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On the “Great Sign” “seen” in Heaven – Revelation 12:1
(Luke 17:20-21) . . .But on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he answered them and said: “The kingdom of God is not coming with striking observableness, 21 neither will people be saying, ‘See here!’ or, ‘There!’. . .
What many fail to appreciate is that that King’s inauguration already happened in regards to the Kingdom of God. It did come with no outward appearance on the world. (Only Jehovah’s witnesses and those developing faith with us “see” it.)
But to Jehovah’s “eagles” it was a brilliant “sign seen in heaven”. This occurred at the end of the ” gentile times” of uninterrupted “trampling of Jerusalem” in 1914.
As we know Jesus Christ took the King’s capital authority with him to heaven, and never will a man sit on the earthly throne in Jerusalem since the days of Zedekiah, the last fleshly king in the Davidic Judah line to rule, who was removed when Nebuchadnezzar chopped down the “tree” of that Judean kingdom in 607 BCE.
Sign in Heaven in 1914CE:
***(Revelation 12:1-2) . . .And a great sign was seen in heaven, a woman arrayed with the sun, and the moon was beneath her feet, and on her head was a crown of twelve stars, 2 and she was pregnant. And she cries out in her pains and in her agony to give birth.
That birth was of Kingdom and authority of God’s Christ:
***(Revelation 12:7-10) . . .And war broke out in heaven: Mi′cha·el and his angels battled with the dragon, and the dragon and its angels battled 8 but it did not prevail, neither was a place found for them any longer in heaven. 9 So down the great dragon was hurled, the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth; he was hurled down to the earth, and his angels were hurled down with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come to pass the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ, because the accuser of our brothers has been hurled down. . .
Satan’s hurling was the FIRST act of that authority of God’s Christ.
From that event, Satan was to bring woe to the earth, as obviously he had a great kickoff event, World war 1:
***(Revelation 12:12) On this account be glad, YOU heavens and YOU who reside in them! Woe for the earth and for the sea, because the Devil has come down to YOU, having great anger, knowing he has a short period of time.”
So as can be seen, Jesus Christ’s heavenly aspect of Kingdom, and Satan’s earth “short period” of intensifying “woe” are CONCURRENT events and developments. See [1]
Jehovah’s anointed at that period were the ones who did in fact observe the significance of the event:
***(Matthew 24:27-28) For just as the lightning comes out of eastern parts and shines over to western parts, so the presence of the Son of man will be. 28 Wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
This for us indeed was a great “flash of lightening” which is used in the bible to depict Jehovah’s enlightenment as to his unfolding “eternal purpose” in Christ Jesus and the Kingdom of God to his people.
This has been the biggest ” bolt of divine lightening” for our time, ONLY surpassed when Jesus Christ takes the planet in completely visible “completing of his conquest” war at Har-Magedon, in fact heaven will “open up” so to speak:
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***(Revelation 19:11-13) And I saw the heaven opened, and, look! a white horse. And the one seated upon it is called Faithful and True, and he judges and carries on war in righteousness. 12 His eyes are a fiery flame, and upon his head are many diadems. He has a name written that no one knows but he himself, 13 and he is arrayed with an outer garment sprinkled with blood, and the name he is called is The Word of God.
This period of the “short time” of the Devil’s 3 death and war horses (Rev6), a triple symbol of the completeness of Satan’s “woe to the earth” will intensify and progress to “great tribulation” when that “short period” will expire into war of God at Armageddon “place” global. (2Thess1:6; Joel3:9) See [2]
Jesus Christ’s “white horse” Kingship of spiritual warfare is first invisible (the “bow” he carries is long range warfare, from Heaven).
***(Revelation 6:2) And I saw, and, look! a white horse; and the one seated upon it had a bow; and a crown was given him, and he went forth conquering and to complete his conquest.
This started at the Rev6 Kingdom inauguration time frame which is an exact complimentary vision of the Rev12 detailed event of Jesus crowning in Heaven WITH Satan hurled and following up with “woe to the earth”, hence his death horses ride AFTER Jesus casts him.
Rev6 and Rev12 scriptures are about the same event, Jesus Christ’s Kingship given him in Heaven, IS CONCURRENT with Satan’s anger taken out on earth for a ” short period” – the end of the last days now progressing to “great tribulation” and the “cutting short of the days” of Satan’s completed “woe to the earth”. See [2]
***(Matthew 24:21-22) for then there will be great tribulation such as has not occurred since the world’s beginning until now, no, nor will occur again. 22 In fact, unless those days were cut short, no flesh would be saved; but on account of the chosen ones those days will be cut short.
But they are cut short by powerful holy angels:
***(Joel 3:11) Lend YOUR aid and come, all YOU nations round about, and collect yourselves together.’” (Rev16:13-16 “gathering”- see #)
To that place (Armageddon), O Jehovah, bring your powerful ones down.
And he does:
***(2 Thessalonians 1:6-8) God’s part to repay tribulation to those who make tribulation for YOU, 7 but, to YOU who suffer tribulation, relief along with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels 8 in a flaming fire, as he brings vengeance upon those . . .
So this period completely denied and unknown to the world and worldly churches is also a way Jehovah used Satan’s “woe” as part of the “sign” that Jesus gave regarding the “signal” to look out for for God’s people ushering in the end of the rival sovereignties of earth during “great tribulation” and the climax “war of the great day of God the Almighty”. See [2]
So Jehovah ALWAYS informs his prophets and slaves of the “things which must shortly take place” (Rev1:1) and of course the “crowning” of the King Jesus Christ and his glorious return in the final war for earth, to abyss Satan and the demons POW as well.
Now we see the nations are truly being gathered into the UN aided by Global NATO and other destructive “weapons kingdoms” as their war machine of global domination – globally defined by them. The 8th King is now, RIGHT NOW, COMPLETING this “collecting”, this “gathering”, the consolidation of the kingdoms of the earth into a UN world governmental rival sovereignty against God, worldwide:
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***(Revelation 16:13-16)#..And I saw three unclean inspired expressions… come out of the mouth of the dragon… wild beast and… false prophet. 14 They are… expressions inspired by demons…and they go forth to the kings of the entire inhabited earth, to gather them together to the war of the great day of God the Almighty…. And they gathered them together to the place that is called in Hebrew Har–Magedon.
The end upon them will be a shocking surprise:
***(Revelation 16:15) “Look! I am coming as a thief. Happy is the one that stays awake. . .
On the “Great Sign” of the Kingdom Birth
Revelation – It’s Grand Climax at Hand!
chap. 27 pp. 177-178 pars. 1-6 God’s Kingdom Is Born!
THE sacred secret of God has been unlocked. (Revelation 10:7) Jehovah’s Kingdom by his Messiah is now a dynamic reality. It rules! Its presence spells doom for Satan and his seed and glorious victory for the Seed of God’s heavenly organization. The seventh angel has not finished blowing on his trumpet, however, for he has much more to reveal to us about the third woe. (Revelation 11:14) The signs described in Revelation chapters 12 to 14 will help us to broaden our appreciation of all that is involved in that woe and in bringing God’s sacred secret to a finish.
2 John now sees a great sign—one of outstanding interest for God’s people. It introduces a thrilling prophetic vision, the meaning of which was first published in the March 1, 1925, issue of The Watch Tower in an article entitled “Birth of the Nation” and then again in 1926 in the book Deliverance. This brilliant flash of Bible understanding became a historic marker in the advancement of Jehovah’s work. So let John describe the drama as it starts to unfold: “And a great sign was seen in heaven, a woman arrayed with the sun, and the moon was beneath her feet, and on her head was a crown of twelve stars, and she was pregnant. And she cries out in her pains and in her agony to give birth.”—Revelation 12:1, 2.
3 For the first time, John beholds a woman in heaven. She is, of course, not a literal woman. Rather, she is a sign, or a symbol. (Revelation 1:1) What does she symbolize? In the inspired prophecies, women at times represent organizations “married” to outstanding personalities. In the Hebrew Scriptures, Israel was spoken of as a wife of Jehovah God. (Jeremiah 3:14) In the Greek Scriptures, the congregation of anointed Christians is spoken of as Christ’s bride. (Revelation 21:9-14) The woman John here sees is also married to someone, and she is about to give birth. Who is her husband? Well, later her child is “caught away to God and to his throne.” (Revelation 12:5) Jehovah thus claims the child as his own. Therefore, the woman that John sees must be Jehovah’s symbolic wife.
4 About eight centuries earlier, Jehovah had addressed this symbolic wife, saying: “All your sons will be persons taught by Jehovah.” (Isaiah 54:5, 13) Jesus quoted this prophecy and showed that these sons were his faithful followers, who later formed the congregation of anointed Christians. (John 6:44, 45) So members of this congregation, spoken of as God’s sons, are also children of God’s symbolic wife. (Romans 8:14) The apostle Paul adds the final piece of information when he says: “The Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.” (Galatians 4:26) The “woman” seen by John, then, is “the Jerusalem above.”
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5 Exactly what, though, is Jerusalem above? Since Paul spoke of her as “above,” and John sees her in heaven, she is clearly not an earthly city; neither is she the same as “New Jerusalem,” since that organization is the bride of Christ, not Jehovah’s wife. (Revelation 21:2) Notice that she is crowned with 12 stars. The number 12 is associated with completeness in an organizational setting. Hence, these 12 stars seem to indicate that she is an organizational arrangement in heaven, just as ancient Jerusalem was on earth. Jerusalem above is Jehovah’s universal organization of spirit creatures that acts as his wife, both in serving him and in producing offspring.
6 John sees this woman as being robed with the sun and having the moon beneath her feet. When we add her crown of stars, she is completely surrounded by heavenly lights. God’s favor shines upon her day and night. What a fitting symbol of Jehovah’s magnificent heavenly organization! She is also pregnant, enduring labor pains. Her cries for divine help show that her time has come to give birth. In the Bible, labor pains often symbolize the hard work needed to produce an important result. (Compare Psalm 90:2; Proverbs 25:23; Isaiah 66:7, 8.) No doubt labor pains of this kind were experienced as Jehovah’s heavenly organization prepared for this historic birth.
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[1]
Jesus and Satan’s Rulerships are Concurrent During “Woe to the Earth”
http://www.topix.com/forum/religion/jehovahs-witness/TQLBM3C9PEPN375IH
Seven Seals: God’s Kingdom AND “Woe to the Earth” are Simultaneous Progressions (Rev6 and Rev12 Perfect Circle)
http://www.topix.com/forum/religion/jehovahs-witness/T6VA22FTE4VK5KIIS
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[2]
Will This World SURVIVE?
http://www.watchtower.org/e/t19/article_01.htm
Do You Recognize the Sign of Jesus’ Presence?
http://www.watchtower.org/e/20051001/article_02.htm
Are We Living in “the Last Days”?
http://www.watchtower.org/e/bh/article_09.htm
How We Know We Are in “the Last Days”
http://www.watchtower.org/e/dg/article_09.htm
