The book of Revelation is about heaven (God's domain) and earth (Satan's and man's domain). The design of the heavens, our earth and solar system, the tabernacle, the pyramid all allude to this. If we include the Sun and Planet X if it exists - out beyond Pluto - we have eleven planets in our solar system. There are two possible planets between Pluto and Planet X. If scientifically proven, this would make the tally = the Sun plus twelve planets.
In Revelation Chapter 12, Israel is described as "a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars". Has God patterned the nation of Israel according to the similar numeric pattern of our solar system? The nation having 12 tribes or houses, plus the house of Levi for the priesthood and civil service. One now says, but in this case, there should be thirteen planets. There is an asteroid belt of fragmentary particles; some scientists think it could be the remains of an exploded planet. Without going into too much detail here, Revelation 9 omits the tribes of Dan and Ephraim from the list of twelve tribes of Israel, but includes Manasseh, Joseph and Levi. Let us compare the list of tribes mentioned in the Old Testament and those as listed in the New Testament in the book of Revelation.
After Joseph's brothers sold him into Egypt, Ephraim and Manesseh replaced Joseph, so another tribe - a thirteenth tribal division was introduced into the nation. Subsequently, men from the tribes of Ephraim and Dan were disobedient to God because of their involvement with a person called Michah; they introduced idolatry into Israel. Michah had 1100 shekels of silver with which to make a graven image to God. This was against one of the rulings of law of the Ten Commandments given to Moses from God. The record of these events is given in the book of Chronicles, Chapters 17 and 18. We have another significance of the number 11 here, as expressed in the 1100 shekels of silver.
In Deuteronomy 29.18-20 God said that if any man, woman, family or tribe which should introduce idolatry into Israel, He (God) would "blot out his name from under heaven". Is this why the names of Ephraim and Dan do not appear in the list of tribes in the Book of Revelation? The name of the tribe of Ephraim has become obscure amongst the tribe of Joseph. Whilst God has blotted out the "names" of Ephraim and Dan, has He rejected the descendants of Ephraim and Dan as persons, as well as their names? By including the tribe of Joseph in the New Testament Revelation record, it is implied that the tribe of Ephraim is included because both Ephraim and Manasseh were the sons of Joseph who replaced Joseph as a tribe in the Old Testament. But what about Dan's descendants?
Are the two planets which may or may not exist between Pluto and Planet X symbolic of the obscurity of the names of the two tribes of Ephraim and Dan in the book of Revelation? Maybe the possibility of an exploded planet, now the asteroid belt, is symbolic of Dan's name being omitted from the list of tribes in the Book of Revelation? These are just rambling thoughts on my part, but maybe worthy of further consideration.
There are twelve zodiac signs or constellations along the ecliptic path through which the sun and planets appear to move across the background of the heavens as viewed from earth. We know that they are not moving, but this effect is caused by the tilt of the earth's axis as it circles the sun, and the spinning movement of the earth itself as it circles the sun.
In ancient times, the constellation of Scorpio, was looked upon as two signs, not one, in which case, the zodiac signs or constellations would have been thirteen in number. Mr. Bullinger writes in the Appendix of his book "The Witness of the Stars", that the Scorpion was holding an altar with his claws, the altar being a separate constellation from Scorpio. He suggests that the Seed of the woman (Virgo), who was to come as a child, should be a sacrifice (the Altar) for the sins of His people; endure a great conflict with the enemy (Scorpio), in which He should be wounded in the heel, but should in the end crush and tread the enemy under foot.
The zodiac signs seem to reflect the theme of the central books of Revelation as well as the number of planets in the solar system of our Sun. On ancient zodiacs Virgo is pictured head to toe to lie along the ecliptic path, thus the sun and moon pass both her and her feet, and the planets also. Is the constellation of Virgo, symbolic of the woman (Israel) the wonder in heaven described in Revelation 12? |
Measure the Temple CONTENTS Bible Chronology |
