Solar Eclipse, September 23, 2017 and Celestial Signs of Revelation 12

Many people are talking about the solar eclipse which will happen this Monday, August 21, but have they considered the September 23rd astronomical alignment described in Revelation 12:1-2? September 23rd is during the Jewish Feast Rosh HaShanah or the Feast of Trumpets and the Days of Awe. This story gets more interesting by the minute, so please take the time to read this post all the way through..

On September 23rd the Sun, Moon, Virgo and Leo will align as described in Revelation 12:1-2

Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. ² Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth Revelation 12:1-2 (NKJV).

Many people are trying to figure out what this means. I have read all types of interpretations from the skeptical to the “rapture is going to happen on September 23rd”. People are searching Starry Night computer software or similar software to see if this event has ever happened before in history. I have not taken the time to do this, but have downloaded the software.

Even though I have no prophetic interpretation for this event, I am going to explain how to interpret these events from scripture. We have to know what the Bible says so we are not deceived.

According to Genesis 1, the Lord created the sun, moon and stars to be used for signs, seasons and light. Before compasses, navigational tools and clocks, people living in ancient times had to navigate by the stars. They were aware of eclipses, blood moons and star alignments. We don’t need to use the sky for our navigation because of modern equipment, so this is a lost art. Just because we ignore the sky doesn’t mean that God does. I will establish how He used the sky in the Bible for signs and show you scriptures of His plans for future signs. Let’s begin with the past.

1. In Genesis God established that the celestial bodies would be used for signs, seasons and light.

 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; ¹⁵ and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. ¹⁶ Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. ¹⁷ God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ So the evening and the morning were the fourth day
Genesis 1:14-19 (NKJV).

2. When Jesus was born, God placed a star in the sky for the magi to follow.

When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. ¹¹ And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him Matthew 2:9-11 (NKJV).

3. When Jesus died on the cross there was an eclipse of some sort.

 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. ⁴⁶ And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Matthew 27:45-46 (NKJV).

Now that we have established God’s use of celestial events during history, let’s see in scripture his plans for future events.

‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
¹⁸ And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
And they shall prophesy.
¹⁹ I will show wonders in heaven above
And signs in the earth beneath:
Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
²⁰ The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
²¹ And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the Lord
Shall be saved. Acts 2:17-21 (NKJV)

According to this passage in Acts, which is a quote from the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28-32), God is going to use solar and lunar eclipses in the last days as signs of His coming.

Did you know that we recently had 4 Blood Moons occur on Jewish Feast days?

1. Passover – April 15, 2014
2. Feast of Tabernacles – October 8, 2014
3. Passover – April 4, 2015
4. Feast of Tabernacles – September 28, 2015

There was much hype over these events. People thought the rapture would occur or the world would end, but not much happened. Does that mean that it was all a lie? I don’t think so. We will get to the interpretation of these events later on in this article.

There is another astronomical event described in Revelation 12:1-2 occurring on September 23rd.

September 23rd just happens to be during the Jewish Feast Rosh HaShanah (Feast of Trumpets and Days of Awe). Notice again that just like the 4 blood moon cycles, we have another celestial light show occurring on a Jewish feast day. This celestial event is described in the Bible:

Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. ² Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth Revelation 12:1-2 (NKJV).

The great debate over this astronomical event is whether or not this celestial line up has ever happened before in history. I cannot answer that question, because I have not searched the software. However, there are enough people on the internet and YouTube who have researched it. Even though there have been similar occurrences, nothing has totally matched the description like September 23rd.

According to Jewish tradition, blood moons are a sign to the Jews whereas solar eclipses are a sign to the Gentile nations. This Monday, August 21st, we have a solar eclipse occurring. This event is so special that schools are making it a holiday so families can drive to locations to catch the perfect glimpse. I hope it is not a cloudy day on Monday. I tried to view all 4 blood moons and only caught a short glimpse on one occasion. It was cloudy every time.

So how do we interpret these events that are happening in the skies?

What is God trying to tell us? Is the Rapture going to happen on September 23rd?

Jesus said that no one would know the day or the hour, so we cannot set dates for His return. Even though we cannot set dates, he gave us clues so we would know the season. Like the magi when Christ was born, we will recognize that something is happening. Those who are awake will recognize that the time is getting close to Christ’s return. Let’s look at these scriptures.

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven,^[e] but My Father only. ³⁷ But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ³⁸ For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ⁴⁰ Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. ⁴² Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour^[f] your Lord is coming. ⁴³ But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁴ Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Matthew 24:36-44 (NKJV).

Jesus warns us to be on the watch because we do not know when to expect his coming. So we have established that no man will know the day or the hour, but is that the only clue Christ gave his disciples. Did He say that now one would know anything about His return or would there be some clues. We cannot interpret the Bible based on one passage, so let’s dig a little deeper. All the skeptics and scoffers know this passage and use it regularly. We have to read all of Matthew 24 so we know the signs of the times. The person who is prepared from the Word of God will not panic during the end times. Only the unprepared people will be in chaos during this time. Let’s look at Matthew 24:23-33.

 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³ So you also, when you see all these things, know that it^[d] is near—at the doors! Matthew 24:32-33 (NKJV).

So Jesus said we would know the season of His return even if we don’t know the exact timing.

God also gave us many clues throughout scripture so we could recognize when we are living in the last days.

I will not take the time to show you all the passages, but we will look at a few. In the end days, people will not want to listen to sound doctrine.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; ⁴ and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. ⁵ But you be watchful in all things 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NKJV).

If you are a teacher of the full counsel of the Bible, you will know that many people don’t want to listen to all the Bible. They want to listen to funny preachers who only preach the good out of God’s Word. To read more of what the world will be like in the end read Romans 1:18-32, and Matthew 24:36-44.

How do we accurately interpret the signs in the sky?

So according to the Bible we can see that we are getting close to the time of the end. When will it happen? I do not know and neither does anyone else. But we have to be prepared at any time. Instead of running to the hills in fear, we should be concerned about the lost around us. Whom do you know who is not saved? There is only a short amount of time left, so we need to be fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 23:19-20). I cannot tell you the definition of what short means because no one knows the day or the hour. We will just have to sit back and watch the celestial show in awe of God’s glory.