I purchased John Hagee’s book, Four Blood Moons - Something Is About To Change, after watching Pastor Hagee and three prophecy teachers on TBN recently. Several gave Pastor John’s book the thumbs up, and I felt like I wanted a singular resource that would bring me some understanding about the blood moons. Having read it, I think they were just being polite. I will say this about the book though – once he got to the facts and stopped selling himself, I found it fascinating. Pastor John did make mention that he got his inspiration from Mark Biltz, and then followed that up with an Internet search at NASA.org.
Because I wanted to give you some scientific background information without the obligatory religious spin, I went to earthsky.org and obtained some information from an article by Bruce McClure and Deborah Byrd, entitled, “What is a Blood Moon?”
What is a lunar tetrad?
“Both astronomers and followers of certain Christian pastors are talking about the lunar tetrad of 2014-2015. What is a tetrad? It is four successive total lunar eclipses, with no partial lunar eclipses in between, each of which is separated from the other by six lunar months (six full moons)”
The authors, whom I used to catch on NPR years ago, explained,
“Meanwhile, both astronomers and some proponents of Christian prophesy are talking about the ongoing lunar tetrad – the series of four total lunar eclipses – which began with the total lunar eclipse on the night of April 14-15. We at EarthSky don’t have any special knowledge about the Blood Moons of Biblical prophesy. But, since they’re moons, and since people are asking us, we wanted to provide some info.”
The way I see it, they are not promoting this for religious purposes, and therefore I should not be inundated with drama. I am not denying that there may be drama involved, and that is likely if it coincides with God’s word as significantly as it has in the past (I will try to explain how earlier events coincided with God’s word, as we go).
Even the authors made note of Mark Biltz and John Hagee.
“Blood Moons in Biblical prophecy. We’re not experts on prophecy of any kind. But we’ll tell you what we know about the new definition for Blood Moon that has raised so many questions recently. From what we’ve been able to gather, two Christian pastors, Mark Blitz and John Hagee, use the term Blood Moon to apply to the full moons of the ongoing tetrad – four successive total lunar eclipses, with no partial lunar eclipses in between, each of which is separated from the other by six lunar months (six full moons) – in 2014 and 2015. John Hagee appears to have popularized the term in his 2013 book Four Blood Moons: Something is About to Change. Mark Blitz and John Hagee speak of a lunar tetrad as representing a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. After all, the moon is supposed to turn blood red before the end times, isn’t it? As described in Joel 2:31 (Common English Bible):”
I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. (Joel 2:30-31 NASB)
“That description, by the way, describes both a total solar eclipse and total lunar eclipse. Sun turned to darkness = moon directly between the Earth and sun in a total solar eclipse. Moon turned to blood = Earth directly between the sun and moon, Earth’s shadow falling on the moon in a total lunar eclipse.”
I suspect that much of this blood effect is due to the haze and pollutants in our air. Nonetheless, it is dramatic, and coincides with the description scripture gives us. I was thinking about that aspect of the sun turned into darkness. Are you aware of the smog related conditions in China?
India also has its fair share of smog pollution.
New Delhi, India, has the worst air pollution in the world, according to the WHO. All that smog is altering weather patterns around the world. Altaf Qadri, File/AP
I have often wondered if God showed images like this to the prophetic writers and gave them the freedom to explain what they saw. Rather apocalyptic isn’t it?
SUMMARY OF THE FIRST 7 TETRADS SINCE CHRIST by Steve Fletcher
"There is a recurring theme we need to see... a very important recurring theme in each and every Tetrad. Did you notice? It has to do with..."
ISRAEL, ROME & ISLAM
162 - 163 Persecution of Jews and Christians... by Rome
795 - 796 Rome and Islam battle for dominance
842 - 843 Vatican attacked by African Islamic invasion
860 - 861 Islam unable to advance into Europe
1493 - 1494 Jews expelled from Spain, Birth of the New (Western) World
1949 - 1950 Rebirth of Israel, freedom from the Arabs
1967 - 1968 6 day war, victory over their Arab enemies
Another important detail we need to consider with the tetrads... when you look at each one you will see that key events can happen before, during, or after the tetrads are completed. The Tetrads are a heavenly confirmation of major events that will occur, but the exact timing of those events are not revealed by the Tetrads. By looking at the chart above with all the Tetrads together you can see the key events before, during or after.
So, the pattern of all Tetrads shows... the Epic Battle for world domination between Israel, Islam, and the Roman Catholic Church has been played out at each and every turn. Based on this fact alone, we can know that this upcoming Tetrad will also be focused on this Epic Battle of the ages, the final battle for world domination... and for the inheritance of the Earth!
One more thing I wanted to show you is a graphic showing the moons in their tetrads, the years in which they happened, and the significant event. Some people are more visual learners like myself, and this may make the point more clearly.
We are in the middle of the last tetrad to be seen in this century. If you think about what has gone on for about a year now, I think you might agree that ISIS could be one of those significant things. I might also mention Hamas. Based upon statistics from the Israeli Defense Forces, since 2001 there have been over 15,200 rockets and mortars fired into Israel.
On July 7, 2014, the IDF launched Operation Protective Edge in order to restore quiet to the region and stop Hamas terrorism. The single goal of the operation is to stop Hamas’ incessant rocket attacks against Israel’s civilians.
The operation is ongoing, and since the start of the operation over 1000 rockets have been launched at Israel. Of those, 754 have hit Israel and approximately 201 were intercepted by the Iron Dome Missile defense system.
Hamas has fired long range rockets at cities across Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Rockets such as the M-302 – the same missiles confiscated from the KLOS-C weapons seizure – have long range capabilities and endanger the majority if Israel’s population. Rocket sirens have sounded non-stop across Israel, sending civilians running for shelter.
I am not so different from you. I have heard about the blood moons for a while now, and to be painfully honest, I was wishing they would shut up. I was taking the attitude that we were making far too much of this, and acting like this was going to be a literal event in terms of blood. The Holy Spirit eventually spoke to me, telling me to put the attitude away and pay attention. That is how this journey, a recent one, began. I felt I needed to start with what I think is ground zero for blood moons – Joel chapter two, and I started reading.
And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
(Joel 2:30-31 KJV)
(Joel 2:30-31 KJV)
As followers of Christ, we have an admonition about the truth setting you free. However, that will happen only if you allow it. I like to think of this as yielding to the leading of the spirit. Confronted by the truth, God’s truth, have the choice to respond correctly. I do not wish to act foolishly by saying things like there are no prophets today, in the church age. A statement like that goes in total opposition to God’s word.
As I began to share what I had learned, my acquaintance who leans so heavily upon Hank Hannegraf’s Equip.org web site to tell him who he can listen to or not, turned his swill toward me, saying, John Hagee is a false teacher with some notable, date setting errors. My friend also included Hank’s declaration that there are no prophets today. If you are a bible teacher, reading your bible with an honest heart (as my acquaintance is supposed to be), how do you make a statement like that? As you will see, Mr. Fletcher addressed this very thing. (As a side note: I tend not to tell people that God called me to be a prophet. I am not even sure what that means anymore. I just do what he tells me and it has worked out really well when I have been obedient.)
The following is from a website by Steve Fletcher which addressed the blood moons and end times events. Mr. Fletcher took his conversation one step further by addressing the prophetic nature of the information and the people, including himself, who are delivering those words. Sadly, we have far too much drama and that makes the world look at all of us as idiots. Mr. Fletcher even took this in a direction I did not wish to share with you.
Ephesians 4:11
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers...
If I were to tell you I was a pastor, would you be offended or upset by me saying I am a pastor? What about an evangelist, would I be speaking too highly of myself if I said I were an evangelist? The church is full of people with titles, ministries, callings. It is not offensive or upsetting at all to know teachers and to call them teachers. But what about PROPHETS? It’s not offensive to say I am a pastor, evangelist or teacher. But one mention of the word Prophet and everyone gets all upset by this. Didn´t Paul admonish us to seek the greater giftings, especially to prophesy?
I Corinthians 14:1
Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.
God has given me a prophetic gifting. This is not exalting myself, its simply stating my calling. Its no different than your pastor saying he is a pastor, or a teacher saying they are a teacher. Did not Moses desire for all the elders of Israel to be prophets?
Numbers 11:29
Oh, that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!
"Old Testament prophets brought New Revelations that ended up canonized in Scripture. The apostles were also prophets that spoke of things to come and their writings were canonized. Paul, Peter, James and John were not only Apostles but also Prophets. They Prophesied of things to come, and the light we enjoy today comes from the words of these prophets to help guide us as thetimes of the end are upon us. At least one third of the Bible is written as prophesy... even promises are prophetic as we trust them to bless our future."
"After the apostles day, the role of prophets changed, but continued to exist. As the scriptures were sealed, no new revelations have come that will add to the written Word of God. But Prophets still speak of things to come and confirm the scriptures... it requires a prophetic gifting to correctly interpret the signs of the times."
While we have a historical record of earlier events, and we can correlate them with the Jewish calendar of holidays, you should be aware that there are still two blood moons left, and like all the other events, they fall within the same two Jewish holidays – Passover and Rosh Hashana.
My critical friend asked if there are specific dates that he should be aware. The answer is no, but I am not stupid and quickly spotted that as a trap meant to debunk not only John Hagee, but me as well. The next question was, “then what do you expect me to do with this information?” I responded with pay attention to what is going on around you and keep your antennae up. I have come to live in expectation, because for one, that is a mandate for the believer, and two, due to the admonition to watch the signs because they tell you that his arrival to catch his church away is imminent. As Steve Fletcher, and history have pointed out, key events can happen before, during, or after the tetrads are completed. God is not constrained to a calendar, but He is making sure that we pay attention by aligning events with it.
You need to think outside of the box and not get so whiny about the statement, “no man knows the day or the hour”. Consider the precision with which God has used the day and hour. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a precise day and hour. As a man he either had to figure that out, as Daniel did, or he just trusted what the Father told him to do. The temples were both destroyed on the 9th of Av. How would you have planned that out? And yet, God did. Is it possible, that even though we are not to know the day or the hour, we can certainly know the season? That is exactly what Jesus was talking about when he said,
And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' And in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah." So he left them and departed. (Matthew 16:1-4 ESV)
While some will tell you that social media is evil, and I have to come believe it is a venue for evil, I use it to pass along “signs of the times” to those that will listen. We are in the season of his return. Yes, I understand that followers of Christ have said this for over two thousand years, but a reader of the scripture will tell you, that is what He expects from us. Here is a scary thought from the book of Hebrews.
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:28 KJV)
What if your animosity toward the prophetic, and end times events and teachers, has scarred you to the point that you are not looking for him; what then?
2014-2015 lunar tetrad
The first total eclipse in this lunar tetrad was on April 15, 2014. The second was October 8, 2014. The next two will be on:
What hugely significant thing will happen on these dates, I do not know. What I do that is that this event time, started almost a year ago, and if I consider the 1492 Tetrad, history demonstrates that the events surrounding the Jewish ghettos, slaughter, and expulsion, actually started long before the tetrad that coincided with Columbus searching for a new land.
You see, what is happening around us now is much like cooking a lobster. The temperature keeps rising, along with its deadly effects, but we are not paying attention, and before you know it, we will be dead. On the plus side, that puts me in heaven, but what about those that must endure the seven years of hell on earth (God’s judgment and wrath). Thirty years ago I would have never guessed we would be dealing with Islam as we are now. If you do not think that they are capable of controlling the earth, you are a fool and deserve what is coming.
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
(Revelation 1:7 KJV)
Something else makes this information about the blood moons important.
The biblical Feast of Trumpets, also known as the Jewish New Year, began at sundown on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2014. It also marked the appearance of the new moon. However, this year on the Hebrew calendar is not just any new year. It is the Sabbath year or “Shemitah” year.
From the website chabad.org:
As soon as the Jews settled in the Holy Land,1 they began to count and observe seven-year cycles. Every cycle would culminate in a Sabbatical year,2 known as Shemittah,3 literally: “to release.”
The year following the destruction of the second Holy Temple was the first year of a seven-year Sabbatical cycle. In the Jewish calendar, counting from Creation, this was the year 3829, 68–69 CE on the secular calendar. By counting sevens from then, we see that the next Shemittah year will be the year 5775 after Creation, which runs from Sept. 25, 2014, through Sept. 13, 2015.
At the end of seven years you will make a release. And this is the manner of the release: to release the hand of every creditor from what he lent his friend; he shall not exact from his friend or his brother, because the time of the release for the L‑rd has arrived. (Deuteronomy 15:1–2)
Deuteronomy 15:1-2 ESV "At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release. (2) And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbor. He shall not exact it of his neighbor, his brother, because the LORD's release has been proclaimed.”
The Shemittah year waives all outstanding debts between Jewish debtors and creditors. The Jews created a way around lenders not being paid, people not wanting to lend, and people trying to take advantage.
This problem has been around for over 2,000 years. Hillel saw that people were avoiding lending money as the Shemittah year neared. In the first century BCE, Hillel the Elder saw that people were avoiding giving loans as the Shemittah year neared. This posed two problems: 1) The wealthy people were transgressing the Torah prohibition against withholding loans out of fear of Shemittah. 2) The poor people who desperately needed loans had no way to procure them. He came up with a novel solution.
Hillel noted that the Torah tells us that only private debts3 are canceled by Shemittah: “He shall not exact from his friend or his brother.” If, however, one owes the court (i.e., the community) money, Shemittah does not affect the loan. Based on this rule, he instituted the pruzbul: a mechanism by which debts are transferred to a beit din (religious court).4 By making a pruzbul, you make your private debts public—and therefore redeemable.5
Isn’t this a loophole devised to circumvent a divinely ordained law?
The Talmud6 explains that nowadays the Shemittah loan amnesty is no longer in effect according to biblical law.7 Thus, since the Shemittah that we observe today is a rabbinic injunction, Hillel was empowered to circumvent these laws due to pressing need.
Virtually all of Matthew 23 demonstrates Jesus disgust with the Pharisees because they made their own rules and tampered with God’s law.
Matthew 23:24 ESV You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
Take a Break from Farming
You shall sow your field six years, and you shall prune your vineyard six years, and shall gather its produce. And in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest to the land, a sabbath to Jehovah. You shall not sow your field, and you shall not prune your vineyard. You shall not reap that which grows of itself of your harvest; and you shall not gather the grapes of your unkept vine; it shall be a year of rest to the land. And the sabbath of the land shall be to you for food, to you, and to your male slave, and to your female slave, and to your hired one, and to your tenant, those living among you; (Leviticus 25:3-6 LITV)
During the Shemittah year, the residents of the Land of Israel must completely desist from cultivating their fields. They also relinquish personal ownership of their fields; whatever produce grows on its own is considered communal property, free for anyone to take. This aspect of the Shemittah year is known as shemittat karka, “release of the land.”
I realize we are not under the law, but God has never changed, and his laws have ceased to be honored. If abundance was the reward for honoring God’s law (the Shemittah) what happens when we do not, judgment.
Johnathon Cahn, in his book, “The Mystery of the Shemitah” points out what has happened during several of Shemitah years.
From the World Net Daily website, wnd.com : http://www.wnd.com/2014/09/get-ready-shemitah-begins-this-week/#bqSTZL8X87liQbDU.99
- Germany, for instance, began its Third Reich with the annexation of Austria in 1938, a Shemitah year, and it ended seven years later when Adolph Hitler committed suicide in April 1945, another Shemitah year.
- The Russian, Japanese, Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires also fell in accordance with the Shemitah.
- In 1945, a Shemitah year, America emerged as the uncontested leader of the free world following the surrender of Germany and Japan in World War II.
- 28 years later, in another Shemitah year in 1973, America lost its first war, Vietnam. America fell victim to the Arab oil embargo and saw its dollar weaken as a result of President Nixon’s decision to remove it from the gold standard two years earlier.
- 1987 there was a sign in the heavens, a supernova that could be seen with the naked eye. That same year the U.S. stock market crashed once again.
- On Sept. 11, 2001, Islamic terrorist attacked the U.S. with the attacks on the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon, killing nearly three thousand people. A few days later we again suffered a historic stock market collapse, all during a Shemitah year.
- Seven years later in the Shemitah year of 2008, another historic market collapse happened. It was the greatest one-day decline in the history of Wall Street.
Some quick math moves you forward seven years to the year 2015, and this is where we find the last two blood moons of the 2014-2015 tetrad. The point, God does everything by a set timetable, it operates on His clock, and there is nothing coincidental. As Pastor John Hagee says, something is about to happen.
On Rosh Hashanah it is customary to blow the trumpets once each day as a type of a warning, and the sound of the shofar is a symbol of alarm and judgment throughout Scripture.
“Yes Elul is all about warning, it’s about trumpets, it’s about getting right with God and it’s about repentance,” Cahn said. “Sundown comes and then comes the Feast of Trumpets, the blowing of the trumpet. The day of the judgment, or the day of the warning. All these converging on this exact precise day.”
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