Jesus said, "But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.” (Mat 24:29-31)
Final Run Up to the Rapture
Here is the sequence give by our Lord Jesus:
1. Jerusalem surrounded by armies - "...But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near..." (Luk 21:20; compare Mt 24:15, regarding the abomination of desolation).
2. Cosmic disturbance and darkness - "...the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken." This indicates that there will be a period of worldwide darkness without any light from the sun or moon.
3. Sign of the Son of Man - "...then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky." This indicates all mankind will be able to see "the sign" of Jesus Christ in the sky. Oden Hetrick taught that this sign is the City and Throne of God that will be seen in the sky.
4. Jesus Coming on the Clouds of Glory - "...they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory." This means mankind will see the Lord coming in the sky on the clouds of glory.
We know that the next event after Jesus comes on the clouds of the sky is that He will collect His Bride (the rapture), because He says, "He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect."
The Tie in with Comet ISON
So what does this have to do with comet ISON? First, let's begin by looking at the name of the comet. ISON is an acronym for International Scientific Optical Network, which is the location of the facility in Russia where the comet was first discovered.
I'd like to share with you what has been impressed on my spirit about this comet's interesting name. I feel that if this is the sign of the Son of Man, this name could mean "I Son." By the way, I am not the first one to postulate this idea. I have heard someone else say it, and it could certainly be true. In other words, it would be the Lord's signal to His Bride that "I am the Son of God," or that He is the "Number One Son," as in the Roman Numeral One, signifying the fact that He is God's only begotten Son, the Firstborn (Luke 2:7,23; Rom. 8:29; Col. 1:15,18; Heb. 1:6; 11:28; 12:23; Rev. 1:5).
Secondly, in addition to the unique name for the comet, which may be significant and symbolic of things to come, this comet is also unique in that it was the first comet discovered during the second half of September 2012, and it is not periodic, meaning its journey is not a recurring event. That means this is a one-time deal! Our Lord referred to "THE sign of the Son of Man," and He did not simply call it "A sign." He used the definite article to indicate it's unique character.
Even the media called it "THE Comet of the Century," because it was so impressive. It's outer coma was ten times the earth's diameter, the inner section is about twice the width of the earth, and it was traveling at around a maximum speed of 635,000 miles per hour (176 miles per second)! The last time we saw an object like this was never. And it will never come back. Its not an insignificant sign, by any means. And this is just one of seven comets right now.
Throughout history, comets have been seen as harbingers or signs of impending disaster, such as war. So when Jesus predicted that "the sign of the Son of Man" would appear in the sky, it is possible that it may be a comet.
Thirdly, there is a chance that a meteor shower could occur in connection with the comet, in which case, the stars would appear to fall from the sky. A meteor shower on Earth is the result of an interaction between our planet and streams of debris from a comet. We have already seen this happening at an unprecedented rate this year without any help from Comet ISON. According to the American Meteor Society, by the middle of October 2013, there had already been over 2,100 meteors year-to-date, which was as many as there had been in the entire previous year of 2012! There have been thousands of recent sightings of fireballs falling from the sky to the earth. You can see spectacular video footage of some of them here. During the period from 2009 to 2013, my wife and children cumulatively saw a total of three fireballs, and that is just in Hungary, and just one family! Our Lord told us the stars would fall from the sky right before His return. In 2007 and 2008, there were no fireballs with sound, and only one in 2009. In 2010 there were fifteen of them. By 2011, there were 182, and in 2012 there were 249. You can see an exponential increase in the number of them.
As these things fall, they remind us of missiles. And I know some people have gotten prophetic warnings about asteroids hitting the earth, so we know that is going to happen in the last days. However, lately, the thought has come to me that nations may mistake these objects as incoming missiles -- whether they be asteroids or meteors -- and launch their nuclear missiles out of fear. In fact, I shared this with my family on November 25, after I posted this blog.
What Are the Odds?
You may think we should dismiss these possibilities, since the odds of these events happening are slim to none, but remember this one thing. God usually operates on astronomically small possibilities. In fact, He has a long track record of doing the absolutely impossible. For example, raising the dead, causing barren women to have children, causing a virgin to conceive a child, walking on water, healing incurable diseases, feeding thousands with the meal of a small boy, and ascending bodily from earth to heaven, just to name a few. Therefore, don't be too quick to dismiss the possibilities I've mentioned regarding connections between ISON and the Lord's return.
The Three Days of Darkness
I'd like to say a word about the coming days of darkness, which are so controversial. The Lord has spoken prophetically to His Bride (the Elect) that there will soon be an unspecified cosmic disturbance, followed by an unspecified cataclysmic event that all mankind will see and hear, followed by three days of darkness. Although the reputable evangelist, Oden Hetrick taught this back in 1977, and since then many believers have independently sensed the Lord speaking to them about this same thing, some people have rejected this as a false prophecy. So it is important that we test the spirits and discern whether this is Scriptural.
First of all, when our Lord hung on the cross, it became as dark as night time outdoors. The Scripture states, "It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, because the sun was obscured; and the veil of the temple was torn in two." (Luk 23:44-45).
This was a fulfillment of the Scripture that says, "'It will come about in that day,' declares the Lord GOD, 'That I will make the sun go down at noon And make the earth dark in broad daylight.'" (Amo 8:9)
For three hours from noon to three o'clock, it was dark across the land, because the sun was obscured. It was a darkness you could feel. At the end of that time, He indicated the palpable nature of it in His prayer to the Father. "About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?' That is, 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?'" (Mat 27:46)
This reminds me of the Ninth Plague, recorded in Exodus, which was darkness. "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt.' So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings." (Ex 10:21-23, NKJV)
The darkness was over the whole land of Egypt for three days, and it was a darkness which could even be felt. During that time, all the people stayed in their dwelling places, and it was dark inside their homes. But the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.
Amazingly, we are seeing some of the Exodus plagues of Egypt repeated in our day, which I have reported on in the past. For example, if you review my previous posts, Something is Going on in 2012 and Something is Going on in 2013, you will see that rivers have even inexplicably turned blood red, which was the First Plague that God sent upon Egypt through Moses (Ex 7:14-25). In that plague, the fish in the Nile died, and today we have also seen that millions of fish have inexplicably have died in the water. The terrible and extensive judgments which are going to fall upon the world just before the return of Christ, as prophesied in the book of Revelation, are similar to those plagues that God sent upon Egypt when He was about to deliver Israel. And since Jesus Himself prophesied that there would be a period of darkness before He comes to collect His elect (Mt 24:29-31), we know it will happen!
During the coming three days of darkness, I believe we, too will feel the darkness. We are to stay in our homes, repenting, praying, and seeking the face of God through His Son, Jesus Christ. His people will be protected by the blood of Jesus. I urge you to read about this event at this link and this link. These are links to prophetic messages given to a sister in Australia, named Bonnie, whom I think is hearing clearly from the Lord. She is one of numerous people around the world separately receiving this same message from the Lord. I also recommend reading the prophetic word called These Three Days. Also see Psalm 105:28.
Christ experienced a palpable darkness in His suffering and death on the cross for us. And the apostle Paul taught that "it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him." (Phil 1:29). In fact, we should pray as Paul did to know Christ, which is not only knowing the power of His resurrection, "but also participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death." (Phil 3:10). It should not surprise us if we must experience a period of darkness, participating in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death. Peter said, "But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed." (1 Pe 4:13)
The Lord declares, “Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth And deep darkness the peoples; But the LORD will rise upon you And His glory will appear upon you. Nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.” (Isa 60:1-3).
In the midst of this crisis, even while darkness covers the earth, and deep darkness the peoples, we must arise and shine for our Light will come and the glory of the Lord will rise upon us. After the days of darkness, the Lord will rise upon us and His glory will appear upon us. Peoples will come to our light. In other words, people will be drawn to the light in us.
Regardless of whether or not this darkness occurs in conjunction with a comet, and whether or not it lasts for three days, it is going to happen before the Lord returns, because the Scriptures say so (see Isaiah 13:10; 34:4; 60:2; Joel 2:1-3, 9-10, 20, 31; 3:14-16; Mt 24:29; Mk 13:24; Ac 2:20; Rev.6:12-13.). I now refer you back to the sequence given by our Lord Jesus in Scripture, pertaining to the final run up to the rapture, which I have already covered above.
Comet ISON: a 911 Emergency
In this section, I would like to highlight some of the confirmations that took place after I published this article.
First, I sent this blog to a brother in Christ on November 25th to evaluate. The next morning on November 26th, I received a link from him to his short video testimony, in which he said he prayed and the Lord confirmed to him that there would be an emergency in connection with this comet. I assumed he had read this article, and that it might have influenced his actions or the outcomes. But when I spoke to him by phone later on in the evening, he didn't even know I had sent this blog to him. He had no idea what it was about. So what he got from the Lord was completely independent of what I was led by the Lord to write here. [November 30, 2013 Update: Since the comet disintegrated after its trip around the sun, this brother stated, "The word I got from the Lord was only 'Emergency,' the rest was only speculations and assumption so let's wait and see.God bless."
Secondly, after posting this article, I also saw a scientific and mathematical approach by a watchman that predicted a disintegration event will occur with ISON. Since then, we know the comet did disintegrate during its trip around the sun. The debris trail behind the comet is perhaps 5 million miles wide and growing wider each day. He estimates that for a period that may be around a total of seven days, the earth will pass along its orbital path through that debris trail. That is how this debris could strike the earth. I highly recommend watching this brother's video for the details.
As I said, all of these things happened after posting this article, so they all served as confirmations to me. Since then, more confirmations have happened, resulting in my follow up article Confirmations About ISON as a Sign of the Lord's Return.
Putting it All Together
I had wondered if Comet ISON was the sign of the Son of Man in the sky, and I originally raised that question through this article. However, it passed behind the sun on November 28, 2013, and only part of its nucleus survived intact initially. Unfortunately that seemed to fizzle by November 30, leaving nothing more than a cluster of comet remnants with no ionic tail. Please bear in mind that some of those remnants are perhaps as big as the earth itself, so we will have to wait and see what comes of them in December. Yet even if this comet is not the sign of the Son of Man, I believe that when put together with all the other signs happening, we can safely conclude that one of the many signs that His coming is near.
There are still some major events that we can expect to see before Jesus comes. We know from Scripture that Jerusalem will be captured (see Ezk.38, Joel 2, Zec.14:2-7, Mark 13:14), then there will be worldwide darkness (no sunlight or moonlight), followed by the appearance in the sky of "the sign of the Son of Man." This sign will appear for an unspecified period of time. Afterward we will all see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of glory with His holy angels. He is coming now to collect His Bride, and will send His angels to gather His elect from the four winds. Will you be ready?
I am not setting any dates for the Lord's return. But this is not the time to be caught up in the distractions of the world or the busy-ness of life, and neglect the Lord. It's time to wake up from our slumber, repent, seek the Lord Jesus while He may be found. Draw near to Him, and spend time with Him.
"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you." (Jas 4:8-10)
It's time to get ready, so that you don't miss the rapture of the Bride of Christ.
Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Photo of comet ISON on April 30, 2013, courtesy NASA.
Author's note: You must take responsibility for your own actions. Nobody knows the day or the hour, and in no way am I date setting. This is only to provide you with information, so that you can make your own decisions, for which you will be accountable to God.
Please prayerfully listen to the prophetic messages I have linked to, and use the Testimony Review Process adopted by this blog, as you decide for yourself whether the Lord has spoken to these individuals. For issues and concerns, each person must confirm with the Lord, whether something is valid or not. Please allow me to encourage you to read "Testing the Spirits of False Prophets," "Discerning the Things of the Spirit," and "A Warning to the Nay Sayers."
If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Confirmations About ISON as a Sign of the Lord's Return, Urgent: Jesus Christ's Return is Imminent - 2013, Comet ISON, Emergency Call 911, Outline of Endtime Events, my daughter's poem The Midnight Hour, and the other posts in this blog available through the links in the side bar. You may also visit our Signs of the Times Directory, and access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.
Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?
“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.
Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.
