There are all kinds of fascinating intersections of the Bible and astronomy. The people who penned the Bible lived in a world very much in tune with the motions of the sun, moon, and stars.
But does the Bible endorse the belief that the sky can reveal the mind of God?
That’s a big question—too big for a single article—so let’s instead turn to a commonly cited text people believe is related to astronomy: Revelation 12:1-6.
I’ve received this question several times over the last year: “Are we about to see the fulfillment of Revelation 12?”
Revelation 12 and Virgo
There are some who believe Revelation 12 is a reference to a particular alignment of the sun, moon, and planets around the constellation Virgo. The text reads:
“And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth… She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron” (Revelation 12:1-2,5)
Some believe that September 23, 2017, there will be a unique alignment of sky objects that fulfills this prophetic picture.
- “The woman” is the constellation Virgo. This constellation is represented as a woman in many ancient mythologies—from the groups who lived along the Euphrates, to the Eastern cultures of India and China, to the ancient Egyptians, to the classical cultures of Greece and Rome.
- “Clothed with the sun” means the sun will be aligned with Virgo. As the earth moves around the sun, the sun ends up being in the same line of sight with different constellations throughout the year (what we call the signs of the Zodiac). In Septembers, the sun is aligned with Virgo.
- “With the moon under her feet” means the moon will be aligned with the feet of Virgo. As the moon moves around the earth, it is also aligned with different constellations from month to month. On September 23, 2017, the moon will be near the feet of Virgo.
- “On her head a crown of twelve stars” means there will be 12 “stars” directly above the head of Virgo. The constellation Leo is directly above Virgo’s head, containing what many believe to be 9 bright stars. Through the latter half of the month of September 2017, there will be 3 planets aligned with the constellation Leo, bringing the number of bright “stars” above the head of Virgo to 12.
- “She gave birth to a male child” is a reference to Jupiter in the womb of Virgo. Throughout late August and most of September 2017, the planet Jupiter is lined up with the abdomen of Virgo. Jupiter was understood by the ancients to be the king of the planets, thus ruler is seen in the belly of Virgo.
Here’s what it will look like on September 23, 2017. (Bear in mind, no one will actually “see” this alignment because it takes place during the daytime.)
Is This Alignment Unique?
Some of these alignments are quite common:
- The sun is aligned with Virgo every year from mid-September to the end of October.
- The moon is at the feet of Virgo about once a month, so there’s at least one or two days every year when the moon is near the feet of Virgo while the sun is also in Virgo.
- Jupiter is aligned with Virgo about once every 11-12 years, spending over a month in the “belly” (depending on where you think her abdomen is), and at some point during that month, the sun will be aligned with her body and the moon will be at her feet.
So far, these 3 factors (the sun, the moon, and Jupiter) are in the right place at the same time once every 11-12 years.
But what about the 3 planets in Leo?
This configuration is far less common, but Professor Christopher M. Graney has found no less than 4 times in the past 1000 years when all of these alignments took place:
- September 14, 1056
- September 5, 1293
- September 6, 1483
- September 24, 1827
Contrary to some claims you read on the Internet, that this alignment only happens once in history or “once in 7000 years,” in reality this alignment seems to show up once every 240 years on average. So, yes, the alignment is rare—you would expect this any time you’re trying to line up 8 objects in the sky in a particular order (4 planets, 2 constellations, the sun, and the moon)—but it isn’t a once-in-human-history kind of event.
Furthermore, proponents of this theory also have to make the assumption that Leo has only 9 stars. In order to get to “a crown of twelve stars” using 3 planets, you need to start with only 9 stars, but there are a lot more than 9 stars in Leo. There are 13 stars alone that are brighter than magnitude 4.
Is This Solid Bible Interpretation?
More significant than the astronomy is the fact that this interpretation effectively takes a butcher knife to the book of Revelation. Only when you rip these verses out of their context can you get this astronomical interpretation.
1. If the heavenly sign of the dragon represents a spiritual reality, then the heavenly sign of the woman does as well—not a constellation. Another main character in Revelation 12 is a great red dragon. As far as I know, no proponent of this theory is willing to say the dragon is also a constellation, and for an obvious reason: the text tells us who the dragon actually is—”that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world” (12:9). It stands to reason that if the heavenly dragon sign is not constellation but a spiritual reality, then the woman is as well.
2. The woman flees into the wilderness, which is not something a constellation can do. The text says, “the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God” (12:6), and “the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished” (12:14). It is not clear what this would mean if the woman is Virgo.
3. The child she gives birth to is not a planet but Jesus. Saying Jupiter in the womb of Virgo is the child of Revelation 12 totally ignores what the book of Revelation says. Her offspring is “a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron,” a child who is “caught up to God and to his throne” (12:5). This is clearly Jesus who will come to rule the nations and is sitting at the right hand of God (Revelation 3:21; 19:15; Acts 1:9-11; 2:33; 7:56; Romans 8:34; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3; 10:12; 1 Peter 3:22).
Verdict: The Woman in Revelation 12 is NOT Virgo
Jesus told the apostles, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority” (Acts 1:7). No doubt, the Bible speaks of events that will precede the coming of Christ, but an alignment of planets, satellites, and constellations is not one of them.
Check out sabbathcovenant.com for more on this topic of Virgo and sept 23 alignment of the stars and planets!
So appreciate all this Luke!
I believe Revelation 12 will happen in the spirit realm as well as in the sky in the constellations. draco(dragon), water snake, serpent bearer, hercules(represents Michael), and interestingly enough the constellation hercules and draco look like they’re fighting. When the dragon knocks a third of the stars from heaven, the draco(dragon) constellation would fall directly at the feet of virgo to “devour the man child.” Later in Revelation 12, serpent is mentioned, as is flood, and the eagle with 2 wings. All of these are constellations. Coincidentally, there is a constellation next to virgo called water snake. Hmmm. The serpent sent a flood out of his mouth. Sounds like water snake to me. Again, I believe Revelation 12 will happen in the spirit, but we can see it in the physical as well. I humbly interpret it as a warning for believers and nonbelievers alike. GOD bless.
Thank you for this! I have been hearing so much about it and didn’t know how to refute it or discuss it from the viewpoint of not believing it. Very well explained.
How often has this event occurred in conjunction with the feast of trumputs? With red moons through that year? I am not saying that this is or isn’t profecy in the act. I just find it extremely compelling that this has occurred at this particular time in world history?
Thank you. Very informative. Was the constellation Draco ( dragon ) any where in the vicinity of Virgo on 09/23/17 ?
Have you factored in the ” great apostasy ” mentioned in 2nd Thessalonians : 2. The Christian ethos has been in decline for decades. Humanism has usurped it more and more. Today you have vile practices a part of the everyday, and social absurdity is common.
There is an un-elected cadre of wealthy, powerful people, fronting the EU and the UN with a proclaimed agenda of a New World Order, who view the Judeo/Christian foundations of Western society as an obstacle to their vision. They want present western societies to be disrupted, nationalism and borders gone, and are flooding those countries with a people that have no intention of integrating and follow an ideology that has proven over and over to completely eviscerate any welcoming culture.
Jerusalem is front and center on the world stage even more so now with the ” capital ” issue. A hatred for Israel in the Muslim world has been fanned like a fire, and a vigorous renewal of promises of her destruction are threatening a unified assault against her.
All this in conjunction with this ” sign “. How often has all this aligned. Israel didn’t even exist 240yrs. ago. The prophecy given in Rev12 detailed three components : 1) the cosmic sign, 2) the sign marked the beginning of a heavenly battle between Good and Evil, 3) Evil loses that battle and is cast down to earth, and pursues God’s chosen and then His children (ground work in place for an increasingly violent future ahead for Israel, and a distinct turning against Christianity already evident ). Not hard to read the writing on the wall.
I had heard Oct. 11th.
What did you hear about October 11th and what year? I heard something about October 11th 2018.
Hey. You kept this page up! Two and a half years!
Next thought would be – do you still keep an eye on it?
Will give you my reason for typing here. I Watched the eclipse across America, then also Watched this event, as much as possible, and I even took a few very lousy pictures. And then – that was that. Computer here crashed, so lost star program. Just now – reloaded, and reviewed all.
My bias though is – we are in the end years – – which may last 20-30 more years or so. Perhaps more. I could nail down a few dates, but – they are guess dates, so – I would rather not, as someone will try to feed them back to me, if they are wrong, and I just really do not KNOW.
But – – wanted to ask, have you examined this further? It is my belief, that due to the comet that ran from Leo to Virgo – – – this may have been a once in the history of the world- – event. I am seeing some other – events also coming to pass, so – – … was just wondering if you had anything new – on your side.
Thanks,
The revelation 12 sign as about the “BIRTH “ Of the WW3 … this lady of WAR … is slowly but surely becoming “ pregnant” and it’s about to “deliver”.. it’s “ BABY “ ( PAYLOAD) see DANIEL 8 ( the ram and the he goat )
DANIEL 9 is about the last 70 years .. ie the final coming of the messsiah is 2037( see Daniel 9:25).. add 70 years to 1967..!!!( u see in Daniel and no where else in scripture does GOD give you the YEARof the return.. !!!
The west is going to kill and bomb every Moslem nation.. as described in Daniel 8 .. then all the nations on earth will be in conflict killing each other as the angel OF the RED HORSE..
(2 seal ) states
“ GOD WILL TAKE PEACE AWAY from the earth” … and it’s the USA ( the “he goat “with the majestic HORN.. ie military power) who starts WW3 .. either 2020 or the year after that ..
Thus is the TRUE MEANING OF VIRGO and JUPITER…
why..do I say this with clear conviction..????
Because I AM the TRUE prophet of the LORD.. ( S.M)…
We have 18 years left before JUDGEMENT DAY ..!!!
This intrigued me. Why 1967? What happened that year?
Actually there is a dragon constellation called draco
Bible teacher, Brenda W., says, “On Sept. 23, 1917: Revelation 12 sign in the heavens at the close of the 2nd day of the Feast of Trumpets, is the beginning of the 7 years (tribulation). A fulfillment of Revelation 12:1,2. From that point, she matches up all the dates. It is most impressive.
Yes, but what if the dragon in Revelation 12 is also a constellation… Much happened for the Magi in the sky that led them to the prophesized story on the ground…
Then again at Jesus’s crucifiction. Could God have laid out the entire creation story in the stars? On Earth as it is Heaven?
Just thoughts I have had and prayed about as I have pondered these signs and events… Blessings on you for your work here and the kind way you have answered people 🙂
You make some interesting points but I’m curious about why you didn’t address the fact that Jupiter was in retrograde inside Virgo for 9.5 months for this particular alignment. To my understanding, this has never happened before in recorded history.
What do you know about cern? Do you believe that it is associated with the end times? It’s supposed to start back up 2021… and many scientists say it will be the cause of too many problems with the negative matter… thoughts?
I’ll give you one guess as to what the NT reading in the One Year Bible was today. And as always, this passage pricks my curiosity. Yes, it is a SIGN, not a clear direction. It’s part of a road map that lets us know we are getting very close to our heavenly destination.
Quick food for thought: the ancients understood and watched the movements in the sky. This astrological event was what the Magi saw and to which they responded (as taught by the head of the Magi, many centuries earlier, Daniel). The star of Bethlehem was astrological NOT astronomical.
The constellations are mentioned in the earliest written book of Scripture: Job. The Pleiades and Orion are mentioned in Job and in other scripture repeatedly. Repetition in scripture implies importance.
We are told in scripture that the heavens can give us warning or signs for what is to come. If that is the case, wouldn’t the enemy, Satan, distort something like that and make it serve his wicked purposes? And wouldn’t people seeking the Lord believe it to be wicked since it is so badly counterfeited and completely turn away from searching the heavens for signs?
But in the final analysis, we have to remember that what appears in the heavens are SIGNS. Nothing more. They don’t tell us to do thus and so. They let us know it’s coming and they can confirm what scripture is telling us. These signs are like the ones we see on the highway that tell us we are thirty miles from our destination. They should give us hope and quicken our steps. The world needs Jesus and we have run faster to tell them.
I’ll close with the lyrics from a song by the 80’s Christian rockers, White Heart: “Why search the skies? We should be searching our hearts.”
Maranatha! Come quickly, Lord!