CHAPTER SIX
SIGNS: HERALDS OF WHAT IS TO COME
During the seven years of the Tribulation the scriptures focus on time periods of about three and one half year increments, give or take a few days. Antichrist will make an agreement with Israel and after three and one-half years he will break the agreement (Dan. 9:27.) Two
witnesses will come down from heaven during the Tribulation and prophesy in Jerusalem for 1,260 days (Rev.11:3,) almost three and one-half years. The Gentiles will occupy the holy city of Jerusalem for a period of 42 months (Rev. 11:2.) Daniel spoke of a period of 1,290 days during the Tribulation (Dan. 12:11.) Israel will be given a hiding place in the wilderness for three and one-half years (Rev. 12:6.) The Antichrist will be given power to blaspheme and work miracles for 42 months (Rev. 13:5.)
I mention those events because it would seem natural for God to make known the time of the Rapture of the Church when it approaches the three and one-half year period. In fact, that is exactly what God did with me concerning the Rapture.
He did not open the subject by speaking to me out of his Word as he usually does, instead he caught my attention by speaking to me using a sign in the heavens;
the annular solar eclipse of May 10, 1994. That eclipse was the last annular solar eclipse in the northern hemisphere of the century and ushered in the three and one-half year countdown to the Rapture.
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God has employed the heavens to give messages to men for a long time. Because the Church is now well within that three and one-half year period before its departure,* it is natural that God will continue to unlock more scriptures in his Word and reveal more signs both in the heavens and in the earth.
Concerning earthly signs, Hal Lindsay, a prophecy teacher of note, recently documented the marked increase in the number of killer earthquakes during the 20th century. He proved the scriptures to be correct concerning earthquakes in the last days by refuting the notion that we have always had earthquakes. He did so by carefully documenting both the increase in the frequency of the quakes and the rise in deaths associated with them. By the way, the quakes that have occurred in the last couple of decades are not the signs spoken of by Jesus. They could be called the signs of the signs to come. The greatest of the earthquakes, pestilences, famines, etc., will occur during that seven year period called the tribulation.
Signs accompanying a great event on God's calendar are nothing new, he did it when Jesus was born. I have referred to the wise men earlier but here I wish to point out some particular details of their visit, marking it as a unique sign.
The wise men were not merely three kings from the Orient. We know that their number was significant and their credentials impressive because King Herod took the time to meet with them unannounced. Protocol dictated that they first send Herod a letter requesting an audience which would be followed with an invitation. They, however, arrived in Jerusalem uninvited, seeking a newborn king and announcing him as King of the Jews.
The assurance and conviction of their inquiry prompted Herod to call for the religious leaders of Israel to search the scriptures for the birthplace of the Messiah. He then sent the wise men alone to Bethlehem to find king Jesus.
*Remember, this refers to the year 1995, when the revelation was given and when this book was written.
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Expecting the wise men to confirm the location of the Christ, Herod probably alerted his troops to kill the baby after the Magi departed. Their importance would prohibit Herod from committing such an outrageous act while they were still in Palestine. The sign aspect of the visit of the Magi lay in the fact that Jerusalem has never before or since that time had such distinguished visitors seeking what those men sought.
The second great sign of Messiah's birth was the actual killing of all of the Jewish boy babies in the areas surrounding Bethlehem. That was a public deed that directly affected many families and their friends. The slaying should have reminded the Jews of how their boy babies were killed in Egypt many centuries earlier. If the people did not understand the reason for the slaughter, the chief priest, elders and scribes certainly did. They knew that their Messiah had arrived. Jeremiah had prophesied about Herod's murderous act many centuries earlier.
"Thus sayeth the Lord: A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children, refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not." Jer.31:15
The religious leaders knew that Jeremiah's prophecy had been fulfilled that day.
The third great sign heralding Messiah's first arrival was the preaching of John the Baptist. John was a prominent figure because there had not been a prophet from the Lord in Israel for over four hundred years. John's base of operation, the wilderness, was also a sign fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy.
"The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God." (lsa.40:3)
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Once John began preaching, the search for the Messiah should have begun in earnest. Just as God had special signs announcing his arrival then, he is doing the same thing today. The problem is that we are not aware of the signs. Still, they are like the proverbial forest
And trees, right in front of our faces.
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SIGNS IN THE HEAVENS:
ANNOUNCEMENTS OF TIMES AND JUDGEMENTS
No one can look into the starry nighttime sky and not be overwhelmed with a sense of awe. To view the heavens is to look into time itself. The nearest star to Earth, Alpha Centauri, is about 24 trillion miles away. Light traveling at the speed of 186,000 miles per second takes four years to reach earth from that star. When we look at that star we are seeing it as it appeared four years ago.
It boggles the mind to think of objects being light years away. The mind is further bent when we consider that there are millions of galaxies in space and that each one has billions of stars. Notwithstanding the greatness of our Sun, it is a mere speck in the universe.
In Hebrews 3:3 we are told "...he who hath builded the house hath more glory than the house.” As a building reflects the genius of its architect, so the heavens reflect the genius of God. The ingenuity of God is further enhanced when we realize that all of those billions of lights are in motion, proceeding on an orderly course at speeds that man's technology can only dream of attaining. You can be sure that any God who can keep track of the times involved in the movement of all of those heavenly orbs will not be a day late in keeping his appointment with his Church.
The scriptures say, "The heavens declare the glory of God." A declaration is none other than a statement and that verse tells us that the heavens are speaking, giving us a message about the glory of God. By the way, do you know what or who is the glory of God?
The writer to the Hebrews opens his letter by telling us that God has spoken in "divers manners." The oldest message written by God is written not on tables of stone but in the expanse of space. The message is timeless, universal, and continuously spoken:
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"Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.
Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world." Psalms 19:2-4
A good question here is exactly to what part of the heavens do these verses refer? The heavens are vast. Hubble telescope is discovering galaxies millions of light years from earth. But there's a portion of verse four that let's us know exactly to what segment of the heavens those verses relate:
"In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun."
The sun spoken of here is none other than the sun that governs the planetary system of which the Earth is a part. The ecliptical path of the sun passes through what is known as the Zodiac. God refers to the Zodiac when he questioned Job in the 38th chapter of that book.
"Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south?
Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? Or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?
Job 38: 31 & 32
The term Mazzaroth is none other than “Zodiac.” Job did not require an explanation of those constellations because he understood them. Yet today man's knowledge of the significance of the heavens and their created purpose, aside from being lights, is almost non-existent. Satan has taken God's starry message and reduced it to a daily horoscope; meaningless signs that describe the traits and characteristics of the creature,
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making them void of any message from the Creator. Because the Church wisely does not endorse astrology, it has foolishly closed its eyes to anything having to do with signs in the heavens. Any meaning attached to the stars now has its limited interpretation in ancient mythology.
Satan has infiltrated this territory of God's truth and completely subverted, distorted or in most cases, eliminated the message altogether. E.W. Bullinger and Joseph Seiss both wrote books declaring that God's biblical truths first appeared in the constellations. Their works were criticized but considering that they were working in fields of truth that have lain dormant for centuries, they deserve applause. If they had not bothered to at least look at the great truths in the heavens, I personally would not have an inkling that such truths existed. I am also convinced that their works will be most fully appreciated in these last days.
When God placed the sun, moon, and stars in the heavens he did it for various reasons. It is evident that they were placed in the heavens to give life and light on
the earth but, more important, they were also put there for signs, seasons, and to mark time.
"...and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years. " Gen. 1:14
Those signs are just as vital today as they were when God hung them out in space. While much attention has been given to prophecy which focuses on the nations of
this world, one aspect of telling the time of the last days has been ignored---the signs in the heavens. Jesus taught that there would be great signs in the heavens in the last days.
"...and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven." Lk. 21:11
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And further:
"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." Lk.21:25
The signs of the Zodiac are twelve in number. Twelve is God's number of divine government. Additionally, each of the twelve signs are accompanied with three side pieces. Each sign gives its own message and the side pieces give additional details. These signs are universal because they were instituted and designed by God for the express purpose of making declarations to men regarding the eternal plans of God. The pictures that make up the signs of the Zodiac cannot be interpreted on their own merit but their interpretation must coincide with the names of the stars that make up the pictures and both must correspond with God's written word.
Today if a minister of God merely mentions that the heavens are giving a message from God, the Church is ready to condemn him as a heretic. Yet the Savior of the Church had his birth announced in the heavens. Those wise men made a two year journey based on a message written in the heavens and having an understanding of that message they went looking for the one who was born King of the Jews. If the heavens announced the first coming of the Lord Jesus, wouldn't it be just like God to announce the time of the Rapture in the heavens? He has!
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COMETS: MESSENGERS OF GOD
In researching this section of the book, I was surprised to find that comets have been viewed throughout history as portents of doom. History is filled with disturbing events associated with the arrival of a comet. If the comet did not cause the event, it certainly was the messenger announcing the bad news. I now know that Satan has deliberately given comets this bad name because he knows that God has often used comets to bring some of the gladdest tidings to ever fall upon the ears of man. I have no doubt at all that God flung a comet through the heavens to announce the birth of Jesus. I am sure because the language of scripture confirms that fact.
"Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared." Matt. 2:7
An appearance or apparition is a word reserved for comets only. Today we differentiate between stars and comets but the language of scripture defines everything in the heavens as stars with the exception of the sun and the moon. When John writes about stars falling to Earth in the last days, he cannot be referring to stars according to
today's definition. One star falling to Earth would burn up the Earth long before it actually landed. What John saw has to be those objects classified as meteorites and asteroids.
It is very possible that the star seen by the wise men at the time of Christ's birth was visible to everyone, but only a few individuals understood the message of the star. The message rendered by the flight path of a comet can be interpreted by noting the constellations the comet passes through. Additional information can be obtained by noting the comet's speed,
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its last appearance, it's aphelion date (farthest distance from the sun) and its perihelion date (closest approach to the sun.) Whether we are concerned with dates or speeds, numbers are a vital part of the message in understanding the significance of the comet.
When Jesus first came to earth, his arrival was heralded by the prophet John the Baptist. John's message was a message of judgement. He asked his audience who had warned them to flee from the wrath of God to come and told them that the axe was now laid to the root of the tree, the tree being symbolic of the nation of Israel.
In January 1996 God dispatched a comet through our solar system named Hyakutake. All comets are named after their discoverers. It was interesting to note that the news on the Internet described this comet as a "precursor" of the "mother of all comets." Those words, although written by an astronomer, are almost biblically prophetic.
John was not a "precursor" but a forerunner of Jesus and just as his message was a message of judgement to come, so was Comet Hyakutake's. This comet was stamped with the number nine. Nine, being the last of the digits, is used by God to denote the end or judgement. Astronomers determined that Comet Hyakutake last visited our neighborhood of space about 9,000 years ago. As it passed by the earth, its range was nine million miles. A casual look at the constellations visited by Hyakutake show beyond all doubt that this comet came declaring the wrath of God to come.
One of the fascinating aspects of this comet was that it was shown to be releasing x-rays and indeed had an x-ray tail streaming out 30,000 miles from the nucleus as it sped away from earth. That feature has never been discovered in any comet and it caught the astronomical world by complete surprise!
When I viewed this comet in early April it's appearance was as a large fuzzy ball.
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I found that interesting because the scriptures speak of the day of judgement being a day when the sun will be turned to darkness appearing as if it were covered with a veil. Comet Hyakutake never came into focus as it streaked across the black heavens.
On July 22, 1995 another comet was discovered by astronomers Alan Hale and
Thomas Bopp, consequently named Hale-Bopp. This is the comet that was referred to
earlier as the mother of all comets. The astronomical world holds great hopes that this comet will be the most spectacular sight to dominate that heavens over the last two decades. It is already being compared to the great comet of 1811. That comet had a tail in excess of 90 million miles. At a distance of over 600 million miles from the sun, Comet Hale-Bopp was already showing a tail. This comet will continue to dominate the sky throughout the balance of 1996 and regale the heavens until the fall of 1997.
I stated earlier that the message being delivered by a comet is expressed by the constellation(s) through which it passes as it makes it journey around the sun. This comet was discovered in the constellation of Sagittarius. This constellation displays Christ as the double-natured one who returns swiftly. He is pictured with his bow drawn and armed with an arrow aimed at the deadly Scorpio(n) (Satan). It then passes through Ophiuchus who is shown in the stars holding a great serpent. The serpent has his sights on the Corona Borealis (the Crown) but that crown is reserved for the redeemed and the great strength of Ophiuchus prevents the serpent from taking that crown. Hale-Bopp then moves into Aquila. This constellation portrays Christ as a returning eagle who earlier had been pierced. The next constellation on Hale-Bopp's route is Cygnus the swan. This swan is in rapid flight and its name in Greek and Latin mean "circling and returning. " Its brightest star is named Deneb, the Lord or Judge to come.
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Other stars in this constellation are Azel, who goes and returns ; Fafage, glorious, shining forth; Sadr, who returns as in a circle; Adige, flying swiftly. All are manifestations of Christ keeping his promise to return for his Church.
Comet Hale-Bopp is expected to rendezvous with the sun on April 1, 1997. It will come to perihelion in the constellation of Andromeda. This constellation is a picture of the Church and the name means, man-ruler or ruler of men. But she is pictured in the heavens bound with chains.
The message is clear. In its present state on the earth which is Satan's headquarters, the Church is in chains and hated by this evil worldly system. The turning point of Comet Hale-Bopp in the constellation Andromeda prophesies the release of those chains as the Church is set free from this earth. On April 1, 1997, 6 months and 11 days before the Church is caught away, Comet Hale-Bopp will reach its perihelion and be at its brightest as it streaks across the heavens, easily visible to the naked eye.
As Comet Hale-Bopp exits the planetary field it will pass through the constellations of Perseus, Taurus, and Orion. All of these constellations depict God's program much in the same way Revelation reads after the fourth chapter, after the Church has been called up to heaven. I am sure that the cluster of seven stars (Pleiades) surrounding an eighth star in the strong neck of Taurus the Bull are nothing else but the seven churches who have been joined together with Jesus.
Astronomers estimate that Comet Hale-Bopp passed around our sun about 5900 years ago. That's a mere estimate but even so, it's eerily close to 6000. That means that Comet Hale-Bopp would have made its last appearance at the time when God was breathing life into a clay creation called Adam. If that be the case, the comet that announced the creation of the first Adam is now coming back through earth's skies to announce the return of the second Adam, Jesus Christ.
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Comet Hale-Bopp will be the first comet to pass through our part of the heavens during a total solar eclipse since 1947, the last time the last trump sounded,
announcing the 68th jubile year. The total solar eclipse will be on March 9, 1997.
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THE BOMBARDMENT OF JUPITER:
A PREVIEW OF JUDGEMENT TO COME
A notable event took place in the heavens from July 16 to July 21, 1994. Jupiter was bombarded by a comet. Bearing the name of its discoverers, Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 (number nine again) was pulled off its original orbit over 130 years ago as it passed within the massive gravitational field of Jupiter. By reconstructing its orbit, astronomers have determined that this comet was orbiting Jupiter when Abraham Lincoln was running for president and had been in a deteriorating orbit since that time. Although comets have collided with planets since the dateless past, this was the first time in the history of astronomy that such an event was both predicted and witnessed. Any significant event that occurs for the first time in recorded history should be viewed as a sign from God.
What happened on Jupiter during those six days was not just another planet/comet collision but a specific event given as a sign by God to confirm what he has already spoken in his Word: an impending judgement on the earth!
Shoemaker-Levy 9 was originally estimated to be as large as ten kilometers across or 6.2 miles. On July 7, 1992 as the comet made its closest approach to Jupiter, the planet's tidal forces caused it to break up into 21 fragments. That number was no more random than the formation of the universe in the beginning. God intentionally separated the comet into 21 distinct fragments, allowing them to be counted.
The book of Revelation tells us that this earth will be the recipient of the judgement
of God during the Great Tribulation. That judgement is divided into three groups: seals, trumpets and vials, each of those categories consisting of seven judgements for a total of 21.
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This heavenly show was not conducted on Pluto or Mercury but on the largest planet in our solar system.
The 21 fragments pounded Jupiter over a six day period (the number of man) and served as an announcement from God that 21 judgements are destined for this earth whose effects will be felt over a period of seven years, and they are coming soon. God's wrath to be poured out during the seven years of Tribulation will complete the days of man's rule on earth. Afterwards, the earth will be under the reign of Christ for the next 1,000 years from 2006 until 3006.
The fragments were poetically described as a "string of pearls." More accurately, they were a prophetic string of judgements announcing death and destruction on the earth. The train of fragments were spread out over 3.1 million miles. Those pieces slammed into Jupiter's atmosphere at speeds of 130,000 miles per hour creating a kinetic energy of 250 million mega-tons of TNT and sent fire plumes as high as 600 miles into Jupiter's atmosphere. The flash of the impacts equalled that of many nuclear explosions, bright enough to be reflected off of some of Jupiter's moons. A few of the fragments were estimated to be more than two miles across. One of the smaller pieces left an imprint on the planet larger than the size of the earth.
There has been much speculation as to what would happen on earth if even the smallest fragment were to strike here. Estimates determine that the catastrophic effects would result in a devastating loss of human, animal and plant life. We no longer have to guess what these impacts will be like because God gave us a first-hand look at them in the heavens.
Jupiter is listed as a gas planet. Its gaseous atmosphere is comprised mostly of methane and ammonia. Scientists and astronomers are wondering if Jupiter has a solid surface at all. The space probes Pioneer 10 and 11 give evidence that the body of the planet
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consists almost entirely of liquid hydrogen. Even though it is not a solid planet, the impact scars left by the comet pieces were still visible over one year later. What would be the impact on a rock and metal planet such as ours?
The impacts were also prophetic in the sense that they hit the side of Jupiter that was not visible from earth. You could say that the planet was hit on its blind side from earth's point of view. In a fight or car wreck, to blindside someone means the individual could not see the hit coming. When God pours out his 21 judgements on the earth, those living on the earth will be blind to their coming until it is too late.
Some scientists speculate that through early detection we could avert the impact of a dangerous meteor by nudging it out of its orbit using some type of rocket. Scientists now admit that they would need at least a ten year warning that a comet or asteroid was coming in order to divert it from the earth. That is significant because the judgements of Revelation are scheduled to hit this earth within the next ten years.
One of the judgements in Revelation 8:8 is described by John as a great mountain burning with fire falling from space. It will land in the sea and will kill one third of all marine life and destroy one-third of the world's ships. I believe John saw either an asteroid or a comet.
That judgement will be immediately followed by what John describes as a star falling from heaven, burning like a lamp. Upon impact that star will contaminate one third of the earth's water and many men will die as a result of the poisoning of the water. The name of that star is called Wormwood. God gave us a preview of Wormwood in 1986 with the nuclear accident at Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union. The Russian name Chernobyl translated into English is, Wormwood. That star from heaven will produce a type of contamination commonly associated with nuclear radiation.
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Although Jupiter seemed to absorb the hits, no one really knows what kind of shock waves were emitted through the planetary system as a result of those giant explosions. Those shock waves may not alter the orbit of the planets themselves, but what about the smaller matter orbiting in space such as asteroids and meteors?
It could very well be that the "burning mountain" John saw coming upon the earth was shoved into Earth's trajectory as a result of Jupiter's collisions. John's prophecies will begin unfolding just before the turn of this century. In fact all of the horrors of Revelation will be completed by the end of the year 2005.*
I live in Los Angeles, earthquake country. Unless you have experienced the feeling of helplessness as the earth shakes under you, it may be difficult to imagine the tremendous powers that can be unleashed in the universe. During an earthquake you come to the realization that there is nowhere to run. Remaining stationary provides the best chance of staying alive.
What will it be like when those massive, speeding heavenly bodies rush out of heaven to the earth in the very near future? Where will men run? God will be directing those objects to earth for the specific purpose of destroying life. For the first time since the plagues of Egypt those events attributed to God by man as acts of God will actually be just that. All of the upcoming doom can be avoided by accepting Jesus as savior and leaving here before these great calamities begin.
*again, based on a 1997 rapture that was “delayed.”
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A MESSAGE FROM MARS:
WAR ON SATAN AND HIS ARMIES
On February 11, 1995 the Sun, Earth, and Mars moved into alignment. The astronomical term is opposition. Prior to that alignment Mars has been in excess
of 100 million miles away from the Earth but during that period it passed within 64 million miles.
Previously the number 64 made astronomical news on December 9, 1994 when an asteroid the size of a house passed within 64,000 miles of the Earth. That distance is 75% closer than the moon. That event was not reported in the news until after it had passed and even then the information given was scant.
It has been repeatedly noted that numbers are not coincidental when God is involved. In those cases the number 64 appears both in thousands and millions of miles. Coincidentally, the opposition of Mars occurred 64 days after the close approach of the asteroid. Such are the ingredients of a sign from God.
The factors of 64 are 8 x 8. It has already been shown that eight is God's number of new beginnings. The new changes that are soon coming on this earth, starting with the millennial reign of Christ, are already being announced in the heavens. In 1997 Mars will come within 32 million miles of Earth, twice as close as its 1995 approach. The factors of 32 are 8 x 4.
Number four is used by God to represent the earth or earthly affairs. Examples: There are four primary compass points; the one river that flowed out of the garden of Eden parted into four branches; four winds govern the earth; the great Grecian empire broke up into four heads, two of which will play a major role in earth's final conflict. (Daniel 11 focuses on the "king of the north" and "king of the south" which represent the old Seleucid and Ptolemaic empires respectively. The Antichrist will come out of the old Seleucid branch of the ancient Grecian empire, known today as Syria.)
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The 1997 factors of 8 and 4 concerning Mars and the Earth prophesy a new era for the earth. What is this new era? Mars is often referred to as the angry red planet.
It is also called the god of war. In February 1995 the planet was in the constellation of Leo.
Leo is the Lion constellation. Its significance transcends mere human horoscope identity and the same is true of all of the constellations. They were placed in the heavens by God to give the same message that is written in the scriptures. Jesus is "The Lion of the tribe of Judah" who will be the ultimate predator against his earthly enemies during the latter part of the Tribulation.
"And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof." Rev.5:5
The overall theme of Mars, in the constellation of Leo, coming ever closer to Earth in 1997 is impending war. God is announcing the marshaling of his troops together for that great conflict against Satan who is represented in the constellation Hydra, the same fleeing serpent spoken of in Job 26: 13 and in Isaiah 27: 1 below,
"By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent. "
"In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea."
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HALLEY'S COMET:
GOD'S COSMIC PENDULUM
It was mentioned earlier that for thousands of years, comets have been associated with disaster and impending doom. Because they suddenly appeared in the sky and then just as mysteriously disappeared, they were thought to be couriers of the gods bringing tidings of wrath. It was not until the latter part of the 16th century that the works of Edmond Halley and Isaac Newton allowed us to better understand comets. They learned that comets did not just appear out of nowhere but traveled along a predictable orbit.
The comet that bears Halley's name was not discovered by him. Records of the comet show that it was known to Chinese observers as early as 240 B.C. After carefully studying the orbits and speeds of what were thought to be different comets, Halley came to realize that the comet seen in 1531, 1607, and 1682 was in fact the same comet. He then did something no one else had done before, he predicted that the comet of 1682 would come around again at the end of 1758. Halley was about thirty years old then and even though his prediction was taken seriously, many felt that he had nothing to lose if he was wrong because he would be dead before it appeared again. Edmond Halley died in 1742.
About a year before the predicted arrival of Halley's Comet, several French astronomers and mathematicians were feverishly reviewing the calculations Halley had worked out decades earlier. Although Halley's computations contained errors, the errors essentially cancelled out one another. The French astronomers verified that the comet would arrive when Halley said it would. In Halley's honor, the comet was given his name.
Halley's comet travels around our sun on an average of once every 76 years. Actually seeing the comet is a once in a lifetime affair.
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Although it is not classified as a long term comet, its lengthy intervals reminds us just how fleeting life is. Halley's last visit was in 1986. You might ask what this cosmic pendulum has to do with the end times? The comet's 1986 visit to our section of the heavens highlights the number "eleven." E.W. Bullinger in his book Number in Scripture comments on the number eleven:
"If ten is the number which marks the perfection of Divine order, then eleven is an addition to it, subversive of and undoing that order. If twelve is the number which marks the perfection of Divine government, then eleven falls short of it. So that whether we regard it as being 10 + 1, or 12 - 1, it is the number which marks disorder, disorganization, imperfection, and disintegration."
Bullinger cites several examples, one of which is that Jesus lived 33 years, 3 x 11, and then he was "cut off" as prophesied by Daniel. There were eleven attempts made by Jesus' enemies to end his life. The eleventh attempt resulted in his death on the cross.
We have established that the Church will be taken out of the earth at the proclamation of the Jubile year in 1997. The last year Halley's comet visited the earth was 1986, an eleven year difference. Therefore the 1986 apparition of Halley's was not just another appearance, its eleven year arrival before 1997 marks 1997 as the "cutoff” year for those who have not entered into the ark of the Church. It also marks the end of the day of grace and of salvation to the Gentiles at large. By the way, when comet Shoemaker-Levy crashed into Jupiter in 1994, it too marked the beginning of an eleven year event. The final seven years of Daniel's prophecy will be completed in 2005, eleven years after the Jupiter episode.
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It also just so happens that the sounding of the Jubile trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month of 1997, the Jewish month of Tishri, is the 11th day of October on the Gregorian calendar.
The number eleven is also a prominent factor in what scientists and geologists believe to be periodic extinctions on the Earth. Studies have been conducted that prove that the earth has experienced massive extinctions of plant and animal life at regular intervals of every 26 million years. The report said we should not worry because the next one is not due for another 15 million years. Viewed another way, you could say that the earth experienced its last catastrophe 11 millions years ago. If the scriptures are accurate and they have been for thousands of years, the last calamity to strike the Earth was the final one before Earth receives a complete renovation according to the Revelation given to John.
Considering that Halley's comet has been in circulation for perhaps hundreds of millions of years and is expected to continue in its orbit for at least another 10,000 years, why would the 1986 showing be significant aside from the eleven year factor? In viewing the signs, it should be apparent that we cannot take one sign and isolate it. It must be considered in conjunction with other signs and must revolve around a notable historic date. We have determined that our benchmark date from which to measure all other dates is 1948, the year Israel was returned to the roster of nations.
Halley's comet just happened to reach aphelion in 1948. The comet's 1948 aphelion coupled with its last appearance in 1986 intimately connects this timepiece with the last days.
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HUBBLE: SUPER EYE IN THE SKY
God not only controls his own works, he also controls the endeavors of man to serve his own purposes. In 1977, a generation before the Rapture, Congress allocated funds for placing a telescope 380 miles above the earth that would produce images of the universe ten times sharper and six times deeper than any earthbound telescope. Stars that can be seen with the naked eye are about 6 magnitude on a clear night. Hubble s able to see stars as dim as magnitude 28.
Hubble was delayed in its launch because of a variety of mishaps. The first and foremost problem was with its mirror. At 1,800 pounds and 94 inches in diameter, the mirror is the heart of the telescope. It took five years to grind and polish the mirror, exceeding the budget by millions of dollars. Yet when the job was completed the mirror was found to be improperly ground. It was either too high or too low by about four microns.
(The numbers carry the same message.) A micron is about 4% of the diameter of a human hair. This is insignificant if the telescope is being used to view the moon, but because it was designed to see objects 500 million light years away, that amount of error produced blurred images. The government did not spend several billion dollars for a fuzzy picture.
In order to correct the problem, the telescope's cameras were replaced with different size lenses. In other words, Hubble's vision was corrected with the equivalent of giant contact lenses.
After the telescope was launched, it was discovered that there were problems with the antennas--they would not extend. Additionally, the guidance system was found to be faulty. Evidently the contractor, now known as Hughes Dansbury Optical Systems, formerly Perkins-Elmer Corp., gave the sub-contractor, Composite Optics Inc., backwards
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drawing plans of part of the guidance system. Later it became evident that the solar panels also had problems. As a result of moving from light to darkness, the temperature changes caused the panels to wobble.
On December 2, 1994, NASA sent astronauts into space to fix the problems. The repair job took eleven days. The astronauts replaced four of six gyroscopes, two solar panels, the primary camera affecting the flawed mirror, and two magnetic sensors. On December 13th the first pictures were received from a galaxy 50 million light years away.
When all of the problems and delays are considered, it is my opinion that God simply delayed this telescope's role in space until it was time for it to work according to his own clock. The original launch year was 1983. That year was pushed back to early 1985 and later to August 1986. The Challenger tragedy in 1986 resulted in a temporary halt of all launch operations at NASA.
During these years the telescope was being stored in a dust free, temperature controlled environment at a minimum cost of seven million dollars a month. Hubble was scheduled again for launch in June of 1989 but a congested flight schedule and fuel shortages delayed the launch again until February, 1990. The actual launch date was April 24, 1990 ---seven years late!
The number of years from its original launch date in 1983 until it was repaired in 1994 is eleven years. There's that cut-off number again. If Hubble's launch was
designed to see something coming on the earth such as an asteroid or comet, God made sure that its launch date came after the necessary ten year requirement to avert whatever might be heading our way. God did not intend for Hubble to see the "burning mountain" coming on the earth until it was too late to stop it.
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