The Moon as a Sign and the Prophesied Blood Red Moons

Thanks Morguefile.com 

When God set up the universe, He created ways to communicate with us. One way He communicates is through the moon, sun, and even stars (as in the star that was prophesied in Numbers 24:17 which led the Magi to the Christ Child centuries later. See Matthew 2:1-12.).

When God communicates with people, the Bible often calls these "signs." In the New Testament stories of Jesus (the Gospels), when Jesus performed a miraculous healing, these were often called "signs," especially by the writer John.

In the very beginning of the Bible, in the story of creation, God clearly tells us He will use the moon for "signs." This is prophecy. Here is Genesis 1:14 in a couple different English translations:

"And God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years…' " (Genesis 1:14, English Standard Version - ESV).

Nearly identical except for a couple of words is the King James Version:

"And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:…" (Genesis 1:14, King James Version – KJV).

And from the newer New International Version:

"And God said, 'Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years…' " (Genesis 1:14, New International Version 2011 – NIV).

In the NIV that I usually prefer (from 1984, which is no longer available), part of this verse is translated:

"…and let them serve as signs to make seasons and days and years…" (Genesis 1:14, NIV 1984).

The newer NIV as well as the other older and well-respected translations make it clear that these heavenly bodies are for more than seasons, days, and years; they are for "signs." The newer NIV states it as "signs to mark sacred times." I like that.

So what is the point of all this about the moon? Two things:

• Prophecies in the Bible talk about the sign of the moon turning red and the sun turning dark – including prophecies Jesus himself spoke.

• We may very well see the moon turn red next week. (Tweet that!)

Thanks to www.Morguefile.com 

We are going to talk about this more, one step at a time. Let's finish today with looking at some of the prophecies in the Bible that most Christians believe have not been fulfilled, and so they are yet to be fulfilled in our future:

"The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD" (Joel 2:31).

"The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine" (Joel 3:15).

"The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord" (Acts 2:20, Peter is quoting Joel 2:28-32).

Isaiah also spoke of this:

"For the stars of the heavens and their constellations  will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising,  and the moon will not shed its light" (Isaiah 13:10).

Then, when his disciples asked Jesus what the signs of the "end times" would be, Jesus himself quoted the Isaiah passage:

"Immediately after the distress of those days 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken' " (Matthew 24:29).

"But in those days, following that distress, " 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light' " (Mark 13:24).

Jesus also said:

"There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea" (Luke 21:25).

Finally, long after Jesus' death and resurrection, John wrote of the vision he saw of the "end times":

"I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red" (Revelation 6:12).

We are going to talk more about the sign of a red moon because we can expect some red moons in our future, and we even know the dates. Furthermore, they will occur on spiritually significant dates.

In 2014 and 2015 there will be a total of four lunar eclipses. When four eclipses appear, this is called a tetrad. An eclipse is one of only three situations that occur naturally that can cause the moon to appear red. Because of these Bible prophecies above, these four eclipses are becoming known among many as the "Four Blood Moons."

Significantly, these four lunar eclipses will occur on the first and the last of the seven Feasts of the Lord—meaning on Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles—two years in a row: in both 2014 and 2015. (Tweet that!)

We are going to look at the seven Feasts of the LORD on Friday, April 11. But first, tomorrow we are going to look at the Jewish calendar and how it works, because that is important in understanding all of this.

On Saturday, April 12^th, we will look at the natural causes in nature that can cause the moon to appear red.

Then on Monday we will look at times in history when this same tetrad of four lunar eclipses on the same major Feasts of the LORD, two consecutive years, occurred. (Tweet that!) Yes, it has happened before. And significant events occurred in Israel and in the world at those times. So please stay tuned…and invite your friends to join us on this fascinating journey.

Special Note:

In anticipation of the first of the four lunar eclipses occurring next week, we're discussing information important to understanding their significance. (Tweet that!) Here's our coming schedule. Please invite your friends or your entire church to join us:

• Day 10, April 9: The Moon as a Sign and the Prophesied Blood Red Moons
• Day 9, April 10: How the Jewish Calendar Works
• Day 8, April 11: The Prophetic Significance of the Feasts of the LORD
• Day 7, April 12: What Causes the Moon to Turn Red Like Blood?
• Day 6, April 14: "Tetrad" of Four Lunar Eclipses on Jewish Feast Days in the Past
• Day 5, April 15: The First Lunar Eclipse on Passover 2014 (and why I don't expect anything to happen that day.)