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 have recently seen a television show
entitled Prophecy In The
News. On the show, the
hosts were quoting many sources from the December 2008 edition of
their magazine with the same title. The implication was that Barack
Obama could be "the anti-Christ." If the sources in the magiazine
are acurate, (and it is entirely possible that they are) Barack's
roots, on his fathers side, are Bedouin/Syrian/Kenyan and Jewish! I
don't know if he is the actual anti-Christ or not but the show I
just watched was very convincing. Obama's phenomenal personality,
political acumen, extremely 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, however, unless it is proven to be true that
Barack has Bedoin Jewish roots from his fathers side of the family.
(The anti-Christ will be Jewish.)
It has been said that Rahm 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 unprecedented access to him in
policy making and he also has the presidents ear at all times as
well as being a major mouth piece to the rest of his staff.
All written documents and official oral communications must come
past his desk and ear before they come to the president's desk and
ear. Perhaps with Obama's rhetorical abilities he could be the
False Prophet and Rahm Emanuel the
anti-Christ.
One way or the other, these are certainly interesting political and
spiritual times we are living in. If they are not the False Prophet
and/or anti-Christ, they most certainly embody a false prophet and
anti-Christ spirit. Both are proponents, or at least sympathetic,
to the concept of a one world global government among many other
Satanic characteristics. For example, radical Marxist Communist
philosophy promotes the collapse of Democratic Capitalist
governments through anarchy, with the expectation that out of the
destruction, a pure utopian Communist government will arise from
the ashes. Rahm, speaking of the present economic crisis in America
and the world, has recently been quoted as saying, "A crisis is a
terrible thing to waste." Christianity is not the only religion or
ideology that has an apocalyptic view of history. Whereas it is the
only religion with an accurate view (having received the knowledge
of the Truth) Judaism, Islam, and Communism hold distotrted
apocalyptic views as well. With this in mind it is also
interesting to note that Obama has had a twenty year involvement
with the cult of "Black Liberation Theology," a religion that is in
lock step and very sympathetic to the perverse theology of "The
Nation of Islam." Both of these cults also hold variations of an
apocalyptic views of history that are to be brought about through
the fulfillment of their radical political agendas.
It should 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. Rahm 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, leader of the Nation of Islam, and 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.
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 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, but also for the world at
large. There will be increasing degrees of persecution against all
parties by their respective enemies. This will take place in the
U.S.A and Israel by secular progressives, and our 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. They will probably be forced to make a preemptive stike on
Iran's nuclear weapon sites on their own. 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 due to bailouts and not recover,
driving us into a deeper economic recession followed by an economic
depression. In light of our increasing moral, economic, and
military weakening, I believe that in a very short time Israel will
be forced to attack and destroy Damascus on its own because of
their state sponsored terror against Israel. Shortly thereafter, an
alliance of Arab nations led by Iran will attack Israel followed by
a Russian invasion of 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 Russian and its allied 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. At the beggining he will be supported by a ten nation world
order federation of rulers (kings). Soon after that he will go to
war with three of the ten rulers - Egypt, Libya, and Ethiopia.
(Sudan) and destroy them. He will then become the eighth of seven
allied rulers and lead them in his plan for world dominion. 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, especially the remnant
that have not embraced him as their Messiah and the Church,
Israel’s main supporters. His aggression will be both of our worst
nightmares. 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 newly rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem declaring himself to be
God. His desire is to be worshiped as God, and he will deceive many
into believing that he the the Jewish Messiah. He will be able to
call down fire from heaven in the sight of men. He will have the
ability to do miraculous signs and wonders. He will receive a fatal
wound a recover from it. He will be exposed by two prophets in the
spirits of Enoch and Elijah. He will slay them in the streets of
Jerusalem but they will be raised from the dead and continue their
righteous work. Those who refuse to worship him (the elect of God)
will not be duped because they have received the knowledge of the
Truth. (The grace of God in Christ Jesus.) There will be one
hundred and forty-four thousand Jewish converts to Christ who will
follow the Lamb, where ever He goes. There will be a remnant of
God's elect protected in the Israeli wilderness. At the end of the
great Tribulation of those days, Jesus 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. Satan will be bound
with a great chain by a large angel and cast into a bottomless pit
for a thousand years. 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.
A note from Rob
Johnson:
I have recently been introduced to the Elijah Project and the Voice
of Elijah Ministries, with whom I am in full agreement pertaining
to their understanding of the end times and the advent of the
Anti-Christ. For information on the Anti-Christ please go to
The Voice of
Elijah, and order their
free booklet entitled, The
Anti-Christ. You can go to
the page on their website entitled, The Reading Room, and read the
book online. I highly recommend you do both.
I have also
included some compelling information regarding the second coming of
Jesus Christ offered by Prophecy In The News. Please read it
prayerfully. Also please log onto the places underlined "video
interview" and "second video interview" to watch a streamed video
of the interview with Mark Biltz on the Prophecy In The News T.V.
show.
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 p.m. 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.
Click here for the rest of
the article.
Watch the Video interviews with Mark
Biltz:
1st interview
2nd interview
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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