This Article: (11 Pages)
- 1. The Year 1967
- 2. Prediction of the destruction of... Jerusalem 70 CE
- 3. Prediction of Jews regaining... control of Jerusalem
- 4. This Generation, Our Generation?
- 5. Generation X
- 6. Two Eras of prophecy
- 7. Signs in Prophetic 'Sun, Moon and... Stars'
- 8. The era of great distress and fear
- 9. The roaring sea of people in protest
- 10. Natural Disasters of the 'sea and... waves' as Warning Markers
- 11. A Warning to Our Generation
7) Signs in Prophetic 'Sun, Moon and Stars'
The prophecy states there will be signs in the “sun, the moon and the stars.” Symbolically, the sun, stars and moon are often used to represent rulers in the Bible. A case of a clear interpretation is that of the dream of Joseph (of the coat of many colours). He said,
Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. (Genesis 37:9)
His father, Jacob (called Israel) interpreted it,
What is this dream that you have dreamed? ShallI and your mother and your brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to you to the earth? (Genesis 37:10)
The sun is the ruling power, in a family the father, the moon is the consort and the stars are the lesser powers.
The 'moon', which reflects the light of the sun is used sometimes in the Bible to represent ecclesiastical powers.
Stars are rulers of nations. An often misunderstood case is found in Isaiah 14: 4, which introduces the subject of the chapter as the king of Babylon. The king's power has been broken and he has fallen from his position of strength. In figurative language he is described as a 'fallen star'. The term 'Lucifer' in Hebrew is 'heylel' which means 'day star'.
We have a representation of the ruling powers by the use of the word 'star'. The sun itself is a star, from the perspective of earth the sun is the greatest star, with the greatest influence, and would refer to the dominant ruling world power. The interesting phenomenon in our world today in relation to the nations is the use of the symbol of the star. The European economic community is represented by stars and the American flag displays stars to represent each state of the nation. These nations increasingly reflect the instability of the governments of the world and a growing tension among the nations over resources. such as oil, the situation in the Middle East and Iraq. This is particularly evident between the European block and the U.S.A.
Signs in the 'Sun' &'Stars': World Leaders in distress
A 40yr generation after the re-establishment of Israel, in 1989, the Berlin Wall fell and re-established a united Germany, where anti-semitism has been on the rise. In 1990 Communism and the U.S.S.R disintegrated, in a political 'earthquake'. Since 1990 there has been the growth of a United Europe, economically and politically. This was a significant sign, as the USSR 'Sun' was eclipsed to reveal a new constellation of bright European 'stars'.
Luke records Yahshua describing the nations, and by deduction their leaders, as being in a state of 'distress' and 'perplexity'. These two words vividly convey the perceived feelings of many national leaders. 'Distress' has the sense of 'anxiety' and 'perplexity' as 'being no way out' or 'to be at a loss'. The issues facing world leaders today relate to such things as global warming, globalisation, the Middle East question, dwindling resources, such as oil, the threat of nuclear warfare and the war in Iraq. These international issues are in some cases beyond mankind's ability to solve in a peaceful way.
Signs in the 'Moon': The power of Religion
And what do we observe about the ecclesiastical world? The Roman Catholic Church, for many centuries the world's dominant ecclesiastical power, which declined in influence after the French Revolution, has enjoyed a huge resurgence in influence and power since the period of Pope John Paul 11.
Its first evident sign of a revival of power was with the Treaty of Rome on 25th March 1957, a political statement and a precursor to a united Europe which is in evidence today. This treaty of economic cooperation among the signatory nations of Italy, France, W. Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg and the foundations of the European Economic community, was given the title of 'Rome', the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. After his death some Italians believe that Pope John Paul 11 had performed miracles which they call 'signs'. In this way popular European media is once again after many years talking of 'signs' in relationship to religion. In effect Europe is talking of 'signs' in the 'moon'.
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