Recently a celestial configuration in the constellations Virgo and Leo has been put forward as a fulfillment of Revelation 12:1-2 and an end times sign.
Revelation 12:1-2 speaks of a woman clothed in the sun with the moon under her feet and a crown of 12 stars. The woman is generally understood to be the constellation Virgo (The Virgin), a picture of a woman, which contains the sun from Sept. 22 to Oct. 30. The moon, which passes through Virgo every month, is found in the feet on Sept. 23, 2017. On that date, the argument goes, the planets Mercury, Mars and Venus come together with the nine bright stars of the constellation Leo (the lion) to form the 12 stars crowning Virgo. These events, plus the retrograde motion of Jupiter in Virgo, are said to be a very rare celestial event and a sign of the Second Coming.
We would agree a celestial event related to the end times should be a very rare occurrence, but, in this case, the event described is not rare at all. The sun and moon return to their positions annually and monthly. The inner planets of Mercury and Venus follow the sun closely and, because of their orbital periods, will return to the same positions annually, as in the case of Mercury’s orbit and five times in eight years because of Venus’. The outer planets return to their positions based on their orbits, every two years for Mars and every 12 years for Jupiter. With two Jupiter returns, three Venus returns, 12 Mars returns and 24 annual returns for the sun, moon and Mercury; the entire sign will repeat every 24 years. The Sept. 23, 2017 event would be the 84th repetition of these celestial positions since the birth of Christ, with the next one coming in 2041. This cannot be a sign of the Second Coming of Christ because it is far too common.
Instead of a sign of the Second Coming, we believe that Revelation 12:1-2 is a record of the Advent of Christ. Revelation 12:2 speaks plainly of a baby being born, who is easily identified as Christ. The moon in the feet of Virgo was not a rare event, but we know from astronomy and history that there was a Blood Moon in the feet of Virgo on Passover, March 23, 5 B.C. We know from Chinese astronomic records that a nova, the Star of Bethlehem, was first seen at about the same time, in early spring of 5 B.C. Because of its association with the birth of Jesus, we believe that Revelation 12:1-2 describes the night sky when Jesus was born, on March 23, 5 B.C.
However, there is a significant message which can be understood from the presence of the planets Mercury, Mars and Venus in the constellation Leo. These planets will become visible in the middle of the day during the totality of the Great American Eclipse which occurs while the sun is in the constellation Leo on Aug. 21, 2017. The eclipse is an invitation to repent and return to God on the first day of Teshuvah, the Jewish 40-day season of repentance leading up to the Day of Atonement. The sun, symbolic of Christ (Ps. 19) and the moon, symbolic of the believers (Ps. 89:37), come together in unity during the eclipse, as a sign calling for unity in Christ. Venus, the bright morning star, symbolic of Christ the seed of woman, reinforces the message while Mars, representing the blood of Jesus, shows the way to repentance. On the other hand, Mercury, the morning star laid low, represents Satan’s defeat and reinforces the symbolism of the eclipse with darkness as a warning of the darkness of the day of the Lord (Amos 5:20). See our recently published book Teshuvah Eclipses or our website www.Teshuvah2017.com for more information.
We invite you to join us as we pray through the 40-day Teshuvah season for repentance, church unity and healing in our land.
And if you can, make a pilgrimage to the eclipse path on August 21 to see the real sign from heaven for 2017. {eoa}
Ron Allen is a Christian businessman, CPA and author who serves in local, national and international ministries, spreading a message of reconciliation to God, to men and between believers. He is founder of the International Star Bible Society, telling how the heavens declare the glory of God; the Emancipation Network, which helps people escape from financial bondage; and co-founder with his wife, Pat, of Corporate Prayer Resources, dedicated to helping intercessors.
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