THE SEVEN PERSONAGES AND THE REVELATION 12 SIGN: THE PERISHING MAN CHILD AND THE GRAPE GLEANINGS OF THE VINTAGE

In our continuing chapter by chapter study of the book of Revelation, we continue with chapter 12. It is the next in line of this most fascinating end time book. In the previously article in this series, we examined chapter 11 and its description of the blowing of the seventh trumpet and the judgments that followed. Between the sound of the seventh trumpet in Revelation chapter 11 and its resulting vial-plagues in chapters 15 and 16, the Apostle John inserts three chapters (12,13 and 14) in order to give the historical background leading up to the judgment of “the wrath of God.” But these chapters are also placed here to set forth events that will occur in the last three and a half years of the Tribulation Period.

We shall learn that the woman will flee into the wilderness where she is protected for “a thousand two hundred and threescore days” (Revelation 12:6); and nourished for “a time, and times, and half a time” (Revelation 12:14); while the beast out of the sea rules with satanic power for “forty and two months” (Revelation 13:5). All three statements refer to the same period of time – the last half of the Tribulation. Why are three different methods used for counting the time?

First of all, Israel’s sojourn in the wilderness for “a thousand two hundred and threescore days” (Revelation 12:6) – the last half of the Tribulation – is contrasted with the ministry of the two witnesses for “a thousand two hundred and threescore days” (Revelation 11:3) – during the first three and one half years. Furthermore, John uses the term “a thousand two hundred and threescore days” in order to develop a connection with Daniel’s description of this same general period. Note, however, that Daniel’s reference to this period adds another 30 days, then another 45 days. Daniel uses the terms “a thousand two hundred and ninety days” (Daniel 12:11), and a “thousand three hundred and five and thirty days” (Daniel 12:12).

Secondly, Israel’s nourishment in the wilderness for “a time, and times, and half a time” (Revelation 12:14) corresponds with Daniel’s terminology used to describe the beast wearing out the saints for “a time and times and the dividing of time” (Daniel 7:25). We should also note that Daniel also uses the term “time, times, and an half” (Daniel 12:7) to describe the scattering of the “power of the holy people.” Obviously, these events will occur during the last half of the Tribulation Period.

Thirdly, the rule of the Antichrist during the last “forty and two months” (Revelation 13:5) is contrasted with Jewish Temple worship during the first “forty and two months” (Revelation 11:2) of the Tribulation Period. We should note that John and Daniel are the only two prophets that give such specific timing to the final seven years preceding the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom.

Daniel indicates that these final seven years will fulfill his prophecy of the seventieth week …

“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate” (Daniel 9:27).

There is no other predicted event in the Bible that allows such specificity. This prophetic theme is laid out in Daniel’s seventieth week, beginning with a strengthened covenant, a revival of Temple liturgy, the desecration by the Antichrist, and God’s final judgment, thus bringing the conflict of the ages to its conclusion.

The Lamed Factor

The 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet have a story to tell – a message that can be seen in the 22 chapters of Revelation. As noted in previous articles, it is extremely interesting to see the display of divine authorship and authenticity of this book in the peculiar observation that the 22 chapters of Revelation correspond to the meaning of the 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet in their respective order.

The Hebrew letter for chapter 12, our current chapter of study in this posting, is lamed , which stands for “teaching and learning.” It is man’s duty, first to learn, then to teach God’s will and purpose. 

Lamed is the tallest of all the Hebrew letters. Its height implies that our intellectual capacity to learn and teach is God’s unique gift. With it, we can develop human consciousness, discern the mind of God and demonstrate spirituality. Therefore, this 12th chapter teaches history’s most important lesson – the conflict between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. All of this leads up to the pouring out of God’s wrath upon an unbelieving world and the victorious establishment of the Messianic Kingdom.

Lamed is the majestic letter, towering above all the other letters from its position in the center of the alphabet. Michael Munk, author of The Wisdom in the Hebrew Alphabet, says that it “symbolizes the king of kings, the Supreme ruler.” On one side, the lamed lamed is flanked by the kaf, which alludes to the king’s crown and accomplishment, while on its other side stands the mem, the symbol of revealing God’s kingship. Together, these three letters spell melek מֶלֶךְ, the Hebrew word for “king.” 

The shape of the lamed consists of a kaf with a vav on its roof. The vav is the letter of the Messiah, who restores the broken connection between God and man. Vav is the 6th letter, setting forth a prophecy that the Messiah will bring the final judgment and establish his Kingdom upon the conclusion of the 6th millennium. The numerical value of kaf  is 20, while the vav is 6. Together, they have a numerical value of 26, the sum of the four letters in the ineffable name of Yahweh יְהוָֹה.

The numerical value of lamed is 30, the number of full maturity. It is the year in which the Jew could fully understand God’s will and take his place in worship. The Levite could enter the priesthood at the age of 30; David became king at 30; Ezekiel began writing his prophecies at 30; Joseph became governor of Egypt at 30; and Christ began his ministry at the age of 30. Therefore, the teaching of Revelation 12 brings to full maturity the great mystery of the ages – God’s ultimate plan for victory over the devil.

The Cast

The cast in this drama consists of seven personages: The woman, the child, the dragon and his angels, the archangel and his angels, the remnant of her seed, the beast out of the sea and the beast out of the earth. Having considered the “Lamb” in chapter 14 as a separate character, it seems logical to conclude that he is the same person as the “child” and, therefore, should not be considered as a separate character. The “144,000” Jews in chapter 14 appear to be the same as the “remnant of her seed” and, therefore, should not be considered as a separate set of characters …

“And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne” (Revelation 12:5).

The chapter begins with a “wonder in heaven” (verse 1). In verse 3, we are told of another “wonder in heaven.” These “wonders” refer to an ancient story that predates the Bible. Long before Moses penned the book of Genesis, early civilizations were given the Gospel story, laid out across the night sky, in the form of 12 constellations and their 36 decans. 

According to Flavius Josephus, this original story was given to Adam’s son Seth and his posterity, who were the “inventors of that peculiar sort of wisdom which is concerned with the heavenly bodies and their order” (Josephus, book 1, chapter 2, pp. 3).

Here is where it is important to make the point that there is a difference between Astronomy and Astrology. Astrology is a diabolical perversion of God’s original Gospel message written in the heavens at least two millennia before Moses. The idolatry of the Old Testament only dates back to the time between Noah and Abraham. The Tower of Babel represented a formal establishment of astrology – the idolatry of Bible days. 

Of the twelve constellations, two are given in this chapter. They tell the story that spans the heavens – the conflict between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent.

Virgo

Here, she is called a “woman.” But in the ancient constellations, she is the virgin, Virgo. Her crown of twelve stars refers to those constellations that encircle the heavens at every 30 degrees around the ecliptic. She is, in every sense, a virgin, though she carries an unborn child.

Normally, this would be impossible, but all of the ancient star charts maintain her virginity. She is not a fallen woman, but rather a virgin in the purest sense. How can this be? Simple. She has known no man. She carries the Son of God.

This concept of the virgin birth can be seen in the cosmologies of ancient civilizations. Alexander Hislop, author of The Two Babylons, wrote …

“Over all the world the Mother and the child appear in some shape or other, and are found on the early Egyptian monuments, that shows that this worship must have had its roots in the primeval ages of the world” (page 75).

This ancient truth was taught to ancient man through the constellation Virgo. In early Babylon, Ham’s grandson, Nimrod and his queen, Semiramis, adopted the story of the constellations as prophecies of themselves. He built the Tower of Babel in order to deify himself as the “seed of the woman.” Hislop added …

“As time wore away, and the facts of Semiramis’s history became obscured, her son’s birth was boldly declared to be miraculous; and therefore, she was called ‘Alma Mater,” the ‘Virgin Mother‘” (page 76).

After the languages were confused and mankind migrated to other parts of the world, they carried the story of Virgo with them. Hislop continued …

“That the birth of the Great Deliverer was to be miraculous, was widely known long before the Christian era. For centuries, some say for thousands of years before that event, Buddhist priests had a tradition that a Virgin was to bring forth a child to bless the world” (page 76,77).

As late as the 16th century, symbols of the Virgin and her divine son were found among the Hindus and Buddhists. Again, Hislop continued …

“When Jesuit missionaries first entered Tibet and China, they found statues of a mother and child worshipped as the ‘virgin mother of God‘” (page 77).

The fact that the Redeemer was to be born of a virgin was established long before Moses began recording the Word of God.

Early Christian Beliefs

During the early centuries of church history, several Christian theologians affirmed the doctrine of the virgin birth. Around A.D. 105, Ignatius wrote: “He was truly born of a virgin.” Around A.D. 160, Justin Martyr wrote: “We even affirm that he was born of a virgin.”

Because of Christianity’s strong stand on the virgin birth, many Jewish scholars changed their views of Isaiah’s prophecy of the virgin birth. Justin Martyr addressed this issue …

“But you [Jews] and your teachers venture to claim that in the prophecy of Isaiah it is not said, ‘Behold, the virgin will conceive,’ but Behold, the young woman will conceive, and bear a son.’ Furthermore, you explain the prophecy as if [it referred] to Hezekiah, who was your King. Therefore, I will endeavor to soon discuss this point in opposition to you.” 

Another early theologian, Tertullian (A.D. 207) added these thoughts …

“He says, ‘Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold a virgin will conceive, and bear a son.’ Now a sign from God would not have been a sign unless it had been some new and wonderful thing. However, Jewish cavillers, in order to annoy us, boldly pretend that scripture does not hold that a virgin is to conceive and bring forth – but only a young woman. They are, however, refuted by this consideration: that nothing of the nature of a sign can possibly come out of what is a daily occurrence – the pregnancy and child-bearing of a young woman. Instead, a virgin mother is justly deemed to be proposed by God as a sign.”

So strong was the doctrine of the virgin birth in the early church that Tertullian considered it to be a prerequisite to salvation. He wrote …

“Whoever wishes to see Jesus, the Son of David, must believe in him through the virgin birth. He who will not believe this will not hear from him the commendation, ‘Your faith has saved you.'”

Origen, around A.D. 248, added these thoughts to the doctrine of the virgin birth …

“A Jew might split words and say that the words are not ‘Look, a virgin,’ but ‘Look, a young woman …’ I reply that the word almah – which the Septuagint has rendered by ‘virgin,’ occurs … in Deuteronomy, being applied to a virgin, in the following passage: “If a woman who is virgin [Heb. almah] is betrothed unto a husband …'”

The Virgin Birth

In Matthew’s genealogy, we have absolute proof of the virgin birth. He begins with Abraham and divides the genealogical table into three parts of 14 generations each …

“So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations” (Matthew 1:17).

However, if you carefully consider these generations, there are two problems that can only be solved by a virgin birth. First, Jechonias [Coniah] received a divine curse that made his progeny ineligible to sit upon the throne of David …

“Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not? O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah” (Jeremiah 22:28-30).

Mary eventually produced five sons. Four of them could not qualify to become Israel’s king. Only the virgin birth of Christ made him eligible. Matthew avoids mentioning Jechonias in his summary, substituting “the carrying away into Babylon” in the place of his name. Why? Because Jechonias bore the curse that prevented his posterity from qualifying for the throne.

Secondly, Matthew reports that there are fourteen generations from “the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ,” and yet the list stops with Joseph, the twelfth generation. If Jesus is the fourteenth generation, where is the thirteenth? Matthew explains that God steps in to provide the thirteenth generation in the following verse …

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 1:18).

There is our answer. If there was no virgin birth, then where is the missing generation between Jechonias and Christ? It is not there. Christ could only have been born of a virgin, with God as his father, otherwise we would have had no Savior; the Jews would have had no Messiah; and the nation would have no King – ever.

The Date of His Birth

The woman is seen clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet. This is John’s way of telling us when the Savior was born. The sun moves from one constellation to another each month, and it is always in Virgo during the month of September. If the moon is under her feet, then it is far enough from the sun to be seen as the “new moon.” In the Hebrew calendar, the new moon announces the first day of the month. In this case, it is Tishri 1, observed each year as Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets. According to the story in Revelation 12, that was when the virgin gave birth to the Son of God. One can calculate all kinds of dates for the birth of Christ, but can never get away from this description …

“And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered” (Revelation 12:2).

Her birth pangs came upon her on the day she delivered her child – when she was clothed in the sun and the moon was under her feet.

Scorpio

Lurking beneath her feet was the enemy. Among the constellations, he is represented by Scorpio, whose claws are attempting to grab Libra, depicted today as a set of scales, but, in the most ancient star charts, was depicted as a lamp.

Libra was the “light of the world” – the servant lamp of the menorah – as Luke put it, “A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of … Israel” (Luke 2:32). John explains that Christ is that light …

“In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4).

Scorpio wants to extinguish that light. The great red dragon is Scorpio with its red star, Antares, in its breast. In the Egyptian zodiac, this constellation is depicted as a “monster serpent.” Joseph Seiss, author of The Gospel in the Stars, calls him “Python, the hundred-headed son of a malignant, envious, and intractable shrew, the father of the many-headed dog of hell” (Page 45).

“And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne” (Revelation 12:4-5).

Somewhere in the ancient past, Lucifer led a rebellion among the angels and managed to draw a third of the angelic host into his camp. The story is recounted here that we might understand why God’s wrath is about to be poured out upon the world. 

The virgin gave birth to the “man child,” – the one destined to rule all nations – the one qualified to sit upon David’s throne. But his first Advent (coming) was not the time for his throne. Instead, it was the time for his cross. After his death, burial and resurrection, Christ was caught up unto God – where he has been ever since. He is awaiting his Second Advent (coming) – the day when he will return to conquer the dragon and reign over the earth as the King of kings. 

As mentioned, the imagery is taken directly from Joseph’s dream in Genesis 37 and the woman is declared to be Israel, who birthed the male Child — the Messiah. The Dragon, Satan, tried to “devour” Jesus using Herod’s slaughter of the babies of Bethlehem. But, the male Child ascended to God’s throne where He waits to return to earth and “rule the nations with a rod of iron” during His Millennial Kingdom.

The Great Revelation 12 Sign of 2017

Enter the great sign that occurred on September 23, 2017 when a heavenly  alignment occurred in the heavens that, to many, was a sign of the coming rapture of the Church. It is called by many the Great Revelation 12 sign. Adherents of the Great Sign postulate and accept the traditional interpretation of the symbols up to a point, but when speaking of the child, they replace Jesus with the Church in the narrative. In this view, it is said that it is the Church, and not the view that Christ was caught up during his ascension, who will be caught up to God and His throne.

The sign that occurred in the heavens on September 23, 2017, was the very day when the constellation Virgo (a virgin woman clothed with the sun) saw the moon arrive at the Virgin’s feet. The nine stars of the constellation Leo plus the three planets Mercury, Venus, and Mars aligned atop her head (on her head a garland of twelve stars). The “king” planet Jupiter (the Child)  ended its nine months circling within Virgo and finally exited east past her feet.

As we all know, 9 months is the amount of time that a woman is pregnant until the birth of the child occurs. Thus, it is said that she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth and be carried away (i.e. raptured).

The first thoughts that come to my mind when attempting to decipher this mysterious sign is that both interpretations seem to hold water (pardon the awesomely massive and delightfully gargantuan intentional pun). Of course, only one of the interpretations can be correct (er, actually, could both be correct?), but before getting to that, let’s first speak to the point in favor of the first and traditional interpretation. Three primary problems seem to come to mind with this interpretation of the Great Sign of 2017 functioning as a true indicator for pinpointing the Rapture of the Church.

First, adherents of the Revelation 12 sign correctly interpret the Woman as Israel and the Dragon as Satan, but some traditionalists point out that they seemingly ignore the plain sense interpretation of the Revelation 12 Child being Jesus Christ, and instead misidentify the Child as the Church. The question asked in consternation is “How can Israel give birth to the Church?” How can the Church ascend to Heaven on her own?” “The Church rules the Millennial Kingdom with a rod of iron?” While these could technically be argued, the Church remains an echo of Christ’s  achievements.

Second, Revelation 12 marks the midpoint of the seven-year Tribulation, when God supernaturally begins protecting Israel in the wilderness from the Antichrist’s wrath for the remaining specific 1,260 days. The Church raptured away some 3.5 years earlier dates long before the Jews flee into the wilderness. Revelation 12 cannot then happen as a sign marking the date of the Pre-Trib Rapture, or even in kicking off the entire seven years of the Tribulation, because 3.5 plus years of prophetic events must happen before the Jews flee. You could almost say it is common knowledge within the pre-tribulation rapture narrative that a picture of the rapture is seen in Revelation 4:1. How, then, can we have a picture of the rapture occurring again in Revelation 12 in the timeline of events? Well, there does seem to be an answer for that as well, all in favor of the Revelation 12 sign interpretation of it’s adherents.

A Prophetic Curiosity of the Revelation 12 Sign Interpretation

The proponents of the Revelation 12 sign and the suggested identity of the Church as the child is not without merit. In fact, it is suggested by many that Revelation 12 contains a parenthetical passage that may actually be referring to the child as the church being raptured. Parenthetical passages are located throughout the book of Revelation as I’ve noted on previous articles. Revelation chapter 12 is likely just such a one of those passages. These parenthetical passages, simply put, contain explanatory matters about events that will transpire, but were not contained in the initial exposition. In this case, this exposition of the child (church) being raptured is seen in Revelation 4:1, but was revealed in a brighter light from a differing perspective that was not fully expounded upon until Revelation 12 (a parenthetical passage in other words). John was simply taken back to that moment later and shown another angle or view of the previous same event that he saw in Revelation 4:1. Given the fact that parenthetical passages are involved in the prophetic narrative of Revelation’s end time events, it becomes foolish to deny the very ripe possibility that we are looking at a dramatic rapture sign that occurred in the heavens in 2017. In fact, let’s take a look at a few of the prophetic peculiarities that occurred with the timing of this sign.

• First, it was 100 years since the Balfour Declaration. The number 100 is a very prophetically and biblically significant number itself as I expounded upon in this article when discussing the Balfour Declaration.
• It was 70 years since the UN resolution allowing Israel statehood. The number 70 is very prophetically and biblically significant number as well as I expounded upon in this article concerning the 42nd president of the United States and him turning 70 years old in 2017 during the installment of a “Trump” presidency.
• It was 50 years since Israel recaptured Jerusalem. Plus, the Feast of Trumpets — the Jewish New Year’s celebration of Rosh Hashanah that many believe points to the Rapture — fell on September 21-22, 2017. The number 50 is also a very biblically significant number. This number was expounded upon in this article and its prophetic significance as it surfaced prophetically to more modern events as well as it did in historical events.
• 33 days beforehand on August 21st, a super-rare 2-3 hour long solar eclipse darkened the world. For those more prophetically fully aware, when the rapture of the Church takes place, the world will descend into an instant spiritual darkness with the light of the world (the church) taken out of it.

What also makes this gathering of constellations and planets so unusual is that, according to Stellarium, such an arrangement has never fully taken place, or will so ever again. That the Great Sign actually converges with so many of these important anniversaries, prophetic events, and signs of the end times should peel your eyes back up over your skull in prophetic suspicion. 

Admittedly, I initially was very skeptical of this sign when prophetic scholars and expositors started dissecting it and proclaiming it to be a sign of the rapture, but no longer am I skeptical. Call me crazy,  but this alignment stands out as being rather unique so as to admittedly challenge my initial skepticism when first hearing of this sign. Admittedly, I was the original Grinch who stole the Revelation 12 sign from under your Bibles (those of you with chimneys and fireplaces in your house now understand why there were extra ashes in your fireplace that day).

In fact, I am now leaning very heavily in favor of the fact that what we saw in 2017 was very likely a dramatic sign of the rapture.

A Trump, A Black Hole and An Open Door

“I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Revelation 3:8-11).

“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter” (Revelation 4:1).

For those new to the rodeo, as I and many others who follow prophetic happenings have pointed out many times when speaking of the rapture, a key word in the biblical passages that tell us what happens when the rapture of the true church takes place is the word “Trump.” Scripture reveals to us that a “Trump” will be sounded …

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

It is here that I think its necessary to point out that when the “Trump” of God sounds, it appears that a portal, or door of sorts, will open in the heavens and the Lord will call us home through that door as the Apostle John tells us in Revelation 4:1 …

“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter” (Revelation 4:1).

After John is finished with describing for us the seven churches that also represent the seven church ages in the Dispensation of Grace we have been living in since the Church began at Christ’s first advent, we see him curiously “caught up” into the heavens from off the Island of Patmos. It is with good sound reason that I and many others believe this to be a picture of the rapture of the true Church after the dispensation of the Church Age concludes. We shall disappear through an open door in the heavens as we are taken to Heaven before judgment of the Earth and its inhabitants begins.

It is with this thought in mind that we should take a stern look at a rather peculiar event that occurred in the heavens. As author and prophetic researcher Luis B. Vega has pointed out, for the first time in history, a black hole formation was photographed five months before the Revelation 12 sign occurred (pictured below).

The massive galaxy, called Messier 87 or M87, is 55 million light-years from Earth. The supermassive black hole has a mass that is 6.5 billion times that of our sun. What should be ringing our spiritual bells about this black hole is that it was discovered in the constellation Virgo. Yes, you read that correctly. The constellation Virgo. The same constellation that is the key prophetic piece associated with the Revelation 12 sign that occurred 5 months later. An interesting facet to this black hole appearance was that the Virgo constellation depicts the Maiden on her side, slanted along the Ecliptic of her entire body form. In every depiction of her outline and/or line configuration, she is gazing toward her right shoulder or facing up and away from the Ecliptic. The black hole appeared in front of her face or her gaze as if to remind us of an “open door” (Revelation 4:1). A prophetic hint of the Revelation 12 woman? Jesus refers to the born again Church in scripture as a woman, or “bride.” Was this black hole a prophetic hint to the Philadelphian Church and to the world that the Church of Philadelphia will escape before judgment strikes the earth? Notice what Jesus said to the Philadelphian Church and the current age in which it/we live (the Age of Philadelphia overlapping into Laodicea) through the Apostle John’s letter when speaking of an “open door” …

“… I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name” (Revelation 3:8).

Jesus then promises this born again true Church that we shall escape through this open door one verse later while still speaking of the Philadelphian Church …

“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” (Revelation 3:10-11).

It is not to suggest that the Church will escape to the other side through a black hole presumably, but that the black hole appearance was a sign of the soon appearance of the aforementioned open door itself that the Apostle John spoke of in Revelation 4:1 and that Jesus spoke of in Revelation 3:8. It should also be at the forefront of your spiritual senses that this Revelation 12 sign in the heavens along with this prophetically peculiar accompanying black hole emergence occurred during the “Trump” presidency … as in, the “Trump” of God rapture seen in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-52. Pardon me, but could God speak to us any clearer than this without blasting us with an audible voice? We seem to have witnessed quite a powerful interplay of three prophetic signs in the heavens. These rather peculiarly prophetic occurrences should at least cause us to consider the fact that we have witnessed a stark Providential warning to the unbelieving world that rapture is soon to occur and judgment is soon to set in.

As already mentioned, while the primary interpretation is that the woman represents Israel giving birth to the man child, the Messiah Jesus Christ, could the man child also represent and have a dual meaning in that it is not only pointing to Israel as the fulfillment of the symbol, but also a representation of the Church? And/or, could it also be an ominous warning to Israel in addition to a sign to the Church? Given the peculiarities of the sign, it may be accurate to say this occurrence is an overlapping prophetic layer ascribed to both – a possible Sign to the born again true Church as it is raptured into Heaven, just as it is primarily a sign to, and concerning, Israel. In fact, this dual sign statement would seem to be confirmed and justified in an Old Testament allusion to the rapture itself and the Jewish response to it …

The Perishing Man Child: Ahab, The Vineyard and the Net

“Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit. The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net” (Micah 7:1-2).

Here, we have a very powerful allusion and prophetic hint to the rapture itself as an Old Testament type and shadow of the future rapture of the Church. This type and shadow feature is a phenomenon that we see time and time again in the Old Testament. First, the “good man” perishing out of the earth is a stark picture of the Church’s disappearance via the rapture. Crucial to understand in this profound text is that the Hebrew word for “perished” in verse 2 is “avad,” which means to “disappear.” The “Woe is me!” phrase in this portion of scripture is Israel’s/Jews reaction to it. Remember that the Lord has been using the Church as his bride in order to make the Jewish people jealous …

“They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains” (Deuteronomy 32:21-22).

This foolish nation is none other than the Church itself. Notice first that where we read the Jewish reaction to the “good man perishing from the earth,” we find the emergence of three important themes that will point us to the fact that we are looking at an end times prophetic fulfillment of prophecy. The first theme we see emerge in this all important Micah passage is that of the “vineyard” theme – (Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage). In a previous article, a strong case is made that the United States of America is strongly connected to, or in direct fulfillment of, the prophecy of the vineyard found in Matthew 21. The map diagram below, among many other things, shows us the quite convincing evidence. 

Also take note of the mention of the words “the grapegleanings” before the word “vintage” in the Micah passage. The “grapegleanings of the vintage” becomes even more interesting when one considers that the state seal of Connecticut, a very important state in the early settling of America, has a picture of three grapevines representing a vineyard (pictured below). 

 

Further still, in this Jewish response to the rapture in Micah 7, we also see the theme of a “net” emerge after this “good man perishes from the earth” – (they hunt every man his brother with a net). It is a strong likelihood that the internet (net) itself will have much to do with the prophesied “Mark of the Beast” in Revelation 13. An interesting anomaly to take note of in justifying that thought is that the letter “w” in the “www” abbreviation for the internet has a Hebraic numerical value of 6, or the infamous “666” number identified with the Mark of the Beast. But hold on, the clues do not end there. There is yet another hint that the Revelation 12 sign is both a sign to Israel AND the Church. The third and knockout punch hint is found just ONE verse previous to the “woe is me” cry of Israel’s reaction to the disappearance of the “good man.” It is seen in the last verse of Micah 6 …

“For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing: therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people” (Micah 6:16).

Notice the mention of the biblical character of “Ahab.” In a previous article titled THE TWO WITNESSES: THE 42 CODE AND AMERICA’S 42ND PRESIDENCY, it was brought out that King Ahab of Israel and his wife Jezebel is an Old Testament clue that is connected to the emergence of a rapture theme that surfaced in the 42nd presidency of “vineyard America.” It quite convincingly seems to present us with a prophetic general timing hint of the rapture itself. As revealed in the article, this Ahab connection to the rapture as seen in America’s 42nd presidency points directly to the 45th presidency and the “Trump” of the rapture in a prophetic coding of numbers covered in the linked article.  

The point to see in all of this is that the prophetic signage we saw occur in the heavens in 2017 known as the Revelation 12 sign seem to make the case that it is both a warning to, and pertaining to, the Jews and Israel as well as a sign for the Church since Micah 7 connects them both together in relation to the rapture, or the “good man perishing from the earth.” Indeed, “woe will be them” as what is considered to be their best asset in the earth is suddenly gone in the twinkling of an eye. Given Micah’s reveal of what will be the Jewish/Israel’s reaction to the rapture, perhaps it is not a coincidence that there is an emergence of a prophetic controversy over whether the Revelation 12 sign and the passage of scripture is hinting to both Israel and the Church or just Israel. If we want to get more specific about it, Micah 7 is not necessarily pointing us to the fact that the Jews/Israel will recognize that the disappearance of the “good man” from the earth is rapture related. All it says to us is that they will see that we’re gone, but perhaps will not know how, or where, we have gone to. At the end of the day, the Jewish reaction to the “good man’s” disappearance is evidence that there will be a woeful and negative Jewish reaction. This gives more credence to the validity of the idea that God sent them, and us the Church, a warning via the Revelation 12 sign in 2017.

Hearkening back to the black hole event that occurred before the Revelation 12 sign, with the woman representing Israel, did we see God show us and especially Israel and the Jews specifically a prophetic sign of the open door where the true born again Church will enter through when it disappears from the Earth? We should also note that the black hole was discovered by a woman. Notice Israel’s response to the disappearance of the Church in the Micah 7 passage by calling them/us the good “man.” Is this a prophetic allusion to the “man child” of Revelation 12? It seems that Micah 7 takes us even one step further in confirming that the Revelation 12 sign is a warning and sign to Israel that the “man child,” the Church, was depicted in the heavens as a warning of the soon disappearance of the “good man” i.e. the “man child” as they are directly warned in Micah chapter 7. While it does not necessarily mean that since Micah 7 uses the term “the good man” and that Revelation 12 uses the term “man child” that they are speaking of the same man or are somehow related as identifying both as the Church, it is still rather interesting that we should see an allusion to the rapture of the church who is referred to as a “man” accompanied with a woeful Jewish response in Micah 7 and a “catching up” of a “man” child in Revelation 12. 

Keeping in mind that the founding and reestablishment of the state of Israel in 1948 is the marker in prophetic time as it relates to the Church Age’s final prophetic signs and prophetic fulfillment. Without Israel first being reestablished as a nation, no other perceived prophetic sign could be rightfully determined to be a legitimate sign. But that event in 1948 was a game changer and the foundation of all other signs that would follow. As promised in prophetic scripture, Israel was re-formed and brought back as a political national entity in unbelief. Their national unbelief is why they are still under God’s judgment. This will partly be the reason for the world’s judgment under the approaching Tribulation Period. As I’ve said before and will say so again, this is not to say that the year or day of the rapture will be known, but it is to say that the prophetic clues seem to be pointing us to a certain time frame. That time frame looks to be in these very days that we live – right here and right now whichever year it will be. If someone held a gun to my head and told me to provide evidence of what I think the time frame of the rapture will be, I would pin my life on somewhere in the time frame of the 45th presidency – the “Trump” presidency. Or perhaps, somewhere in close proximity to it. The signs are seemingly pointing us to it.

And now, three years and three months after the Revelation 12 sign occurred, we should be keeping a close eye on world events as we now have an amazing sign in the heavens occurring as seen discussed in the very enlightening video below.

The Prophetic Correspondence of Revelation 12 With John 12

As noted in previous articles, the Gospel of John (book of John) uses a similar story line for the First Advent of Christ as he does in the prophecies of his Second Advent. Each chapter in the book of John follows the theme used in each corresponding chapter in the book of Revelation. The main theme of Revelation 12 dwells upon the conflict between the dragon/devil and the forces of Heaven. First, we see him trying to kill the Christ child “as soon as it was born” (Revelation 12:4); then we see Michael cast him out of heaven; and finally, we see him making war with the remnant of Israel.

Revelation’s theme is the same as that found in John 12 – demonstrating a divine design and authorship of both books as the Apostle John’s hands were guided by the Holy Spirit. There in John 12, Jesus hears the complaint of Judas Iscariot that the ointment should have been sold and the money given to the poor. We are informed that Judas did not care for the poor, but was a thief and wanted access to the funds.

John 12 also gives the story of the Triumphal entry and the anger of the Pharisees because of it. Afterward, Jesus speaks of his hour to be glorified. As he spoke, he directed a prayer toward his Father in Heaven, and received an audible reply …

“Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again” (John 12:28).

Some of the people who stood by said that it thundered, while others speculated that an angel spoke to him. But Jesus explained that it was a voice from Heaven that came, not for his sake, but for theirs.

Then the Savior made a profound statement that corresponds with the story in Revelation 12. Jesus said …

“Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out” (John 12:31).

This is precisely what John saw and recorded in Revelation 12 …

“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night” (Revelation 12:7-10).

This comparison of the two books presents a marvelous consistency in design, thus demonstrating that the Apostle John was the one who penned both books.

As an example of those who do not believe that John wrote both books, Fausset’s Bible Dictionary reports, “Dionysius, Origen’s scholar, bishop of Alexandria (A.D. 247), recognizes its inspiration (in Eusebius, H.E. vii. 10), but ascribes it to a different John from the evangelist, on the ground of its different style and its naming John, whereas his name is kept back in the Gospel (book of John), also as the epistle does not allude to Revelation nor Revelation to the epistle; moreover the style abounds in solecisms” (p. 418). 

Dionysius thought that Revelation offered a “different style” of writing from that used in the Gospel/book of John. But it is easy, for one who carefully compares each corresponding chapter, to see that the two books offer a single, absolutely identical style.

Who Is the Woman?

In much of traditional prophetic teaching, the constellation Virgo represents Mary, but more than that; she is the whole house of Israel – the wife of Jehovah. It is not Mary that flees into the wilderness, but the believing remnant of the Jews …

“And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days” (Revelation 12:6).

This event will take place in the middle of the Tribulation Period, at the time of the blowing of the seventh trumpet. The previous verses give us the historical setting, while this verse gives us the prophetic view that initiates the last half of the Tribulation Period.

When the Antichrist commits the “abomination of desolation,” the remnant of Israel will flee into the wilderness. Jesus offers this admonition …

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day” (Matthew 24:15-20).

Daniel tells us this will occur “in the midst of the week” or middle of the seven-year Tribulation Period …

“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate” (Daniel 9:27).

The Flight to Petra

And where will the remnant go? – most likely to Petra, the ancient capital of Edom. It may seem to be an unlikely place, since Moses was refused passage through that area at the close of the 40-year journey. But today, it stands as a ghost town with thousands of caves awaiting the flight of the Tribulation Jews.

Though John simply calls it “the wilderness,” other prophets appear to be more specific. In particular, the prophet Isaiah indicated that Israel would find refuge in this place. Using the Old Testament term “Sela,” Isaiah predicted that this ancient capital of Edom would become a place to “hide the outcasts” – a “covert from the face of the spoiler” …

“Send ye the lamb to the ruler of the land from Sela to the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter of Zion. For it shall be, that, as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon. Take counsel, execute judgment; make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; bewray not him that wandereth. Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land. And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness” (Isaiah 16:1-5).

This passage concurs with Daniel’s prophecy that Jordon will be preserved from the antics of the Antichrist …

“He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon” (Daniel 11:41).

God promises that the area around Petra will become a safe haven for the fleeing remnant.

The Fall of Lucifer

Satan is the “accuser of our brethren” (Revelation 12:10). Though he fell from his lofty position in ages past, he has maintained diplomatic access to the throne of God. However, his plan to defeat Deity and assert his throne above the throne of God will be met with divine force in the middle of the Tribulation Period …

“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:7-9).

Throughout the past 6,000 years of man’s sojourn on this planet, Satan and his fallen angels have maintained their base of operation in another nearby dimension. Veiled from human eyes, they have worked behind the scenes to tempt and corrupt mankind. It is often suggested that they can pop in and pop out of this dimension in their flying machines – their celestial vehicles. 

Since the birth of the state of Israel in 1947/1948, UFO sightings have become more and more active. Many theologians believe that they are the manifestation of demonic activity.

In more recent years, information has leaked out that the military industrial complex has obtained possession of this demonic UFO technology through communication with these same dark entities. If so, according to these verses, all of their wispy saucers will materialize along with the entire population of fallen angels. They will show up in our atmosphere, having been kicked out of the heavenly realm.

Daniel suggests as much as he explained Nebuchadnezzar’s vision …

“And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay” (Daniel 2:43).

It appears possible that fallen angels will assist the Antichrist in setting up his world government. They will “mingle themselves with the seed of men,” even to the extent of producing the Antichrist – the seed of the serpent – through some sort of genetic manipulation. It stands to reason that since Christ is the product of Divine intervention in the birth process, Satan will produce his counterfeit through a fallen woman. It is possible that since Christ was born of a virgin, the Antichrist will be born of a harlot.

Literally thousands of reported UFO abductions and cattle mutilations lend to the possibility that genetic manipulation has been their primary goal since God brought the nation of Israel back into existence in 1948. Some suggest that these abductors have been breeding a hybrid race of human/alien offspring. If so, this would allow them to appear to be our “space brothers” – our creators and benefactors – when they land in every capital of the world and emerge as “humans” from certain selected UFOs. 

Michael The Archangel

According to rabbinical sources, Michael stands near the throne of God as one of the “four beasts” (Revelation 4:7). They say there are four angels. In Revelation chapter 4, they are described as having the appearance of a lion, calf, eagle and man. They seem to be primarily watchers over the various kingdoms of wild animals, domestic animals, fowls and humans. Lucifer may have once held a similar position over the reptilian kingdom of dinosaurs. If so, then it is quite possible that he has the appearance of a serpent or dragon. When he originally fell, in ages past, his kingdom came crashing down. The huge family of reptiles became extinct because of him. Today, only relatively small creeping reptiles remain. In 2 Corinthians 11, he is described as having the ability to transform himself into an “angel of light” …

“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15).

Michael is particularly identified with Israel …

“And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book” (Daniel 12:1).

Michael leads the final battle against Lucifer, but in an earlier encounter, Michael, contending with Lucifer over the body of Moses, “durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee” (Jude 9). As the protector of the Jews, Michael seems to be assigned to protect Israel from annihilation, even from the old dragon himself.

John hears a loud voice in Heaven explain what has happened …

“And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:13-17).

It appears that Michael will bring the war right into this realm. When Lucifer begins to persecute Israel, the Jews will flee into the wilderness. The dragon will send part of the vast military of the Antichrist to pursue the fleeing Jews, only to be swallowed up in an earthquake. 

The terminology used here should remind us of Pharaoh’s army being drowned in the Red Sea. The metaphor of “water as a flood” is used to describe the pursuing army. His failure to destroy the believing remnant explodes into a worldwide pursuit of all remaining believers on Earth. This must have something to do with implementing the “mark of the beast,” which shall be considered in chapter 13.

THE RAPTURE AND YOUR ESCAPE FROM THE COMING JUDGMENT

The demonstrable divinely inspired text that we call the Bible promises a coming horrendous seven-year Tribulation period of judgment upon Earth for all of mankind, no matter what your religion, belief or creed is, and even to those who don’t believe anything spiritual at all.  We can now clearly see the signs of this approaching nightmare.  However, as we’ve already seen, this same divinely inspired text that we call the Bible promises a dramatic escape from off the face of the earth before this horrendous time of judgment only to a certain category of people.  

Put simply, an event is coming that will be so stupendous that it strains the mind to contemplate such an event happening.  It is an event that will see millions upon millions of people across the globe suddenly disappear without warning.  The millions of disappeared will have literally ascended into Heaven itself after instantaneously receiving a new glorified body fit for Heaven.  A body that will be able to withstand the atmosphere and glory of Heaven.  This event is known as the “Rapture.”  But the promise of escape is only to those who are “born again” in Christ.  This is why it is crucial to understand what Christ meant when he declared in no uncertain terms that only those who are “born again” in him will enter the Kingdom of God.  For the explanation of this, keep reading below.

In order to accept the offer of God’s grace and his salvation, you must take the crucial three steps of …

1. Agreeing – A belief and agreeing with God in all that he says in his word, the Bible, about the fact that you are separated from God, as every man and woman on the face of the earth are before accepting his salvation.  The Bible reveals that all are separated from him in a spiritual state of death, or said another way that the Bible reveals it, in a state of sin, that will result in damnation in the afterlife.  Agreeing with God in your heart that you are in need of his salvation.  The Bible reveals that God looks upon the heart of a man or woman, and thus, responds accordingly to the person who comes to him for salvation in recognition of his inability to save himself.  The Bible makes these facts very clear – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).  The Bible describes these three kinds of death:  

• physical death (the state experienced when life leaves our bodies).

• spiritual death (spiritual separation from God caused by our state of spiritual death inherited from the first man Adam – the state of sin that results in our daily outward acts of sin, whether deliberate or not, whether omissive or not; and finally …

• the second death (the fixed state entered into by the individual who dies physically while he or she is dead spiritually). This state is entered into after the death of the body which results in punishment in the afterlife until the event of the Great White Throne Judgment occurs wherein the damned are resurrected from Hades, or Hell, and are judged according to their works and finally destroyed and cease to exist after being cast into the Lake of Fire. Revelation 14 refers to this tragic end of the unsaved as the “Second Death” (verse 14). It is this state of suffering entered into after physical death and then final destruction at the Great White Throne Judgment in particular which is the horrible result of receiving the wages of sin (unforgiven due to unbelief and rejection of Christ). The Lord Jesus Christ frequently described such a death as being irrevocable in a destiny which he called Hell.  He described Hell as a literal place of judgment (Matthew 13:42); a place of everlasting fire (Matthew 18:8); a place of torment (Luke 16:24,28); a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:50); a place of remorse (Mark 9:44-48); of bitter memory (Luke 16:25), and a place originally prepared for the Devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).  In fact, Jesus more often warned about Hell than he spoke about Heaven.

It is not God’s will or desire that any person should be consigned to perish in Hell (2 Peter 3:9), but rather that all should come to repentance of unbelief toward him and believe on him for the salvation of the individual’s soul.  But God’s justice requires that the “soul who sins” (remains in it’s state of death or state of sin) is the one who will die a second time after a long period of torment (Ezekiel 18:4).  So, agree with God, admitting that you are unable to save yourself and in a state of sin under God’s just condemnation for that sin and that you are in need of his salvation.

2. Believing – Then, believe that God does not want you to perish eternally in the torment of Hell because of your sin.  Believe that God loves you so much that he provided a way whereby he could still be a just, holy and righteous God, and yet pardon you.  Believe that God did not just overlook sin, but that he sent his only begotten son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to provide salvation by personally paying the penalty for sin.  Believe that Jesus Christ, whose life, death, burial and resurrection is the best-attested fact of antiquity, did come to earth to live, die, rise again and ascend to Heaven in order to provide justification and salvation for all who trust him.  Believe that he, and he alone, can save you because he has fully satisfied the just demands of God.  Believe that you can’t become righteous in God’s sight by your own effort.  Believe that he wants to save you and that he will save you.  The Bible provides a solid basis for such belief …

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16-17). 

“But God demonstrates his love toward us in this:  while we were yet sinners,  Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). 

God presented him (Jesus Christ) as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood.  He did this to demonstrate his justice because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished – he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies the man or woman who has faith in Jesus (Romans 3:25-26). 

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;  And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures … ” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). 

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). 

“Jesus answered, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).  “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out [drive away]” (John 6:37).

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).

3. Calling – It is not enough to agree with God, admit your need, and believe that Christ can and will save you.  You must act upon those facts. God’s requirement is that you repent of your unbelief toward him and actively call upon him for the salvation of your soul based on the fact that you cannot save yourself. It is unbelief in particular that damns the soul to its horrible fate …

“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).

You must be willing to completely turn from your own efforts to save yourself or from any other hope.  You must come to Christ, calling upon him for salvation and counting on the fact that he will do what he has promised.  This means simply taking the gift of pardon and eternal life which he offers.  Merely believing about Jesus Christ without coming to him makes as much sense and is as effective as believing that a medication can successfully treat a fatal disease, but failing to take it.  Yet again, the Bible emphatically and authoritatively provides the basis for such statements.

The word translated “believe” here means to “rest one’s entire weight and trust on the object or person in which the belief is placed.”  It requires action in keeping with the intellectual assent of that belief.

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

” … but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

The logical question you may be asking at this point is:  “how do I come to Christ and call upon him?”  The answer is that “calling upon the Lord” is just another term for praying, or talking to God.  To talk to God is not a complicated process, dependent upon some special rituals.  God has invited people to approach him through his Son in simple, straightforward terms.  In fact, Jesus approved of the dishonest, despised tax collector who simply prayed, “God be merciful to me, a sinner.”  While the exact words of your prayer to God are not of vital importance (since God sees and knows the attitude of your heart), the following is the kind of prayer that you could pray in calling upon God for salvation …

“Dear Lord Jesus:  I realize that I need you.  I admit that I have sinned and that I deserve your just, eternal punishment for that sin.  But I am sorry for my sin and I am turning to you and asking for forgiveness.  I believe that you died and rose again to pay sin’s penalty on my behalf.  I come to you and open my heart to you.  I ask you to come into my life, forgive me for all of my sin and make me your child.  I invite you to take control of my life and to cause me to be the kind of person you would have me to be.  I thank you for doing this because you have promised that whosoever calls upon you, as I am doing now, shall be saved.  I pray this in the name of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.”

If this prayer expresses the desire of your heart, I urge you to sincerely and genuinely express it to God as your prayer.  The Bible makes clear that when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ in our heart, God forgives our sins and counts us righteous, and that when we openly confess with our mouth what we have done in our heart,  God gives us assurance of that salvation (Romans 10:9-10).

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John 3:3-7).

Recommended Reading and Viewing:

The next article in this Revelation series can be read in the link below.
THE RISE OF WORLD GOVERNMENT 1