Wednesday, February 25, 2004 (3)A FINAL PRE-TRIBULATION WARNING. This too involves the created light bearing bodies. It will be before the greatest holocaust that the world has ever known breaks forth on the earth. It is both a final warning and a judgment of no small proportions. It takes place at the sound of the third trumpet. The remaining trumpets are dire judgments that occur during the tribulation. The third trumpet introduces a manifestation of the power of the Lord in relationship to the sun, moon and stars. This is not the time of their total darkness, that is yet to come. This is an omen of things to come. One-third of the sun, the moon, the stars, the night and the day will be stricken and plunged into darkness. It is interesting to note that there are five areas which are to be smitten, Five is the number of atonement and this is a last minute opportunity for the peoples of this world to come to repentance and new birth. No one will be born again by the Spirit after this judgment has run its course. While there will be people saved during the tribulation period [it will be by faith], by believing that Jesus is the Messiah, without the operation of the Spirit in their lives. The one-third of the sun being darkened could well be followed by a third of the day being darkened which would indicate light being totally eliminated for sixteen hours. The same would occur with the night. A third of the night time light giving bodies being darkened, then total darkness for a third of the night. How long this phenomena would last is not stated. It could be just once and it could be extended for several days. Regardless, it is a serious situation. And will create great consternation among men. Rev. 8:12.
THE HEAVENS AS A TABERNACLE FOR THE SUN. A tabernacle is a place of worship. It is strictly forbidden to worship the sun or any of the heavenly bodies. Deut. 4:19 The sun is the greatest light visible to man. There are a multitude of suns that are larger than our sun, but to us it is the biggest and the brightest. Therefore the Lord has chosen it as a symbol to be used in relationship to Himself. Because of the intense glory which surrounds Him He introduced Himself as a sun. Not the sun of our heavens but the true light, the greater light. Ps. 84:11 The Lord Jesus is termed the sun of righteousness by the prophet Malachai. Because Jesus bears the likeness of His Father we would expect to see Him with the same appearance, that of the sun. Mal. 4:2 That same precious anointing and glory is noted on the Mt. of Transfiguration where His countenance literally shone as the sun. Mt. 17:2 To John on the island of Patmos He appeared with the same visage of light and glory. We find Him again in the book of Revelation as He appears as a mighty angel [messenger] where His face is seen as still shining like the sun. When we come to the New Jerusalem it is recorded that the sun and other light giving bodies will no longer be needed but the glory of God and of the Lamb will be the exceeding great and precious light of that city. Our sun is a world of fire. Our God is a consuming fire. Heb. 12:29 The Lord who is a sun, who is a fire, who is light is greater far than all these created bodies. He is the foundation of light and glory. Without Him there would be no glory or light.