading up
a mountain.
The resort represents the Church (Body of Christ) in its present
state. My age represents an age of maturity, and my identity
is irrelevant other than I am a member of the Body of
Christ. The fact that the condition of the Church is
represented by a resort should be self-explanatory. A resort
overlooking the ocean (or the sea of humanity). Behind the
resort is a slope (slippery, no doubt),with other buildings higher
up. In the valley are athletic fields - or a large
expanse of land - representing this nation and the world.
In the first part
of the dream I was walking with someone (not sure who) inspecting
these apartments for flood damage (which is funny because there had
been no flood). We went through some very specific units,
looking for mold and rot, etc. I mentioned that I was glad
that I was not in this unit, having just put all of my things in a
newer second story apartment away from the flood
level.
Inspecting the damage in the apartments from previous floods
represents inspecting damage from the past and judging
oneself. We are admonished in the Word to judge ourselves
daily that we be not judged. This is critical in this
hour. The Catholic Church calls this “the Dark Night of the
Soul.” It is called dying to self and becoming alive unto
God. Old things must pass away and all things must become as
new. We must move out of our old, damaged apartments into new ones
on higher ground….or we need to shake off the old wineskin and
receive the new. In other words we must totally move out and move
UP into HIM else we suffer the same fate again - and next time,
even worse!
Next …..I was
in the pool area where there were many, many people recreating near
the ocean (which was totally calm). In the distance was a
storm and the water began to stir. I had an urgency to get
away from the area and began to run uphill, away from the ocean
front, urging people to join me. Many of us got to the
parking lot and watched as the waters came up and flooded the lower
levels of the resort. I remember putting my things in my
car.
People were lying in the sun by the pool and on the beach,
oblivious to the storm brewing in the distance. They were
asleep. I ran to and fro, trying to wake them from their
slumber, urging them to run to higher ground. Some listened
and followed. Others stayed asleep. We got to the
parking lot - to a level midway point between the higher
ground and the beach resort. I put some things in my car,
thinking they would be safe, but I was wrong. There was to be
no escaping this judgment….no driving away from it. The waters
crashed into the resort and rose up into the parking lot.
I looked up
towards the hills and saw a dark cloud. Then, I looked down
in the valley over the athletic field and saw a swirl of five
tornados dancing around. They looked almost like colorful
yarn in a hair ribbon, all connected at the top and dangling down,
bouncing off of the ground. At this point I was with a crowd
of people who were making their way up the incline of the parking
lot. To our horror we saw that a flood was coming from the
top - coming down from the mountains rather than up from the
sea. The small tornados had moved over us and
settled.
The dark cloud in the hills was indicative of a storm which could
not be avoided. The tornados dancing in the athletic field
(America and the world) represented the turmoils going on today in
our lives and in this nation. The tornados were all linked
together at the top - colorful and intertwined - and dancing
(almost playing with the country). These tornados were
demonic, but God was allowing them to happen - almost as if He were
holding the top of the piece of yarn and the five strands
(tornados) were bouncing around.
Waters from the
bottom rose up, and we were all in water over our heads in the
parking lot. Suddenly, the water rushed down from higher
ground. At this point I knew (from the Lord, I assume) just
exactly where I needed to aim to land, knowing that the flood
waters would soon be carrying me rapidly downhill. I was
to grab onto a chain link fence at the far end of the parking
lot, which was in the path of the rushing waters. I took aim,
grabbed the fence, and quickly got behind it (more instruction from
the Lord) so that the fence would shield me from any fallen trees,
etc., rushing down the incline.
This inevitable flood of God’s judgment was coming from higher
ground. But the Lord gave me instruction to grab the
chain-linked fence. This represents His raising a standard
against the flood. The chain-linked fence is JESUS, and it is
the only refuge against the flood wall. Any who did not grab
onto the fence did not survive.
There were others
around me grabbing onto the fence as I cried out to them. We
all held tightly to the fence, and it served as a shield as the
debris smashed into it from the pounding waters. A short
while later the waters subsided.
Next
part of the dream was the aftermath. This “resort” was now a
church, but on the mission field. I was in the same parking
lot, sitting in folding chairs with people who I assume were
members of this church. I sat next to a young pastor
(30), and we discussed things about the flood. I told him
that I had met a very nice young Christian woman with a small son
who had no father. (I knew that I was purposely matchmaking).
He was very receptive to the idea.
What remained after the flood was a barren, destroyed shell of a
church. There was nothing tangible within the building that
could be saved. The survivors were all forced into the
parking lot (a place of coming and going), seated in folding chairs
(portable, not stationary). The young pastor is an example of
the pastors that God is raising up to shepherd the remnant.
My matchmaking represents the placement of a pastor with his flock,
and a protector with the widow and fatherless child.
He and I talked
with the people and children about the flood, and what was damaged
or destroyed. The pastor was talking to the children,
specifically about the books and papers that were destroyed, but he
and I together explained that while the building was destroyed,
there was much to be done from outside of the church. We
should all go out from there and do the work of the ministry for
Jesus.
In
the end what is left is the Church, commissioned to do the work of
the ministry, evangelizing the nations without the frills, pomp and
circumstance. What is left is the true remnant.
End of dream
Interpretation
and Warning from Rob
Johnson
“His Judgment cometh and that right soon.” And, “Judgment must
begin in the house of the Lord, and if the righteous scarcely be
saved, what shall we say of the sinner and unbeliever?” God’s
judgment upon the Church, this nation, and the world is not for the
purpose of utter destruction at this time, but for the purpose of
chastening our rebellion. No judgment is pleasurable at the
time, but it is grievous. However, it happens that the fruit
of holiness might be produced in the hearts and lives of those
being judged.
In this case, relative to the dream, it is also a cutting away and
removing of those elements in the Church and in the nation that are
barren and fruitless in order for those things that have the
potential to bear the fruit of righteousness to flourish and
produce things of quality and excellence in keeping with God’s
will.
During the floods and tornadic activity mentioned in Stephanie's
dream (representative of economic, social, natural, political, and
spiritual upheaval) that will be inescapable, God will provide
protection and provision for those who cling to, and hide
themselves in Christ (represented in the dream as the chain-linked
fence). After the flood waters and winds of judgment subside and
diminish, and after that which can be shaken is removed, that which
cannot be shaken, the remnant of God’s holy people, will remain
having been cleansed (pruned) from their unrighteous deeds. Those
professing Christians who have been “playing Church” will be
removed and the “True Church,” professing and practicing
Christians, will be revealed as the glorious Church, the Bride of
Christ, that God intended it to be. God will raise up true
pastors and true shepherds who will be instated by the apostolic
and prophetic, through the leading of the Holy Spirit, to guide,
lead, provide, and protect the remnant and true followers of
Christ. God’s hand of judgment, which has already begun to be
revealed through the hands of our enemies, bringing them to
unprecedented power and influence over the Church, the nation, and
the world, is the result of our idolatries.
The spirits of anti-Christ and false prophet, which are the spirits
of false political ideologies and false religions which the
reprobate and apostate church have and will embrace, are being
manifested now through a figure-head of great charisma, wealth and
political influence. I do not believe that Barack Obama is
the anti-Christ, but his phenomenal personality, political acumen,
deceptive rhetoric, great wealth, organizational skills and his
ability to influence mass populations in America, Europe, and the
world is an excellent example of the anti-Christ who the scriptures
say is coming to this earth before Christ's return. Obama's chief
of staff, a Jewish man named Rahm Emanuel, whose first name in
Hebrew means "high" or "lofty" and whose last name means "God is
with us," is perhaps a more likely candidate for the job. It has
been said that he has been one of the major architects and causes
of Obama's recent political success. The president of the United
States chief of staff has unprecidented access to him in policy
making and he also has the presidents ear at all times as well as
being his mouth peace to the rest of his satff. Perhaps with
Obama's rhetorical abilities he could be the False Prophet and Rahm
Emanel the anti-Christ. One way or the other, these are certainly
interesting political and spiritual times we are living in.
It should also be noted that for the the first three and one half
years of the seven year Great Tribulation period, the anti-Christ
and the False Prophet are going to be "friends" of Israel and for
the last three and one half years turn against it. Rham is
obviously and supporter of Israel at this time and Barack claims to
be a supporter of Israel at this time, we will see what the future
brings.
Louis Farrakhan, truly a false prophet already in our midst, has
recently called Barack Obama “the Messiah,” a title which many in
the secular media have also figuratively attributed to him and his
impact upon the American population, especially the youth and many
others. Farrakhan has also said of himself, while speaking to
his followers, “By my stripes you are healed.” In these false
claims, he has in essence elevated himself and Barack Obama to a
place of divinity that only Jesus Christ can hold!
Anti-Christ does not mean against Christ; it means other than
Christ, and many false Christs and false prophets will be in
manifestation and co-exist side by side along with sorrows and
calamities that are coming upon the earth. People, in their
desperation and in their self-centered need, will flock to those
who offer them solutions to their needs. False political
ideologies (i.e. radical communism, socialism and fascism, etc.)
and false religions (i.e. radical Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc.)
exist because people embrace them and follow them, and thereby not
only allow their existence, but promote it. The spirits of
anti-Christs and false prophets offer a false hope to a hurting
people, and the offer is not only based on deception, but it is
also based on people’s willingness and abilities to be
deceived. Christ is the only True Solution to this world’s
problems, but false political ideologies and false religions offer
alternative solutions, which promise to provide people with their
basic needs. People in darkness without the true light of Christ
will cling to and exalt those who offer them false light and false
hope, irrespective of their false ideologies. The true Church of
the Lord Jesus Christ will not be able to be deceived, but the
apostate church, and all unbelievers will!
Many people
will have their basic needs met, and provisions will be made by
these false leaders, but the cost of having their needs met will
lead to certain destruction, the wrath of God, and the second death
which is Hell. The current excitement and enthusiasm in the
hearts of many Americans is based on the hope that Barack Obama
will be able to sort out the problems of our nation and meet the
needs of its citizens’ hollow, empty, fearful, and disrupted lives.
In reality, no one but JESUS CHRIST will be able to accomplish
this, and He will do so immediately after the rapture of the Church
and upon His Second Coming and the establishment of His millennial
reign on this old earth.
If Barack Obama and Joe Biden are elected, then it is a CERTAINTY
that God’s judgment is already upon the Church, this nation, and
the world, and that His hard but merciful hand of correction has
not been staid.
If John McCain and Sarah Palin are elected, it will prove that His
hand of judgment has been staid…for a season.
One way or the other, the church, the nation, and the world must
get right and stay rightly related to Jesus Christ. Why?
Because, “His judgment cometh, and that right soon.” And,
“Judgment must begin in the house of the Lord, and if the righteous
scarcely be saved, what shall we say of the sinner and
unbeliever?”
They
Asked For A King
And God Gave Them Saul
(A
brief overview of possible things to come)
Rob Johnson,
November 7, 2008
God
is sovereign and nothing catches Him by surprise, and
“all things
work together for good for those who love the Lord, the called
according to His purpose.” Having said that,
the pendulum has swung in this nation once again, this time to the
hard left. For eight years it has been wedged to the right, and
now, the weight of our sins has moved it with great force to the
far left - from the religious right to the rebellious left. In
keeping with these events, be sure that the judgment of God has
begun in the Church, the nation, and the world. From this day
forward things are going to get worse and worse, especially for
Christian believers and for Israel. There will be expediential
increasing degrees of persecution against both of us by our
enemies. This will take place in this nation by the secular
humanists, and against Israel by its Islamist and Communist
enemies. Nevertheless, thus says the Lord, “Look towards
the hills from whence cometh thy help, your redemption draws
near,” and
“I
will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on
Me.”
As Christian believers we must prepare ourselves to
“bless, do
good to, and pray for our enemies” as the
persecutions increase. We must also keep a buoyancy in our spirits,
and “leap for
joy” when we are
persecuted for our stance in righteousness. Christian believers are
baptized in the Holy Spirit in order to be witnesses (martyrs) of
Jesus Christ in keeping with His love, obedience, and suffering,
that sinners might be saved and the lost might be found.
“He came into
the world to save sinners.” And
“He learned
obedience through the things that he suffered.”
His
true followers, disciples, and saints will do likewise. Jesus
said, “The student
is not greater than the Master, but the student shall be like his
Master, if they persecuted Me, they will persecute
you.” We must prepare
ourselves to respond to our persecutors like He did, in faith,
hope, and love! The greatest honor and privilege for Christian
believers is to live and die in faith, to be like Jesus, being
transformed through His life and conformed to His death. Or, if you
will, to “live by the
faith of the Son of God,” to
“run the race,
fight the good fight of faith, and to finish the course, having
kept the faith.” In other words, to
quote Jesus Christ, to “deny self,
take up your own cross daily and follow Me!”
Because of the moral compromises that have been embraced and
endorsed by this nation in electing Barack Obama for president (who
endorses the killing of unborn babies, and the marriage of
homosexuals among themselves), I will say it again, God’s judgment
has begun in this nation. It is evident that the leftist
leadership, soon to be the principle leadership in the U.S.A., will
not stand up against Islamist terrorists and their State sponsors,
such as Pakistan, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine, etc. Neither shall
the upcoming administration take an effective stand against the
aggression of Communist totalitarian regimes, with their oil
challenged diminishing economies due to the world economic
recession and oil prices being cut in half. Communist regimes such
as Russia and Venezuela, as well the Islamist regime in Iran (who
are now welcoming talks with the U.S.A.) have been deemed by the
media as “the axis of diesel.” All three of these nations will
become extremely “hawk like” in their political and military
approach to other nations in order to sort out their economic and
social woes due to falling oil prices. The Russian stock market has
already crashed because they invaded Georgia and because of the
international community’s opposition to them for having done so.
Also, Russia has just thrown up a barrier to America’s plans to set
up missile defense systems in Europe for their protection against
Iran. This happened within twenty-four hours of Obama’s election as
president of the U.S.A.! The “dove like” attitude of his
administration’s response to all of these circumstances will
further seriously weaken and diminish Israel’s security against its
enemies. The U.S.A. will also be further weakened and diminished as
an economic force and military power in the world. Adding further
to the crisis, Iraq and America are already in the process of
“dialing down” the U.S. troops presence in Iraq. This will be
devastating to the America’s strategic position to confront
Islamists aggression in the region.
Under the coming administration, taxes will be increased for small
businesses causing increased job losses. The influx of illegal
immigrants will continue, as the perpetrators are rewarded with U.S
citizenship, not punished with expulsion. This will cause the
health care crisis to increase, putting a greater strain on our
already failing economy, not to mention national security. The
credit crisis will also grow worse and not recover, driving us into
a deeper economic recession followed by an economic depression. In
light of our increasing moral, economic, and military weaknesses,
and increasing and continuing dependence on foreign oil, I believe
that in a very short time, Russia will invade Israel. The invasion
will be promoted, backed up, supported, and sponsored by Iran and
the hostile Arab nations surrounding Israel. There will also be
greater attacks upon the U.S.A. and her allies attempted by
Islamist terrorists, possibly in collusion with Communist regimes
in an effort to make the Twin Towers attack look like a walk in the
park by comparison!
The Russian invasion of Israel is going to precede the rise of the
anti-Christ and False Prophet. A false peace will be brokered by
the anti-Christ, bringing the war between Russia in collusion with
Arab nations against Israel, to an uneasy end. For the first three
and one half years after the attack, the most powerful nations of
the world including the European Union, Russia, China, the U.S.A.,
will be under greater and greater pressures due to unprecedented
world wide natural disasters, economic and credit crisis,
international and regional wars, plagues, and calamities. The
anti-Christ will offer solutions to these problems during this
period of time and will be a “friend” to Israel, all the while
hatching his plans to become a totalitarian dictator in the Middle
East, with the support of a ten nation federation. He will go to
war with three of the ten nations (Egypt, Libya, Ethiopia) and
defeat them, making of himself and his regeime the eighth of the
remainig seven. During the last three and one half years of the
Great Tribulation period he, along with all nations of the world,
most specifically China and its allies, will turn against Israel
and the Church, Israel’s main supporters. His aggression will be
our worst nightmare. Many faithful souls will be persecuted and
martyred at this time, refusing the mark of the Beast. There will
be a falling away from the faith in the Church, and the anti-Christ
will stand in the Temple in Jerusalem declaring him self to be God.
At the end of the great Tribulation of those days, Christ will
return in the clouds over Jerusalem with His fiery angels, and
there will be the rapture of the Church. Christ will return to
earth to fight and win the battle of Armageddon (with the sword of
His mouth) against the anti-Christ, False Prophet and their allied
armies. All the tribes of the earth will mourn at His appearing.
The anti-Christ and False Prophet will be cast into the Lake of
Fire. Christ will establish His millennial rule on this old earth.
Hallelujah! All of this will take place in a seven-year period of
time, in light of this, I will leave you, dear reader, with
something to consider.
Some
characteristics of the anti-Christ offered by The Elijah Project,
Larry D. Harper, Mesquite, Texas. Taken from the parabolic basis
and oral tradition of apostolic teaching of Polycarp who was a
disciple of the Apostle John; handed down to his disciple Irenaeus,
(A.D.120-202) and delivered to his disciple Hippolytus (A.D.
170-236). Larry D. Harper used the century-old English translation
one can find in The Ante
Nicene Fathers, edited by
Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson to gather his information on
this subject.
1. Satan will appear as a man in the person of the anti-Christ
because he seeks to reign as a king over mankind and desires to
focus the worship of God on himself.
2. The anti-Christ will be Jewish, and will achieve his stated
objectives by being accepted as the Christ, the messianic king of
the Jews, taking his seat in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem,
pretending to be God Himself, and thereby becoming the “abomination
of desolation” spoken of by the prophet Daniel and mentioned also
by Jesus.
3. The anti-Christ is the “little horn” of the fourth beast
mentioned in Daniel 7. He will slay three of the other horns
(Egypt, Libya, Ethiopia) and reign as the eighth with the remaining
seven.
4. The anti-Christ will achieve his objective in the middle of the
final seven year period of this age. At that time he will be
proclaimed the messianic king of the Jews and will take his seat as
God in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem. He will reign for three and
one-half years.
5. The anti-Christ during his reign, will deceive the majority of
the people living on the earth at the time into believing he is
God. However, he will persecute those who refuse to worship him
because they are able to see through his delusion.
6. Jesus Christ will return to earth at the end of the three and
one-half year reign of the anti-Christ, destroying Satan’s kingdom.
The resurrection of the just (rapture) will occur at that
time.
Some
More Compelling
Information To Consider
TESTING THE FAITH
Blood
moon eclipses: 2nd Coming in 2015?
Minister uses NASA forecasting to study signals of Jesus'
return
Posted: April 30, 2008
11:49 pm Eastern
By Joe Kovacs
© 2008 WorldNetDaily
Will Jesus Christ return to Earth in the year 2015? And can
studying NASA's
website provide
evidence for such a scenario? A minister who promotes the Old
Testament roots of Christianity suggests a rare string of lunar and
solar eclipses said to fall on God's annual holy days seven years
from now could herald what's come to be known as the "Second
Coming" of Jesus.
"God wants us to look at the biblical calendar," says Mark Biltz,
pastor of El Shaddai
Ministries in Bonney Lake,
Wash. "The reason we need to be watching is [because] He will
signal His appearance. But we have to know what to be watching as
well. So we need to be watching the biblical holidays."
In a video
interview on the
Prophecy in the News
website, Biltz
said he's been studying prophecies that focus on the sun and moon,
even going back to the book of Genesis where it states the lights
in the sky would be "be for signs, and for seasons." "It means a
signal, kind of like 'one if by land, two if by sea.' It's like God
wants to signal us," he said. "The Hebrew word implies ... not only
is it a signal, but it's a signal for coming or His
appearing."
Biltz adds the word "seasons" implies appointed times for God's
feasts and festivals.
"When we hear the word feast, we think food. But the Hebrew word
has nothing to do with food. It has to do with a divine
appointment, as if God has a day timer, and He says, 'OK, I'm gonna
mark the day and the time when I'm going to signal My
appearance.'"
In the Old Testament, the prophet Joel states, "The sun shall be
turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and
the terrible day of the LORD come." (Joel 2:31)
In the New Testament, Jesus is quoted as saying, "Immediately after
the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the
moon shall not give her light ... And then shall appear the sign of
the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the
earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds
of heaven with power and great glory." (Matthew
24:29-30)
Gary
Stearman of Prophecy in the
News noted, "When we think of the sun being darkened and the moon
not giving her light, we usually think of some astronomical
catastrophe –
perhaps the sun sputtering and the moon being affected by all this.
But maybe it's time to rethink this a little bit and think of it as
a natural cycle, the cycle of the eclipses."
Thus, Biltz began focusing on the precise times of both solar and
lunar eclipses, sometimes called "blood moons" since the moon often
takes on a bloody color. He logged onto NASA's eclipse
website which provides
precision tracking of the celestial events.
He noted a rare phenomenon of four
consecutive total lunar eclipses, known as a
tetrad.
He says during this century, tetrads occur at least six times, but
what's interesting is that the only string of four consecutive
blood moons that coincide with God's
holy days of Passover in the spring and the autumn's Feast of
Tabernacles (also called Succoth) occurs between 2014 and 2015 on
today's Gregorian calendar.
"The fact that it doesn't happen again in this century I think is
very significant," Biltz explains. "So then I looked at last
century, and, believe it or not, the last time that four blood red
moons occurred together was in 1967 and 1968 tied to Jerusalem
recaptured by Israel."
He then started to notice a pattern of the tetrads. "What's
significant to me is that even before 1967, the next time that you
had four blood red moons again was right after Israel became a
nation in '48, it happened again in 1949 and 1950 ... on Passover
and Succoth. You didn't have any astronomical tetrads in the 1800s,
the 1700s, the 1600s. In the 1500s, there were six, but none of
those fell on Passover and Succoth."
When checking the schedule for solar eclipses, Biltz found two –
one on the first day of the Hebrew year and the next on the high
holy day of Rosh Hashanah, the first day of the seventh Hebrew
month. Both of these take place in the 2014-2015 year.
Biltz says, "You have the religious year beginning with the total
solar eclipse, two weeks later a total lunar
eclipse on Passover, and
then the civil year beginning with the solar eclipse followed two
weeks later by another total blood red moon on the Feast of Succoth
all in 2015."
"If you think that this is a coincidence, I want you to know that
it's time!" exclaimed Prophecy in the News host J.R.
Church. "There are no
more of these for the rest of the century."
The prospect of eclipses pinpointing the time of Jesus' return is
getting mixed reaction in Christian circles.
After seeing Biltz's interview, Jim Bramlett, an author and former
vice president for the Christian Broadcasting Network, expressed
excitement.
"I have just watched the program two times and do not think I have
ever been more encouraged or excited about the soon return of the
Lord!" Bramlett
said.
But Hal Lindsey, a well-known
biblical analyst and author of "The Late Great Planet Earth," says
while he hasn't heard of Biltz's theory, he called it "pure
speculation."
"In my 50-something years of studying prophecy, to me the greatest
indication of the time of Christ's return is based around the
general things of prophecies coming together in the same time
frame."
He mentioned not only Israel's birth as a political state in 1948,
but the increase in tensions with Muslims, the rise of Russia,
China and the European Union, which he says is even "calling itself
the revived Roman Empire."
"I see the whole sweep and panorama spinning together in a precise
scenario," he said.
During a second video
interview, Biltz was
presented with Bible quotes that many think suggest Jesus' return
will be a complete surprise, or at least not specifically
known.
The 25th chapter of Matthew features a parable where Jesus likens
His kingdom to ten virgins all waiting for the arrival of their
bridegroom.
Jesus said in the story, "ye know neither the day nor the hour
wherein the Son of man cometh." (Matthew 25:13)
Biltz says people need to examine the quote in its proper
context.
"When He says you don't know the day or the hour, He's speaking to
the foolish virgins, not the wise virgins," he explained.
Biltz was also asked about the famous statement in Matthew 24:36
when Jesus was discussing the signs of His "coming, and of the end
of the world": "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not
the angels of heaven, but my Father only." (Matthew 24:36)
He responded by referring to the annual Feast of Trumpets holiday,
saying Israelites never knew the precise moment it began, "because
it was based on the sighting of the new moon."
"When He (Jesus) says you won't know the day or the hour, He's
telling you it's the Feast of Trumpets because that was known as
the feast where no one knew the day or the hour that it would
begin," said Biltz. "So it's kind of like if I told you, 'I'm not
going to tell you when I'm coming, but "Gobble, gobble, gobble,'"
[pointing to] Turkey Day."
Church stressed despite the information suggesting 2015 could be a
pivotal time, "We don't know that that will be the concluding year
of the tribulation period ... so we're not setting a date and
saying this is a warning. We're introducing the possibility of a
watch."
SOLAR AND LUNAR ECLIPSES 2014-15
Solar and Lunar Eclipses in 2014/15
by J. R. Church
Magazine Cover
As you may know, this year is a Sabbatical Year in the Jewish
Calendar. Starting next September 29, 2008, a new Sabbatical cycle
will commence. It will run for seven years and conclude with
another Sabbatical Year in 2014/15.
Also, you may know that Daniel’s seventieth week will be a
seven-year Sabbatical cycle. Students of biblical prophecy have
long compared Daniel’s seventieth week with the Tribulation Period
as laid out in the book of Revelation.
Intrigued with the Scriptures that repeat over and over again that
our Savior’s Second Coming will be heralded with signs in the
heavens, in which the sun will be turned into darkness and the moon
into blood, Pastor Mark Biltz went on the Internet, to a U.S.
Government web site, to see if he could find any solar or lunar
eclipses over the next few years that might be significant.
To his surprise, he found four lunar eclipses and two solar
eclipses in the Sabbatical Year of 2014 and 2015. Also, he noticed
that they all appear on Jewish Holy Days!
Lunar Eclipses
The four lunar eclipses will occur on:
Passover, April 15, 2014
The Feast of Tabernacles, October 8, 2014
Passover, April 4, 2015 and
The Feast of Tabernacles, September 28, 2015
This is most unusual. It is a rare occurrence for four lunar cycles
to happen on successive Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles
(Sukkot) observances. It will not happen again for hundreds of
years. However, Mark found that a series of four lunar eclipses on
these particular holy days did occur in the twentieth century --
not once, but twice! The first set occurred in 1949-1950, the year
after Israel became a state! The second set happened in 1967-1968,
the year Israel liberated Jerusalem! Such a phenomenon is nigh unto
impossible, unless it was set up by Divine design. Mark looked back
in history and noticed that the last time this set of four lunar
eclipses occurred on Passover and Sukkot was in 1493, the year
after Columbus sailed the ocean blue and Spain expelled all
Jews.
Mark is convinced that God was telling the beleaguered Jews that He
was fully aware of their circumstances! In that case, we wonder
what is God telling the Jews in the 1949 and 1967 lunar eclipses?
And, as we look at the next seven years, we wonder, “What is God
telling Israel through the upcoming lunar eclipses?” Is it possible
that these are fulfilling biblical prophecies?
Solar Eclipses
In addition to the four lunar eclipses in 2014-15, Mark also found
two solar eclipses. They will occur on:
Adar 29/Nisan 1, March 20, 2015
The Feast of Trumpets, September 13, 2015
These two dates are quite significant because they are special days
in the Jewish calendar. For example, it was on Nisan 1, the first
anniversary of the Exodus, that Moses raised up the tabernacle for
the first time and the glory of God descended. Two weeks later, the
Chosen People observed their first Pentecost since the
Exodus.
Nisan 1 marks the beginning of the religious festival cycle. Six
months later, on Tishri 1, the Jews observe Rosh Hashanah, the
Feast of Trumpets. This day is highly prophetic, because it is said
to be the anniversary of the Creation of Adam. It is Adam’s
birthday. And, even though it is a Jewish observance, it is
prophetically significant as a day for Gentile nations.
It is the day when God will sit down upon His throne of Judgment
and take the books in his hand. That is when He will begin the
judgment of the world. So, a solar eclipse on Rosh Hashanah could
precede the Second Coming of Christ in power and great glory, and
fulfill the biblical description.
The Solar Eclipse This Year
Coming up this summer, there will be the first of three solar
eclipses on the day that introduces the first of Av (August 1,
2008). That’s right, all three solar eclipses will be on the
biblical date of Av 1, for the next three years -- 2008, 2009, and
2010. Our Gregorian calendar dates are:
Av 1 - August 1, 2008 - partial eclipse
Av 1 - July 22, 2009- partial eclipse
Av 1 - July 11, 2010 - partial eclipse
In the Jewish calendar, they are all on the first of Av, the day
when Jews lament the destruction of their temples. As the story
goes, Moses caught the people worshiping the Golden Calf on Tammuz
17. Therefore, the three weeks from Tammuz 17 to Av 9 are called
“the dark time” and “between the straits.” It is the most sorrowful
time of the year for Jews. From Av 1-9, no bathing is allowed; no
comforts; no clean clothes; the Jew takes his shoes off; sits on an
overturned chair and reads the book of Lamentations.
However, there will come a time when God will reverse the fast days
and turn them into feast days. Zechariah said:
“Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The fast of the fourth month [Tammuz
17], and the fast of the fifth [Av 9], and the fast of the seventh,
and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and
gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace”
(Zech. 8:19).
Mark Biltz seems to think that the solar eclipses on Av 1, could
change the course of history, because solar eclipses are designed
for Gentile nations, whereas lunar eclipses are designed for
Israel. Therefore, he thinks that God could begin judging the
nations this summer. Will there be a war in Israel this summer? It
is entirely possible. If so, then the solar eclipse could be
announcing judgment upon the world -- a sobering thought!
Bible Predictions
About the Sun and Moon
Now, let’s look at the places in the Bible that speak of the sun
being darkened and the moon not giving her light. First of all,
Isaiah wrote:
“Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and
fierce anger ... the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and
the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
“And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for
their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to
cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible” (Isa.
13:9-11).
We are told that this will occur in the “day of the LORD.” It is
the time when God will punish the Gentile nations for their
wickedness. We are not talking about ordinary everyday living, but
gross wickedness against God and His Chosen People. God calls them
arrogant, proud and haughty. He says that they are terrible, evil
and wicked. It seems to me that he is referring to the nations that
are trying to destroy Israel. Again, Isaiah said:
“Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the
LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and
before his ancients gloriously” (Isa. 24:23).
Since neither the sun or moon has a conscience, the references to
being confounded or ashamed seem to be metaphoric of the condition
of man on earth. The darkening of the sun and moon, therefore, are
signs of man’s condition. These conditions will prevail at the time
of the Lord’s return to judge the wicked and establish His kingdom.
Isaiah was the first prophet to write about solar and lunar
eclipses, but Joel’s passages are the most widely quoted. Joel
wrote:
“The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the
sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their
shining:
“And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp
is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the
day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?”
(Joel 2:10,11).
Again, Joel said:
“And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood,
and fire, and pillars of smoke.
“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood,
before the great and terrible day of the LORD come” (Joel
2:30,31).
Finally, Joel said:
“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of
the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
“The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall
withdraw their shining” (Joel 3:14,15).
Isaiah and Joel are the only Old Testament prophets that mentioned
solar and lunar apparitions in the day of the LORD. In each case,
however, it is apparent that they are referring to events that
precede the messianic kingdom. Joel adds earthquakes, blood, fire
and pillars of smoke. I think he is describing the battles that
attend the Tribulation Period, especially the final Battle of
Armageddon.
Passages From the New Testament
In the New Testament Gospel of Matthew, Jesus said:
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be
darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars
shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be
shaken:
“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and
then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see
the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great
glory” (Matt. 24:29,30).
In His Olivet discourse, Jesus described His glorious appearing at
the close of the Tribulation Period. My guess (and its only a
guess) is that the darkening of the sun and moon could be eclipses.
Stars falling from heaven could be missiles used in the war. Powers
of the heavens being shaken could refer to many nuclear explosions
around the world, disrupting the atmosphere. The “sign” of the Son
of Man, could be His actual appearance in “the clouds of heaven.”
The clouds may be an ancient description of celestial vehicles,
rather than simple clouds. The only clouds that prompt fear today
is the kind with a twister coming out of them. Therefore, I think
the term “clouds” is used to describe something that flies in the
sky.
The Gospel of Mark repeats the Savior’s statement:
“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be
darkened, and the moon shall not give her light” (Mark
13:24).
Luke also records the occasion:
“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the
stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the
sea and the waves roaring;
“Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those
things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven
shall be shaken.
“And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with
power and great glory” (Luke 21:25-27).
On the day of Pentecost, Peter quoted Joel’s prophecy:
“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood,
before the great and notable day of the Lord come:
“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name
of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:20,21).
In the book of Revelation, John enlarged upon the prophecy:
“And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was
a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair,
and the moon became as blood;
“And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree
casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind”
(Rev. 6:12,13).
“And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was
smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the
stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone
not for a third part of it, and the night likewise” (Rev.
8:12,).
The idea that a third of the sun is smitten may be a reference to a
partial eclipse, similar to the one that will occur on Rosh
Hashanah in the Jewish year 5775 -- September 13, 2015.
These are the biblical passages that deal with the subject. We
cannot tell you that the solar and lunar eclipses that will occur
in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, and 2015 are the fulfillments of
Biblical prophecy, but they are fascinating enough to issue, not a
warning, but a watch. As we have said for years at the close of
each of our telecasts, “Keep looking up!
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