Prophetic word for today - The days of Venus (Part 4)

Prophetic word for today

The days of Venus (Part 4)

First posted: August 5, 2006

Word received: May-July 2006

Received by: Shamah-Elim Bible Studies

This is a continuation of the word on "the days of Venus" posted earlier...

Salford and sons

As we mentioned before, Jeremiah Horrocks' friend William Crabtree watched the 2nd Transit of Venus in 1639 from Salford, near Manchester, England. As we said before, the English football ("soccer") team "Manchester United" are a figure of the spiritual connection between the UK and America. Therefore, we can say that, while Jeremiah Horrocks is a figure of the UK, William Crabtree is a figure of the US. The UK and the US have been designed by God to act as a 2-witness tandem who will propel God's Glory across the entire globe. The spiritual connection between these two nations has been evident in the past, and it shall be evident again in these latter days.

One of the most famous "sons of Salford" is Alistair Cooke, who was born there on November 20, 1908. According to wikipedia.org, he was born "Alfred Cooke", but officially changed his name to "Alistair" at age 22. In October 1934, Cooke became a film critic for the BBC, and he was also London correspondent for the American broadcasting network NBC, for whom he recorded a weekly 15-minute talk called the "London Letter", a program intended to give Americans an insight into British life.

He eventually made a permanent emigration to the United States in 1937, becoming an American citizen in 1941. Shortly before the outbreak of World War 2 in 1939, he began to air a "reverse version" of the "London letter", a 15-minute talk called "Mainly about Manhattan", which was intended to give the British an insight into American life. This program was interrupted due to World War 2, during which time he broadcast a weekly program for the BBC called "American Commentary", with comments on the war. After the war, the "reverse London letter" resurfaced under the name "American Letter" (renamed "Letter from America" in 1950), a program for the BBC that was initially confirmed for only 13 installments. It ended up airing 2869 installments over a span of 58 years, finishing its run on March 2, 2004, 98 days prior to the 2004 Transit of Venus. Alistair Cooke died 28 days later at age 95, on March 30, 2004, 70 days before the 2004 Transit.

For some 25 years, between 1947 and 1972, Alistair Cooke was a foreign correspondent for the UK's "Manchester Guardian". He became a "pop culture icon", however, as the presenter of "Masterpiece Theatre", a program aired on America's PBS television network; this program gave the American public an access to quality British television. He was its presenter for 22 years, between 1971 and 1992. In 1973, he did a 13-part television series called "Alistair Cooke's America", which was followed by a book of the same title. It was a great success in both Britain and America, and it became the work Alistair Cooke would be proudest of. It was a reflection of his long love for America.

Less than a year ago, on December 22, 2005, the "New York Daily News" reported that Cooke's bones (along with the bones of others) had been surgically removed by bodysnatchers who allegedly wanted to sell the bones for use in dental and bone implants.

As you may have noticed, Alistair Cooke served as a bridge connecting American and British cultures. Therefore, he is a figure of the spiritual connection between the UK and the US. Thus, it is no coincidence that he was born in Salford, the town from which William Crabtree watched the 1639 Transit of Venus. It is no coincidence, either, that the 2004 Transit happened a mere 98 days after the end of his long broadcasting and journalistic career, and a mere 70 days after his death.

In a deep sense, Alistair Cooke represented the spiritual impartation from Britain to America, which happened when British settlers landed on the shores of America, and he also represented the reverse spiritual impartation which God had intended, from America back to Britain. However, the fact that he did not live to see the Transit (despite living 95+ years) is a figure of how America "botched up" that reverse transition due to its stubbornness. The number "98" mentioned above points to the following passage:

"¹⁵Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see. ¹⁶And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son? ¹⁷And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken. ¹⁸And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years." (1 Samuel 4:15-18)

Despite God's explicit warnings, Eli the judge was unwilling to judge the blatant unrighteousness of his two "precious babies", Hophni and Phinehas, who committed atrocities before the eyes of God and Israel (1 Samuel 2:22-25, 27-36). In the same way, America was unwilling to judge the Latin American unrighteousness within her ("Hophni"), and was also unwilling to judge the unrighteousness of "Southern Cain" ("Phinehas"). Because of this, America's revival was delayed 4 years, a period during which she will remain in spiritual stagnation as Europe's calling begins to blossom. America had been called to give the UK and Europe a full-blown impartation that would have saved Europe from unnecessary effort and travail. However, America dropped the ball, forcing the UK and Europe to go through a process that was harder than what God had originally intended. This is the reason why Alistair Cooke did not get to see the 2004 Transit of Venus from his apartment in Manhattan, New York. The scheduled epicenter of a massive and global spiritual breakout --- New York --- ignorantly passed up on God's calling. The American Eli was too busy shielding "L.A. Hophni" and "Bible Belt & Heartland Phinehas" from God's full judgments. Therefore, just as Eli died at age 98, Alistair Cooke was forced to die 98 days before the 2004 Transit.

The fact that Alistair Cooke died 70 days before the 2004 Transit points to the following passage:

"²⁵And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease. ²⁶But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp. ²⁷And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. ²⁸And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them. ²⁹And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD’S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!" (Numbers 11:25-29)

[As we have mentioned before, the phrase "did not cease" is a mistranslation of the original Hebrew text, which actually says, "... they prophesied, but did not anymore", meaning that the 70 elders only received a temporary and limited impartation, enough to perform earthly chores, but not enough to truly operate in the prophetic.]

As we have studied before, this passage speaks of how the Israelites stayed under an Old Covenant of permanent intermediaries due to the hardness of their hearts. In the same way, the American Church chose to stay under the system of Old-Covenant hierarchies, thereby denying God's New Covenant in which all believers are kings and priests and in which all believers have a direct prophetic relationship with God. Notice how Eldad and Medad received an impartation of the Spirit of God, even when they were not among the 70 "appointed ones". This is a figure of the 2-witness believers who choose to operate in the New Covenant, even when the rest of the Church deems them "unworthy" or "not chosen" for such a "privilege". It is through the Eldad and Medad believers that the Ark of the New Covenant shall be revealed unto all (Revelation 11:19).

Alistair Cooke changed his name from "Alfred" to "Alistair" at age 22. As we have said before, the number "22" points to the spiritual civil war that God has declared over America, as He has drawn a spiritual line that divides America between "east" and "west". As described on wikipedia.org, the title "Kingdom of England" was first adopted by "Alfred the Great" who ruled between 871 and 899. Even though there had been a certain degree of "united rule" in Britannia before then, Alfred the Great represents the first official integration of all the English under one rule. Therefore, the name "Alfred" in this context speaks of "integration". Thus, it is interesting that Alistair Cooke chose to shed his "unifying" name of "Alfred" at age 22, since the number "22" speaks of "internal division" and "civil war".

According to a names-meaning website, the name "Alistair" is a Scottish variation of the Greek name "Alexander", which means "defender of men". As we have said before, the Scots have a strong impartation of the independent black horse, for which reason they fought for centuries against the English to preserve their autonomy. Therefore, the name "Alistair" speaks of believers who choose to separate themselves from abhorrent structures in order to receive a direct impartation from God Himself in the lonely wilderness outside. As black-horse riders, believers become heralds of an individual relationship with God, and they become vicious enemies of those who want to keep believers under "Egyptian bondage", launching invisible judgments into the faraway structures they left behind. In that sense, black-horse riders are "defenders of men"; they are "Scottish" believers who champion the restoration of individual relationship with God.

As we have said before, December 22, 2005 was the final date of America's 3rd testing period, and it was the last day of a 3-day mass-transit strike in New York. Therefore, it is no spiritual coincidence that the story about Alistair Cooke's bones came out on the "New York Daily News" on that very date. This correlates with what happened to Elisha's and Anthony Wayne's bones. Therefore, Alistair Cooke is a figure of those who died without seeing the fulfillment of the promise, not on account of their own disobedience, but on account of other people's negligent reluctance to push forward. New York and America passed up on their opportunity to welcome God's visitation in 2005, a visitation that would have led to a 7-year process of life that would have culminated in a massive impartation of God's Glory from America to the UK and to all of the world. America shall still be used, but not in the massive role that was originally assigned to it, and she shall suffer through a pelleting of judgments from God until she comes to her senses. The heat is on, America, because you asked for it!

From all of the above, we can say that, when Alistair Cooke chose to change his name from "Alfred" to "Alistair" at age 22, it was a prophetic figure of someone who has made a definite decision to utterly reject human structures and who has drawn a line of unequivocal separation between those who want to remain under the Old Covenant of ministerial dependency and those who want to enter into a direct New-Covenant relationship with God. Once that line is drawn, the stage is set for God's green-horse judgments to come and destroy the Korah followers who have chosen to stand on the wrong side of the line:

"²³And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, ²⁴Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. ²⁵And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him. ²⁶And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins." (Numbers 16:23-26)

According to wikipedia.org, the name of Alistair Cooke's birth-town and William Crabtree's hometown --- "Salford" --- literally means "sallow-tree ford". According to Webster's Dictionary, a sallow tree is a small tree of the willow type. The first time willows are mentioned in Scripture is in verse 40 of the following passage:

"³⁹Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. ⁴⁰And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. ⁴¹And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. ⁴²Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: ⁴³That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. ⁴⁴And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD." (Leviticus 23:39-44)

In this passage, the Lord is decreeing the last of the 7 Israelite feasts, the "Feast of Succoth", also known as the "Feast of Tabernacles". In this feast, the people of Israel were to remember that God had taken them out of Egypt in order to dwell in "booths" (i.e.- tabernacles). In other words, God wanted the people of Israel to understand that He took them out of man-made structures in order to forge an individual relationship with them in the wilderness, under tents or "coverings" that may have seemed "informal" to the Egyptians, but which were the only covering under which God's Uncontainable Glory could dwell, for He wants us to see Him as our invisible covering, instead of seeing earthly man as our visible covering (Revelation 21:22-23, 2 Corinthians 5:1-5). In these latter days, the New-Covenant Tabernacle of David shall be restored (Amos 9:11), for God's 2-witness harbingers of the Ark, the "Venus messengers", are here.

The fact that the name "Salford" (i.e.- "sallow-tree ford") makes a reference to "fords" also has spiritual significance. It was at the "ford Jabbok" that Jacob made an uncompromising and unswerving decision to seek after the Melchizedek blessing of God, rejecting the methods and the "scheming devices" of man, even if it meant shedding his entire life. This is the spiritual reason why the name "Jabbok" means "emptying". "Salford", therefore, speaks of believers willing to shed themselves completely, emptying themselves out in green-horse sacrifice so that God's Glory may be unleashed on Earth.

According to Webster's Dictionary, the word "sallow" can also refer to a pale, sickly, yellow color. As we have said before, the color yellow is obtained on computer screens by combining the colors red and green at 100% intensity. Therefore, the color "yellow" is a figure of green-horse riders who manifest a red exterior of earthly weakness that serves as "vulnerable bait" for Korah, who is then drawn to the green-horse rider in order to kill him or her. That is the prophetic reason why the word "sallow" refers to a "pale, sickly" yellow color, meaning that it speaks of a bright yellow color that is dying and fading away. As we have said before, Korah seals his own doom when he touches and kills God's vulnerable "yellow flowers", for he ends up unleashing the full intensity of God's red wrath, a wrath that is empowered by God's green eternity.

As we said at the top of this section, William Crabtree saw the 1639 Transit from Salford, his hometown. The last name "Crabtree" refers to "crab apple trees". According to wikipedia.org, crab apples are a special type of apple that derives its "crabby" name from the fact that it is "small and sour". Because of their sour taste, they are rarely eaten raw. However, if they are stewed and the pulp is strained and mixed with an equal volume of sugar, and then boiled, their juice can be turned into a delicious tasting jelly with a dark-red color. Crab apples are mostly red, but some happen to be yellow. Crab apples, therefore, are a figure of believers who have gone through the stages of each horse of the Apocalypse:

Their red color along with their smallness and unpleasant sour taste point to red-horse believers who are "small" and unpleasant pestilences whose teachings express a "sour disposition" towards the status quo.
The "stewing" and "pulp straining" point to the black-horse stage in which believers are exposed to the heat of God's judgments in the wilderness and are purified unto righteousness. As this righteousness is forged, a cloud of God's grace begins to hover around the believer, which correlates with the "sugar" that is added after the stewing and pulp straining.
The "boiling" that is done at the end points to the green-horse stage in which believers are consumed like a burnt offering. Despite the grace (i.e.- "sugar") received in the black-horse wilderness, true green-horse believers are willing to surrender their claim to that grace and shed their lives in sacrifice, which lifts up a pleasant aroma unto God, just as the crab apple juice does as it is being boiled into jelly. They are willing to be consumed, just like the water that boils up from the crab apple juice, thereby forming a "cloud of witnesses":

"³²And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: ³³Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, ³⁴Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. ³⁵Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: ³⁶And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: ³⁷They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; ³⁸(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. ³⁹And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: ⁴⁰God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. ¹Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, ²Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 11:32-12:2)

The word "witnesses" in verse 12:1 above was translated from the Greek noun martys, from which we get the English word "martyr". This is no coincidence. As shown by the passage above, Scripture makes a strong connection between "witnesses" and those who are willing to shed their lives in sacrifice for abiding in the truth. In other words, to "testify" or to "give testimony" is equivalent to giving up one's own life for the sake of Truth (Revelation 12:11).

The phrase "compassed about" in verse 12:1 above was translated from the Greek verb perikeimai, which literally means "to lie around", and is derived from the verb keimai, which is used in various passages to speak of dead bodies lying in their burial place (John 11:41, John 20:12), and, on other occasions, it is used to speak of foundations being laid (1 Corinthians 3:11, 1 John 5:19) or of things laid on the ground (John 2:6). Therefore, the word perikeimai has the connotation of things lying below us, surrounding us. Thus, the "cloud of witnesses" which is above us is a result of the "dead bodies" of witnesses that are lying below and around us.

The word "cloud" in verse 12:1 above was translated from the Greek noun nephos, which only appears once in the New Testament. The word normally used for "cloud" throughout the New Testament is the word nephele, which appears 26 (=2*13) times in 22 different verses. Even though the 2 words are very similar, there is a subtle difference between them. While the word nephele refers to well-defined masses of vapor, the word nephos used in Hebrews 12:1 speaks of a great, shapeless collection of vapor obscuring the heavens. In that sense, therefore, we have a shapeless "haze" of vapor hovering around us, waiting for the full manifestation of all things. When that happens, that nephos haze shall turn into a well-defined nephele cloud, the cloud from out of which the Son of Man shall manifest Himself to all the Earth (Matthew 24:30). As we have said before, that nephele cloud is not a literal cloud in the sky, and the "manifestation of the Son of Man" does not refer to a literal, biological, historical Jesus physically reappearing like a Godzilla-type giant in the skies. The world shall indeed be surprised when Yeshua returns, for they will not behold a literal giant appearing in the sky, and they will not behold a literal Jesus giving press conferences from a Jerusalem version of "10 Downing Street" or the "White House"; despite this, they will know that "Yeshua is here indeed", and they shall recognize that He is indeed the King over all the Earth.

The Venus Express

On November 9, 2005, the ESA (European Space Agency) launched the "Venus Express", a space probe headed for Venus to study that planet. According to www.esa.int, it reached Venus after a 400-million-kilometer trip, and it began orbiting around Venus on April 11, 2006, 153 days after takeoff from Earth. It descended into its final operational orbit 26 days later, on May 7, 2006, 179 days after takeoff. According to www.esa.int, it is scheduled to study Venus for at least 2 Venusian days (486 Earth days).

According to www.esa.int, the Venus Express project is a virtual twin sister of the Mars Express spacecraft, which was also launched by the ESA and has been orbiting around Mars ever since December 2003. In order to build the Venus Express, the ESA reused the architecture that had already been developed for the Mars Express, which reduced manufacturing cycles and halved the mission's cost. The Venus Express project was approved in late 2002, but it was launched a mere 3 years later due to the advantages of using knowledge accumulated from the Mars Express project. The approach to Venus involved considerations that had not been necessary for the approach to Mars, due to the fact that Venus has 7.6 times more mass than Mars, which makes its gravitational pull much stronger. Venus's closer proximity to the sun and Venus's reflection of sunlight also had to be considered in order to prevent the Venus Express from overheating.

According to wikipedia.org, the launch window for Venus Express was between October 26 and November 23, 2005. The launch was first scheduled for October 26 at 4:43 UT, but problems with the insulation led to a 2-week launch delay, leading to the eventual launch on November 9, 2005.

According to the director of the ESA's science programs, David Southwood, Venus and the Earth "must have been very similar planets", so one of the purposes of the Venus Express was to understand why Venus and the Earth "diverged to the point that one became a cradle for life while the other developed into a hostile environment".

There have been some 20 American and Soviet missions to Venus since 1962. Venus Express will try to answer many of the questions raised and left unanswered by previous missions. In a sense, the Venus Express is out to expose secrets about Venus that have remained hidden for ages.

The Venus Express has 7 instruments onboard; 5 of them are from previous missions: 3 from Mars Express and 2 from "comet-chaser" Rosetta. By the way, comet-chaser Rosetta was launched by the ESA on March 2, 2004 (according to sci.esa.int), while Mars Express was launched on June 2, 2003, exactly 9 months earlier (according to sci.esa.int). "Coincidentally", Rosetta was launched on the very day that Alistair Cooke's "American Letter" last aired.

On June 27, 2006, the ESA announced an interesting finding (posted on www.esa.int). Based on the data gathered by Venus Express during its first orbit around the planet, it was confirmed for the first time that there is a huge "double-eye" atmospheric vortex at the planet's south pole. As shown by a photo posted on www.esa.int, this vortex has the shape of the symbol used in mathematics to represent "infinity" (∞). Scientists are still at a loss to explain the reasons for this south-pole double vortex, which is somehow created by the incredibly fast winds that circle around Venus's upper atmosphere, speeding around the entire planet in just 4 Earth days.

Venus's atmosphere is very "cloudy". The Venusian cloud deck is known to be about 20 kilometers (some 13 miles) thick, and it extends up to about 65 kilometers (some 41 miles) over the planet's surface. Venus Express discovered that, on the night side of Venus, the cloud deck actually extends up to 90 kilometers (some 56 miles) in the form of a "fully opaque haze", and it goes up to 105 kilometers (some 66 miles) in the form of a "more transparent haze".

Venus Express is equipped with a VMC (Venus Monitoring Camera) that will be monitoring the planet in 4 wavelengths, taking advantage of the "infrared windows" present in Venus's atmosphere. The information gathered will allow people to "peek" behind the dense cloud curtain enveloping Venus.

All of the details above bear out the following spiritual facts:

As we have seen before, the number "153" in Scripture points to the supernatural harvest that will be reaped in the latter days as God's green-horse remnant is manifested. Therefore, the fact that the Venus Express reached Venus's gravitational pull on April 11, 2006, 153 days after takeoff, points to how God's Venus messengers are paving the way for a mighty supernatural harvest through their spiritual sacrifice.

The date that Venus Express reached Venus --- April 11, 2006 --- was exactly 11 months after May 11, 2005, which was the date when God decreed the first delay in America's latter-rain revival. The number "11" speaks of God's purifying judgments. Therefore, the "11 months" and the dates "May 11" and "April 11" all point to God's judgment against America: Because she was unwilling to cooperate with Him, He has shifted His focus from America to Europe, and, because of that, America shall be pounded with judgments during her delay period until she comes to terms with her unwavering waviness. Because of this judgment against America, it was Europe which reached Venus, and not America. The 2004 Transit of Venus is the first transit in human history that has occurred during the era of space travel, and, right after this spiritually relevant transit, Europe has been the one assigned to explore Venus first.

May is the 5th month of the year, and April is the 4th month. Therefore, the period from May 11, 2005 to April 11, 2006 is also a prophetic figure of how America chose to stay comfortably at "stage 4", without proceeding to "stage 5" in her spiritual process. As we have said before, Scripture at times portrays our spiritual growth as a 5-stage process. Stage 4, the next-to-last stage, is a temporary stage, and those who choose to stay there permanently shall inevitably slide back to Stage 3. There is nothing inherently wrong with being at Stage 3, but Stage 3 reeks of "mediocrity" when you are there out of a reluctance to reach the fullness of God's purposes.

Venus Express was launched on November 9, 2005, exactly 182 days after May 11, 2005 (the date when the first revival delay was decreed against America). This is posting #188 on the website, and, of the 187 previous postings, the only one that mentions the number "182" is the prophetic word entitled "Trek across America", where we saw how the number "182" was related to God's spiritual shift or "detour" towards Europe and away from America. The number "182" (14 times 13) represents the hidden remnant in Europe ("14") that the American Church has yet to visualize, because it is a remnant that is inherently rebellious against the hierarchical structures of man ("13").

After Venus Express began to make large orbits around Venus on April 11, 2006, it eventually descended into its final operational orbit 26 days later, on May 7, 2006. The number "26" equals 2 times 13. The number "2" refers to God's 2-witness believers, and the number "13", when taken in a positive sense, refers to Godly prophetic rebellion against man's ways. Therefore, the number "26" speaks of the spiritual rebellion initiated by God Himself through His 2-witness believers, a Godly rebellion that comes to topple the "double-rebellion" sand castles of man and establish the Kingship of God upon the entire Earth.

"²⁶Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. ²⁷And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. ²⁸Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: ²⁹For our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:26-29)

[Notice how this passage "coincidentally" begins in verse 26. The Lord brought these verses to our remembrance after writing the words above, and, after pasting them here, I realized that they began with verse 26.]

The date when Venus Express reached its final operational orbit around Venus --- May 7, 2006 --- was exactly 10 months after July 7, 2005, the date when London suffered 4 terrorist attacks. The number "10" speaks of prophetic sacrifice on behalf of others. As we have said before, these terrorist attacks were part of the spiritual price that London and the UK were forced to pay when America backtracked from God's purposes. America had already paid a high price, and other nations were designed to benefit from her prophetic sacrifice. However, when America backtracked into her own "Private Idaho" (and behaved more foolishly than Napoleon Dynamite), London, the UK, and all of Europe were forced to pay a prophetic price of their own, a price that became necessary only after America selfishly hoarded the endowment she received.

Venus Express reached its final operational orbit around Venus on May 7, 2006, 179 days after takeoff. As we have seen before, the number "179" speaks of disaster and desolation that is heaved upon those who choose to ignore God's manifestation through His remnant. The number "17" speaks of a manifested remnant, and the number "9" speaks of dynamis power. Therefore, the number "179" speaks of the destructive power unleashed by God through His green-horse remnant as it resurrects out of the ashes of death and Sheol.

Venus Express is scheduled to study Venus for at least 2 Venusian days, which are equivalent to 486 Earth days. The "2" Venusian days once again points to the "2-witness" anointing in "Venus messengers". The number 486 is equal to 2 times 243. The number "243" is equal to 3 raised to the 5th power (i.e.- 3⁵, which equals 3 times 3 times 3 times 3 times 3). The number "3" points to the 3 "male" ministries, and the number "5" points to the 5 ministries of Ephesians 4:11. Therefore, 3⁵speaks of all 5 ministries operating in the fullness of the 3 "male-ministry" anointings. Once this happens, each of the ministries will not add its contribution of the others; instead, each ministry will multiply the impact of all the others, unleashing a manifestation of exponential proportions.

Thus, the fact that Venus Express is scheduled to end its exploration of Venus after at least 486 (=2*3⁵) days is a prophetic figure of how the end result that follows the transit of God's "2-witness Venus messengers" is the unleashing of a mighty vengeance that will break the hold of the soul matriarchy and restore the Church and the Earth unto the dominion of the "male" Spirit.

The Venus Express is the virtual sister of the "Mars Express". The close relationship between these two space projects once again points to the "two-witness" anointing on God's latter-day "Venus messengers". Mars is known as the "red planet", and it symbolizes war and conflict. This emphasizes the fact that "Venus messengers" initially manifest themselves as conflictive red-horse riders who stir up internal strife and cause "division" and "separation" through the words they systematically teach.

The Mars Express was launched on June 2, 2003, exactly 121 days after the Columbia space shuttle disintegrated upon reentry over Texas (on February 1, 2003). The number "121" equals 11 times 11, and, as we have seen before, the number "11" speaks of judgments. Therefore, the launching of Mars Express was a prophetic indictment by God against America. As America's space program was going through a credibility crisis (i.e.- judgment), the European space program was being exalted, for the humble ones shall be exalted, and the exalted ones shall be humbled. Through the launching of the Mars Express, God was prophetically announcing the spiritual shift towards Europe that came 709 days later, on May 11, 2005. Interestingly enough, Latin America was cast off only 27 days later, on June 29, 2003.

Due to the experience gained through the Mars Express project, Venus Express was launched rather quickly, with no significant delays. There was a 2-week delay from the originally scheduled takeoff, but the 4-week launch window did not go "unused". In fact, the launch took place right in the middle of that window. This is a prophetic figure of the spiritual difference between America and Europe. As God did His work in America, He found staunch institutionalized resistance that led to a massive 4-year delay. As the Lord is doing His work in Europe, He is finding "understandable" resistance that is leading to a small delay, but this delay in no way compares to the delay provoked by the American Church. Unlike America, Europe will not pass up on its window of opportunity. In the stage of human history that we are in, there is no more time to waste. To this day, most of the American Church (large and "well-organized" as it may be) is completely unaware of how close we are to a full manifestation of God's judgments and glory on Earth (Psalm 105:7, Habakkuk 2:14). There is a short "schedule" that is being pushed forth by a determined and unrelenting remnant, and the remnant knows that this short schedule must be met. There is too much at stake to cross one's arms! Yet, most of the Church seems to remain impervious to any sense of urgency. Therefore, God's manifestation will take most of the Church completely by surprise. The Lord's parousia shall be upon them and among them, and they will not know what hit them.

Venus Express's 4-week launch window correlates with the 4-year revival window given to America. God gave America the opportunity to launch the "latter-rain revival rocket" between May 2005 and May 2009, but America's spiritual hesitancy led to the entire 4-year window being passed up on.

The launch window for Venus Express began on October 26, 2005, which, as we have seen before, was the final date of America's second testing period since the 2004 Venus Transit. America's 2nd testing period began on May 12, 2005, one day after the first revival delay was decreed by the Lord. Therefore, the initial date of Venus Express's launch window was God's way of indicating that there was a spiritual connection between Europe's Venus Express and America's spiritual failures. While America was going two steps forward and two steps back (like a wave in the sea), Europe was taking the "Express" to Venus.

The number "26" in the launch window's initial date (October 26, 2005) also has spiritual significance. As we said above, the number "26" refers to God's 2-witness believers whom God raises up to launch His rebellion against the rebellious structures of man.

The actual launch date, November 9, 2005, was Day #13 of America's third testing period, and it was 43 days before the end of that 56-day period. As we said above, the number "13", when taken in a positive context, refers to God's prophetic rebellion against the structures of man. As we have also said before, the number "43" points to Ezekiel 43, which refers to the manifestation of God's Glory as a spiritual army of contentious red-horse believers is raised up. This black-horse army comes to scatter those who cling to human kings, and this green-horse army comes to obliterate those who refuse to curse the Church's matriarchal whoredoms, thereby hindering the manifestation of the God of Israel. America chose to ignore God's "43" call. The American Church chose not to rise up in "13" rebellion against the rebellious structures of man, because she did not understand that a spiritual "third day" was dawning, and she was inhospitable to God when He came knocking on the door. As the kairos window of opportunity for the rising of the 3^rd day opened up, the American Church left Joseph in prison and forgot about him (Genesis 40:20-41:1). Even as the morning star of Venus appeared in the darkness over the American land, the American Church did not understand that it was time for the dawning of a brand new day. The year 2005 came and went, and, as New Year's Day 2006 dawned over New York City, the Sun of God's Glory could not be seen in the horizon. Instead, it was a cloudy and dreary day, a depressingly cold Sunday morning with snow and ice on the ground. Instead of being a "resurrection Sunday", it was a "lifeless Sunday" in New York City. It was a new year chronos-wise but not kairos-wise for America; nothing had changed in America on New Year's Day 2006.

At present, the director of the ESA's science programs is David Southwood. In Scripture, "David" is a figure of the latter-day remnant that shall rise up out of nowhere to establish God's Kingship on Earth. As David rises, the Pastorship of God shall be established, and the cursed pastorship of matriarchal man shall be removed:

"²²Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle. ²³And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. ²⁴And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it. ²⁵And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. ²⁶And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing." (Ezekiel 34:22-26)

"⁷⁰He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds: ⁷¹From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance. ⁷²So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands." (Psalm 78:70-72)

[In this spiritual "3^rd day", God shall raise up 3^rd-level pastors who shall feed the lambs of Israel, enable God's "Jacob" sheep to be guided by the Spirit , and feed them with a heart of integrity that harbors no hidden agenda; a heart of integrity understands that there are no dividing hierarchies that separate believers into castes of "superior ministers" and "regular laymen", for we are all called to be "integrated" into One Unified Body.]

The name "Southwood" is a prophetic figure of how God shall raise David "from the south" of weakness to devastate the grace-"abounding" strongmen "ministers", the Amorite "Sauls" in the "north":

"And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded." (1 Samuel 20:41)

"³God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. ⁴And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power. ⁵Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet. ⁶He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting. ⁷I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction: and the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble." (Habakkuk 3:3-7)

[The name "Teman" means "south".

As we have seen before, mountains are spiritually related to the Amorite spirit. Therefore, the scattered "mountains" mentioned in verse 6 refer to how God shall come (in His remnant) to dismantle the Amorite kingdoms on Earth.]

Notice that the verse from 1 Samuel 20 quoted above is verse 41. As we have shared before, the Lord has impressed upon our hearts that the number "41", when used in a negative context, refers to the spirit of Amorite pride and opportunistic fornication, which is in turn related to "tall and strong oak trees" (Amos 2:9). Therefore, the last name "Southwood" is a prophetic figure of how God will use the wood of insignificant trees from the weak "south" to topple the mighty oaks of the "north". Those trapped in the bearish "north" shall then be liberated and restored unto God.

"⁸Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither. ⁹They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn." (Jeremiah 31:8-9)

"How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? for the LORD hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a man" (Jeremiah 31:22)

[The phrase "a woman shall compass a man" speaks of how the lowly wandering Israelites were able to go around the stronghold of Jericho 13 times (once for each of the first 6 days and 7 times the 7th day) and bring it down. The weak woman shall surround, besiege, and obliterate the Amorite strongholds on Earth.]

Uzzah was killed when he touched the Ark of the Covenant (2 Samuel 6:3-9). The name "Uzzah" literally means "strength". Therefore, the weak wood from the "south" that shall topple the strong oaks of the "north" is the wood of the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:10-11). Venus messengers are made of this wood, for they walk in a direct, 2-witness, New-Covenant relationship with God (Zechariah 4:14, Revelation 11:3-4, Revelation 11:19).

Because of the data gathered by Venus Express, it was possible to confirm for the first time that there is a huge "double-eyed" atmospheric vortex with the shape of the "infinity" symbol (∞) at the planet's south pole; the causes for this vortex remain a mystery. This once again points to the "2-witness" anointing that "Venus messengers" are endowed with. The "infinity" symbol points to the eternity of God, meaning that God's weak "Venus messengers" are imbued with God's eternal and unshakeable nature. In those of you who choose to be "Venus messengers", the "mystery of godliness" shall be made manifest. This is the mystery of how puny and weakly man can contain the fullness of Almighty God within him, a mystery which the matriarchal and hierarchical Church is unable to understand.

"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." (1 Timothy 3:16)

"For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come" (1 Timothy 4:8)

"For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Colossians 2:9)

"⁴What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? ⁵For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. ⁶Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: ⁷All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; ⁸The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. ⁹O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!" (Psalm 8:4-9)

"Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?" (John 10:34)

The Venus Express has 7 instruments: 3 from Mars Express, 2 from Rosetta, and 2 designed specifically for Venus Express. The 7 instruments point to the 7 Spirits of God. The pastoral matriarchy has done everything in its power to cover up the Spirit and prevent Him from being manifested. This has led to spiritually underdeveloped believers who do not move in the full spectrum of all 7 Spirits. Therefore, as the Lord breaks the pastoral matriarchy through His "Venus messengers", believers will begin to manifest and grow in all 7 Spirits of God.

The planet Mars has generally been associated with a "male" fighting nature. Therefore, we can say that the 3 instruments from Mars Express used in the Venus Express refer to the 3 Spirits of God that are associated with the 3 "male" ministries. As we have seen before, these Spirits are the apostolic Spirit of Ephesus, the prophetic Spirit of Smyrna, and the evangelistic Spirit of Pergamos. The name "Rosetta" is a "female" name. Therefore, we can say that the 2 instruments from Rosetta used in the Venus Express refer to the 2 Spirits of God that are associated with the 2 "female" ministries. As we have seen before, these Spirits are the pastoral Spirit of Thyatira and the teacher Spirit of Sardis.

The 2 instruments that were designed specifically for Venus Express represent the 2 Spirits of God that are not related to any of the 5 ministries of Ephesians 4:11; these are the dreamer Spirit of Philadelphia and the prosperity Spirit of Laodicea. Because "Venus messengers" are not "minister worshippers", they are able to move in the 2 "non-ministerial" Spirits of God. These 2 Spirits are essential in the manifestation of God from within. While the 5 evil ministerial spirits work to repress these 2 Spirits and hold them within their cursed triangle, the 5 true ministerial Spirits of God work to birth them forth from within.

Instrument source	Explanation	Spirit of God	Ministry
Mars Express	"Male" ministry spirits	Ephesus	Apostle
		Smyrna	Prophet
		Pergamos	Evangelist
Rosetta	"Female" ministry spirits	Thyatira	Pastor
Rosetta	"Female" ministry spirits	Sardis	Teacher
Venus Express	Non-ministry spirits	Philadelphia	---
Venus Express	Non-ministry spirits	Laodicea	---

Rosetta was launched exactly 9 calendar months after Mars Express. The 9 months point to "childbirth". Therefore, the Lord is portraying a spiritual irony here. As seen from the natural realm, "weak woman" shall surround, besiege, and annihilate "strong man" (Jeremiah 31:22). As seen from the spirit realm, "male" Mars shall give birth to a restored "female" Rosetta, just as woman was extracted from man at the beginning (Genesis 2:22). This birth of woman from within man speaks of how the 2 "female" ministries shall be reborn, restored in righteousness, operating in submission to the "male" Spirit once the 3 "male" ministries are freely manifested, with no matriarchal restraints.

The time that elapsed between the Mars Express and Rosetta launchings was 9 "solar" months, since they are months based on the Gregorian solar calendar. Human pregnancies generally take 9.0 lunar months (266 days). As we have said before, the "sun" is often a figure of the Spirit, while the "moon" is a figure of the soul. Therefore, Rosetta's "birth" after 9 solar months speaks of a birth that is under the shadow of the Spirit, not a birth under the matriarchal covering of the soul.

"And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35)

Even though Venus has been visited on some 20 different American and Soviet missions since 1962, many questions remain unanswered about Earth's closest planetary neighbor. Venus Express, the first European mission to Venus, was launched with the express purpose of finding answers to those questions and uncovering secrets about Venus that have remained hidden for ages. This is a prophetic figure of how God's "Venus messengers" have come to uncover spiritual secrets that have remained hidden from plain view for ages. As these secrets are revealed, the nature of God shall become increasingly evident on Earth (through His people), and the Lord's Second Coming (in its true form) shall be a palpable and unquestionable reality.

"¹That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; ²(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)" (1 John 1:1-2)

"¹⁹For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. ²⁰For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, ²¹Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. ²²For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. ²³And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body" (Romans 8:19-23)

"But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased" (Daniel 12:2)

"And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand" (Revelation 22:10)

"²It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter. ³The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings is unsearchable. ⁴Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer. ⁵Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness." (Proverbs 25:2-5)

[There is "dross" (v4) in the world, especially in the Church, which is working to conceal God's Nature. As this dross is removed through the wrath of God's judgments, the throne of God shall be established on Earth (v5). As unrighteousness is removed, the righteousness and judgments of God shall be revealed.]

For years, it has been known that Venus's atmosphere is very "cloudy". Venus Express, however, has discovered that the cloud deck on the night side of Venus is even taller than on the day side, extending up to 90 kilometers (some 56 miles) in the form of a "fully opaque haze" and 105 kilometers (some 66 miles) in the form of a "more transparent haze". This "haze" is a prophetic figure of the nephos cloud of witnesses mentioned in Hebrews 12:1. This is a cloud of spiritual martyrs hidden in the darkness of anonymity, waiting for the fulfillment of all things. That is the reason why this tall haze is on the night (i.e.- dark) side of Venus.

Venus Express will be "looking" underneath Venus's "cloudy veil" using a camera that will be monitoring the planet in 4 different wavelengths. The 4 wavelengths are a prophetic figure of God's 4 Spiritual Faces. Because of the domination of the 2 "female" ministries of pastor and teacher, the Church has operated under the dominion of the face associated with these 2 ministries, the "Man" Face. This has prevented the Church from beholding God in His true nature, for the natural "man" face was not designed to behold the Lord (1 Timothy 6:16). Through His "Venus messengers", however, God will restore the other 3 Faces that the matriarchal Church has worked to suppress. As they move in the anointing of all 4 horses of the Apocalypse, His Venus Messengers will obliterate the dominion of the Man Face. As this happens, the world shall begin to see behind the veil and behold the Fearsome Nature of God.

In 1986, a Swedish group fittingly called "Europe" had a hit song entitled "The Final Countdown", which, according to wikipedia.org, made it to #1 in a total of 26 countries, including the UK (but not including the USA). These are the song's lyrics:

[Lyrics adapted from lirama.net]

We're leaving together,

But still it's farewell

And maybe we'll come back,

To Earth, who can tell?

I guess there is no one to blame

We're leaving ground (leaving ground)

Will things ever be the same again?

It's the final countdown...

The final countdown

We're heading for Venus

And still we stand tall

'Cause maybe they've seen us (seen us)

And welcome us all

With so many light years to go

And things to be found

I'm sure that we'll all miss her so

It's the final countdown...

The final countdown

When I used to hear this song in 1986, the line "We're heading for Venus" would always catch my attention, but I would never lend it much thought. Now, 20 years later, I finally understand why. Even from then, God was announcing that He would shift His focus towards Europe during the days of Venus, and that He would enable Europe to be the first to launch a mission to Venus after the 2004 Transit. We are indeed in the final countdown. The Earth is headed into the "light" barrier. God's Venus messengers have "left the ground" of natural understanding because they know that there are many "things to be found". Despite any emotional attachment to the Earth, they have begun the journey, and the end result shall be the manifestation of God's Glory throughout the Earth.

God willing, we will share more on the transits of Venus in a future posting...