The Dragon Fire Mystery
At roughly 9:00 PM in the evening on Sunday, October 8, 1871, a quick-burning inferno engulfed the O'Leary family barn on DeKoven Street in Chicago. The fire was so hot and moved so quickly that the city's 185 firefighters were helpless to stop the spread. Fully 3.3 square miles of the city—2,112 acres—went up in flames. 300 people were killed and 17,500 buildings were destroyed. The fire raged for two whole days, finally ending on October 10th. It remains perhaps the most famous fire in American history, known to this day as the "Great Chicago Fire."
Chicago Tribune reporter Michael Ahern quickly published an article suggesting that Mrs. O'Leary's cow was the culprit, having kicked over a lantern during milking. The rumor persists to this day, but Ahern himself admitted in 1893 that he made the whole story up, and researchers agree that no one knows what really started the fire. Its origin remains a mystery.
The Great Chicago Fire is regularly taught in American history classes and certainly steals all the fame, but a much larger and deadlier fire began that same day, 200 miles north in Peshtigo, Wisconsin. The Peshtigo Firewas one of the fastest-spreading wildfires the country had ever witnessed. Within hours 1.2 million acres were incinerated, which is an area 50% larger than the state of Rhode Island. A dozen towns were completely destroyed. Somewhere between 1,500 and 2,500 people were burned alive. And like the more famous fire south, the Peshtigo Fire's exact origin remains a mystery.
But that's not all.
There were two other distinct fires that began on October 8, 1871 in the Midwest, but too far apart to have been the same fire:
- The Great Michigan Fire, which burned twice as much land as the simultaneous fire in Wisconsin. It destroyed dozens of communities and the loss of life is still unknown.
- The Port Huron Fire killed 50 people.
All these fires started simultaneously on the same day in the same year, causing an immense loss of life. But digging even further, I found another major wildfire in the record books which started in the same several day period in a different year:
The Miramichi Fire on October 7, 1825. It was the third largest single fire ever recorded in North America. Three million acres were scorched and up to 300 people were killed.
- - -
Now fast forward to last year, just two weeks after the Revelation 12 Sign. The dates:
October 8–9, 2017
Four different wildfires broke out in Northern California. Then the very next day, on October 9th, seven more fires were kindled in the region. One of the four October 8th fires grew to become the single most destructive wildfire in California state history. Over 5,000 buildings were destroyed and 22 people were killed. Collectively, the fires killed 44 people, making them the deadliest the state had ever seen.
An investigation as to the origin of these fires was inconclusive, but some suggested they were caused by strong winds and downed power lines. But 11 distinct fires in the same two-day period all caused by power lines? That sounds like a woefully inadequate explanation.
What is it with these dates?
I think we just might have a reasonable answer in the form of the Draconids meteor shower, which occurs every year without fail from October 6–10, and appears to emanate from Draco the Dragon. The Draconids are highly unpredictable, most years seeing only a few scattered shooting stars per hour, but other years witnessing thousands upon thousands per hour.
1933 and 1946 were just such years.
In the early morning hours of October 9, 1933 millions witnessed "one of the most spectacular meteoric showers of modern times." Draco the Dragon spewed his usual rocks towards the earth, but this time the number of shooting stars was simply immeasurable. No one living could count the number. There were reportedly thousands—possibly even tens of thousands—of meteors burning up in earth's atmosphere. It was the very year that one Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany, gaining control of the Reichstag and becoming Chancellor and absolute dictator.
Then in 1946, the Draconids made another astonishing appearance. Again with thousands of shooting stars per hour. It was the very year that President Donald Trump was born. It was also the year immediately afterthe birth of the proto-global government in the form of the United Nations (1945), and the year immediately before the mandate to establish the nation of Israel (1947).
In 1959, an eyewitness made a painting of what the massive Draconids meteor showers from the previous two decades looked like:
According to eyewitnesses, these showers were simply incomprehensible. Many thought it was legitimately the end of the world. Can you imagine what seeing thousands of "stars" falling to earth would look like?
In retrospect, astronomers have learned that part of what makes a particular year's Draconids so spectacular is the earth's proximity to the tail of Comet 21P when the earth crosses through the comet's orbital path. This comet is the source of the Draconids and orbits the Sun every 6.6 years. The earth passes through the comet's orbit every year (from October 6–10), but it often happens many months or even years after the comet has passed by.
1933 and 1946 were different. In one instance Comet 21P had passed through only 25 days before the earth crossed its path, so there was an immense amount of debris entering the earth's atmosphere.
This brings us to 2018 and what in a few days could possibly be a major and unexpected meteor storm. This year we are closer to the comet when we enter its orbit than we've ever been in modern times—just 22.7 days. That's closer than even 1933 or 1946.
In 1998, the Journal of the International Meteor Organization noted this incredible proximity in 2018 and the potential for an unexpectedly large shower:
You can find the journal on the Harvard University website. Hats off to Brad at Revelation 12 Daily for spotting this! And notice the last sentence above: In February 2029 the comet will have a close approach to Jupiter, which will throw off the comet's orbit, making 2018 and 2031 perhaps the last two years in human history for the Draconids to make a large appearance.
And this year is particularly ideal because of the phase of the moon. The primary determinants for good meteor shower visibility are 1. the phase of the moon, and 2. cloud cover. The phase of the moon affects visibility for the whole planet and it just so happens that on the evening of October 8, 2018, right as the Draconids are peaking, the moon will be almost completely dark. And the next evening, on the 9th, the moon will be totally dark. In other words, visibility will be theoretically perfect because the light of the moon won't cause any interference.
Based on a likely underpinning for the Sign of the Dragon referenced in Revelation 12:3–4, this might mean we could witness the astronomical aspect of this sign in just a few days. This doesn't tell us when the rapture of the Church will occur or when the sign's inherent meaning (Rev. 12:7–9) will be fulfilled, but it could tell us we are getting much closer.
Taking Revelation 12 chronologically, we see the following:
Verses 1–2: An astronomical sign of a woman in labor with a male child. She is clothed with the Sun, has a crown of twelve stars, and has the moon under her feet. This occurred on September 23–24, 2017.
Verses 3–4: An astronomical sign of a seven-headed dragon with seven crowns on its heads. Its tail appears to fling one-third of the stars in heaven to the earth. We think we have a good understanding of what this dragon is and where its heads and crowns are, but one-third of the stars of heaven falling to the earth? I think only a meteor shower could give that appearance. This year is a likely candidate.
Verse 5: The actual rapture of the Church into Heaven to appear before God's Throne. We can't know for sure when this will actually occur, but judging by the confluence of once-in-history signs (the rebirth of Israel, Fig Tree Generation, conquest of Jerusalem, Revelation 12 Sign, etc) this is absolutely imminent. The Revelation 12 Sign changes that previous "." into several exclamation marks.
Verse 6: Israel flees from the dragon, which is satan.
Verses 7–9: The actual meaning behind the astronomical aspect of the Sign of the Dragon is fulfilled when satan and his minions are cast out of Heaven to earth once and for all, never to return.
As I've said before, it's a post-Revelation 12 Sign world, which means we're now living at the crossing of the dispensations. If Christ's appearing was once imminent! it's now IMMINENT!! Behold, He is coming soon and He keeps His promises. Perfectly. Don't listen to the faithless rabble-rousers and those who want to steal your blessed hope and kill your joy. They are looking for something other than Christ, whether it be spiritual self-aggrandizement or material preparation. I'm looking for Heaven and my LORD Jesus Christ and to see a few more stragglers get aboard the ark before the floods come.
~ MARANATHA ~
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