A Sign of God Birthing the Apostolic

This brief study will show that God not only gave a sign in the heavens (the stars) as a witness to His Son Jesus' birth 2000 years ago, but that He is also giving a sign in the heavens (the stars) to our generation who is witnessing another birth: The birth of Jesus restoring modern day apostles to His Church government. When His government is fully established in His people, the spotless Bride of Christ will arise in the power of the Holy Spirit to finish the ministry of Jesus in the earth (see Isaiah 60). The Bride of Christ arising and shining is the beginning of Jesus' return to rule and reign the earth during this new millennium.
There is a difference between astronomy and astrology. Astronomy, which is good, is the study of God's creation in the stars, and "declares the glory of God." Astrology (horoscopes and fortune telling from your "sign"), which is forbidden in the Scriptures, is the perversion of the true study of the stars. Below are some quotes pertaining to astronomy in the Scriptures:

Genesis 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.
Psalms 19:1-6 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth forth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
Luke 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
Amos 5:8 and Job 9:9 mention names of constellations such as Orion, Arcturus (the Bear -The Big Dipper), Pleiades (a seven star grouping). Job 38:31-33 mentions the "Mazzaroth" which is the 12 constellations of the Zodiac (Zodiac means stages of the sun's path through the heavens in 12 months).

Jewish tradition, preserved by Josephus, suggests that Bible astronomy was invented by Adam, Seth and Enoch. For nearly 2,500 years the revelation of God's redemptive plan for mankind was written in the naming of the stars and their grouping in the 12 signs of the Zodiac; each one having 3 other deacons (constellations) associated with it for a total of 48 constellations. The heavens therefore preserved the truth until the written Scriptures could be given to Moses. Some excellent resources on this subject include: "The Gospel in the Stars" by Joseph A. Seiss; "A Voice Crying in the Heavens" by Robert Scott Wadsworth; and "The Witness of the Stars" by E.W. Bullinger... Robert Wadsworth writes, "I have checked the next 2,000 years and there is nothing that comes close to the portrayal that the heavens display from 1996 to 2000."8
First we will look at the sign that was in the heavens when Jesus was born, then we will see how it compares to the sign that is now occurring in the heavens:

The Sign of Jesus' Birth

Thanks to projectors, like Chicago's "Adler Planetarium," and computer technology, like the program "Dance of the Planets," we can chart the movements of the heavenly bodies to see what they looked like 2,000 years ago at the birth of Christ.
Matthew 2:1 "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men (magi) from the East came to Jerusalem, saying "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."
The wise men (magi) were probably Zoroastrian priests who lived hundreds of miles from Jerusalem in Mesopotamia (Iraq) and were skilled astronomers studying the heavens from atop of ziggurats. A "star" to the magi could mean almost any light in the sky, whether star, planet, comet or nova. The tower of Babel having "its top with the heavens (meaning signs of the zodiac)" (Gen. 11:4) was probably a ziggurat used for star gazing. Since the magi were familiar with the Hebrew religion, they interpreted rare celestial events as omens.
The celestial events detailed below told the wise men that the prophesied Jewish Messiah and king was being born. These astronomical statistics have been printed in several well known publications including Guideposts Magazine.9
Each number below is shown in the following celestial map:
1) August 12, 3 BC - They saw the two planets Jupiter and Venus rise in conjunction. (A conjunction is when celestial bodies line up so closely that they appear to us as a single super bright light.) Jupiter signified kingship or Messiah and Venus meant birth and motherhood. This occurred in the constellation of Leo, which is the symbol of the Hebrew tribe Judah. Since the magi were studied in the Hebrew Scriptures, they probably knew from Genesis 49:10 that the Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah.

2) September 3 BC - They saw Jupiter rise in conjunction with Regulus. Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation of Leo - a symbol of rulership.

3) February 2 BC - a Second time they saw Jupiter rise in conjunction with Regulus.

4) May 2 BC - a Third time they saw Jupiter rise in conjunction with Regulus.

5) June 2 BC - a Second time they saw Jupiter and Venus rise in conjunction. Again, Jupiter referred to kingship or the Messiah and Venus meant birth and motherhood.

6) September 2 BC - a Third time they saw Jupiter and Venus rise in conjunction. This occurred again in the constellation of Leo, which again is the symbol of the Hebrew tribe Judah from which Jesus came.

7 & 8) August/September 3BC & December 2 BC - On these two occasions, Jupiter was located directly in the womb area of the constellation of Virgo the virgin. Jupiter's Hebrew name is "Sedeq" which throughout the period of Jesus and the first apostles was a term used for the Messiah.
The graphic below shows the location references to the numbers above.

The Jews understood the principle that whenever God moves in a major way He would give a "sign" in the heavens. This is why they asked Jesus to show them a sign to prove he was the Messiah (Matt. 16:1). The heavens in the past several years have been lighting up like never before heralding the soon return of Messiah Yahoshua (Jesus). One particular sign that has been occurring each year from 1996 through 1999 during every Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah - The Jewish New Year) is Virgo the Virgin giving birth to the moon. The moon is located in the womb of the constellation Virgo. Revelation 12:1-17 compares this sign with the birthing of God's "man-child."

The Sign of the Revelation 12:1-17 Birth

September 15, 1996

September 11, or 12, 1999 depending on time zone

The October 2, 1997 and September 21, 1998 Feast of Trumpets Signs are not shown above, but they did take place and the graphics look very similar to the 1996 and 1999 events pictured here. All of these original graphics and astronomical statistics were taken from the website of astronomer and Jewish believer Greg Killian.10

Revelation 12:1-5 "A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman (constellation Virgo) clothed with the sun (just below the horizon), with the moon (male-child) under her feet and a crown of twelve stars (constellation Bernice) on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon (constellation Draco) with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child (moon), who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne."

The moon represents the "male Child" (Rev. 12) in this rare astronomical event. Virgo the Virgin (Bethula) is giving "birth" to the moon every year from 1996 to 1999, and it just happens to be occurring every year on the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hoshanah or the Feast of Trumpets), which is very rare indeed. By the year 2000, the moon is far beneath her legs (birthed). This positioning of the moon within Virgo (happening four years in a row on the same Hebrew date) has never occurred before, and will never occur again for another 26,000 years, due to the precession of the equinoxes!
The sun is just below the horizon such that Virgo (Bethulah) is "clothed with the sun" as the Scripture mentions. The sun must be below the horizon in order to have any possibility of seeing this "sign." The moon is "new" and after "birth" the moon will move directly to the feet of Virgo (Bethula) within 24 hours. Over Virgo's head is the constellation known as "Coma Bernice's hair". This is the "crown of twelve stars" in verse 1. Higher and above her legs we will find "Draco the Dragon" poised to devour Virgo's child.
The above pictures do not show Draco the Dragon because it would make the picture curved and hard to relate to. If you had a larger picture you would see that Draco is poised above the woman, waiting to snatch the man-child. The moon is poised in the "birth canal" of the virgin who is lying down with her feet in the air. The word "Bethulah" is in the location where her head should be. The constellation of Coma Bernice is the crown of twelve stars above the virgin's head.
This sign, as depicted above, is how it looks from Jerusalem. Notice that the Sun is below the horizon so that this sign can be seen. This sign would not be visible if the sun were to be above the horizon. Because the sun is below the horizon, the constellation is literally "clothed with the sun" as Revelation 12 says!
Isaiah 66 (partially quoted below) seems to be the closest match in all of the Scriptures to the Birth in Revelation 12. I think that it is more than a coincidence that Isaiah 66 just happens to be in the weekly Torah reading during the week of September 11th 1999 which is read by all orthodox Jews specifically when the New Moon (Rosh Chodesh) falls on the Sabbath; as it does when this sign occurs on the Feast of Trumpets (September 11 & 12 1999). The Lord obviously chose the readings so that His people would be informed before He takes any action. Isaiah 66:5-9 says -

"Hear the word of the LORD, you who tremble at his word: "Your brothers who hate you, and exclude you because of my name, have said, 'Let the LORD be glorified, that we may see your joy!' Yet they will be put to shame. Hear that uproar from the city, hear that noise from the temple! It is the sound of the LORD repaying his enemies all they deserve. Before she goes into labor, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son. Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children. Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?" says the LORD. "Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?" says your God."

Connection to Modern Day Apostles

So what is the connection between this sign and God restoring modern day apostles? During the same four years that the heavens were birthing a male-child, God was calling forth His apostles from all over the world and commissioning them to take their rightful place in His government that He is establishing on the earth. During the years 1996-2000 there were seven (7) different red moon eclipses over Jerusalem which all happened on Jewish Holidays!10
Joel 2:30-32 confirms the significance of this: "I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood BEFORE the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved."
From 1996-2000 as the "Virgo birthing the moon" sign occurred, God was connecting many of His called apostles to begin taking their role in His Bride Body church. Jesus is the Head of His church, and He is therefore able to gather His apostles in each region of the globe whenever and wherever He desires. On September 11th of 1999 when the final "Virgo birthing the moon" sign stood in the heavens, it was a token of what was being carried out on the earth within God's Bride Body Church. The current Church (woman) was giving birth to the Lord's apostolic government (manchild) who will rule and reign over the earth with Him. I think it is more than coincidence that on this day (Sept. 11th 1999), my wife Linda gave birth to our second son Stephen as a token to me personally that God was indeed speaking through these heavenly signs which I had been studying at the time.
About 8 months later, on May 17th 2000, another sign occurred in the heavens which was so similar to the sign at the time of Jesus' birth that NASA called it "A Christmas Star"11 and compared it to the "star" reported in the book of Matthew. Also around this time, a major aligning of the planets occurred in heaven on May 5th 2000.12 Although this line up of the planets was hidden by the sun, another major line up of planets occurred two years later that was visible on Pentecost May 18th 2002.13 On this Pentecost day in 2002, my wife just happened to give birth to our third son Seth, May 18th 2002, which is the date that I had written two years prior would be significant because I knew the planets were "aligning" visibly again on the Feast of Pentecost. The Lord was speaking to me again that He has surely been birthing something of great significance in the earth concerning the aligning of His apostolic government. Although this government is currently unseen to the eyes of men, when God moves it will eventually affect everyone just like the birth of Jesus did.
Jesus is being birthed through His Bride Body in a most powerful way, which can be compared to His first birth in Nazareth 2000 years ago. Only this time it will be "Christ in us" His Bride Body who will do the "greater works" of Jesus in the earth as He promised in John 14:12 - "Most assuredly I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father." These modern day apostles are like generals in the Lord's underground army, except that these generals do not need to have recognition and status like worldly generals. Their identities can only be seen in the Spirit and it is usually best that they remain hidden and obscure from the authorities and structures of men. However, when the Lord's manchild reaches maturity, several decades from now, everyone will be able to witness God's government.

Other Confirmations of this Birth

1) Paula M. Cavu - Brisbane Australia -Daystar Ministry
I met Mr. Cavu a few months after I first published this article in May of 2000. Paula and his interent discussion list at Daystar had been talking about God's coming "manchild" for many years prior to these signs happening. Below is one particular quote in their discussion:

Spiritual experience to warn about the enemy's plan to kill the child of God's resurrection power, received by Paula M. Cavu on 20th April 1997 -- The meaning of this spiritual experience is obviously related to the revelation and identification, in the new additions to this web site, of the child of God's resurrection power that is being birthed from The Church in the 1990s. This further advanced my perception that "the man child" that is being purged or refined from God's judgment upon Christendom, represents a major and historical intervention of God in the affairs of The Church and humanity.
The Bible records two such major and historical times when God birthed into the world the man child of His intervention into the affairs of men. The first was Moses. Moses was God's man child who was birthed into the world to be the mediator of His Old Testament Covenant. The powers of the kingdom of darkness were aware of this divine purpose of The Creator and they set out to kill every man child or boy child that was born of the children of Israel.
At the birth of Jesus Christ, the powers of darkness were again aware of Heaven's divine purpose. Accordingly they again set out to kill the man child or boy child of God's New Testament Covenant. Concerning killing the two "man child" of God's covenants with humanity, the powers of darkness failed and God's purposes in the lives of Moses and His Son Jesus Christ were fulfilled.
In the same way "the man child of God's resurrection power," which is being birthed from The Church in the 1990s, will overcome the desperate attempts of "the god of this world" to kill it. In agreement with the resurrection purpose of God, the man child of the 1990's will be resurrected "up unto God, and to His throne." May the prophets of the 1990's declare God's purpose in due season and give direction, motivation and purpose for the people of God!
Rev 12:1-5 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
The role in the 1990’s of the Internet and E-mail is for global communication between God's called out and chosen people.14

2) Bob Schlenker - Sign of the Conception for this birth?
In 1991, nine years before this "birthing" there was another very rare celestial sign that took place in the stars which can be compared to the "conception" for this birth. It was again, very similar to the celestial sign which occurred at the birth of Jesus over 2000 years ago. I was not personally aware of this sign until 2003, but a brother named Bob Schlenker was shown this significant heavenly sign back in 1991 and wrote the details on his Open Scroll website.15
3) Stephen Paul Jablonowski - Birth of a Manchild Poem
My son Stephen Paul was born on the same day this Revelation 12 Sign appeared in the heavens on the Jewish New Year (Sept. 11th 1999 - Feast of Trumpets). This confirmation is only one of many that the Holy Spirit gave me to know that this "Revelation 12 Sign" is really a sign from the Lord and not just an interesting coincidence. The poem that I wrote on the day of Stephen's birth, September 11th 1999, is written in the next chapter. Below is Stephen Paul's birth announcement from Huntsville Hospital's "BabyFace" website: