End Times-
putting the pieces in place
by Sonny Bowman
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Appendix D
Signs in the Sun, Moon, and Stars

Matthew 24:29 (NKJV) "Immediately after the tribulation
of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not
give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers
of the heavens will be shaken.
Certain signs in the sun, moon, and stars
provide important information establishing the time relationship
between the Great Tribulation, Rapture, and Wrath of God.
These particular signs are described in several passages in the
Bible. In each Scripture passage listed in the following table,
the descriptions of these signs are virtually identical. Each
passage refers to the same event during the End Times and thus
serves as a type of signpost or interlocking puzzle piece for
determining relative timing of one set of Scriptures to another.
For example if event A follows the signs in the sun, moon,
and stars, and event B precedes the signs, then event B must precede event A. Since this particular set of
signs is described in relationship to the Great Tribulation,
Rapture, and Wrath of God, the relative sequence of these three
events can be determined.
The second table provides a detailed comparison
between two of the passages listed in the first chart (Mat.
24:29-31 and Rev. 6:12 to 11:19). These two passages are
especially important and are compared in more detail to show that
they describe the same event.
As shown in this second table, the passage in
Matthew reveals that the Great Tribulation precedes the signs in
the sun, moon, and stars. This passage also shows that the
gathering of Gods people follows immediately after these
signs. The passage in Revelation reveals that the Wrath of God
follows the signs in the sun, moon, and stars. Therefore, these
signs provide a key that reveals the time relationship between
the Great Tribulation, Rapture, and Wrath of God.
Signs in the Sun, Moon, and
Stars
|
Scripture
Passage
|
Sign Description
in the Passage
|
End-Time Event
Related to the Passage
|
Matthew 24:29
|
sun darkened, moon does not give light,
stars fall, heavens shaken
|
Great Tribulation and gathering of the
Church
|
Revelation 6:12-17
|
sun turns black, moon like blood, stars
fall, sky splits, earthquake
|
Rapture and
Wrath of God
|
Joel 2;10-11
|
sun dark, moon dark, stars dark, shaking
occurs
|
Wrath of God
|
Joel 3:12-16
(cf. Rev. 14:14-20)
|
sun dark, moon dark, stars dark, shaking
occurs
|
Rapture and
Wrath of God
|
Isaiah 13:9-13
|
sun dark, moon dark, stars dark, shaking
occurs
|
Wrath of God
|
Joel 2:30-31
|
sun turned to darkness,
moon to blood
|
Wrath of God
|
Isaiah 24:19-23
|
sun ashamed, moon abashed
(both dark), earth shaken
|
Wrath of God
|
Isaiah 34:2-8
|
heavens rolled up as a scroll, host of
heaven (stars) wear away
|
Wrath of God
|
The two passages listed in the next table
describe the same future event when they detail the signs in the
sun, moon, stars, etc. This means both passages are describing
the same time period during the End Times. By lining up the
descriptions at the points where they are the same (as in this
table) an overall view of the relationship (sequence) of the
Great Tribulation, Rapture, and Wrath of God can be seen.
Following is a chronological list of these events as derived from
these two Scripture passages.
-
The time of great tribulation. (Mat.
24:21,29)
-
Sixth seal is broken. (Rev. 6:12)
-
Signs in the sun, moon, stars, and
skythe signpost (Mat. 24:29; Rev. 6:12-14)
-
All people will see the sign of the Son
of Man in the sky. (Mat. 24:30; Rev. 6:16)
-
The people of the world mourn because
they realize that God is about to pour out His wrath in
judgment against them. (Mat. 24:30; Rev. 6:15-16)
-
Jesus comes on the
clouds. (Mat. 24:30)
-
Jesus sends His angels to gather His
Church. (Mat. 24:31)
-
Wrath held off until 144,000 sealed
(protected) (Rev. 7:1-8)
-
The people of God stand before the
throne of God in Heaven (they have come out of the Great
Tribulation). (Rev. 7:9-17)
-
God pours out His wrath in the form of seven plagues on the inhabitants of the
earth. (Rev. 8:6 to 11:19)
Two Passages Compared
|
End-Time Event
|
Matthew
24:29-31
|
Revelation
6:12 - 11:19
|
| immediately
after the Tribulation |
24:29
|
|
| sixth seal
broken |
|
6:12
|
| earthquakemountains
& islands moved |
|
6:12, 14
|
| sun darkened,
becomes black as sackcloth of hair |
14:29
|
6:12
|
| moon does not
give its light and becomes like blood |
24:29
|
6:12
|
| stars fall
from sky as figs from shaken tree |
24:29
|
6:13
|
| powers of
heavens shaken, sky split apart like scroll |
24:29
|
6:14
|
| all tribes of
earth will mourn while kings & others hide, they ask
the rocks to fall on them to hide them from wrath of God |
24:30
|
6:15-16
|
| sign of Son
of Man appears in sky and people see the Lamb (Jesus) |
24:30
|
6:16
|
| Son comes on
clouds of sky |
24:30
|
|
| all tribes of
earth see Son of Man coming, people see God on throne and
the Lamb |
24:30
|
6:16
|
| Son sends
angels with great trumpet |
24:31
|
|
| angels gather
elect (i.e., Rapture) |
24:31
|
|
| great day of
Gods wrath has come |
|
6:16-17
|
| judgment held
off until 144,000 sealed |
|
7:1-8
|
| great
multitude in heaven from every nation |
|
7:9
|
| the great
multitude have come out of the Great Tribulation |
|
7:13-14
|
| The Wrath of
God is poured out |
|
8:6 and following
|
In summary, the relationships of certain
end-time events to other events can be determined from their
relative relationships to the signs in the sun, moon, and stars.
The Great Tribulation will be followed by the signs in the sun,
moon, and stars, which will be followed by the Rapture which will
then be followed by the Wrath of God. Each occurrence of the
description of the signs in the sun, moon, and stars (as listed
in the tables above) forms a helpful interlocking
puzzle piece. This interlocking piece is a
reference point showing how far down the road of prophecy a
particular event is in relation to other events.
[Table of Contents] [Previous] [Next] [Download Copy] [Beginning
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End Times - putting the pieces
in place
Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations are from
the Holy Bible, New King James Version, copyright © 1982 by
Thomas Nelson, Inc.
NKJV indicates quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New
King James Version, copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
KJV indicates quotations taken from the King James Version
of the Bible.
Numbers associated with Greek (italic) or Hebrew (upright)
words refer to the corresponding words in the Strong's Exhaustive
Concordance of the Bible, by James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D.
Please make copies of this book to give to your friends. (A
searchable and printable version in Adobe Acrobat format is
available for download.) Your comments
and suggestion are also welcome. Thank you for helping others to
understand the Bible teachings on the End Times.
God bless you.
Sonny Bowman
If you have questions or comments, please contact
Sonny Bowman.
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