Are The Stars Trying To Tell Us Something?

With next week’s eclipse followed by another astronomical anomaly next month, speculators are making their predictions and well intentioned individuals are issuing warnings based on those predictions. 

What's all the excitement about?  

On September 23^rd the constellations Virgo and Leo will be hosting 4 planets: Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, and Venus as well as both the sun and the moon.  What bumps this up on the interest scale is that John wrote about it in Revelation 12: 1-2

And there appeared a great wonder in Heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet and upon her head a crown of 12 stars, and she, being with child cried, travailing in birth…

The apostle John was actually describing – in this passage - the birth of Jesus. Verses 3-6 describe his life, ministry, and the Roman government under which he lived.  Revelation 12 tells us about the sign in the heavens that convinced the Magi to leave Babylon in the East and head West in search of a King so magnanimous that his life’s purpose was written in the stars.   Check out The Star of Bethlehem  on youtube if you’d like to learn more about this. You’ll not be disappointed. 

My prediction?  We will wake up September 24^th  and life will look like it did the day before.

I know my prediction goes against the grain of heavenly sign seekers.  I might be labeled a heretic (wouldn’t be the first time). Some will accuse me of not believing the Bible – let me set the record straight on that one.  I believe the Bible. It’s reckless, fear-based interpretations I have issues with. 

Three Questions - At this point you really must read Matthew 23. Jesus has just delivered a scathing message to the Jewish leaders gathered in Jerusalem.  The Scribes and Pharisees who are disciples of Moses and have taken it upon themselves to sit in judgement.  In verse 37 He addresses Jerusalem and the consequences it will face because of their refusal to recognize and the murder of  every single prophet that had been sent before His arrival.  And in verse 39 He warns them that they too are as blind as their predecessors and will not see Jesus for who He is until they hear of His return.   

In Matthew 24 Jesus answers three questions his disciples had asked. One was concerning the destruction of Jerusalem that Jesus had just prophesied.  

Question number two asked about the sign of his coming (the word translated coming might also be translated presence or in this case His return mentioned in 23:39).  Remember, they weren’t asking when he was going to come again after having been crucified, raised from the dead and ascend to heaven. None of those things had happened yet.  No, they were asking when Jesus was going to take the throne as King of the kingdom after Jerusalem fell in ruins.  

Question number three, when is the end of the age.  Again, they weren’t curious about the end of life on the planet, they wanted to know when the Kingdom that Jesus had been teaching about was going to be established bringing to an end the horrible chapter they were living in. Not only under Roman oppression but also the issue at hand, ousting the Scribes and Pharisees from the power they had illegitimately been wielding for centuries.   

Jesus describes in verses 4-25 of Matthew 24, the horrors of Jerusalem being under siege by the Roman army. He warns the listeners to not hesitate for a minute, get out of the city.   

What is the sign of your coming? He warns them to not be fooled or deceived by false messiahs.Verse 27, the sign of my coming (presence) will be lives that are illuminated, light coming from the East (beginning, origin) and shining its light to the West. 

Remember the questions being addressed! 

Verse 29, “after the tribulation of those days” – which days?  The destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem, “the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give light, and the stars will fall and the powers of heaven will be shaken”.

He is saying that after the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem, the celestial signs cease.  All that they had been pointing to would be fulfilled.  To continue to seek for answers and directions in the sky is foolish, the message they carried is now yesterday’s news.  To find him, don’t look in deserts or secret places.  The new 'sign' to look for is changed hearts and lives.  That is the sign of God’s presence. 

So, September 23, 2017 will be a rare alignment of our solar system’s planets having occurred only a handful of times throughout history.  That’s cool.  It is the same alignment just over 2000 years ago that God used to proclaim the birth of humanity’s savior.   But does it signal the end of the age? No. That was fulfilled in 70AD. Does it signal the coming (presence) of Christ?  No, he’s to be found in your own heart, let his presence transform your life, making it a light that points others to the Savior.