Revelation chapters 6, 8, and 9 reveal prophecy to us regarding the antichrist Islam.  The prophecy of Revelation 11 reveals the plight of God’s witnesses from the time the Dome of the Rock was set up, to the Rapture of His saints.  Revelation 12 is all about God’s chosen people; the House of Israel and the House of Judah.  This chapter seems understandable when you first read it, but once you sit down and study it, it is quite complex.  There are so many possibilities and different ways to interpret it.  It seems to be going over history at the same time it’s revealing the future.  It’s being played out in the heavens at the same time it is taking place on Earth.  There is both a literal and a figurative translation for many verses with both making complete sense.  However, one thing is for certain, in this chapter as well as many others in the book of Revelation, the role of the religion of Islam is clearly visible.

Revelation 12:1 (KJV)
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:

The very first verse of this chapter, like many verses in the Bible, has been given both a literal and figurative translation.  Some believe we should not be giving it a literal interpretation or looking to the heavens for signs, yet others believe this is precisely what we should do.

In the end, if the interpretation you are about to read is correct, it does not really matter if you take the interpretation of this verse literally or figuratively because you come up with the same meaning either way.  One could say this verse has a dual fulfillment in the most amazing ways.  First, this verse is prophetic in that it tells of an event that is going to happen in the future and the other is a sign or signal; warning us the message this verse carries will shortly be taking place.

Many in Christendom will look at you cross-eyed and think of you as ridiculous if you tell them this is a sign that will appear in the heavens.  They respond in this way because they have either misunderstood or received a wrong impression of what our Lord said in the books of Matthew and Luke.

Luke 11:29 (KJV)
And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.

First, the generation that Christ was addressing did receive a sign; and it was to their detriment that they did not understand it.  Second, there is a world of difference between seeking a sign before you will believe and looking for a sign our Lord said He would send to warn or inform you He is about to act.  You will never be able to say He didn’t warn you!!!  Third, we were told by our Lord that these signs would be coming way back in the first chapter of the Bible.  Just because our Lord said it in the Old Testament does not mean it should carry any less impact or meaning!  Fourth, what do you think He was telling us to watch for in those many times He commanded us to watch?!  

Genesis 1:14 (KJV)
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

NOTE: The lights in the firmament of the heaven are the sun, moon, and stars.  All three lights are used in the Sign of the Son of Man and the great wonder in heaven in the first verse of this chapter.  The seasons in Genesis 1:14 are the appointed meeting times when God will meet with man.  They have absolutely nothing to do with winter, spring, summer, or fall except that they occur during the spring and fall. The Star of Bethlehem was the sign of an appointed meeting time, (as appointed by God beforehand)  just as the sign of verse one is a sign of an appointed meeting between God and Man that will happen soon.

Before going any further, we need to talk about the signs of the Zodiac and the constellations. Christians have been taught, and rightfully so, that we need to stay away from astrology and the reading of the daily horoscopes.  While this is undeniably true, it does not mean that our Lord cannot or will not use them.  Job 9:9 says, “He made Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south.”  He made them, and He will use them in any way He pleases.  You just read in Genesis where our Lord said He is going to use the sun, moon, and stars for signs to us, so who are we to say “No, you can’t?”  If you are a Christian that has a problem with signs in the heavens, you are reading too much into a few verses and making deductions that you should not make.  In Bible prophecy, our Lord uses all His creation for signs.  When our Lord said “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold,” was he not giving us a sign of the last days using His creation?  What about the Star of Bethlehem?

While it is a sin for us even to try to use the stars to reveal our fortune or determine what our day or year will bring, it is perfectly acceptable to use them as a guide in the sense of direction for travel.  It is perfectly acceptable for us to look for the signs our Lord told us He would send!  He sends them for our benefit, and it is to our detriment that we ignore them.  The stars of the heavens are a perfect example of something miraculous and magnificent that God created for good, but man has found a way to use them for evil.

If you ever read some of the prophetic websites on the internet, you know many of them want to give this first verse of Revelation 12 a literal translation and tell us the heavenly occurrences described in this verse took place on September 23rd, 2017.  While there are many that doubt this, there is a great deal of evidence that bears this out.  If you do some research into the original Greek words used in this verse, you will find this verse actually states this sign is going to appear in the heavens!!  However, there is a lot that depends on how one interprets the word heaven.  The word heaven has several different uses, and it’s difficult but essential we understand what they are.

For example, when Absalom’s hair caught in the branches of a tree, it was said that he hung suspended between the heaven and the earth, (II Samuel 18:9) yet he was probably not more than a few feet if not inches off the ground.  Then there is the verse in I Chronicles 21:16 when David saw the angel of the Lord stand between the earth and the heaven, with a sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Proverbs 25:3 tells us; the heaven for height and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings is unsearchable. These verses each show a little different way of referring to heaven.

In the textbox is the definition of the Greek word “ouranos.” StrStrongs Heaven 3772ong’s shows it as heaven “through the idea of elevation,” meaning anything that is located or suspended above the ground. However, this is not necessarily the same definition our Lord gave to it way back in the first chapter of Genesis.  Since our Lord is the one that first defined it way back at the beginning of His Word, we should give this a little more weight.  It’s doubtful very many ever took the time to carefully examine what our Lord was saying when He was describing the heavens. 

Genesis 1:6-7 (KJV)
6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

Strongs Firmament 7549 “And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters.” First, we need to know what a firmament is.  According to Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary, it is an expanse, and it comes from the word “raqIa,” which means to overlay or spread forth.  So when God says, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters,” He is making an expanse of space between the waters.

“And let it divide the waters from the waters” it will be a complete division of the waters with the expanse (firmament) in between.

“And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so” What is very important here is where He put the firmament.  It states the firmament or expanse was in the middle, and the waters were above and below the expanse.  It is not an expanse placed between the waters, and dry land appears; this occurs in verse 9.  It is saying there are waters above and below this firmament.  It is not speaking of separating the waters on the earth from the waters in outer space or other parts of the galaxy.  It is speaking about the waters that reside on the earth, and the waters once suspended in the upper regions of the Earth’s atmosphere; this is not talking about the rain in the clouds.  This verse is telling us the earth was once completely covered in water.  Our Lord took some of this water and suspended it way up in space which created a firmament which we now call our atmosphere, but God called it “heaven.”  That means there once was a shield of water that encircled the entire earth way up in the uppermost part of the atmosphere.  You may think this sounds a little dubious, but it’s precisely what’s described in this verse.  If this is correct, it provides us with many answers for the changes that occurred on Earth upon the destruction of this shield.  The diagram below illustrates this.

FirmamentIf there were a shield of water encircling the entire Earth, the Earth at that time would have been a gigantic greenhouse.  It would cause temperatures over the whole planet to be very close to the same.  It would explain why they have discovered tropical type plants under the ice in Antarctica.  It would explain how the Earth was watered by dew in the morning and not by rain from clouds.  It would explain why there was no rain before the flood of Noah’s time and how God used nature to lessen man’s lifespan.  A ring of water circumventing the Earth would filter out all the rays of the Sun that are detrimental to man.  It would go a long way to explain why the lifespan of humans went from 900+ years down to 120.  It would also explain what Genesis 7:11-12 meant by “and the windows of heaven were opened” and how it could rain for forty days and forty nights.

“And God called the firmament Heaven” God called this expanse between these two bodies of water heaven. The ring of water that once encompassed the planet deluged the Earth during the time of Noah’s flood.  When that happened, the upper boundary of heaven was eliminated, making everything above the surface of the Earth heaven.  That means the heavens stretch out into outer space without end.  It means that technically speaking, whatever happens just above ground level is taking place in heaven.  We base this on the area (firmament) between the two waters being called heaven.

It means that even though this sign of Revelation 12:1 appears in the heavens, it does not mean it is just a description of what the stars and planets are going to do.  It is still a prophecy with a practical application that will be carried out, and since this is a heavenly sign, it is our Lord reminding us to be looking for what He said He is going to do; and informing us it is going to occur shortly, at the time He appointed.

When you stop and think about it, this was a great wonder in heaven.  It was our most wonderful, all-powerful Lord using the stars of Heaven to paint a picture for us of the events He is about to carry out here on earth!  If using the stars, the moon and the sun as actors in a play that is soon to make its debut on Earth is not the definition of power, and a demonstration of how He is capable of doing all He says He will do, please tell me what is?!!!

The Star of Bethlehem

But wait, this sign of Revelation 12 is only half of the story.  In reality, it is the continuation of a story that took place years ago with the birth of Christ.  It uses the same area of the heavens with many of the same stars and planets that our Lord used 2000 years ago to announce the birth of His son; only this time these same celestial objects are being used to tell a different story.  Let’s take a brief look at the first sign that announced the birth of Christ.  By doing so, it will help you better understand this sign of Revelation 12 and give you an even deeper appreciation of just how awesome our Lord is!

Because of our greater understanding of the heavens and the unbelievable precision with which our Lord set them in motion, we are now able with the use of computers to plot where the celestial bodies were positioned in time past, as well as where they will be years into the future.  Because of this, we can now view the heavens just as they appeared just before the birth of Christ.

Jupiter RetrogradeThere is a similar occurrence that ties the wonder in heaven that happened during the time of the birth of Christ with the wonder in heaven of Revelation 12:1.  Both of these wonders involve the constellation Leo, which is known as the king of the constellations, and both of these wonders include the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter in conjunction.  Furthermore, both of these wonders involve Jupiter being in retrograde.

Jupiter being in retrograde means that the planet Jupiter during these heavenly signs appeared as if it stopped and reversed the direction of its travel in the heavens.  When a planet is in retrograde, it appears as if it has changed directions.  This condition is caused by the varying orbital speeds and locations of the planets as they go around the sun.  This observance takes time to complete.  It is not something you can watch with the naked eye in just one evening.  One must observe this phenomenon by keeping a close eye on the heavens over a number of evenings.

Being in conjunction means these four planets which appear as stars in the heavens were all in alignment; meaning they are very close together.  The conjunction of these four planets occurs once every two thousand years.  However, a little known and not often publicized fact is when it does happen, it skips a year and then happens again.  Meaning if they were in conjunction in 4 B.C. a similar replay would happen again in 2 B.C., before taking a hiatus of a little more than 2000 years, at which time another conjunction involving these same planets will occur. 

The Sign of a New King

First, you need to be aware of the fact that 2000 years ago, they paid a lot of attention to the signs and events in the heavens.  It was not like the civilization of today where people seldom ever look up to see a star in the night sky.  For one thing, they did not have electricity to light their homes, TV, or the internet, to pass the night away.  Nor did they have street lights and city lights to hide the stars at night.  They placed meanings on the events they observed happening in the Heavens. 

During the time of Christ’s birth, the event which caught the attention of the wise men was an event that centered around the star Regulus, which is the star located in the front right paw of the constellation Leo.  Leo consists of 9 stars if you count Regulus as one star, but in reality, it is a quadruple star system that appears as one star to the naked eye.  Regulus, which in Latin means little king, is one of the brightest stars in the night sky.  These four planets were all in conjunction and the planet Jupiter was in retrograde around Regulus.  That means that from Earth it appeared as though the planet Jupiter was encircling the star Regulus.  To the Magi, the planet Jupiter, the king of the planets circling the little king star in the king of the constellations was a sign there would be a change of royalty or leadership coming.  It was this sign that caused them to follow the star, which eventually led them to Bethlehem and the manger where Christ lay. 

Leaving out the moon, Venus is the brightest object in the night sky, followed by Jupiter, Mars, and Mercury.  Regulus is also in the top thirty brightest objects in the night sky.  This breathtakingly bright star was the result of 5 of the brightest objects in the night sky being close together to leave one with the impression this was one super bright star.

The book of Matthew gives us enough information to confirm what you just read is indeed the scenario that announced the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.  It is the repeat of this conjunction of the planets in the second year that seals the deal.

Matthew 2:7-10 (KJV)
7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. 9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw 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 exceeding great joy.  

There are two crucial points to be made from these verses.  First, Herod inquired of them when the star first appeared.  Secondly, they were on the way to Bethlehem when the star appeared again.  We know that this appearance was a different appearance because they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.  If the star had been appearing every night to them, they would not have rejoiced with exceeding great joy.  

Matthew 2:16 (KJV)
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.

When the wise men did not return to Herod, why did he slay all the children in Bethlehem that were two years of age and younger?  Because they told Herod that the sign first appeared to them two years prior. From what Matthew tells us it is relatively obvious that this sign appeared two years prior to the arrival of the wise men in Jerusalem.  Then after Herod sent them on their way to find this child that would one day rule Israel, the sign appeared again to them and led them to the place where baby Jesus was.  It makes total sense because this sign after it appeared would only have been visible for several nights during each occurrence.  Is this not extremely strong evidence this indeed was the Star of Bethlehem.

Now let’s get back to the “great wonder in heaven” of Revelation 12.  Let’s see how our Lord uses these same stars He used to announce the birth of Christ, to convey a message of what He is about to do for His people more than 2000 years later.

A Great Wonder in Heaven

Revelation 12:1 (KJV)  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:

Strongs Miracle 4592“And there appeared a great wonder in heaven” The backdrop for this prophecy is heaven, but its reenactment will be carried out on Earth.  The original Greek word used for wonder is “semeion,” which means sign or miracle.  It relates to a sign that is of a miraculous or supernatural nature.

Next, let’s take a look at the definition of the Greek word used for heaven. There’s not much doubt this is a heavenly sign when you observe how many times He uses these words and what they are used to mean.  “Ouranos,” 268 out of 284 times means heaven in the New Testament.

“A woman clothed with the sun”-You already know a woman to be a metaphor for religion and the sun is symbolic of truth and light.  Since this woman is clothed with the sun, it would make this the religion of truth and light, as opposed to a theology of smoke and darkness which would be a false religion of lies and evil.  So this woman represents the true religion which would have to be Christ-centered because Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6) He is also the light of the world. (John 8:12)

“And the moon under her feet” The “under her feet“ would imply a position of power. The moon is indicative of the world of false religion as man has made images of and worshiped the moon for thousands of years.  Just like false religion, the moon produces no light; it can only reflect the light from another source. When one looks at the moon, it can fool you because it appears to produce light, but if you take away the source of its light, it will disappear.  Islam, even though they claim not to worship the moon, currently uses its image as the symbol of Islam.  Islam gives no light; it only gives the perception that it does by mimicking the Word of God.  It only produces darkness, destruction, and death.  That is why our Lord shed so much light on it in the prophecies of Daniel, Isaiah, and The Revelation of Jesus Christ, as well as many other parts of Scripture.

Virgo with Dragon

Please use the graphic above to help in the “literal” interpretation of verses 1-4.  The literal interpretation of “in the heavens” this verse refers to happened over a two-year length of time in 2015 and 2017.

“And upon her head a crown of twelve stars” The crown of 12 stars gives away this woman’s true identity. A dream that very much resembles Joseph’s dream (Genesis 37:9) with the sun, moon, and the stars.  The stars were Joseph’s brothers in Joseph’s dream and such is the case here with the twelve stars representing the 12 tribes of Israel.  Here it would be the House of Judah consisting of the tribes of Benjamin and Judah, and the House of Israel which is the remaining ten tribes.  The presence of the crown and number 12 signifies the number of perfect government or divine authority.  It would further show this to be Israel in a position of authority over the world.  The woman is clothed with the sun because it was the faith and trust Israel placed in the Holy One of Israel that put Israel in a position of power over the heathen nations and kept her there.  It was through Israel that all nations of the world were to receive this truth and light.

Deuteronomy 14:2 (KJV)
For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.

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

Israel was under Gentile rule from the time of the Assyrian and Babylonian invasions until 1948.  It was the promise of God to Israel that a Messiah (the anointed one) would come from the line of Judah and would take the throne of David and restore Israel to the prominence she once enjoyed. (Acts 1:6)

Jeremiah 23:5-6 (KJV)
5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

“And she being with child cried, travailing in birth” Israel with much pain was longing for and expecting this child. (Messiah)

“And pained to be delivered” The pained to be delivered in this verse speaks both to the nation of Israel that brought the child (Jesus Christ) into the world and to the land of Israel that was looking for a king.  Israel pained to be delivered from Gentile rule. Because Israel was looking for a great king to deliver them from Roman rule and not a savior to deliver them from their sin, almost everyone missed His coming, even to the point they were oblivious to the fact the Son of God was standing in their midst.  Just like the Christians of today, Israel had little understanding concerning the prophecy.  Just like the Christians of today, they knew the Messiah was coming, but they didn’t know when and they didn’t understand what He was going to do when He arrived.  

It is in this manner History is about to repeat itself.  Despite all the writings and signs that in detail spell out when and how Christ will return for His saints, extremely few even know what the Sign of the Son of Man is, and thus only a very few of the living will be taken.  The world is now at a point where almost every prophecy that foretells the second coming of Christ is fulfilled.  The Christian world knows in their hearts Christ’s return is near, but just as the Jews they have misinterpreted so much of His Word, they have no idea how or when He will return.  They believe His return could happen at any moment because they do not understand the Feasts of the Lord.  Just as the Jews are still looking for the Messiah, Christendom is still looking for the Man of Sin to emerge from a revived Roman empire as a man of peace and make a seven-year peace treaty with Israel.  Just like the Jews, they missed him even though he was standing in their midst; even though he took up a good part of the news reports almost every day for better than 3½ years.  They missed him because they didn’t heed Christ’s warnings.  They didn’t even see these warnings because they didn’t study His word in the way it should be studied; as a branch grafted into the Olive tree.  If they would but explore His word through the eyes of those to whom He gave it, they would have been able to see their errors, and they would have learned from the mistakes of the Jews.  What we have here is a classic case of His-Story repeating itself, which further proves that those that do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it! 

Revelation 12:3 (KJV)
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 there appeared another wonder in heaven” Again; heaven is the backdrop in which this wonder plays out.  However, just as defined in the first chapter of Genesis, heaven can also be describing things taking place on Earth because the Earth, by definition is part of the heavens.                                                   

“And behold a great red dragon” From in the beginning to the very end the devil in Scripture is a dragon which in present-day interpretation is a snake.  If you take a close look at pictures of dragons, you will notice they are in essence winged lizards or snakes. Here a great red dragon is described.  Great indicates he is a formidable foe and red tells us he is an evil deadly dragon guilty of much death.  

In keeping with the interpretation, this is a sign displayed in heaven of what is also taking place on earth. Believe it or not, there really is what looks to be a dragon that appears in the heavens.  If you search images on the internet by typing dragon in Virgo, you will find pictures of this dragon in outer space positioned near the planet Jupiter as it exited out of the womb of Virgo.  You can see the location of this red dragon in the lower-left corner of the previous picture of the Constellations Virgo & Leo.  Jupiter exited Virgo’s womb on September 23rd, 2017, two days after the Feast of Trumpets.  This speaks to the precise day Christ will restore the House of Israel with the House of Judah during the Fall Feasts of the Lord as spelled out in the Book of Revelation and Hosea 6:2.  The first great wonder in heaven using these stars was to announce the birth of Christ.  The second time they were used to proclaim the rebirth of Israel.

“Having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads” This dragon is almost identical to the beast that appears in Revelation 13.  A dragon is a beast, so there is very little difference in the names.  You have already read the Biblical definition of a beast, but Webster’s 1913 Unabridged English Dictionary also has useful definitions for a beast.  Webster’s says a beast is a “coarse, brutal, filthy, or degraded fellow;” which is also a man who does not have the love of God within him.  It is the image of God within a man that separates him from the rest of the animal kingdom.  In fact, a man that makes and follows his own laws and unrestrained passions is worse than any beast in the animal kingdom!  

 As you already know, in Bible Prophecy, a beast most often refers to a Godless kingdom.  Since there is not a dragon in the night sky that has seven heads, these seven heads must be speaking of the same seven kingdoms as Revelation 13, with each head representing one empire.  The horns represent the leaders of these kingdoms, and the crowns further define what kind of power the horn exercises.  A crown indicates the horn is a king, or person that has complete or final say in any matter, as opposed to a prime minister or president that has to deal with other leaders or governing bodies.

34As explained previously, the Greek kingdom has four horns, but only one crown is because the actual Greek Empire under Alexander the Great only existed for 12 years. Alexander died at the early age of 33, so the united empire never had another leader that had the final say in any matter which is indicative of a king or a crown. Technically the empire existed, but it was split up among his four generals, and none of them ever had a complete say over the entire empire. These four generals were continually fighting among themselves, and two of the generals, Seleucid and Ptolemy, were practically in a constant state of war trying to take control of Jerusalem.  Between the years of 319 BC and 302 BC, the control of the city of Jerusalem changed hands seven times.  So the Greek Empire essentially had one crown plus four horns.  The Heads, Horns, and Crowns are displayed in the chart provided. 

Revelation 12:4 (KJV)
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 his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven” The dragon’s tail is the part of this beast that is shared by all the kingdoms, meaning that all of the beasts together are responsible for taking one-third of the stars of heaven.  Does this not sound exactly like what you read in Revelation 8 and 9?  Revelation 8:9 says a third part of the ships were destroyed.  Ships and stars are both metaphors for His saints, so this is the second witness to this beast taking the physical lives of Christ’s witnesses. 

“And did cast them to the earth” and took their mortal lives. (Killed them) Satan and all his followers can never take the eternal life of the stars of heaven.  Some people believe this means the dragon caused them to fall or rebel against the Lord.  If these were indeed the stars of heaven, no kingdom on earth could make them rebel against their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because “they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.” Revelation 17:14 (KJV)

“And the dragon stood before the woman” The dragon (Satan) was right there alongside this woman (Israel, the one clothed with the religion of truth and light) which was ready to be delivered; meaning ready to give birth.

“For to devour her child as soon as it was born” The dragon, (Satan) wanted to kill this child Jesus Christ, the truth and light which are this woman’s clothing before she could bring that truth and light into the world. Rome was the empire during this time, so it would be a government that was authorized by the Emperor in Rome.  Rome is the 6th head of this dragon that was to attempt to put the child to death. Satan is always right there; doing all he can to stop the furtherance of God’s Kingdom.  In this case it would be King Herod, the one that put out the decree to kill all male children of two years of age and younger.

Revelation 12:5 (KJV)
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.

“And she brought forth a man child” the truth and light the woman is clothed in, Jesus Christ.

“Who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron” The fulfillment of this prophecy is yet to come, but not far off!  When Jesus Christ returns, He will set up His Kingdom on earth and rule with a rod of iron. 

Revelation 2:27 (KJV)
And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

“And her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne” Referring to when Christ ascended to heaven to take His place at the right hand of God the Father.  He will return in the same manner that He left.

Acts 1:9 (KJV)
And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

Revelation 12:6 (KJV)
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.

The beginning date of this verse is referring to a specific length of time, which one can find in both Matthew 24 and Revelation 11.  The woman refers to the religion of truth, so those that fled would be her witnesses for whom our Lord has prepared a place.

Matthew 24:15-25 (KJV)
15 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:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18  Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

This Abomination of Desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet is the Muslim Dome of the Rock which stands on a wing of God’s Holy Temple on The Mount of the Congregation. It was set up in 688 AD.  In this Scripture, Jesus is warning the inhabitants of Israel to get out-of-town when they see this building go up or as He says in Mark 13:14 “standing in the place where it ought not.” It was from this point on that Jerusalem and Israel started becoming a wilderness. Besides the dwindling of the vegetation, by the 1830s the population of Jerusalem had dropped to 5000 people.  That is why it was called the “abomination that maketh desolate” in Daniel 12:11. This year (688 AD) was the beginning of the REAL great tribulation period when Islam was consistently victorious and almost unstoppable until late in 732 A.D. when defeated at the Battle of Tours. The Muslims took children from Christians and Jews and raised them as Muslims. Their children served the Muslims in their armies and courts; prompting Christ’s warning “woe to them with child, and to them that give suck.”

Israel StatehoodIn Biblical Prophecy, one day equals one year except when speaking of only one day only or speaking directly about the Lord.  In this case, the 1260 days become 1260 years. If we take the Dome of the Rock setup date of 688 A.D. and add the 1260 years onto it, you get 1948, the year when Israel became a nation again.

This prophecy coincides precisely with:

Revelation 11:3 (KJV)
And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

Revelation 12:7 (KJV)
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

It is apparent that after Satan’s unsuccessful attempt to devour the woman’s child, he and his angels decided to make a final stand in heaven. 

Revelation 12:8 (KJV)
And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

This verse suggests there indeed once was a place for Satan in heaven, but there is not a place for him anymore. Satan and his angels were defeated, and now there’s no place for him or his angels to hide in heaven.

Revelation 12:9 (KJV)
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.

This is the same event listed in Revelation 8:10, where a great star is cast out of heaven.  This verse is the prophecy of Isaiah 14:12 fulfilled.

Isaiah 14:12 (KJV)
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

As was revealed in Chapter 2 which covers Isaiah 14, Lucifer is a Latin word meaning light bearer or light-bringer.  (The original Hebrew words are translated to “son of the morning,” and say the same thing.) Light-bringer refers to the brightest object in the sky before the sun comes up, meaning the celestial body that brings the greater light; which is the sun.  The brightest objects in the sky before the sun rises are the planet Venus (the brightest star in the morning/evening sky) and the moon.  Both of these celestial bodies were ancient gods which the Romans, Greeks, Persians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and Egyptians worshiped.  These empires all existed before Satan exited heaven. So if Satan (Lucifer) was cast out of heaven and down to the earth, where is he now? What happened to these worshipers of Satan now that he is no longer in the heavens? He can be found in the seventh empire, the Ottoman or Muslim Empire. Just take a look at any Muslim mosque or the flag of any Muslim country, and you will find his symbol because they all bear the symbol of Lucifer, the crescent moon and the morning star. This is why these seven kingdoms are known as the dragon! They all worshiped and served Satan.

SPECIAL REMINDER: Isaiah chapter 14 is a chant against the King of Babylon. It is God speaking to Lucifer who is the King of Babylon. Twice, in verse 13 and verse 14 God says to Satan, “You have said in your heart I will ascend into heaven” and then “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.” The original Hebrew word for I will ascend is “ala.” It is spelled differently, but the pronunciation is exactly the same as “Allah.’

As you know, the supreme leader of Islam is called the Khalifa, which Muslims believe to be the substitute for Allah on earth, which makes him “Satan in the Flesh.”

“Called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world” The members of the religion that sees deception as one of the greatest tools in conquering an enemy, are the very same ones falling for the greatest deception of all time!

There are 1.8 billion deceived Muslims, and most of the rest of the world has no idea who Allah actually is, or what is going on in the world today.  Two of the last three U.S. Presidents have said in regards to Islam and Christianity, “We all worship the same god.” That is the most foolish and blasphemous statement they could have possibly made. Now you know why Muslims are getting their way all over the world; the world does not know God, so by default, they belong to Satan.  They are members of the same family, so wouldn’t one expect them to work together.

Revelation 12:10 (KJV)
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.

“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” Salvation comes through the blood of Christ that was shed on the cross when He paid the penalty for our sins. When He arose from the dead, He conquered death. When He conquered death, all power was given Him in heaven and earth. (Matthew 28:18) It was through His sacrifice and triumph over death the Kingdom of God is available to all that place their trust in Him.

“For the accuser of our brethren is cast down” Satan means “adversary” or “accuser.”  This verse indicates that it was when Christ gained the victory over death, that Satan and his band of followers were cast out of heaven because there was no longer any need for the role Satan played.  Christ simplified everything.

1 John 4:3 (KJV)
And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

“Which accused them before our God day and night“ We know from the book of Job that it was Satan that stood before God and accused us of sin day and night. He was a prosecuting attorney in God’s court, but because of what Christ did, his position was no longer needed.  There was no need to accuse anymore as Christ’s blood paid the sin debt for mankind in full, and now the judging is left to Jesus Christ.  So when Satan was defeated and cast down to the earth, he decided to become an author and write a book, because he wanted to be like the most high (Isaiah 14:14) who had already written a book.  Satan used this writing to achieve his agenda and deceive a large portion of the population of earth. The book became a best seller and is used by the 2nd largest religion on Earth with a membership of more than 1.8 billion people.

Revelation 12:11 (KJV)
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony” Jesus Christ made it possible for all to overcome Satan by shedding His blood on the cross.  In order to defeat Satan, one must first confess and repent of their sins and ask Christ to forgive and save them.  By placing your faith and trust in Jesus Christ and following Him, you will have the testimony that allows you to triumph over sin and death.

“And they loved not their lives unto the death” When you become a disciple of Christ, you realize that life is not all about you.  Once you accept Christ as your savior and put your faith and trust in Him, you essentially die to self, just as He died for you.  Christ died for you so that you could live for Him.  You love not your life unto death because you realize it is really His life, we are His creation, and it was He that paid the penalty for our sin and redeemed us with His blood.  It is through this testimony that victory over sin and death is achieved.

Revelation 12:12 (KJV)
Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

“Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them” Because of what Jesus Christ did, all those that put their faith and trust in Him rejoice. Christians do not dwell on earth; we dwell in heaven. We are in the world but not of the world; heaven is our home. We are to rejoice because our Lord has cast Satan out.  Those whose dwelling is not in heaven have no reason to celebrate.

“Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea” The inhabiters are those that dwell or reside on the earth. It would refer to unbelievers, people who do not follow or place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Because the sea in prophecy refers to the more densely populated areas, the inhabiters would seem to be speaking to people living in the less populated areas. When taken together, it takes in the entire lost population of Earth warning them there is a mad and evil devil among us who is going to destroy to the best of his ability because he knows he has but a short time left.

Revelation 12:13 (KJV)
And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

The dragon, Satan has been persecuting Israel through people that serve him from the time before he was cast down from heaven.  However, since our Lord had Satan cast out of heaven, the situation has worsened. Antisemitism is everywhere and can be tracked throughout history.  In 1492 the Jews were expelled from Spain. During World War II Hitler killed 6 million of them and almost every country in the world has people who hate Jews. The deceived Muslims have persecuted them (and everyone else) since they started their First Jihad on the world around 634 A.D.  Present day Israel has been defending herself for years, but the world accuses her of being the attacker. Muslims have a very deep-rooted hatred for Jews.  When Islam first conquered Jerusalem, Jews were not dealt with harshly, but as time passed, everything changed. It began with dislike, which turned to contempt, which turned into absolute hatred.  Like any sin, when there’s no repentance, it grows progressively worse until terminating with the death of a victim as well as the perpetrator.

Revelation 12:14 (KJV)
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 to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle” This is an excellent example of just how exact the vision Jesus gave to John really was. Keeping in mind this vision was 1900 yrs. ago; how would you describe an airplane carrying people if you had never seen one before? Yes, two wings of a great eagle. It was during this time the airline industry took off.  It is also during this period, right after World War II, the ever-growing immigration of Jews to Israel took place to re-establish Israel as a nation again by defeating their Muslim attackers.   If you doubt the two wings of a great eagle are airplanes, consider this; who is it that is trying to bring down the passenger planes, and why do you think they started doing it?  The answers are easy: It’s Muslims that were bringing down airplanes because the planes were bringing lots of Jews to Israel.

“That she might fly into the wilderness, into her place” As was mentioned earlier, when the Muslims built their temple the Dome of the Rock in 688 A.D., Israel became a wilderness where not much of anything would grow.  In the early 1800’s Jerusalem became little more than a ghost town with a population of just over 5,000 people.  After the 7th century, Muslims put very little into the upkeep of Jerusalem.  It wasn’t until the signing of the Balfour Declaration in 1917; Jews began returning to their land, which after centuries of neglect was little more than wilderness and wasteland.  It was only after the Jewish people started returning to their land that it once again began to blossom, just as God had promised it would in His Word.

“Where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time” The period of a time, and times, and half a time in question here directly follows the 1260 days (years) alluded to earlier in verse 6 when the woman (Israel) fled into the wilderness of the world.  As you are aware from the previous chapter, this period was from the setting up of the Dome of the Rock in 688 A.D. to 1948 when Israel became a nation.  This 3½ year period, written as a time, and times, and half a time (1+2+½=3½) began in 1948 and ended in the middle of 1951. 

On November 29, 1947, the United Nations passed the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine which planned to divide Palestine into three areas: an Arab state, a Jewish state and the Special International Regime for the cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem.  Almost immediately a civil war broke out between the Jews and Arabs.  This civil war turned into a full-scale war in May of 1948.  As soon as the fighting broke out Jews from all over the world began immigrating to Israel to help the Jewish cause. 

Another reason for the big increase of Jews migrating to Israel during this time is the hatred Muslims have for Jews.  After the war ended in early 1949, the next 2+ years saw a large amount of Jews fleeing Arab countries for fear of their lives.  This 3½ year period, 1948 to the middle of 1951 saw the largest amount of immigration Israel had experienced up to that time, and it was two wings of a great eagle that carried most of them there.

The previous chapter (Revelation 11) revealed the time of God’s witnesses was 1260 days. (years)  It began in 688 A.D. with the building of the Dome of the Rock and ended in 1948 when Israel became a nation again.  This prophecy ties directly into the Jewish migration back to Israel.  It shows how well God looks after those that are His and how well He has planned everything out.  Not to mention how well He has kept us informed of these plans.  He both warned and protected His witnesses when they were forced out into the world in 688 A.D.  When His special protection of them from the Muslim masses was over in 1948 He brought them home again.

“Where she is nourished” refers to the weapons that were flown into Israel from other nations with Czechoslovakia being the main contributor.  Israel had almost no arms, army, or air force when the conflict started.  Israel had to import into the country everything they needed to fight a war.  The time, times and dividing of time began in 1948 and continued to the middle of 1951 when Czechoslovakia furnished Israel with rifles, ammo, tanks,  and even aircraft to defend and conquer the Muslims that had declared war on them.  Some people take issue with this because they don’t believe God would furnish His people with weapons to defend themselves. Please don’t discount this because there are plenty of examples of God intervening to protect His people with anything they needed to carry out His will.  God furnishes ALL his people’s needs to protect them from the face of the serpent. 

It is quite possible that the reason our Lord uses the time, times, and half a time or the dividing of time instead of the standard days, months, or years is because there is no definitive starting and ending dates given for these events described.  However, there was an article which stated this 3½ years was the heaviest period of immigration of Jews to Israel since the signing of the Balfour Declaration in November 1917.  The nourishment that Israel received from the world was in the form of weapons and immigrants as both of them were very much needed to help her survive the Arab onslaught thrust on her because of the proclamation put forth by the United Nations.

“The face of the serpent” here one could substitute the word presence for face according to Vine’s Expository Dictionary. The Arab countries of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria all took part in trying to prevent Israeli statehood during the 1948 war. 

The face is the focal point of a person. Usually, it is what you notice first when approaching someone.  So the face of the serpent could also be referring to all the countries that bordered Israel.  The surrounding Muslim countries you would see first when looking at a map of the area.

Revelation 12:15 (KJV)
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 serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman” What this verse speaks of has already happened and continues even now.  A flood occurs when water overflows its containment whether it is banks of a river or shores of a lake.  As you already know, in Bible Prophecy water in various forms such as seas, rivers, and fountains refer to different kinds or groups of people.  In this case, flood relates to the millions of refugees that have left all the Muslim countries (overflowed the borders of their countries) and headed to countries all over the world.  While Europe and the U.S. took in more than their share, Satan has sent this flood across the globe.  You will now find them in places you would never expect to find people that are accustomed to high heat and arid conditions.  People whose language, dress, customs and religion are entirely foreign to the lands in which the flood deposited them.  These are people that do not assimilate into other cultures, but rather people with a 1400 year history of assimilating foreign cultures into theirs.  Just another example of “those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

Flood Cast out of Dragons MouthThe numbers of people and the length of the lines was truly staggering.  One picture taken from directly above the exodus revealed a column of people traveling along the roadside that was approximately 25 people wide, and its length went on further than the eye could see.  Satan once again has tried to copy what our Lord did by dispersing His people all over the world, but Satan has a much more sinister purpose in mind.  In doing so, Satan is in direct violation of God’s will going back to the first Babylon when God scattered man abroad and gave them multiple languages.  Since Allah is only allowed to be worshiped in Arabic,  by sending this flood out all over the world, Satan’s goal is to unite mankind under one language and one false god, Allah.  The very thing God was trying to stop in the first place.   

Psalm 18:4 (KJV)
The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.

“That he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.”  Here we find out the purpose of the flood. These are not poor refugees that have no purpose other than to get out of a war zone, as 80% of these refugees are men of fighting age and they come from many different Muslim countries; not just Syria. The idea behind this is to get enough Muslims into Europe and other countries to force the nation’s hand to do what they want and to withdraw any support for Israel.  What country is going to go against the wishes of millions of Muslims that will blow up your cities and kill you and your children if they do not get their way?  What better excuse or way is there to sneak your army into an ignorant enemy, without having to build a wooden horse?

This flood is still in progress, and this is the very flood spoken of by Daniel in chapter 9:

Daniel 9:26 (KJV)
And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

Revelation 12:16 (KJV)
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.

This flood of refugees was taken in by many countries to the objection of many of their citizens.  These countries are now paying the price of their foolishness with more civil unrest, increased terror attacks, and a large increase in the number of rapes, which have gone unreported to and by the press in many countries.  If the leaders of these countries knew the Word of God they would know that if you take in a group of people who curse Israel and worship Satan, your land is going to be cursed too.  In Genesis 12:3 God told Abraham He would curse them that curse him and bless those that bless him, and God does what He says He will do! 

Revelation 12:17 (KJV)
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.

“And the dragon was wroth with the woman” If there is any doubt in your mind at all as to who the god of the Muslim is, this verse should close the deal. Who are the ones expressing their anger against Christians, Jews, and Israel?  Who teaches their children to hate and kill Jews? The answer is rather obvious.  Did you notice God is directly calling Islam the dragon, who without a doubt is Satan in the Word of God?

“And went to make war with the remnant of her seed” The word remnant according to both Strong’s and Vine’s Greek Dictionaries means rest of or others of her seed. So this prophecy states that Satan will make war with Israel and the rest of the people who came forth from her, which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. It clarifies whom the others or rest of are.  It is the ones that profess Jesus Christ as their savior and keep the commandments of God. This verse defines precisely what we saw happening with ISIS. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria murdered every Christian and Jew they came across, and the world did nothing. That tells us it is not only Moslem’s that Satan has deceived, but the rest of the world also, just as it stated in verse 9 of this chapter. 

Revelation 12:9 (KJV)
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.

         The Sign of the Son of Man &

The Appointed Time of Christ’s Return

                    CONTENTS

Book Introduction (Read for more info contained in the book)

  1. The REAL 4th Kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream  (Daniel 2)
  2. The REAL King of Babylon  (Isaiah 14)
  3. The REAL Key to Deciphering Time Prophecy
  4. The REAL Secret Prophecy of Daniel 4
  5. The REAL Beast of Revelation 13
  6. The REAL 8th Beast of Revelation 17
  7. The REAL 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse  (Revelation 6)
  8. The REAL First 4 Trumpets of Revelation 8
  9. The REAL 4 Angels of Revelation 9 And the Plague of Islam
  10. The REAL Woman, Dragon and Flood of Revelation 12
  11. The REAL 2 Witnesses of Revelation 11
  12. The REAL 70 Weeks of Daniel 9
  13. The FEASTS OF THE LORD; The Appointed Time of Christ’s Return
  14. The REAL Appointed Year of Our Lords Return as Revealed in Daniel 12
  15. The REAL Sign of the Son of Man; and Signs of the End (Matthew 24)
  16. The REAL Parable of the 10 Virgins (Matthew 25)
  17. The Fall Feast Days as Revealed in the Book of Revelation  (Revelation 6,7,8,11)
  18. The REAL Warning to the Church of Laodicea; the Church of Today  (Revelation 3)
  19. Closing Thoughts & the REAL Day of the Resurrection of Our Lord
  20. Ready You Ain’t, Even if You’re a Saint  Not Part of Book 
  21. Main Page: The Appointed Time of Christ Return