Posted on 01/28/2021 3:55:47 PM PST by pastorbillrandles
The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining…(Joel 3:15)
Earlier in Joel ( Chapter 2:27-) the entire era of what we now know of as the church age was predicted. Joel knew nothing of the mystery of the church, but he predicted a time which would be bracketed by two distinct acts of God.
1) The outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh, and the powers of prophecy and vision granted to body of believers. This was fulfilled in Acts chapter two and continues to this day.
2) The end of that Age would be marked by celestial signs and wonders; Blood, fire, Vapor of Smoke and the Sun and moon darkened,
“And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
“And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the Lord has said, Among the remnant whom the Lord calls.
Joel also predicted the rebirth of the Nation of Israel as occurring shortly before the end of the Age, in 3:1. “In that Day and at that time, when I restore the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem…”
The Prophet could not have imagined that there would be a two thousand year gap between the initial outpouring of the Spirit upon all mankind, and the Celestial portents which he warned of.
This is the point in time which marks the end. The Sun, moon and stars are affected. Darkness covers the earth and gross darkness the people. I believe we will see many literal celestial signs in the heavens, and yet they are portents and symbols of Spiritual realities.
The Sun is typical of Jesus, the Son of God and Messiah. He is the “true Light” which has been shining, but by the end the world for the most part will reject him, and the light is dimmed. Light is a gift from God, what if he allows it to be turned off?
Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. (Psalm 19:4-6)
The Moon, the reflected light, (having no light of it’s own) is typical of the church. The church has been shining into the darkness of this world for two thousand years. What happens when her light no longer shines?
The Stars are the Saints, individuals who shine in individual situations; families, workplaces, communities, nations, cities. What happens when the stars fall from the sky? What happens on a night with no light penetrating it?
One could also interpret these celestial signs as pointing to Israel. She is the woman clothed with the Sun, moon and stars, in Revelation 12. She is the one who the Red Dragon seeks to devour, and she also is the one who gave birth to the “Manchild” messiah.
Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.(Revelation 12:1-2)
We know this points to Israel, for the Scripture interprets scripture, thus Genesis interprets the Woman , when Joseph had a dream of the “Sun, Moon Stars”, as being Jacob (Israel), Leah, and the twelve tribes.
Even in their state of exile, and unbelief, Israel is a great witness to the existence of God in this world. A kind of light emanates from them, in spite of their own blindness.
Around the 17th century An unbelieving Prussian King once challenged one of his advisors who was a known Christian to give him one reason to believe in God. The answer came immediately, “The Jew Your majesty, the Jew”. The King couldn’t deny it, the Jews do shine. But in the end, the sources of Light shut off.
It is as though the Creation itself is being reversed, and the Life sustaining light which God has graciously granted this otherwise benighted world, is dimmed.
Over and over again, the LORD warns that in the Day of the LORD, one of the manifestations will be this celestial dimming,
For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not flash forth their light; The sun will be dark when it rises And the moon will not shed its light.( Isaiah 13:10)
And when I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud And the moon will not give its light. (Ezekiel 32:7)
But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. (Matthew 24:29)
Another meaning of the “Sun, Moon and Stars” are the Angelic Princes above, good and evil. One certainty in the Judgment soon to come will be the destruction of Angelic Hierarchy which rules the political World to all of our detriment. These are the “Principalities, powers, rulers of the Darkness of this Age, the Spiritual Wickedness in High places” that Paul spoke of.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited. Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.( Isaiah 24:21-23)
Personally I believe all of the above is true… Darkness is coming the true lights and the false lights are soon to be dimmed, a gloom and a pall is settling on this God rejecting world, while we who love Him await the breaking of the awesome Light of the Epiphany of the coming of Jesus.
https://urbigenous.net/library/nine_billion_names_of_god.html
The Nine Billion Names of God
Arthur C. Clarke
That was an interesting read.
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