As The Train Hurtles Toward The Mountain - Revelation 12 and the Two Witnesses

The primary and necessary set of events, for the early part of the tribulation.

1)   The building of the third temple on the Temple Mount, the dedication and the start of the oblations, which must precede the last 1260 days of the Great Tribulation.

2)   Freedom from the Muslims objecting to the occupation of the Temple Mount for the rebuilding of the Temple.

For this to happen;

3)   The Muslim objection of Jews on the Temple Mount will be removed.

4)   The only way that can happen is a catastrophic defeat of the Muslim control by Divine Intervention.

5)   The action of #3 and #4 must happen as a result of a major military defeat that came from God and not man or any military action by any country.

Why and how this military defeat happens;

The only country with the military power that can help Israel in this manner will be out of the picture. Why? As long as it is men and nations that are involved, the Muslims will blame them for all the trouble. If the western nations are not involved, and it is obvious it is the will of God, then all objection will cease for Israel to build the third Temple. Ez 38-39 describes Divine Intervention.

For all that to happen, that western nation, the most powerful on earth, will be removed as a power and will no longer have that power.

This raises a question; when is the rapture of the Church? That detail is unknown as Jesus said, but He told us to watch to not be caught sleeping. There are many signs that the rapture is close in time.

Basic Principles;

Jesus fulfilled the first four Feasts of the Lord, therefore He will fulfill the last three Feasts of the Lord at the end of the Gentile age. The last three Feasts of the Lord are; the Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles.

I shall posit that since Jesus atoned for our sins, it is likely He will return to the earth on the Day of Atonement at the end of the tribulation. It could be one of the other two Feasts, but they are only a few days apart so it does not matter so much of the number of days we can be off.

The sign in Revelation 12:1-6 is real and happens on September 23, 2017. This particular alignment will only be repeated, approximately five to ten thousand years or so. An approximate alignment would happen every two to three thousand years.

This Revelation 12:1-6 alignment you may have read about by now, but just in case you are not familiar with it here is a description. The sun is in the constellation Virgo for about a month in September every year. The moon passes through Virgo every month and is there about 2 days, but of the two days in Virgo, it will be at the feet of Virgo for only about 8 hours or less. Jupiter passes through Virgo once every 12 years, passing through Virgo taking about a year, but spending only a few weeks at her midsection. There are 9 prominent stars over the head of Virgo. They are the stars of Leo in the Zodiac to the west. Mars, Venus, and Mercury will be above the head of Virgo on September 23, 2017, forming the crown of 12 stars. Jupiter is next to her body and the moon at her feet. This special arrangement is very rare, having never been aligned exactly this way in recorded history. The alignment that will occur on September 23, 2017, is precisely described in Revelation 12:1-6.

This alignment of the planets in Virgo cannot be seen as Virgo is in the daytime sky because the sun is in Virgo clothing her in light. It is only with the use of modern computers that allows an orbital analysis and screen display that allows us to see this rare event.

This sign in the sky is important because it is written in Revelation 12:1-6 for a purpose, to warn us of the immediacy of events and to warn Israel. It also serves as an approximate time guide.

Given that if the rapture and the revealing of the antichrist has not happened by May 2016, then we know to look far enough ahead to get a date for a Day of Atonement in the Hebrew year to count back to match the time of Revelation 12.

The purpose of this is to consider a link between the Feast of Trumpets and the rapture in combination with Revelation 12 and the alignment on Sept 23, 2017. This may indicate the start of the tribulation. For that to happen, events in Israel leading to the building of the third temple need to be considered. No temple will be built with the present opposition of the Muslims to any occupation of the mount by the Jews.

Suppose we take the year of the return of Jesus to be 2024. Counting back 2520 days from the future anticipated Day of Atonement, which is a Biblical 7 years of 360 days per year, brings us to November 19, 2017, possibly the start of the Biblical 7 year Tribulation. The Revelation 12 astronomical alignment is September 23, 2017. The Feast of Trumpets is on September 21, 2017. This gives a space of 60 days from the Feast of Trumpets to November 19. If the Rapture was to happen on or near the Feast of Trumpets, September 21, 2017, then that 60 days could be a time of complete upheaval; the Psalm 83 attack, the Ez 38-39 attack and the removal of a powerful military nation by nuclear attack. This then opens the door of the Muslim countries to attack Israel.

With such an overwhelming force against Israel, Israel could not possibly defend itself. This is the perfect fit for God to intervene by using His forces of overpowering rain, ice bombs weighing 100 pounds, fire, tornado like winds picking up rocks and flinging them all around at high speed, killing five-sixths of the invading forces. With nature under the control of God, the Muslim forces and the Gog-Magog army would know that it was God that did this.

Now what? With Muslim objections silenced and the dust has settled, Israel can now take control of the Temple Mount and begin to build the third temple unrestrained by any objections from anyone. This gives them easily 3 1/2 years to build the Temple, dedicate it, and begin the oblations, according to the law given long ago. Today, modern machinery makes it possible to build the third temple in 18 months. But this is not as simple as it looks. The possession of the temple mount is not enough. They have to know exactly where the sacrificial altar is to be placed so that it is in exactly the same place as it was 2000 years ago. No one has any good idea today of where it should go. They also need a High Priest who is qualified to say where and when the temple is to be built. Presently there is no consecrated High Priest that can lead it all. They also need the ashes of the Red Heifer, which they do not have, and a consecrated priest for the purifications. They also need to identify the true descendants of the Levites. All those requirements presently do not exist. There are also other requirements that need to be met.

The solution for this critical group of questions is likely to be solved by the appearance of the two witnesses in Jerusalem, which is likely at the start of the tribulation of 2520 days. They are at least Elijah as in Malachi 4:5, and either Moses or Enoch. They will certainly qualify as consecrated priests, and they will know exactly where the temple is to be built. Also they can provide DNA as evidence for finding the qualified Levites who are the descendants of the original Levites who were the priests long ago. They will become the priests in the third temple.

When is this to happen? Certainly not before that large mid east war of Ps 83 and Ez 38-39. This suggests that the Church will be gone around this time when the start of the 2520 days of tribulation begins. With the knowledge of where to build the temple, it will be erected in 18 months or less. Then the purifications of the priests for the new temple will begin. How long that takes I do not know, but let us say 18 months as a guess. From the start of the building of the temple and the consecration of the temple would take 36 months or 1080 days. Since the midpoint of the tribulation is 1260 days then subtracting 1080 days leaves 180 days or 6 months of 30 days for the temple to be in full operation. At the 1260th day, the antichrist will enter and declare himself as god.

The time from September 21, 2017, plus 60 days to Nov 19, 2017, is a likely period for the start of the massive war, Ez 38-29, and after the war, the entry of the two witnesses. Once the witnesses appear, that begins the worst time ever in history, the tribulation. With Revelation 12 alignment now history, the Jews now have reason to watch and be warned of what is to come.

However we discuss this, Jesus must fulfill the last three Feasts of the Lord. If it is not in 2024, then it has to be another year. We are however warned by Jesus, that the generation that sees the fig tree leaf will be the last generation that sees all the prophecies of the second coming fulfilled. Jews consider that a child of about 5 or 6 years of age will be capable of remembering that Israel came into existence in their own lifetime. Ps 90:10 says the years of a man's life is 70 years, 80 years if he is healthy and strong. Israel came back to life in 1948, so that would have the child born in 1942. Add 80 years to 1942 and we get 2022. Another two years is not going to change the length of the timeline. So we are the last generation. That means all that is prophesied will be coming true in the days we live in.

God bless

James