The Morning Star

Do you know what the Morning Star is? The Morning Star most commonly refers to the planet Venus when it appears brightly in the eastern sky just before sunrise. Could that have a spiritual significance? Jesus uses the final chapter of Revelation to reveal that He is the Bright Morning Star, symbolizing that He will appear shortly before the Sun Rises.

Revelation 22:16 (NASB)

"I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star."

I would like you to notice three specific things.

1. Jesus’s message is specifically given to the churches.

2. Jesus is before David and Jesus is after David, the heir to the prophesied Davidic Throne.

3. Jesus is the Bright Morning Star.

What if this passage, the last recorded words of Jesus in the Bible, is more than a description of himself? What if these final words of Jesus are prophetic and a revelation of His return for the church?

Let me make it simple. What if the Morning Star is a reference to the rapture of the church, the time when Jesus will come in the clouds and receive His bride…before the Sun rises in the east. The Morning Star can be seen before the Sun rises in the East. The Morning Star is not usually seen by the world because it appears when the world is sleeping. The Morning Star is only seen by those who are awake and watching before the sun rises.  Jesus is clear that the rapture of the church will be for those who are awake, watching, and waiting, looking for His coming.

Matthew 24:42 (NLT)

“So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.

If the Morning Star event is the Rapture of the Church (what if), then what is the Second Coming? What if the Second Coming is the Sunrise from the east? The last Old Testament book, Malachi, refers to Jesus as the Sun of Righteousness.

Malachi 4:2-3 (NLT)

“But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.

3  On the day when I act, you will tread upon the wicked as if they were dust under your feet,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.

What if the Morning Star represents the Rapture of the Church (Jesus comes to take the bride to heaven), and the Sun Rise that follows represents Jesus’ return after the Tribulation (as the heir to David’s throne) to bring judgment to the world? What if?

It is clear that Jesus calls himself the Bright Morning Star. It is clear that Jesus is the Sun of Righteousness. The rest is what if. And what if this next Word from Jesus is for those who are awake and watching for the Morning Star? What if?

Luke 21:34-36 (NLT)

“Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware,

35  like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth.

36  Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”

What if?

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen,

Terry Cooper

Lead Minister