The focus of this study concerns the vision of the “Great Wonder” of Revelation 12 that John received from Jesus Christ on the Island of Patmos when he wrote the Book of Revelation. We will specifically consider how this vision of the woman in travail relates to our world today and the times that we live in and the importance of this sign from both the Old- and New Testament perspectives. We will consider the symbolism that is mentioned in this passage as well as the literal aspects of celestial bodies in the heavens that has only been revealed and unlocked for us through technology, recently available to us. We will also examine the following aspects: The importance and purpose of this sign, the timing of the sign and how other prophecies and the Jewish Feasts (also, known as The Lord’s Feasts) relate to this event and provide us with more insight. Finally, we will consider some of the implications for those living at the time when this sign occurs and in the years following.
If you believe that God inspired his Word and kept it unchanged over the course of history and also believe that his Word is the Truth (if not, you are welcome to download my e-book: “Factual Faith – Belief Founded on Truth” to see why God’s Word, The Bible that includes both Old and New Testaments, can be trusted with 100% confidence. Please download the e-book from this Link), you will know that God created the sun and the moon with very specific purposes stated in Genesis 1. Firstly, the sun and the moon were created to divide day from night, but strangely enough this is not stated as being their primary purpose. What is in fact stated in the passage below, indicates that the primary purpose assigned to the celestial bodies is to act as God’s timepiece in signalling and marking God’s appointed times according to Genesis 1:14:
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:
The function of establishing days and years, as can be seen above, only comes as a secondary attribute. In Hebrew, the words for signs and seasons are translated as “markers” or “signals” that point to God’s “mo’edim” or “appointed times” or “scheduled visitations”, also described in the Bible as holy convocations or holy assemblies that are to be kept by Israel as a nation, perpetually.
As we continue, it is of paramount importance to know and keep in mind, that God has set the heavens in motion like an alarm clock to sound an alarm at specific points in times. God does this by using unusual celestial alignments that can be observed from earth to mark a specific time. This was built into the fabric of the universe for man to observe from earth’s perspective. These appointed times are also described in finer detail in the Book of Leviticus and are given in the following order:
For those who study eschatology, “The Feasts of the Lord” is a well known and understood subject with lots of information and commentaries available in bookstores and on the Internet. I will refer to these and how they relate to the nation of Israel and their Messiah, where it will provide additional insight in expounding on the sign of Revelation 12.
Combining the knowledge of the primary purpose of celestial bodies, that mark out special days that have been set out by our Creator and the knowledge of what these days are and on what dates they occur, immediately affects the way in which we approach the sign given in Revelation 12. It should immediately put an emphasis on the importance of this sign, as it is the only detailed description of a specific celestial alignment that is provided in God’s Word. This is the first key to unlocking the first mystery.
When we now read what John writes in Revelation 12 and apply the knowledge gained in Genesis and Leviticus, our perspective of the sign should immediately have us asking new questions that we may not have considered before. There are three questions that immediately come to my mind. The first is:
“Is the sign of the woman in travail in Revelation 12 just symbolic, or does it in fact have a physical form in the heavens as well?”
Secondly:
“If the sign has a literal application does it also match a date for one of God’s appointed times?”
Thirdly:
“If this is an important marker given by God to point out a special appointed time, does it point to a specific Feast Day?”
The answer to all three questions is “YES”. For me this was an incredible discovery and it is now obvious to me that this elaborate sign is pointing to and marking a very special appointed time set out by God that He has allowed us to uncover. This discovery happened just in time, so that those who look forward to exchanging the temporary with the glory promised by God in his Word, would be in the privileged position to see the preceding signs, that will point to our Lord Yeshuah’s imminent return occur, just as Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24.
God has also shown us in his Word and through heavenly signs who Israel’s true Messiah is. The Old Testament was given to prepare Israel and the world for their Messiah’s first arrival, while the New Testament recorded his first arrival and prepares Israel and the world for his second coming. What is also interesting to consider is that the Old Testament describes Israel’s Messiah as having two forms. One is that of a suffering servant and the second is that of a Righteous Ruler known as the King of kings and Lord of lords. The suffering servant is described in length in Isaiah 53, where his suffering as God’s Lamb to the slaughter on behalf of the world is described. This is in stark contrast to passages such as:
Deu 10:17 For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:
Ps 2:9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Rev 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
From these passages, many of Israel’s rabbis and leaders came to the conclusion that there are in fact two Messiahs. The one Messiah after Josef, who was a type of a suffering servant as found in Isaiah 53 - suffering on behalf of his people. Then there is the Messiah after David who is a fierce conquering king, who will rule the nations with a rod of iron. These aspects will also be important to keep in mind when we look at the timing of the Feasts of the Lord and their fulfilment as well as the purpose of the visitations by Israel’s Messiah. From Israel’s perspective, they were never open to accept the Suffering Servant as their Messiah, and has always been looking toward the arrival of the conquering King who will bring them victory and peace in this world. As a result, Israel did not recognise the signs and the prophecies given to them by God himself and the prophets in the Old Testament. They did not recognise the Suffering Servant who gave up his position as Creator of all to become a man who would live without sin and take God’s entire wrath upon him on our behalf, as God’s Lamb to the slaughter. He did this out of love for us, so that we, through faith in him, could be restored to the relationship that God had with man in the Garden of Eden, before sin entered the world. As the suffering Messiah, Jesus, whose Hebrew name is Yeshuah, firstly came to earth about 2,000 years ago, as the spotless and perfect Passover Lamb of God - to take the sins of the world upon him and to suffer God’s punishment that was intended for us. By doing this He rectified the relationship between a lost and sinful world and a holy God.
In the second instance Yeshuah will return to rectify the relationship with Israel, that was put on hold for 2 millennia since his first visit to earth and to rule over the earth for the next 1,000 years. God will also remove Israel’s blindness and those who are saved through the Great Tribulation will live as God’s people in the way that God intended, from the foundation of the earth. In both visitations, God uses the Feast Days combined with very unique and specific celestial events to announce to Israel their Messiah’s appointments with Israel, through the Feasts that were given in Leviticus 23.