Revelation 12:
A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of 12 stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in labor and agony as she was about to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: There was a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and 10 horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. His tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. And the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she did give birth he might devour her child. 5 But she gave birth to a Son—a male who is going to shepherd all nations with an iron scepter—and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. 6 The woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, to be fed there for 1,260 days.
BIRTH PAINS:
Birth involves pain and blood. Following the sign of September 23, the Church should expect to suffer pain and bloodshed. The Dragon (now blocked out on the NASA site) is there and waiting. There seem to be as many ideas on the specifics as there are Christians. I am not going to guess the specifics, but there is massive agreement that Pain and Bloodshed follow September 23, 2017.
THE DRAGON:
The dragon tries to devour the Child (Jesus) but is unsuccessful. The Child is taken up into Heaven and the woman goes to a place in the wilderness, that God has prepared for her. Pretribbers want to say that this is the Church, taken off to Heaven. Please note that the Woman escapes into “The Wilderness.” If you want to call Heaven a “wilderness” go ahead. I believe that this is speaking of Israel but I do not claim to “Know.” The Dragon is the Devil and he is cast to earth (That makes him mad!)
Revelation 12:
The Dragon Thrown Out of Heaven
Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought, but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was thrown out—the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world. He was thrown to earth, and his angels with him.
DANIEL:
12:1 At that time Michael the great prince who stands watch over your people will rise up.There will be a time of distress such as never has occurred since nations came into being until that time.But at that time all your people who are found written in the book will escape. 2 Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to eternal life, and some to shame and eternal contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the bright expanse of the heavens,and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
Daniel places the Resurrection of the dead and the Rapture at the time of the War between Michael and Satan. Does that mean on that day, during that time period or at the end of that time period? I do not know, I suspect that it is during or at the end of that time period and not on the day it starts.
Daniel speaks of a war. It seems, from what John writes, that that war starts on the day of the sign of the Sign of the Son of Man. That would be the 23rd of September 2017. Wars do not happen in a day. How long will that conflict take and on what day will the Devil and his angels be cast down? I do not know. Could it be on September 23? Yes, but I do not think so.
Daniel speaks of weeks. I am of the school that believes that the first half of that week happened during the ministry of Jesus. Three and a half years from his Baptism to his Ascension. That would leave three and a half years, not seven. That might be wrong but the seven years comes out of the Pre-Trib Doctrine and the idea that the Christians will be in Heaven for a seven-year Marriage Supper… That is not necessarily Scriptural.
NOTE:
At any rate, part of the things happening in Revelation 12 happened at the first coming of Jesus and part will be completed this time. Think of it as one sign, split into two time periods, not two separate signs. Jesus comes twice and so does the sign. The first time, the sign signaled the birth of Jesus. This time the sign signals the beginning of the end. The first time, there were 33 years between his birth and his ascension. This time, there are either three and a half years or seven years between the sign and Armageddon. Could it be even as much as 33 years? Anything is possible but I believe that we are looking at seven years at the most.
I have even thought that it is possible that the first three and a half years are the war with Michael and Satan, and that the Great Tribulation could be three and a half years, starting the day that Satan is cast to earth. That is a possibility. The three and a half years of war in the Heavens could produce many wild and crazy things there… things that Jesus spoke of concerning our times.
WARNING:
The Jews were fully convinced of, and all their books spoke of, a Messiah, who would arrive with the sign of the Son of Man. This Messiah would ride into Jerusalem on a White Horse, raise an army and route the Romans, restoring sovereignty to Israel and reestablishing David’s Throne. They had many long and complicated arguments by which they manipulated the Scriptures and made them say that; not unlike the arguments for a Pre-Trib Rapture.
A huge problem we have today is that the Pre-Tribbers have thrown the idea of a Rapture at every date and every sign. They did that so forcefully and so successfully that people believed them. When the sign came and there was no rapture, they threw out the sign, deciding that if there was no rapture, the sign was not a sign. The Sign however, was valid, things did happen, it was just never about the Rapture.
The Pre-Trib Rapture has become our “Messiah on a White Horse.” The Jews were so convinced of their White Horse Hero, that when the sign came and there was no Rider on a White Horse, they decided that the sign was phony. Jesus was born in Bethlehem but they never found him… they were too busy crying over the Messiah who did not come. When September 23 comes and goes and there is no rapture, tens of thousands will take to Facebook to call the sign a fake. The sign isn’t a fake, the Doctrine of a Pre-Trib Rapture is a false doctrine…
I do not know if we will see anything on the 23rd. What I do know is that a war in the Heavens will start that day and that war will have grave consequences on the earth… Everything, following that date will get much worse, very quickly. I would not be surprised if something happens, on that day, that leads to a nuclear conflict and the prophesied “One Hour Destruction” of Babylon… But, it will be a process as much as or more than an event. Harvey followed the Eclipse. Destruction follows the Sign of the Son of Man.”
THESE ARE LABOR PAINS; THE BABY IS COMING!
David…