BIBLICAL “PROPHECY” FROM REVELATION 12 FOR SEPT. 23rd? THINK AGAIN.
By Marcia Montenegro, former professional certified astrologer and former teacher of astrology.
A so-called prophecy has been circulating on the Internet and Facebook about a lineup of heavenly bodies for Sept. 23rd. Revelation 12:1 is being interpreted by some to prophesy an end time event for Sept. 23rd of this year. One solid way to refute this is to notice that Revelation 12:1 and following is not about the future. This passage has been universally interpreted in the church as a past event, especially when verse 5 is considered. There are other problems as well. Here is part of the “prophecy”….
Quote==In the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ (the last book in the Bible – and that, too, is not a coincidence, folks), there is a prophesy which begins at chapter 12, which reads: 12:1 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: 12:2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. (KJV)
In approximately six months, on September 23rd 2017, a heavenly configuration very much like what this prophesy describes will occur on that date. Amateur astronomers have looked at this configuration and determined that, in recorded human history, this configuration has never before occurred nor is it expected to occur ever again. We are talking about 10’s of thousands of years folks.==End quote from “prophecy” [The whole prophecy is promoted here with a video: goo.gl/KHpMlY]
***Comments***
One must first exegete the text in context and give all possible views and interpretations before declaring this a “prophecy.” The writer failed to do this. He just jumped on it, assuming it’s a prophecy (and spelling it wrong), assuming it’s about a zodiac sign, and then assuming the meaning from that.
I’m more interested in what professional astronomers say, not the amateurs. These questions should be answered before proceeding. In fact, no professional astronomer sees this as a rare configuration, which is why the author appeals to amateurs, and one must wonder who they are and what their bias is. An appeal to amateurs is certainly not the way to solidify a claim about this.
The “prophecy” continues:
Quote==And the configuration is as follows: Virgo, the only “woman” in the heavens, will be in the day sky, as it always is in the month of September. During this particular time, the sun will be over her left shoulder, with the sun’s glare “clothing” the whole constellation. Virgo also happens to represent a virgin. Coincidence? Remember Mary? The moon will be in an early phase (new moon) and will be located “under” the feet of the virgin on the 23rd of September 2017.
The constellation of Leo will be over the virgin’s head, as it always is, with its nine principal stars. However, on this occasion, directly in line with Regulus (the King star) in the constellation of Leo, will be, in order towards the virgin: Venus, Mars and Mercury in a straight line. This brings the total of the “stars” to twelve. Nine stars of Leo plus the three planets. ==End quote
***Comments***
Virgo is not Mary! Would God have a group of stars represent a biblical character – or any person? If you look at the zodiac constellations, you can’t see any definite shapes. These were named based on pagan gods and represent the cyclical view of nature and seasons. But Christianity is not cyclical; it is in linear time. There is no beginning or end in a 360 degree pattern and such a pattern would not represent a Christian view of history.
God does not send out hidden messages to decipher in codes and in creation. General revelation shows there is a Creator; special revelation gives the knowledge about who God is, the prophecies, and the account of Jesus.
Here is one response from an astronomy and physics professor, Christopher M. Graney:
Quote==First, in one year, thanks to the Earth’s annual orbit, the sun travels the entirety of the ecliptic, and thus passes through every one of the 12 constellations of the zodiac. The sun is in Virgo every September. Second, in one month the moon goes through its cycle of phases, and travels the entirety of the ecliptic, and thus passes through every constellation of the zodiac—all owed to the period of the moon’s orbit being one month. Therefore there is always a day or two every year when the sun is in Virgo and the moon is just to the east of Virgo (just past the “feet”). So, the celestial “woman clothed with the sun with the moon at her feet” is as common in September as is the U.S.’s Labor Day.
But what of the crown of twelve “stars,” comprised of three planets and the nine stars of Leo? The response to this question is another question—why nine stars in Leo? There are many more than nine stars in Leo. Those nine are just brighter ones that are often depicted as comprising the general outline or shape of the constellation. But in fact there are scads of stars in Leo and surrounding the “head” of Virgo.==From goo.gl/z49IGX
***Comments***
As stated above, this configuration is not rare nor is it once-in-a-lifetime as claimed. Although one aspect of this configuration is unusual, it is not rare:
Quote==And yes, multiple planets being at Virgo’s head while Jupiter is in Virgo’s center and the moon is at Virgo’s feet is somewhat unusual. But it is not that unusual. The period of Jupiter’s orbit is a little less than twelve years, and therefore Jupiter will be in Virgo (with the sun there, too, and the moon at the feet) once every eleven or twelve years.
So the sun in Virgo, the moon at Virgo’s “feet”, and Jupiter in the constellation are regular occurrences.
This leaves the planets at the “head” (the number depending on the number of stars granted to Leo) as the determining factor in making a “momentous” celestial arrangement. Indeed, while various Internet sources speak of the specific celestial arrangement here as being “unique in human history” or “once in 7000 years”, in fact it is not unique to September 23, 2017. This basic arrangement happened before—in September 1827, in September 1483, in September 1293, and in September 1056.==From goo.gl/z49IGX
***Comments***
There is absolutely no basis for saying Virgo is Mary. This is where so many go wrong with the “gospel in the stars/zodiac” business. First of all, the names of the constellations are not universal. Secondly, reading a hidden meaning in a zodiac sign is a form of divination condemned by God. Third, as one article points out, the rest of the passage shows that the writer of Revelation is not talking about a constellation, but about a woman giving birth.
Rev. 12:1-5 is about the birth of Jesus, his persecution by Satan, and his ascension to heaven! The correct and reasonable view of this passage in context:
Quote==The woman is Israel and the dragon is Satan. The woman with the sun, moon and 12 stars represents the 12 tribes of Israel and is taken from Joseph’s dream in Genesis 37:9,
“Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.”
The “woman with child” is a depiction of Israel who longed for the appearance of their Messiah. The Dragon in front of the woman portrays how Satan sought to destroy the Jewish people throughout the Old Testament in order to destroy the coming Messiah. The language used is never meant to be taken as a literal constellation. Nor does it ever tell us to be looking for it as a special sign-constellation announcing the soon return of the Lord in the end times.==From http://bit.ly/2gvp7ZJ
Also
Quote==This “man child” that comes from the woman is clearly showing the birth of Jesus. Who is also the one righteous person destined to rule all nations (Rev 19:16) in history and who has ascended to heaven (Jn 3:13) as verse 5 also says..==By Tim McHyde at goo.gl/Lu8H91
***Final Comments***
While not all may agree on the above interpretation, it is a mainstream view that refutes this as a prediction. It would be nice if this were the shortest lived false prophecy ever but I am sure it will continue and even gain ground as Sept. 23rd approaches. Why is this so? I think it’s because
1) people want to believe it, mainly because it’s dramatic
2) people do not know how to interpret Bible passages correctly
So if you run across this, you can share the facts so those willing to know the truth will have the information.
If you look for enough “signs” in the sky, you can find them for anything. With my astrology background, in a short time, I could probably find “signs” for the hurricanes, for problems with N. Korea, for a coming crisis (pick one), etc. It would be easy. There is so much going on when you have planets, sun, and moon moving through the constellations — they are always moving and you can always find a pattern to interpret (which would be false but you could make it sound good).
—————————————–
RESOURCES
CANA post, False Gospel in the Stars
goo.gl/1iAUA
Answers in Genesis article, “What Will Be Happening on Sept. 23, 2017?”
Quote== Some people claim that this year Jupiter will be near what is supposed to be the womb of Virgo, so it represents the child that the woman is about to give birth to. Jupiter takes nearly 12 years to orbit the sun, so this is the period with which Jupiter moves through the zodiacal constellations, spending about a year in each one. In fact, I first saw Jupiter when it was close to Virgo in 1969—I have watched Jupiter pass through four complete orbits since. This means that Jupiter appears in the part of Virgo corresponding to her womb, along with the sun in Virgo and the moon at her feet for a day or two every 12 years or so.==End quote at http://bit.ly/2qPtJxn
Article refuting “rare configuration” by astronomer Christopher Graney, professor of physics and astronomy, Jefferson Community & Technical College, Louisville, Kentucky
goo.gl/z49IGX
Blog by Mike Heiser
Quote== I don’t think the signs of Revelation 12 have anything to do with end times. There is no verse in the NT that tells us to look for a repetition of those signs in connection with the second coming. There is also no verse that links the signs to the “sign of the son of man” in the gospel eschatological discourses. The sign of the son of man could be several specific things, or nothing specific at all. We have ZERO scriptural reason to thing this way.
Revelation 12 is HINDSIGHT with respect to the messiah’s birth, not foresight. It is not a fulfillment of any OT prophecy. There is no OT prophecy that told readers to look for the signs given in the passage for the coming messiah of Israel.==At http://bit.ly/2wzk3vj
Blog by Tim Buck
Quote==The woman is Israel and the dragon is Satan. The woman with the sun, moon and 12 stars represents the 12 tribes of Israel and is taken from Joseph’s dream in Genesis 37:9,
“Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.”
The “woman with child” is a depiction of Israel who longed for the appearance of their Messiah. The Dragon in front of the woman portrays how Satan sought to destroy the Jewish people throughout the Old Testament in order to destroy the coming Messiah. The language used is never meant to be taken as a literal constellation. Nor does it ever tell us to be looking for it as a special sign-constellation announcing the soon return of the Lord in the end times.==From http://bit.ly/2gvp7ZJ
Article refuting data given for Sept. 23
goo.gl/pmauNq
Detailed articles by Creation Ministries
On the Sept. 23rd “event” by Jonathan David Sarfati
goo.gl/Zqndj9
CANA post on Misinterpreting Jesus’ words “Signs of the Times”
goo.gl/QQjBkP
Refuting Gospel in the Stars
goo.gl/6AzGkb
Article refuting using the zodiac for prophecy by Jackie Alnor
goo.gl/wkLnFu
Excerpt==What is the theory behind “glory in the stars” theology? According to Albert Dager, a Christian who runs the Washington-state-based Media Spotlight, it’s the belief that “the Zodiac was originally designed by God as a witness of His plan of redemption, and was later corrupted to occult science into an instrument of divination (the predicting of the future and/or the determining of personality traits based on the positions of the heavenly bodies).”
Colin Deal, J. R. Church, David Webber, Noah Hutchings and other like-minded prophecy teachers all cite the work of E. W. Bullinger (1837-1913). Bullinger, an Anglican clergyman and descendant of Swiss Reformer J. Heinrich Bullinger, partly edited The Companion Bible. He was also one of the most controversial theologians in recent centuries, because he taught a type of Christian astrology, numerology, and pyramidology.
Dager and others knowledgeable about this starry theology say the earliest traceable work in the field was done by Florence Rolleston of Keswick, England.
She devoted over fifty years of her life to “the compilation of a massive series of notes which was published under the title Mazzaroth – The Constellations in 1863, when she was in her 80s,” writes William D. Banks, a proponent of “Christian astrology.”
In 1884 her concepts, which included the listings of ancient astronomical facts, significance, and the names of a hundred or more stars, gained more acceptance with the release of The Gospel in the Stars, by Joseph A. Seiss. But Bullinger’s book, The Witness of the Stars, which came out in 1893, took Miss Rolleston’s theories even further, because he stated that for the stars’ “interpretation I am alone responsible.”==See more at goo.gl/wkLnFu
