 Okay. Welcome everyone to the second lecture on BC 106 interpreting scripture today, second lecture today. We're going to continue from where we paused before the break. I'll go ahead and share the PDF. So we've been talking in the previous lecture about avoiding allegorising and just giving some explanation, examples on that. But I want to talk a little bit now about a prophetic message. So we're not talking about teaching or preaching. We're talking about a prophetic message, an inspired message. Now we will talk about Bible prophecy in the next shortly in the next lesson. But I'm talking about prophetic inspiration, prophetic message. Here, what I mean is I'm talking about prophecy when you're prophesying to somebody or a prophetic message that God might inspire. We're talking about the gift of the spirit, the gift of prophecy or a prophetic word. Sometimes when you're giving a prophetic word or a prophetic message, God may use a story or a passage in the Bible as a story or passage in the Bible. And he may be bringing something out of that passage to speak to the person. So, of course, it is not the literal meaning of that passage. But God is using that as an example of story just to inspire that particular message. Example would be, suppose you feel led by the Holy Spirit to prophesy to a person. And you begin to say like, God just reminds you of that moment of the story of Joseph in the Bible. And God uses the historical event that is what happened to Joseph to give you a message to inspire a prophetic word, a prophetic message, to speak to this person. So, you know, it could go something like this would say, you know, you find yourself right now in a prison just like Joseph found himself in a prison. You were wrongly accused and put into that place where you are right now just like how Joseph was falsely accused and put into the place. But God is saying that, you know, he will use the very gifts that he has placed in you to bring you out of this prison situation that you find yourself in. Just like God, you know, used the gifts he had given Joseph to bring him out. And then God is going to lift you up. He's going to put you in a place of honor. In the same place where you were dishonored, God will put you in a place of honor, just like how God lifted Joseph up in Egypt. So, there are times when God uses, you know, things in the Bible, stories in the Bible, events in the Bible, people, places, other things, scriptures, to inspire a prophetic message in you to give to a particular person. Right? So we're not talking about preaching and teaching the Bible. We're not talking about interpreting scripture. We're just talking about an inspired message, a word of exhortation, edification, exhortation, comfort that comes forth to somebody. And many times, you know, and that it would happen like this, God would inspire something, you know, he'll remind you of something scripture, use that as an example to give forth a prophetic message. Now, in those cases, remember, it's perfectly fine just to flow with the Holy Spirit. You're not preaching or teaching the word of God, you're just bringing a prophetic message to somebody, to an audience. And between you and God, he is using that scripture to communicate a message to you, which he wants you to give to the people. Right? And it's just being used in illustration. So as long as what you're saying is not contradicting the written scriptures, and as long as it's not contradicting who God is, then that prophetic message is fine. You can flow with it, just give it. Right? So that way you don't have to worry, am I allegorizing? No, this is a prophetic message. The context is different, as opposed to when you're preaching and teaching the word of God, and here you're flowing. But everything you say, of course, has to be aligned to the teaching of the word of God. Right? We can't say things that are wrong and unlawful. And just so I was reminded of scripture, I said it, we can't do that. So I just wanted to give that. So any questions, let me pause here at this moment. Any questions so far in how to work with parables, these things that we're talking about avoiding allegorizing. Any questions? Everybody's clear so far. Okay. Class is very quiet. So I'm assuming you're all with me. You're understanding. Okay. That you're following and no questions. Okay. So now let's go into Collins. You have a question. Please ask. Yes, Pastor. Good morning and good morning, colleagues. Pastor, I think also some preachers do go allegorizing when they try to interpret the scripture. You know, when we look at the original languages of the Bible, Hebrew, Al-Malik and Greek, then they get out a word and they say now it has more than two meanings. They can say that you see this word has more than two meanings in the original language. They take it like that. Now, when he speaks another meaning that you are not fond of, it gives that very scripture, all that very context, a different, totally different meanings like you've never had before. So what about that? What can we do when we meet such a thing? It may be during our ministry or during, I give him someone. Thank you, Pastor. Yes. So it is true that a word in Hebrew or Greek could have multiple meanings. It is true, right? And there are numerous examples. But what we should do is, one, take the meaning that is most appropriate for the sentence and also for the context. So that's the first rule. And we always do it in our English language also. So even in our English language, if a particular word could have more than one meaning, what do we do? By default, we take the meaning that is most appropriate for the context. That means for the sentence and the context in which that sentence is found. We say, oh, that's what he means. We do that all the time in our English language. And so we must do the same thing when we are studying the scriptures. So it is true a word could have more than one meaning. So take the first rule is take the meaning that is most relevant for the sentence and the context in which that sentence is found. Second is, if possible, combine all the meanings into one logical or one logical thought that can be derived from the sentence. So combine, do a combination of all of that. So yes, this word could mean A, it could mean B, it could mean C. Let's combine all of them and say, OK, what is the logical thought the writer is bringing out? Because that word could mean more than one thing, but it has to be consistent. That can be held together. So example, I'll give an example, and this is something I was just looking at even now because we are going to be studying James up to one on Sunday. So for example, when James begins by saying, I counted all joy brethren when you fall among various trials that were trial in the Greek actually could mean doesn't always mean temptation. It could mean trial as in difficulty, but it could also be trial as in temptation. So, you know, it has both. It could be used in both ways. And that same word trial in the Greek is used in two different ways in the same chapter because in verse two, he's really referring to difficulties, adversities, that sense. Then later in the chapter in verse 12 and 13 is more specific. He's using the same Greek word, but he's talking about temptation. Why? Because he talks about sin. Right. So what, how would be, you know, we know this particular word is has more than one meaning. But what is the meaning we should use? Well, based on the sentence in the context. So in verse two, the sentence is talking about trials as in difficulties, adversities, counted all joy. It could also mean temptation, but the real emphasis is on adversities. Verse 12, few verses below. The real, the context there in that sentence is temptation because he says, let no man say when he's tempted, he's tempted by God, because God, you know, but he's drawn away by his own desires. So that the context there definitely is clearly temptation, although it's the same Greek word that was used in trial. So here's an example where depending on the sentence, you take the, you choose to take the meaning, the sentence in the context, you take, choose to take that particular meaning of the word, although the word could have more than one meaning. And secondly, if you desire, you can use a combination of both the meanings. So, especially in James one verse two, counted all joy, brother, when you fall into various trials, if you want to use a combination of trials and temptations over there, it's fine. That means when you're faced with adversities, difficulties or temptations all around you. He's saying you still be joyful. Okay, it's fine. But definitely in verse 12 and 13 he's specifically talking about temptation because he's talking about sinning. Right. So there, a combination may not be relevant because the context is very specific. It's talking about sin. So this example where in one case you can use a combination of all the word meanings of the word. In one case you have to be stay with the specific because of the context. So that would be the correct way to handle a word that has multiple meanings. If somebody is taking a meaning that really is out of context, and even if it contradicts, and especially if it contradicts the rest of scripture, then you can disregard what they're saying because they're violating the rest of scripture. I said, okay, Collins. Okay. Good. Any other questions? Okay. All right. So Collins, did you hear my explanation or did you miss it out? You got what I was saying. Okay. I see a response in the chat. Okay. All right. So now we're going to go into the next lesson. Next part of our framework or our handling of scripture, which is Bible prophecy. So we know the Bible is a prophetic book, meaning we know there is historical content in the Bible. There's doctrinal content, all of that. But there is also prophetic content, meaning the Bible is talking about future events. It's talking about things that will happen. So how do we handle Bible prophecy? What are some guidelines? Now, in Bible prophecy, there are a couple of challenges. One is time, timeline. There's a prophecy given, but you know, there is no date accompanying it. Oh, this will happen in 2022. There's no date accompanying that prophecy. So that's one challenge, meaning, okay, it's a prophecy Bible prophecy, but when is it going to happen? Okay. Secondly, in a lot of the prophetic texts, there is figurative language. There is what we call as prophetic imagery that is being used. Now, one reason why there is prophetic imagery, and I'm not saying there's always the reason God uses prophetic imagery for many reasons. But one reason is also, if God was showing people things way ahead of their time, they would have no context to interpret it. Example, imagine if, you know, somebody living in Bible times saw an airplane, they had a vision, they saw an airplane. I mean, what would they record it down as? They have no context. They don't have aeroplanes. They didn't have aeroplanes in Bible times, but God is giving this person a vision 2000 years ahead, shows him an airplane. How will he record it? Most likely he will record it as a bird. I see something like a bird. It has wings and it's making sound and, you know, he would record it with the language and context he has. So, because there is no language called aeroplane in those days. Or example, if God showed, you know, somebody in the Bible times mobile phone, he has nothing, no language. So he would say something like, I see a, you know, a black box, something like a box that is long on one side and short on the other. It has eyes that can see, it can, it is making sound. It can speak, you know, it can sing, you know, whatever. I'm just giving you some, right. He's going to record what he is saying with the language that he has in his day and time, because he doesn't have a context for an aeroplane or a mobile phone, and so on. Right. So that is another thing that you find in scripture where the use of prophetic imagery that means these images, which are capturing things way ahead of time. So that's another thing. So, when we study Bible prophecy, there are some guidance that we need to keep in mind. And, you know, when we get into our second year and a third year and a third year, we will study Daniel, the book of Daniel, verse by verse, and we'll go through Revelation, verse by verse. And we will learn how to interpret those scriptures and interpret those, you know, the Bible scripture text when we go through it, verse by verse. But we will just share right now some guidance, some thoughts to keep in mind when we are looking at Bible prophecy. So what should we do with Bible prophecy? One, keep in mind timeline, timeline. Okay. Be very careful when you're looking at timeline and see if there could be possibility that, you know, the timelines could be different in just one sentence. For example, we are all familiar with Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6, you know, and I'm just reading Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6. It says, unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulder. And his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. So here's one verse, literally one sentence. He's saying, a child is born, a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulder. Now he says, this child, his name is, you know, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. So this is who the child is. This child is Wonderful Counselor, he's the Mighty God, he's the Everlasting Father, he's a Prince of Peace. So this is who the child is. Right. So that's the latter part of the verse. But look at the first part of the verse. Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulder. Between the time the child is born and the time he is given to the government being on his shoulder, there is a period of at least 2000 years. But it's part of the same sentence. The child is born, the son is given, that happened 2000 years ago. Then Jesus was born on the earth. He came as a carpenter's son. He, the government was not on his shoulder. He came to be crucified, to pay for sin. But he is going to come again, Revelation chapter 20. When he sets up his kingdom on the earth, and he will rule from Jerusalem, the government will be on his shoulder. Now, Isaiah is not explaining all this to us. He's just giving it to us in one sentence. Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulder. Time gap. In that one sentence is at least 2000 years. How the government is going to be on his shoulder, he doesn't tell us in that verse. When the government will be on his shoulder, he doesn't tell us in that verse. So, here's an example where, by the prophecy, where in one prophetic statement, there's a lot that is not said. And there's a time gap of about more than 2000 years, which is not stated. And the only way we're going to understand that is by looking at other parts of the Bible. Because we have other scriptures that are talking about when Jesus is going to set up his kingdom on the earth, and how he will carry the government on his shoulder for 1000 years. And, you know, we will rule with him and so on. There are other scriptures that explain that because of that, then we can come back to Isaiah 9-6 and understand, oh, this is what he meant. Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulder. There will come a time when Jesus will sit on the throne of David in Jerusalem, and he will rule the nations of the earth, but that will be in the future. The government be on his shoulder. Now, very interestingly, in Acts chapter 1, at the time of Jesus' ascension, the disciples asked him, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? I mean, they were looking at Jesus as, you know, he's supposed to come and rule. But he died, he rose up again, he resurrected, he did all these things, but nothing changed in the kingdom. The Romans are still in charge. So they're saying, Lord, you know, before you go up, before you ascend, you know, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? And he says, it's not for you to know the times which the Father has kept in his own hand. That means, look, the time is coming for that political government thing to happen. That time is coming. God has kept the time for it. So Isaiah 96 is a is a classic example where there's one sentence, but the timelines are different. Yeah. Or if you look at Isaiah 65, again, in Isaiah 65, and we're looking at verses 17 to 24. In Isaiah 65, 17 to 24, there are actually two different, we would use the word ages or dispensations that are being referenced in Isaiah 65, 17 to 24. And they're actually reversed. So what is happening later is mentioned first and what's happening earlier is mentioned later. And so it's going to be very confusing. So what do you mean? So if you look at Isaiah 65, 17 to 24, I'm just giving another example where 17 starts off, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth. Okay, so you're thinking about new heavens and a new earth because that's how this verse is starting. And sure enough, second Peter chapter three and Revelation 21 and 22 are talking to us about new heavens and new earth. So we know we have other passages that are talking to us about new heavens and a new earth. Okay, fine. Isaiah 65 verse 17, I create new heavens and a new earth. Okay. And then you read on, you know, verse 18, be glad and rejoice forever, Jerusalem. And verse 19, I would rejoice in Jerusalem, my people, there will be no more weeping, there will be no more crying. Verse 19, wonderful. You see that in Revelation 21 as well also. There's no more weeping, no more crying in the new heavens and the new earth. So, verses 17, 18, 19, all good. But suddenly in verse 20, something changes because now he's talking about an infant. He's talking about an old man. He's talking about a child who will die about 100 years old. He's talking about a sinner being accursed. Wait a minute. I cannot reference new heavens and the new earth because in the new heavens and the new earth, nobody is going to die. As far as we know, nobody is going to be born as babies. And we know no sinner is going to be there. So, verse 20, cannot be talking about new heavens and the new earth context has changed. And then as you read on, verse 21 talks about building houses, planting vineyards. Well, that cannot be spoken about the new heavens and the new earth because that's not there. And it says verse 22, you know, you'll build, somebody will plant, somebody else will inhabit, will not inhabit and so on. My leg will long enjoy the work of the hands. Verse 23, they will not leave, but they will not bring forth children to trouble and so on. And then in verse 25 gives us the clue. He says, the wolf and the lamb will feed together. The lion will eat straw like the ox. Oh, what's he talking about? We don't have wolf and lamb in the new heavens and the new earth. But when do we have that? That has to be the millennium. There's a change in the nature of things. Okay. So therefore, verses 20 to 25 is talking about the millennium, not about the new heavens and the new earth. And the millennium happens before the new heavens and the new earth millennium happens revelation chapter 20 new heavens and new earth chapters 21 and 22. So here's an example where as a 65 was a 17 to 24. There are actually two prophetic past two prophetic timelines. The first one 17 and 19 is talking about new heavens, new earth. 20 to 24 is talking about the millennium. But actually the millennium comes first. Then comes new heavens, new earth. And how do we know it? Because of other passages in scripture. Like I mentioned, second Peter chapter three and revelations 20, 21, 22. So, and also Joel chapter three, but they will be their swords and supplies shares and so on. So the only way we can understand as a 65, 17 to 24 is when we compare it with other passages of scripture. And then we, we understand, oh, there is that there are two prophetic periods of time that are being referenced. And okay, somebody could need to mute the mic, please. Okay. And. Okay. All right. So there are two different prophetic timelines being spoken of. And the only way we recognize that is when we study other prophetic passages related to this. So as a 65 is an example where two different time periods are spoken of. And they're not given in the, or let me say they're given in opposite sequence. That means what happens later is mentioned first. And what happens earlier is mentioned later in the scripture text. So we have to study it very carefully. And the only way we can correctly interpret is when we look at other passages, scriptures or like this is how it is said. Therefore, I understand it like this. Okay. So timeline is a very important consideration. And then we look at prophetic scripture. And we follow the sequence given to us in scripture. Sometimes we have to, you know, in, when we look at other scripture, that will help us put things in the right order or right sequence chronologically. And we can do it based on what we see in other places in scripture. Now, in our third year, when we go through Daniel and go through revelation, verse by verse, then you will see how important, you know, this is, you know, in following the timeline and correctly following the chronology of events based on scripture. Another important part of, so one is timeline. The second one is prophetic imagery. Like I said, in prophetic, in Bible prophecy, there are lots of images that are being used. Okay. And in, we have to be careful how we interpret those prophetic images. All right, could somebody mute the mic please? Yeah. How we interpret these prophetic images. And what I, what we must understand is, many times the prophetic images, the meaning of the prophetic images are already given in the immediate text, scripture text, or it will be found in other related scripture. So to interpret prophetic imagery, what must we do? Look for the meaning in the immediate text, because very often the immediate text gives you, gives us the meaning. And if it's not found in the immediate text, then look for the meaning given in other prophetic text in the Bible. And as an example, if you turn to Revelation 12, we will be studying all this, you know, in great depth in our third year. So I'm repeating that. So don't get, I don't get worried if you, you know, you say, well, there's so much in the Bible that especially in Daniel and Revelation that I don't understand. Of course, we will go through all of that verse by verse. And we will explain, but understand the principle. The principle is the meaning of the prophetic images are actually in the immediate text or in related text in the Bible. We'll find it. Okay. So if you go to Revelation chapter 12, I'm just giving one example. Right. And we can look at many scriptures, many examples, but just to understand. You go to Revelation 12. Okay. Could somebody read Revelation 12 versus one to six for us, please. Anybody could read that. Revelation 12. Now a great sign appeared in heaven. A woman clothed with the sun with the moon under her feet and on her head a garland of 12 stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. And another sign appeared in heaven because a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and 10 horns and seven diamonds on his head. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth to devour her child as soon as it was born. She bore a male child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron and her child was caught up to God and his throne. And the woman fled into wilderness where she has a place prepared by God that they should feed her there. 1260 days. Thank you. So when you read Revelation 12, it's like, okay, who is this woman? Who is this child? A male child, we see. Who is this red dragon? Now, somebody may say red dragon that represents China. Woman? We don't know. Who is this woman? Who is this male child? So my question to you is, how do we find out who is this woman? Who is this male child or man child? And who is this dragon? How should we correctly interpret it? And so what can we say? So let's see the dragon. Who is the dragon? So if you continue on in Revelation 12, it tells us in verse nine, so in verse nine, the great dragon was cast to the earth. That serpent of old called the devil and Satan. So who is the dragon? Is it China? Red dragon. Who is the dragon? What do you think? So let me just look in the chat. Okay, so who is the dragon, the red dragon that he talks about? Yeah, obviously it is Satan. How do we know? It's right there in verse nine, Revelation 12 verse nine, the great dragon, serpent of old, devil, Satan, right? So it's already given to us in the scripture text. So if somebody stands up and says, you know, they read the first six verses, like how we read and they start preaching, oh, the red dragon is China. Why? Because China's color is red and they all have dragons. Is that the correct interpretation? No. How can we say that? Because right there in the related text, right there in the same text, it's explained to us who is the red dragon, right? So nobody should take this passage and say the red dragon represents China. That's wrong interpretation, right? Here, right here, it tells us in verse nine, the red dragon is serpent of old devil, Satan. So that's who the red dragon is. So one part of the prophetic imagery is solved. Now, who is the male child? And this woman gave birth to a male child. Who is this male child? What can we see here? So we see this verse five. It says the male child will rule all nations with a rod of iron and he was caught up to God and his throne. So he's going to rule the nations with a rod of iron. Now, who else will rule the nations with a rod of iron? Well, we know if you go to Revelation 19 and verse 15, Revelation 19, verse 15, it's talking about Jesus. It says out of his mouth, Revelation 19, 15, out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, but that he will strike the nations and he himself will rule them. That is the nations with a rod of iron. So when you look at other scripture texts in Revelation 19, 15 is one example. The Bible talks about Jesus as the one who rules the nations with a rod of iron. And it also says going back to Revelation 12, 5, the child was caught up to God and his throne. So who was caught up to God and Jesus? He ascended to the Father. So it's very clear that this male child is talking about. What do you think the male child is? Jesus. Yeah. So the male child is Jesus, right? So based on what we see in Revelation 12, 5 and Revelation 19, verse 15, we can say, well, the male child is clearly Jesus because he's the one who's going to rule the nations with a rod of iron. He was the one who was caught up to the throne of God. So red dragon based on scripture we know that represents the devil. Male child is Jesus. Okay. But who is the woman? Because the woman gave birth to the male child. Now, who is the woman? How do we find out now? There could be two options. One is the woman could represent Israel. Why? Because Jesus was born out of the nation of Israel. He gave birth. I mean, Israel gave, the nation of Israel gave birth to Jesus. Jesus was born as a Jew. Now some people will say, well, the woman represents the church. Well, if you think about it logically, the church did not give birth to Jesus. It is Jesus who formed the church. It is Jesus who established the church. So that immediately rules out the woman being the church. But what else can we say? If you look at chapter 12 verse one, it tells us about this woman. This woman was clothed with the sun and the moon and 12 stars. Where else do you read about the sun, the moon and the 12 stars in the Bible? Well, immediately your mind goes back to Joseph's dream in Genesis 37. And Joseph has a dream. He sees the sun, the moon and the stars. And who is the son of the moon? His father, Jacob, his mother and his brothers. And this is a parallel right here. So Genesis 12, 1 parallels, sorry, Revelation 12, 1. This woman was clothed with the sun, the moon, the 12 stars who gave birth to the male child is exactly a parallel of Genesis 37. Joseph's dream, the sun, the moon and the stars. So on both counts, we can say very confidently this woman is Israel, the nation. And you can also understand it from the rest of the chapter, chapter 12. God preserves this woman for 1,260 days, that is three and a half years, which is a second half of the tribulation. And, you know, we see what the woman does, what the dragon does to the woman. Later on in the same chapter, he persecutes the woman, that is Revelation 12 verse 13. And there's a lot of other context when you understand what happens in the second half of the tribulation. Daniel chapter 12 and Jeremiah 38, I think it refers to this is a time of Jacob's trouble and so on. So both from the direct context of Revelation 12, by using, comparing this, you know, the sun, the moon, the 12 stars to what we see in Genesis 37. And by knowing what the other scriptures are saying about the tribulation, we can confidently say the woman is the nation of Israel. So we've solved the mystery here. The prophetic text is giving us three different images. A woman, a male child and a red dragon. So when you read it, you'll get very confused. Who's this woman? Who's this male child? Who's this red dragon? Well, you look at the scripture, you look at the tech on, you know, how it's explained. And right from the past and the chapter itself, you can arrive at the meaning very confidently. This is who the woman is, who the male child is, and who the red dragon is. So like this, examples, there are many, many prophetic scriptures where images are used, especially in Daniel. Then we study Daniel, you know, there's this big image of gold, which has, you know, head of gold, breastplate of silver. And as a tie of brass and the legs of iron and the feet that are mixed with iron and clay and so on. So, you know, it'll all be very confusing. What does all this mean? Or he sees, you know, four beasts coming out, you know, one beast that looks like a lion, one beast that looks like a bear, one beast that looks like a leopard. And the fourth beast is like, it's just called a beast. It's a combination of a lot of crazy things, you know. So you'd be like, what does all this mean? But actually, in the same chapter, it's interpreted for us in Daniel chapter seven. And down in chapter eight, he sees a ram and a goat fighting. Now, what does it mean? Well, it's interpreted right there in Daniel eight, you know, about who's the ram, who's the goat and so on. So the point I want to get across is in interpreting prophetic scripture, we just have to look very carefully. Sometimes in the immediate text, the meaning is given as example, Revelation 12, or in related text, like we saw, we went to Revelation 19, where it tells us Jesus is the one who rules the nations for the rod of iron. So in the related text, you will find the meaning. And so that's how we must discover, we must search out the meaning of the images that we are seeing in Bible prophecy. And we should not make the mistake of just giving it our meaning. Just give one example and then we'll close. For example, you know, Revelation 12, it talks about the sun, the moon, the 12 stars. Now, you know what happened back in, I think it was 2019, if I'm not mistaken, about the year, but I think it was 2019 or thereabouts. NASA, the Space Agency, the US Space Agency, they announced, hey, there is a constellation in the heavens that is happening. The stars, certain stars are coming into alignment, and it looks like this woman who is giving birth to a child. And this actually happened, you know, and they put out the picture, the constellation of the woman giving birth to a child. The stars were aligned like that, and I don't know the exact, you know, astronomical, what is called, the names of those constellations, but this happened. And then there was such a big hue and cry in certain parts of the Christian church. They took this image that NASA had put out about the constellation of the stars, and they said, this is the fulfillment of Revelation 12. Look, Revelation 12 said, there's a woman, there's a sun, the moon, the 12 stars. And look, NASA has put out this image, it's the stars are coming together in constellation, and it looks like a woman giving birth. So this is the fulfillment of Revelation 12, and therefore this year, you know, Jesus is coming, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. It became a big thing in the Christian world. So, you know, people said, Jesus coming, get ready, whatever, whatever. And even somebody sent that email to me, they said, Pastor, you have to inform the church, be ready, because on this particular date, when this, you know, constellation is at its perfect position, that's the day Jesus will come, the church will be raptured, whatever, all kinds of things should go on the church. And some people actually went into, you know, preparation, waiting for the rapture to happen, whatever. 2019 came and went, we are here in 2022, and, you know, nothing's happened. So I'm giving you an example, because Revelation 22 is not talking about the stars in the sky, it's talking about Israel, Jesus, and Satan. The meaning is right there in the text. But what do these people do? They took it out of what is there, and they're just simply looking up into the sky, looking at the constellation of the stars. It's not talking about the little stars. It's talking, it's using prophetic images to refer to Israel, to refer to Jesus, to refer to Satan. Okay, so if you miss interpret Scripture, we'll get into a lot of trouble. Okay, John, we have, please go ahead with your question. Yes, Pastor, if we have time, then we can answer now, maybe we can take it up next week. First of all, this question was regarding to Revelation 12. So could it also mean that this, my concern was Revelation, I mean, when we read all the prophecies, it concerns to the time, which is the things that are yet to happen, and like quite a lot of stuff, right? So even in Revelation 12, this incident, is it a mix, as we discussed earlier, or the child ascended to heaven that we know has already happened? Is it a mix of timelines, or is it something which is going to happen? And we see that he took three stars and put down to the earth and all. So just want to understand that meaning as well. Yeah, good. Very good question. So in Revelation 12, there is a mix of events. In Revelation 12, it's telling us some events that have already taken place in the past. So when he talks about this dragon drawing a third of the stars with him, that means Satan took one third of the angelic hosts with him that already happened. Jesus said, you know, I saw Satan fall as a lightning from heaven. Then there are events that are going to happen, which is he, Revelation 12, nine onwards, he's going to try to penetrate the heavens here and then he's thrown out and he's cast to the earth. And we can also tell clearly when that's going to happen because it says there are 1,000, 290, 2,060 days. That means three and a half years. So that means that's going to happen in the middle of the tribulation. So to answer your question very quickly, Revelation 12 has events that have happened and events that are going to happen in the future. So the male child was born, Jesus was already born. The male child already ascended into heaven. He's up in heaven. But he is going to come back to rule the nations for the rod of vine. That's in the future. So it's a mix of events. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you everyone. I know our time is up. Can somebody just quickly pray and dismiss the class and you can take your break. Please. Stephanie, go ahead. Please pray. Dear Heavenly Father, we come to enter the name of Jesus. Thank you for this beautiful day and for the amazing class that we had. God, we thank you for opening our eyes and helping us to understand about all these prophecies and helping us to interpret your scripture in the right way. We thank you for our pastor who is teaching us the truth. And we thank you for all my classmates, everyone who is listening. Thank you for opening our hearts and helping us to understand. And as the days goes, let your Holy Spirit fill us. Let you guide us and fill us with great understanding. We pray for everyone here right now. Be with them and guide them. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. Thank you everybody. Have a quick break and enjoy the rest of your day. See you again soon. God bless. Bye now.