Sign of Christ’s Return
The Bible says “the nations” gather to Jerusalem to battle with the Antichrist. This occurs after billions of people have already died on earth. Surely, more than just wiping out the remnant of the Jews is compelling the nations to arise and come to Jerusalem. Obviously, these armies are demonically led to this place as Scripture makes clear in the sixth bowl of wrath, but I believe there is something more. The specific reason that they are coming to battle is Jesus Christ. It is the appearance of Jesus in the skies that they are coming to challenge!
- Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:30,31)
When the Rapture occurs, “the sign of the Son of Man” will appear in the skies for all the world to see simultaneously. This gives even more credence to the idea, posited in the book, that the world will rally against what they think is an alien force—the Lord says He will give them over to a “strong delusion” for their rebellion and rejection of truth (2 Thessalonians 2:11). They are literally going to see Jesus, or at least His sign at the Rapture, and think the world is under attack. What is this sign? Although I think there will be a literal appearance of the Lord in the skies, I also think, in keeping with our methodology, there will be a “sign” of some sort in the sky that is associated with Jesus as the “Son of Man.”
This sign must also occur on the same day as the rapture for it to be valid. It just so happens that on January 7, 2033, Venus, the virgin star, is at its very brightest on this day! Venus will be to the east of the Sun at this time. It will rise and set a short time before the Sun has risen and will be visible in early evening twilight or “between the two evenings.” Even more staggering to consider is that all the prophets and Jesus agree that Messiah will come from the east to deliver the Jewish people (Ezekiel 43:1-4, Zechariah 14:4, Matthew 24:27). In its planetary rotation, Venus comes closest to the earth, and is at its brightest approximately once every 1.6 years. It alternates appearing in the west and the east. This means sometimes, in order to see it at its brightest, you must look to the west and at other times you must look to the east. In keeping with the prophetic voices, on rapture day, Venus will make this close approach and be seen in the east!
What makes Venus a perfect fit for this sign aside from it being the star associated with the virgin birth, is that it is called the morning star due to its brightness. It will be at its brightest on this very day. Jesus refers to Himself as the “morning star” and specifically in the context of His humanity. “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16). Once again, we have an astronomical event that perfectly fits on the right day with the right sign as laid out in Scripture.