CHRISTIANITY - A MAN-MADE RELIGION?

As I travel around in cyber space, I come across an atheist or two and this seems to be their mantra. “Christianity is just a man-made religion” or “The Bible is just written by man, it’s all just fiction.”

Is it?

 It suits the pride and wilfulness of Man to believe that there is no God because that raises the matter of accountability, so Man does not “like to retain God in their knowledge.” The Bible indicates that the end result of Mankind denying their Creator is that they will tend towards homosexuality.  Isn’t that what we are increasingly observing?

Was the Bible written by men? Actually, yes it was; but men who were anointed and inspired by the Spirit of God and that makes God the real Author.  God is a Spirit and He works in the world through the willing co-operation of human vessels. Scripture is God-breathed. Those who have been anointed by the Spirit at any time can understand how this works.

Anyone who has objectively and intelligently researched the subject would have to be convinced of the authenticity and inspiration of the Bible.

Fulfilled prophecy  

Many events concerning individuals, cities and nations, minutely foretold in the Bible, have been, and are being, fulfilled. Recent and current events can be understood in the light of Bible prophecy, e.g. the regathering of the Jews to their homeland and subsequent events in Israel; most particularly concerning Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. The current push to divide the Land of Israel is foretold. Most remarkable is the many Old Testament prophecies concerning the central figure of the Bible – Jesus Christ – His birth, life, ministry, message, His death and resurrection. Apart from the hundreds of surface prophecies there are multiple prophecies locked into the types and shadows in the Old Testament which find their fulfilment in Jesus show the on-going plan of God for the Church and the world. Still to be fulfilled are the prophecies concerning His Second Coming and reign on Earth. The Holy Spirit continues to bring revelation out of the pages of the Bible in a way that no other book can.  The Bible explains why the world is the way it is and gives the answer  for the many and complex problems humanity faces.

The Unity of Scripture

Though written by [about] 40 people [the authorship of some books is uncertain] over a period of about 1,500 years, the Bible is one Book. The Old Testament points to and prepares the way for the coming of the Messiah [the Christ]; the Gospels record His Birth, ministry death and resurrection. The rest of the New Testament interprets the meaning of His coming into the world and looks toward His 2^nd Coming and the New [renewed] Heavens and Earth – the Kingdom of God “On Earth as it is in Heaven.” The Old and New Testaments complement one another.-

The New is in the Old concealed, the Old is in the New revealed.

Though written by human writers, it is evident that God Himself superintended, directed and dictated the Bible books. Therefore the Bible is God’s Word.  That is what the Bible claims for itself and there can be no other explanation.

“knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:20,21.

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God..” 2 Timothy 3:16

The Witness of Archaeology

Archaeologists have uncovered the sites of many towns named only in the Bible; also inscriptions confirming many Bible events. Not all of the characters in Bible stories have been mentioned in other ancient writings, but what has been found supports and adds detail to the Bible record. New evidence continues to be unearthed that confirms the truth of the biblical narratives.

Age and Number of Ancient manuscripts

The number of ancient copies of the Scriptures far outweighs the number of copies of other ancient writings which are taken to be authentic. E.g. two factors are taken into consideration when ascertaining the reliability of manuscripts – the number of manuscript copies in existence and the time span between when the original copy was first written and the oldest existing copy

                                                Manuscript Copies                          Time Span

Caesar’s Wars                                    10                                           1,000 years

Plato                                                      7                                              1,200 years

Aristotle                                               5                                              1,400 years

Homer                                                  643                                           500 years

New Testament                                24,000                                       25 years

Given these numbers, one wonders why some people readily accept that the other writings are authentic, yet balk at the New Testament. ” The Gospels and other books of the New Testament were written by men who walked with Jesus and were witnesses to the events they wrote about. As the Apostle Peter states “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.”

Sir Frederick Kenyon former director and principal librarian of the British Museum, stated concerning the New Testament:-“…the last foundation for any doubt that the Scriptures have come down to us substantially as they were written, has now been removed”

Jewish scribes copied the Old Testament Scriptures with extreme care.  Every word, syllable, letter and paragraph was checked and counted.  If a mistake was made they started again.  The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls has confirmed the accuracy of the Old Testament as we have them in our Bible today. Christianity did not come from a vacuum but is the continuation and fulfilment of all that was promised in the Old Testament Scriptures.

The Witness of History

The writings of historians confirm some of the Biblical events. e.g. Josephus a Jewish historian wrote about Jesus in AD 90, "Now there arose one Jesus, a wise man who performed surprising works, a teacher of men. He was the so-called Christ. When Pilate, acting on information supplied by the chief men condemned him to the cross, those who first believed did not cease to do so, and the tribe of Christians which had taken their name from him is not extinct today."

Roman historian Tacitus wrote in about AD 115 "They got their name from Christ, who was executed by sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilate in the reign of Tiberius."

 

The Bible Code

It has been discovered that there is a Code in the Bible, which describes historical and recent events and names of notable people. Thousands of instances of the Code have already been discovered using high-speed computers. The Code is in Equi-distant Letter Sequence [ELS] i.e. words spelt in equal distant letters, en-coded in the Hebrew test. Existence of the Code has been confirmed and acknowledged by scientific institutes. Sir Isaac Newton and others believed in the existence of the Code, but it was only with the arrival of computers that their theories were able to be confirmed. This is a truly amazing discovery and should quell any lingering doubts as to the inspiration of Scripture. However Michael Drosnyn author of “The Bible Code” and a determined atheist somehow manages to attribute it to a space man from another world, which only goes to show how wilfully blind people can be.

The Power of the Bible to Transform Lives and Influence Society for Good

A compelling case for the inspiration of the Bible is the countless lives that have been transformed by reading the Scriptures and encountering the Christ of the Bible, and the strength of societies who uphold its principles.

Notable sayings:

Abraham Lincoln: “I believe the Bible is the best gift God has given to man.”

W.E. Gladstone: “I have known ninety five of the world’s great men in my time, and of these eighty seven were followers of the Bible.”

George Washington: “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.”

Sir Isaac Newton: “There are more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history.”

Thomas Huxley: “The Bible has been the Magna Charta of the poor and oppressed. The human race is not in a position to dispense with it.”

 

On a personal note:  After over 40 years of studying the Bible, I am totally convinced of its inspiration. It has truly been ” a light to my feet and a lamp for my path.” In times of difficulty the Spirit brings up just the right Scripture to guide or comfort me. Its promises shine through the dark places and give faith and hope for the future and the Presence of the Christ of the Bible is ever with me. The Bible is a book like no other. As the Holy Spirit breaths on it, Truth continues to pour from its pages. In the area of Typology, one can see that the patterns which God has laid down in the nation of Israel were fulfilled in Jesus and are being fulfilled in the history of the Church. God is working in history towards a goal – the Kingdom of God on Earth as it is in Heaven. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would lead and guide us into all truth and show us things to come, and He does - through the pages of the Bible. The Word and the Spirit are the witnesses to Truth that God has given us. The Bible has stood the test of time and is still the world’s best seller. Jesus said “Heaven and Earth may pass away, but My Word will never pass away.” 

THE ANVIL OF GOD’S WORD

Last eve I paused beside a blacksmith’s door

And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime.

Then looking in, I saw upon the floor

Old hammers worn, beating years of time.

“How many anvils have you had,” said I,

“To wear and batter all these hammers so?”

“Just one,” said he, and then with twinkling eye,

“The anvil wears the hammers out you know.”

And so,” I thought, “The Anvil of God’s Word,

For ages sceptic blows have beat upon,

Yet though the noise of falling blows was heard,

                                                 The Anvil is unchanged, the hammers gone.”

By John Clifford

 

 

 

A TRUMPET SOUNDS - FIGHT OR FLIGHT?

A TRUMPET SOUNDS – FLIGHT OR FIGHT?

 

In the midst of all the clamour of “wars and rumours of wars” and the terrorist threat, Christians all over the world are hearing a trumpet call – an alarm – sounding with increasing urgency – a signal to prepare. The question is, prepare for what? 

 

Some are certain that it heralds the soon return of the Lord to snatch away the Church in the “Rapture” so they are getting ready for flight.  What a relief!  Jesus is coming to take us away from it all, while the rest of the world descends into utter chaos and the horror of the Great Tribulation.  We are told that no prophecy remains to be fulfilled before this great event.  Jesus could come at any minute now.  Scores of books and videos are on the market with graphic descriptions of what could be the fate of those unfortunate enough to be “left behind”.

 

There is no doubt that this is the popular interpretation of the trumpet sound.  A flight to the Heavens is much more appealing to our sense of self-preservation than hanging on in this old world the way things are shaping up.   Pack your bags, prepare to leave any minute now!

 

Others are hearing the trumpet differently.  No, that’s not the call for “Retreat.”  The trumpet is sounding:-

“Proclaim this among the nations

Prepare for war!

Wake up the mighty men,

Let all the men of war draw near,

Let them come up.”  Joel 3:9

 

So they are getting ready for fight.  Rouse the Army, check out the armour, sharpen the sword!  The Battle is upon us with the promise of great and glorious Victory.

 

So who is right? And does it matter?  What’s the difference?  There is an old joke which says “I’m not pre- millennium or  post- millennium, I’m pan millennium – I believe it will all pan out in the end.”  In other words it doesn’t matter what we believe about the end time.

I would suggest that it matters a great deal whether the Army is getting ready for retreat or for advance.  It is no longer good enough to be vague about it all.  God works in the world through His people and they need to hear loud and clear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

 

If your Eschatology is Escapology, please for Jesus’ sake hear me out.  It could be that God has an even greater destiny for the church than what we have imagined previously - a destiny that gives greater glory to the Cross of Christ than the popularised retreat scenario. 

As for the assertion that all is fulfilled that has to be fulfilled before the Lord comes – The Word of God tells us that:-

 

Jesus is coming for a glorious Church without spot or wrinkle’ [Ephesians 5:26]

That hasn’t happened yet.

The Body of Christ is to rise to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.[Ephesians 4:13]

That hasn’t happened yet.

Jesus is waiting till His enemies are made His footstool [Hebrews 10:13]               pg2

That hasn’t happened yet.

The heavens must retain Jesus until the time of restoration of all things [Acts 3:21]

And “Elijah” must come first and restore all things.  Matthew 17:11

That hasn’t happened yet.

Jesus prayed that His Church be one, that the world may believe [John 17;21]

That hasn’t happened yet.  Will any prayer of Jesus go unanswered?

The Church has to kick down the Gates of Hell [Matthew 16:18,19]

That hasn’t happened yet.  The whole sense of this great promise of Jesus is that it is the Church that is to be on the offensive, not on the defensive.

 

It may be a good idea to stow away the suitcase and start sharpening the sword after all.

 

Perhaps you might think that I just don’t know my Bible or haven’t been taught correctly.  I cut my Christian teeth on the Rapture- at- any- moment teaching and swallowed it charts and all.  However as one of my favourite hymns says “The Lord has yet more light and truth to break forth from His Word.”  More light and truth are there for those who will ask, seek, and knock. I did, and what I discovered blew the old theory to bits.

Now don’t misunderstand me.  I believe in a “Rapture” as is plainly stated in 1 Thess. 4:15-17.  As to when it takes place is another matter.  If you read the passage carefully you will note that nowhere does it say that the Church is taken back to Heaven.  It simply says that we shall always be with the Lord, and as another old hymn says “Where Jesus it, ‘tis Heaven there.”  Why would a Christian want to be anywhere else?

Think of the time when Jesus rode into Jerusalem that last Passover week.  “A great multitude” went out to meet Him and escort Him into the city. [John 12:12,13 also Luke 19:37-41]. That was and is, the way to welcome a King.  What “rapture” it will be indeed to go out and meet the King of Kings and escort Him to the throne.  The first time His throne was a Cross, the next time it will be the throne of the Eternal Kingdom.  Bring in the Day!  “Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord!”

 

 

Perhaps it would be helpful to explore the reason why we currently have “flight” and “fight” camps in the Army.  Yes there is another camp – they haven’t heard any trumpet call at all.  There is a saying that there are three kinds of people; those who watch things happen, those who make things happen and those who haven’t a clue what’s happening.

The “flight” camp are those who watch things happen.  They are “watching and waiting, looking above.”  When the Lord comes hasn’t got anything to do with them.  He will sovereignly come when He sovereignly chooses.  They are also closely watching the political scene and world developments which hold all the necessary clues to the arrival of that great moment when they will leave it all behind.

Then there is the “fight” camp.  They believe that they can make things happen – they are here to be history makers not history watchers.  They believe that they can, not only look for, but actually hasten the Day of God [2Peter 3:12]. In their understanding, Jesus won’t come until they’ve done the job He set the Church to do.  The flight camp would call them presumptuous.

Then there is the third camp who have become “dull of hearing” [Hebrews 5:11].  They haven’t heard anything out of the ordinary yet and aren’t expecting to.  They are not looking for flight at any moment and neither are they looking to fight either.  Trumpet!  What Trumpet? Battle! What Battle? They would probably call both the other camps  “presumptuous.”

 

Christians are hearing the trumpet differently because we have trained and strained our spiritual ears for different sounds depending on our interpretation of end-time events.  All would agree that the climax of history is when Jesus sits on the throne and the Kingdom comes on Earth as it is in Heaven.  What part the Church plays in Earth History leading up to this great and glorious event, is where the controversy lies.

 

The Church has always moved forward by revelation.  This is in accordance with Jesus’ promise that the Holy Spirit would continue to guide us into all truth and show us things to come.  [John 16:13]  As the cloud of God’s glory led His people Israel to their destination in the Promised Land, so in Church History, God has led His Church by His Spirit, bringing more revelation from His Word. 

“Surely the Lord does nothing,

Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the Prophets”  Amos 3:7

 

Denominations were formed because some people moved into new revelation of the Word, while others continued to camp around the last great truth and were closed to any further revelation - the “all truth” that Jesus promised had already been attained – anything else had to be heresy at worst or misguided at best.

 

Any revelation that is of God always sheds more light on the Cross, and what was accomplished there on our behalf. The Cross is God’s only answer and the sole means through which the Kingdom comes.  Anything that God does in the Earth has already been accomplished in seed form at the Cross.  Any “revelation” which is not according to this principle is suspect.

 

As I searched the Word for end-time answers, everything I discovered was pointing to glory and victory ahead for the Church.  Nowhere could I fit what I had been taught about the end times, into what I was discovering.  The Scriptures reveal that the Church of the last days will be a warrior Church filled with the glory of God, overcoming the enemy.  It will do what the “flight camp” is waiting for Jesus to do – vanquish the Enemy and establish the Kingdom. 

What brings more glory to Jesus – a victorious Church or a weak trembling Church waiting to be rescued?  I am convinced that Jesus intended total victory for His Church, and nothing less than total victory will do justice to the Cross.  Is leaving the world and its inhabitants behind to the mercy of the Enemy, total victory?

  Something of what I discovered in my search through the Scriptures, resulted in the book “The Fall of the Gates of Hell” but there is yet much more.  If it is the Spirit of Truth which is teaching us we should expect that He is also teaching the same things to others who are searching.  I was excited to discover the writings of Bill Britton who in turn records sharing with others of like mind.  What I had discovered was not new but it had been overshadowed by the more popular theory of the Rapture of the Church at any moment.

 

It was in Bill’s writings “The Rapture of the Church. What is it?” that I found out more about the origin of the teaching, something that I had been rather vague about.

According to Bill, the theory had its origins in 1830 through a prophecy by a young Scottish girl named Margaret MacDonald and also a similar prophecy by a Mrs Cardale a year later.  This “revelation” found its way into a book by R. N. Norton published in 1861.  Edward Irvine, founder of the Irvinites accepted and taught the new teaching and it was espoused by John Darby a leader in the Plymouth Brethren.   

 

    It eventually became enshrined in the notes of the Schofields Bible and became to some people as authoritative as Holy Writ.  Prior to this it had always been preached that the Church would go through all tribulation victoriously, and bring in the kingdom. As in:-

 

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, as soldiers of the cross;

Lift high His royal banner, it must not suffer loss;

From victory on to victory, His army He shall lead,

Till every foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord indeed.”  AHB 509  [my emphasis]

 

So it was not a matter of new revelation arising out of the Word, but rather the new “revelation” being accepted and portions of the Scriptures being slotted into a new timetable or a chart.  The Bible was put through the “dispensational” filter, with some scriptures being relegated to “only for the apostolic age”’ and some being “only for the Jews.” In one publication, I read that Man fails in every dispensation from Adam to the Second Coming including the dispensation of Grace.  To say that Man under Grace fails is equivalent to saying that the Cross fails.  Never!  In the Cross God has made every provision for His Church to overcome the enemy and establish Kingdom. 

Jesus has done all that is necessary.  We just have not understood the magnitude of our salvation.  As previously stated all true revelation brings light on the Cross.  That’s where the victory was won.  It is the church’s privilege and responsibility to enforce that victory and bring in the Kingdom. 

The Cross was and is about, much more than getting us to Heaven when we die, wonderful as that may be. The Cross reversed the curse which came upon the earth.  Now if you’re an evolutionist and the Fall of Man is just a myth, then your concept of what the Cross restored will be limited. But if you believe, [as I do after much research]  in an original perfect Creation and a literal Fall, then you will be able to grasp more fully what the Cross has restored.  There is no aspect of salvation that is not covered by the Cross..

 

The state of Creation reflects the spiritual state of Man,.  That’s why, Paul states in Romans 8:19-21 that the whole creation groans and waits for the revealing of the sons of God, because then it will be delivered from corruption into liberty.  Most Christians read this passage in their minds as the creation waiting for the Second Coming, but that’s not what it says. Could it be that creation is waiting for the sons of God to stand up and BE the sons of God.

Dominion over the earth was given to Man at creation.. 

God said “Let us make Man in Our image, and let them have dominion…”  Genesis 1:26.  That dominion was handed over to the enemy at the Fall, with the resultant corruption of the Earth..

 Jesus’ mission was to take the authority which the enemy had usurped and restore it to  redeemed Man.

In giving the Great Commission, Jesus said,

 

 “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”    {Matthew 28:18-20] 

 

The Church has indeed gone into all the world in obedience to the command and multiplied millions have come into the Kingdom.  Disciples have been made from most nations.  And yet is this the full scope of the Great Commission?

What would happen if God’s people fully exercised their God-given authority over the enemy?

He is “the god of this age” – the one who has corrupted the earth and the lives of its inhabitants.  God still “so loves the world” and gave His Son for everyone.

 

Jesus has finished what He came to do and it is sufficient for what remains to be done.

 

 “But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool.  For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” Hebrews 10:12-14

 

What authority will Jesus have when He come again that He doesn’t already have?

None!  He already has all authority in heaven and earth, and has delegated that authority to the Church His Body.

As Man He delivered us from the kingdom of darkness and put the destiny of earth in our hands again. We have been waiting for Jesus to come back and do what He has commissioned us to do.  But the Word says He is waiting for His enemies [the principalities and powers of darkness] to be made His footstool.

 

In Psalm 2  God says

“Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance,

And the ends of the earth for Your possession.”

 

Prayer is the battleground on which we wrestle the enemy for the nations and the ends of the earth for the Kingdom. Even now thousands are coming into the Kingdom in answer to prayer especially among the Muslims. Great things are happening. There are many books out about the frightening things that are coming upon the Earth and most of them assert that the Church will be gone up in the

'Rapture' before things get really rough. How many of your loved ones will be 'left behind?.' If you had the choice would you stay and fight for them? That's exactly what the Army of God is here to do. We are here to bring down the Gates of Hell and release the captives.

 

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor...to heal the brokenhearted....to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound...to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord..."  Isaiah 61:1,2

 

Join the battle; Victory is assured. 

 

It's time! the trumpet is sounding

It's time! to prepare for war

It's time to march around Jericho

Walking in the Glory of the Lord.

 

It's time! to break down the barriers

It's time for Unity restored

It's time to overcome the enemy

Walking in the Glory of the Lord.

 

It's time! the Captain is waiting,

It's time to buckle on the Sword

It's time to possess the Kingdom

Walking in the Glory of the Lord.

 From a poem by Val

 

 

SIGNS IN THE HEAVENS?

"And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars..."
My husband Rob is a bird watcher by day and a star watcher by night. The other evening he came in and told me that the planets seem to be forming interesting paterns in the sky. It reminded me of an email I received from an online friend from New Zealand which says:-

In September 2012 during the feast of tabernacles we will see the heavens appear as described in Revelations chapter 12:-

The start of this wonderful display of knowledge as heaven’s announcement to the world will be in September as the sun moves across Virgo. These days through telescopes we can see twelve galaxies surrounding her head. The movement of this great light will eclipses the Virgin. She will be fully covered and arrayed by the sun from head to foot, making her almost invisible for the whole month and symbolizing the obscurity of this heavenly sign taking place relatively undetected by the world at large. Only the wise and instructed people who study the books of the prophets will know it is happening and what it means.

At sunset on 16^th September, Rosh Hashana, (Hebrew New Year) the sun will appear at the head of the virgin, radiating her face and symbolizing the start of Israel’s spiritual awakening.

On 19^th September the sun will rise with the almost invisible crescent moon at her feet (visible to those who know where and how to observe this), symbolizing the approaching defeat of darkness by the birth of light.

On 20^th September as we approach the vernal equinox, when daylight and the darkness of night will be in perfect balance all over the world, the moon will move to the centre of the two balancing scales of Libra, symbolizing the start of a new age of perfect justice, peace, equality and balance.

On 26th September (Yom Kippur or Day of atonement) the sun will move nearer to the heart of the virgin and as the sun sets the moon will move into Aquarius, symbolizing the cleansing of the soul with water at this time of atonement and new birth (change of heart) in preparation for the new age.

On 30^th September the full moon will move into the belly of Pisces, the fish, symbolizing the rescue of the prophet Jonah from drowning and the burial of the Messiah for 3 days. That evening will be the start of a 7 day feast of tabernacles (living inside booths) commencing with the great trumpet blast as Israelites celebrate their rescue from slavery through their exodus from Egypt.

After midnight on 3^rd October (the middle of the 7 day feast of tabernacles) the morning star (Venus) will rise together with Regulus (the royal star) and they approach to just one fifth of an arc degree apart; so the brightness of Regulus will appear to be enhanced by the morning star and vice versa. It is particularly significant that this takes place in the year 2012, when Regulus moves from the sphere of Leo into the sphere of Virgo, symbolizing the union of the king of the Judeans with all the Sons of Israel. The simultaneous union of Regulus and Venus, symbolizes the marriage of the Lamb and his Bride. The bright morning star rising with Regulus in the heart of the lion (symbol of Judah) in the middle of the feast of tabernacles is a sure sign of the coming king of the Judeans.

On the same night the moon will rise in Aries, the aggressive, self-centred, two-horned ram. The moon (ruler of the night) in Aries opposite the sun (ruler of the day) in Virgo symbolizes the coming conflict between light (spiritual Israelites) and darkness (the enemy with two horns like a lamb but talking like a dragon) [Revelation 13:11]

Finally in the last days of the feast of tabernacles the moon will approach Jupiter (ruler of heaven), occupying the position between the horns of Taurus, the bull. So the largest and brightest object of the night sky will meet of one of the brightest lights of the night sky (Jupiter) between the horns of the bull. The sacrifice of a bull is required to dedicate a new temple to the God of the Israelites.

[the interpretations are not mine]

I'm not into astrology as such [living my life according to the stars] but the Bible says that at the time approaching the 2nd Coming, we will see signs in the heavens [Luke 21:11,25]

THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM At Jesus first Coming the three wise men knew that the Star of Bethlehem indicated that a king would be born in Israel.  The Star was actually the conjunction of the planets Saturn and Jupiter,in the constellation Pisces.

To the Israelites Saturn, being the highest, was the planet of Jehovah and Jupiter was the planet of the Messiah. Pisces was the constellation connected with Israel. The two planets were in conjunction three times over two years  which explains why Herod, when he found out when the wise men first saw the 'Star,' had all the boys under two killed. When the wise men came out of the palace in Jerusalem they saw the third conjunction of these planets [Matthew 2:10] This time Saturn and Jupiter were also in conjunction with Mars. The text indicates that the wise men weren't actually following the star all the way but when they saw the first conjunction they knew knew what was being portrayed and set out for Jerusalem.

Though the signs were there, they were not obvious to those who weren't looking for them. So the signs before His 2nd Coming will be undetected by the world at large.

The birth of the Manchild in Revelations 12 is the fulfillment of the promise made in Genesis 3:15 where God promises that the Seed of the Woman will crush the serpent's head. The common interpretation has been that the woman is Israel and the Manchild is Jesus, but as you know prophecy has more than one level. Galatians 3:16 confirms that the promised Seed is indeed Jesus, but the text goes on to say [v29] that the Seed is also all in Christ.

I believe that the woman in Revelation is the people of faith of all ages labouring to bring forth the promised Seed - the Overcomers - the generation which will finally cast down the serpent from the place of authority he has been occupying illegally since the Cross.

Jesus overcame him, took the authority from him which he had upsurped from Man, and delegated it  to the Church.  He said "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Me go ye therefore...." [ Matthew 28:18,19]

Could the signs soon to be seen in the heavens indicate the imminent rise of the Overcomers? [Rob says that The signs would be as seen from Israel and won't be quite the same from other parts of the world.]

[For more on the woman of Revelation go to my blog "A Special Child" in the 2011 posts]