Solar eclipse on Tuesday, April 29, 2014

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Did you know there is going to be a solar eclipse on Tuesday? (Tweet that!) Normally I post on Tuesdays, but I'm posting this on Monday, a day early, so if you're interested you'll know about this solar eclipse in time to enjoy it on Tuesday. Plus those who receive this blog by e-mail get it a day later, so they'll receive it on Tuesday, hopefully in time to enjoy the solar eclipse.)

Although no one here in the United States will get to view this eclipse live...except via television or the internet. (Tweet that!)

Honestly, the only reason I knew there was even going to be a solar eclipse was because I noticed that dark circle on my very special calendar and realized it was a dark circle with a tiny sun peeking out from behind it. That sent me looking for more information.

I'll tell you about my very special calendar in minute.

First, though, let me tell you what I've found out about this eclipse.

We won't be able to see this solar eclipse here in the United States. Here is an "Interactive Solar Eclipse Guide."

However if you're reading this somewhere on the other side of the world from where I am in the United States, you have a much better chance of seeing it live. If you're in Australia you'll get a wonderful view Tuesday afternoon (your local time).

PLEASE REMEMBER TO NEVER LOOK AT A SOLAR ECLIPSE DIRECTLY WITH YOUR EYES. Even with some or most of the sun blocked out, looking at it directly can still damage your eyes. You can look directly at a lunar eclipse like we did the morning of April 15th, but don't do that with a solar eclipse!

The article, Who Will See the Suns 'Ring of Fire' in Next Weeks Solar Eclipse? (with video), gives a lot of great information including the times to see it in Australia. From this article I learned:

• After a lunar eclipse, a solar eclipse of a similar nature often follows. (That's no coincidence.)
• While a total eclipse covers the sun completely, an annular eclipse means the moon is more distant in its orbit and so appears smaller and therefore does not completely cover the sun. This creates the "ring of fire" appearance as the sun shows all around the moon as it passes by.
• Antarctica is the only continent where the annular eclipse, the "ring of fire," will be entirely visible.

I found a lot of really cool information explaining solar eclipses in the article on Wikipedia: Solar eclipse. From this article I learned:

• The Earth's orbit and the Moon's orbit are not in the same plane. If they were, there would be a total solar eclipse every month. But since they are not, this results "in at least two, and up to five, solar eclipses occurring each year, no more than two of which can be total eclipses" (Wikipedia: Solar eclipse).
• "Total solar eclipses are rare at any particular location because totality exists only along a narrow path on Earth's surface traced by the Moon's shadow or umbra" (same article). (So that's what that word, umbra, means.)
• A solar eclipse can last over two hours, however the "total phase" a total solar eclipse can only last up to 7 1/2 minutes for any one location.

Interestingly the Wikipedia article notes that "in some ancient and modern cultures, solar eclipses have been attributed to supernatural causes or regarded as bad omens. A total solar eclipse can be frightening to people who are unaware of its astronomical explanation..." Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well just because there is an astronomical explanation doesn't mean it can't be a perfectly timed message from God. After all, God knew of this solar eclipse (and every solar eclipse) before He created the sun, moon, and earth, before He created time, and before He created the people on this earth. How do we know that He didn't arrange everything in minute detail so that there would be a solar eclipse at this time?! Scientific explanation doesn't mean it can't be of God; all science is of God. (Tweet that!)

Now all this talk about Tuesday's solar eclipse begs the question that this blog deals with: Does this have anything to do with Bible prophecy?

I have not found anything relating this solar eclipse directly to some spiritually or prophetically significant event. But since we seem to be in a season of increased lunar and solar eclipses, I didn't want to ignore it and let it pass without a mention. Maybe someone else knows something I don't and could leave a comment to let us know. Or possibly we'll discover a connection to prophecy somewhere down the road. If so, we'll be glad we took note of it today. Either way, it's important that we take note of solar eclipses because there is a coming solar eclipse that I do believe is spiritually and prophetically important.

That one will occur next year on March 20, 2015. I plan to post more about the prophetic significance of this and other solar eclipses that occur centered within the tetrad (four) of lunar eclipses occurring on major Feasts of the LORD. We'll probably get to that discussion sometime this summer. Right now I have other discussion lined up for the coming weeks up to and through Pentecost.

However with the March 20, 2015 solar eclipse coming in our future, less than eleven months away now, I think it's good to learn about solar eclipses so we'll have that knowledge when the time comes. (Tweet that!)

The very special calendar I referred to above is one I got from El Shaddai Ministries and it's very special because it not only shows the usual months and days we use here in the United States, it is also a Jewish calendar. That means if you're interested in being aware of the dates of the seven Feasts of the LORD which we talked about a couple weeks ago before the lunar eclipse of April 15th, then this calendar has all that information side by side with our western calendar so it's easy to view and keep up with. In addition, since the calendar was created by the man who first brought the tetrad of lunar eclipses on major Jewish Feast days to everyone else's attention, that is Mark Biltz, it also notes those lunar eclipses on the days they occur--the Jewish Feast days--as well as many other important Jewish holidays. Furthermore, it includes a wealth of information about the Feasts of the LORD, other Jewish holidays, and important events in the history of Israel. I love this calendar. I think anyone who wants to study these important topics would love it too.

The 2013-2014 version is a 16-month calendar which started with September 2013, so the drawback is that it is now partly used. However all the information included is still relevant and instructive. They also offer a 2014-2015 version which I suppose doesn't start until September 2014.

I'm telling you all this in case you want to get one for yourself. You can find both of them on the same link here:

• 16-month ESM Blood Moon & Eclipse Calendar 2013-2014. 
• 16-month ESM Blood Moon & Eclipse Calendar 2014-2015. 

If you look in the El Shaddai Ministry Store, they also have this calendar bundled with the study of the Feasts of the LORD, which I highly recommend. That study is where I learned most of what I know and share about the Feasts of the LORD.

I hope you enjoy these resources and learning about solar eclipses. If or when you purchase from El Shaddai Ministry, would you please tell them you saw it here and that I sent you?* Thanks.

My next post is scheduled for Thursday...barring my discovery of any other eclipses before then!

*I do not receive any affiliate commissions from your purchase at El Shaddai Ministries.

Why Did God Give Us Prophecies? Part 2

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There is another reason God gave us prophecies. That is so we could identify The Anointed One. (Tweet that!)

The Anointed One is the Bible's term for "the one" person God was referring to. (Tweet that!)

This term, "the Anointed One," has become know by other words today: (Tweet that!)

• Messiah (Hebrew)
• Christ (Greek)

This Anointed One is the person God promised to send. This was the person all the prophecies pointed to. The One who would fulfill all the prophecies. (See Acts 10:36-43.)

That is how he--the Anointed One, the Christ, the Messiah--was to be identified. (Tweet that!)

The religious leaders in Jesus' time were supposed to recognize the Messiah when he came. But they did not believe Jesus was the Messiah.

They didn't look hard enough. Jesus accused them of willfully refusing to see (John 9).

But if they, the religious leaders of Jesus' time, had really looked into the prophecies and then investigated whether or not Jesus fulfilled them, they would have discovered he fulfilled them. All of them. Perfectly. (Tweet that!)

Some high-powered Jews did believe Jesus was the Messiah. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea were two (John 19:38-39).

But in one of the biggest ironies in human history, most of the Jewish leaders who were trained to recognize Messiah and lead the people in knowing him did not recognize Jesus was the Messiah.

This is another reason why God gave us prophecies: so we could see when one person fulfilled them. And when we saw The One who did, we would know he was the Christ, the Messiah. (Tweet that!)


If you missed Part 1, find it here: Why Did God Give Us Prophecies?

Why Did God Give Us Prophecies? Part 1

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Since we are talking about prophecies in the Bible and them coming true or being fulfilled, it's only fair that we ask why would God give us prophecies? (Tweet that!) I can think of at least three reasons why God would give us prophecies. (Tweet that!)

This is God's prophet Isaiah speaking in Isaiah 48:3-6:

I foretold the former things long ago, 

    my mouth announced them and I made them known; 

    then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.

For I knew how stubborn you were;

    your neck muscles were iron,

    your forehead was bronze.

Therefore I told you these things long ago;

    before they happened I announced them to you

so that you could not say,

    'My images brought them about;

    my wooden image and metal god ordained them.'

You have heard these things; look at them all.

    Will you not admit them? 

From now on I will tell you of new things, 

    of hidden things unknown to you...

These verses tell us at least two reasons why God gives us prophecies:

• To tell us what will happen. This also means that He knows what will happen before it does. (Tweet that!) Because God is eternal, He is outside of time and He is able to see the end from the beginning.

• Secondly, God tells what will happen in advance so that when we see it happening, we know it is Him doing it. (Tweet that!) For those of us who believe in Him, we know He is doing these things, or at least is allowing them to happen. We know God is still in complete control of everything happening on the earth. For those who do not know or believe in God, God, in His mercy, is bringing them evidence that He is real, that He is involved in human history taking place on the earth, and that He wants them to believe that He is real and truly exists.

 A third reason is...

• ...so that we, those of us who believe in Him, will not be afraid—even when we see these things taking place right before our very eyes. (Tweet that!) Knowing God forecast everything that is happening means that we do not need to be afraid but can trust Him with our very lives and every detail of them.

Jesus said in John 14:27-29:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. 

You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.

Jesus told us before it happened so that:

1. We will have peace, we will not let our hearts be troubled, and we will not be afraid.
2. And also so that when it happens we will believe.

What about you? Do you believe? If yes, do you feel fear creeping in? How can you refocus on Jesus and chase fear away?

If you do not believe, why not? What would it take for you to believe? Are Bible prophecies predicted and then fulfilled enough to convince you? Or are you one who will never believe, no matter what? If that's you, why?

More Bible Prophecies Fulfilled to Come...

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We have just taken a whirlwind forty days for Lent on this new blog.

Now, with Easter over, let's slow the pace a bit (so I can catch my breath and keep up).

I plan to now post three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

If you'd like to receive these posts via e-mail, please use the box in the upper right to sign up for e-mail delivery. You will receive each the day after it posts.

We will continue to talk about Bible prophecies fulfilled.

• We will talk about Bible prophecies that have already been fulfilled in the past, because it strengthens our faith to see how God has kept His Word in the past. (Tweet that!)

• We will also look at what is happening in our world today and how prophecies might be being fulfilled right before our very eyes. (Tweet that!)

• We will also look at how world events might be shaping up to fulfill Bible prophecies in the future, prophecies that have yet to be fulfilled. (Tweet that!)

I hope you will find these coming posts every bit as interesting as the 40 Lenten posts we explored through Lent to Easter. There is a lot more great information coming, so please continue to come back. And bring a friend!

You can also find notice and links of these blog posts on:

• my Facebook page:  http://www.facebook.com/DianneButtsAuthor 
• my Twitter: @DianneEButts http://twitter.com/DianneEButts
• my Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/dianneebutts/

If you have enjoyed these 40 Days of Lent posts leading up to Easter, then you would probably also enjoy my books. The newest, the third and final book in the "Prophecies Fulfilled" series, just released last week. It's called Prophecies Fulfilled in the Life of Jesus and you'll want to get it now because it explores the seven Feasts of the LORD as well as the three more coming lunar eclipses and the solar eclipse next March 20^th, 2015, which we haven't even talked about here yet.  (Tweet that!)

You'll enjoy and be awed and amazed by these events much more if you have the background information on them provided in my book.

For more information on the entire "Prophecies Fulfilled" series, click the tab at the top of this blog. Thank you for your time and interest!

On Thursday we'll look at why God gives us prophecies. What do you think are some reasons God would tell us what He is going to do in advance? (Tweet that!)

Hallelujah! Jesus is Risen from the Dead on the Feast of Firstfruits

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The Feast of Firstfruits occurs within the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread, which we touched on yesterday. It is a one-day Feast and occurs on Nisan 16.

The Feast of Firstfruits celebrates the first, early spring harvest.

Jesus was raised from the dead on the Feast of Firstfruits. (Tweet that!)

He is the first of the great harvest of souls from the earth! Hallelujah! Jesus is risen! (Tweet that!)

"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him" (1 Corinthians 15:20-23,NIV 2011). (Tweet that!)

Do you belong to him? If not, or if you're not sure, why not make that happen today? To do so, simply tell Jesus--either out loud or in silent prayer. He can hear you--that you trust that he paid for all your sins, that you will follow him and obey his ways, and you want him to be your Savior forever more.

Then record this important decision and event somewhere, like the inside cover of your Bible.

If you have done this, then you belong to him and will be part of the harvest of souls to heaven when he comes! (Tweet that!)

✟   Jesus was raised from the grave on First Fruits, and so He fulfills the Feast of Firstfruits as the first fruit of the great and coming harvest of souls. (Tweet that!)

Here's another interesting thought:

Jesus raised from the dead "very early the morning" of the third day. We do not know exactly what the time was.

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus, (Luke 24:1-3.) 

See also Mark 16:1-6, John 20:1-2, and Matthew 28:1.

Peter tells us, in 2 Peter 3:8:

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 

See also Psalm 90:4.

We are currently in the year 2014. We are now living in the third millennium since Jesus walked the earth. So if a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day, we are now living in the very early morning of the third day. (Tweet that!)

Jesus is coming again. He will come again to fulfill all the prophecies of his second coming.

Don't be surprised if he comes very early during this millennium day.

Happy Easter!

Jesus is risen. He is risen indeed!

(I will see you again for the next post on Tuesday.)

Jesus fulfills the Feast of Unleavened Bread

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During the first Passover back in the days of Moses, about 1500 years before Jesus walked the earth, God instructed the Israelites to make bread without yeast. This was because Pharaoh, king of Egypt, was going to release the Israelites from slavery and let them go so quickly they would not have time to let their bread rise.

In Scripture, yeast, or any kind of leavening that makes bread rise, most often became associated with sin.

Jesus told his disciples to watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees (Matthew 16:5-12, Mark 8:14-21, Luke 12:1).

An exception, however, is a parable Jesus told where yeast was not sin but was compared to the kingdom of God, found in both Matthew 13:33 and Luke 13:20-21.

Jesus was without sin. This is why he is associated with bread without yeast. (Tweet that!)

The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins the day following Passover, which is always Nisan 14 on the Jewish calendar. The Feast of Unleavened Bread lasts for seven days, from Nisan 15 to 21.

Jesus, the only son of God who was without sin, lay in the grave on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. (Tweet that!)

✟   Jesus, our Passover Lamb, was without sin or defect (yeast) and so he fulfills the Feast of Unleavened Bread. (Tweet that!)

Tomorrow for Easter, in a rare Sunday post, we will discuss how Jesus fulfilled the prophecy pictured in the third Feast of the LORD. (Tweet that!)

If you would like to learn more about how Jesus fulfills the seven Feasts of the LORD, you would enjoy my new book, just released this week, Prophecies Fulfilled in the Life of Jesus. (Tweet that!) The last seven chapters in the book discuss the historical as well as the prophetic significance of the seven Feasts of the LORD. For more on the discussion of Jesus fulfilling the Feast of Unleavened Bread, see chapter 37.

Jesus was Sacrificed on Passover

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Luke 22:14-15 tells us:

When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer."

While I was growing up, I got the idea that the Last Supper which Jesus enjoyed with his disciples was the Seder meal, which is the Passover ceremonial meal. (Tweet that!) Furthermore, Mark 14:12 tells us:

On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus' disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?"

But now I believe the Last Supper actually was not the Passover Seder but rather the dinner meal the evening before Passover. (Tweet that!) In the Mark quote above, the disciples ask where to go to prepare for Passover, but they could have prepared for the Passover Seder and never got to have it with Jesus.

There is another possible timeline that works better: that Jesus did not eat the Passover Seder because he was actually crucified on Passover and was hanging on the cross instead of enjoying the Passover meal. (Tweet that!) 

In light of God's prophetic calendar and the meaning of the seven Feasts of the LORD, this only makes sense.

Jesus was our Passover Lamb. He had to be sacrificed on Passover to fulfill the prophecy pictured in Passover. (Tweet that!)

And in doing so, another prophecy was fulfilled.

"For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed" (1 Corinthians 5:7b, NIV).

✟   Jesus was slain on Passover and so fulfills all the symbolism of the Feast of Passover. 

In the next two days we will discuss how Jesus fulfilled the prophecies pictured in two more Feasts of the LORD. If you missed the April 11 post about these Feasts, you can find it here: The Prophetic Significance of the Feasts of the LORD (Tweet that!) 

If you enjoy this blog and would like to learn more about how Jesus fulfills the seven Feasts of the LORD, you would enjoy my new book just released this week, Prophecies Fulfilled in the Life of Jesus. The last seven chapters in the book discuss the historical as well as the prophetic significance of the seven Feasts of the LORD. For more on the discussion of Jesus fulfilling the Passover, see chapter 36.

The Prophecy of the Potter’s Field

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Judas has betrayed Jesus.

The religious leaders of Israel offered Judas Iscariot thirty pieces of silver to betray the sinless son of God. Judas took the money and betrayed him.

This was prophesied in Zechariah 11:13:

"And the LORD said to me, 'Throw it to the potter'—the handsome price at which they priced me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD to the potter."

After Judas betrayed Jesus, he felt remorse, but Judas Iscariot did not repent—not in the way that is required by God to obtain forgiveness. (Tweet that!)

Remorse means he felt bad about it. Repent means to stop doing something that is wrong, admit that wrong, turn around, and go another direction. (Tweet that!)

Scripture tells us Judas repented, but he repented to the religious leaders…not to God. Matthew 27:3-10:

When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. "I have sinned," he said, "for I have betrayed innocent blood." 

"What is that to us?" they replied. "That's your responsibility."

So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself. 

The chief priests picked up the coins and said, "It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money." So they decided to use the money to buy the potter's field as a burial place for foreigners. That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: "They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, and they used them to buy the potter's field, as the Lord commanded me."

Matthew attributes the prophecy to Jeremiah and apparently had in mind a similar passage written by Jeremiah. Jeremiah worked as a prophet from 626 B.C. to 585 B.C.

Zechariah was a contemporary of Jeremiah's and was among the exiles who returned to Israel from Babylon in 538 B.C. He wrote this prophecy sometime after 480 B.C. So this prophecy which Judas fulfilled in the betrayal to death of Jesus was written around 500 years before the events of Jesus' death. (Tweet that!)

This is another Bible prophecy that was fulfilled in amazing detail. (Tweet that!)

Jesus Prophesizes He will be Crucified on Passover

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Well as the excitement of the first of the four lunar eclipses on major Jewish Feast days wanes, let's settle in during the remainder of this holy week leading up to Easter and refocus on some prophecies fulfilled in the last week of Jesus' life.

In Matthew 26:2, Jesus said:

"As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified." (Tweet that!)

As of today, Good Friday is two days away. Good Friday is the day when Christians traditionally observe the crucifixion of Jesus. Jesus knew what was going to happen to him. He knew.

He told his disciples.

This is prophecy.

Of course the disciples probably could not understand, even though Jesus was speaking plainly. But really? This was the man who had fed 5,000 people with only a few loaves and fishes. He had healed the sick, made the blind see, made the deaf hear, cured leprosy. He had walked on water. He had calmed the wind with his rebuke. This man had power.

Claiming that he would be "handed over to be crucified," the Roman way of execution, when Jesus had done nothing wrong, probably sounded like gibberish to the disciples. (Tweet that!)

And yet… Jesus knew. This was prophecy. And all prophecy must be fulfilled. (Tweet that!)

The Passover was two days away. And Jesus would be crucified, shedding his blood as God's ultimate Passover Lamb. (Tweet that!)

"Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29, ESV)!

Prophecy would be indeed be fulfilled.

If you missed any of the recent posts on the first of four lunar eclipses on Feasts of the LORD which occurred earlier this week, you can find them here: (Tweet that!)

• 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 today.)

The First Lunar Eclipse on Passover 2014 (and why I don't expect anything to happen today)

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I wonder how many people who have heard of these lunar eclipses on major Feast days of the LORD are expecting something "big" to happen today. I don't think there is going to be any big headlines today. Honest, I don't expect anything to happen today. (Tweet that!)

I don't think World War III is going to break out. I don't think "the big one," the earthquake, is going to hit and half of California is going to fall into the ocean. I don't think war is going to break out in the Middle East. (Tweet that!)

I could be wrong, but I don't think so.

Why? For a couple of reasons:

1. First, looking back at history, at least for the last three tetrads on Jewish Feast days in the last (approx.) 525 years, it doesn't look like anything happened on the day of the first lunar eclipse. (Tweet that!) You can catch a glimpse of this in yesterday's post: "Tetrad" of Four Lunar Eclipses on Jewish Feast Days in the Past." 
2. Secondly, if these lunar eclipses, or "Blood Moons," are indeed warnings from God, then why would He drop some disaster on us the same day as the warning? (Tweet that!) A warning is no good if it doesn't come before the "big headline." God is so merciful that He gives us warning in advance. (And His warnings are resounding all around us, in case you haven't noticed.) 

No, I don't think anything "big" is going to happen today. But I do believe that this is a warning that something is coming. And it's not too far away.

Does that put fear into you? Then hear the words of Jesus:

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33, NIV).

Rest in Jesus. Be awed and amazed, but do not be afraid. (Tweet that!)

Here are two items for your enjoyment today:

• This is an article with a video of author and Pastor John Hagee: "Blood Moons Expert: Watch 2014 and 2015."

• And here is a video of Mark Biltz* talking about these four Blood Moons with Gary Stearman of "Prophecy in the News."

For the rest of this week as Lent gives way to Easter, we'll look at prophecies fulfilled in final days of Jesus' life.

Thanks to www.Morguefile.com 

*I would like to give credit to Mark Biltz of El Shaddai Ministries for bringing all this information about these four lunar eclipses to the attention of the world. I first learned of all this from Mark Biltz when he was hosted on Southwest Radio Church in, I believe, about 2008. At that time this was very new information. I immediately ordered Mark Biltz's study on the Feasts of the LORD, and have been talking and writing about it ever since. I have learned so much from Mark Biltz, and it is my joy to share what I have learned. I hope you, too, are thrilled by this learning experience.

Exciting News!

In previous posts I've mentioned my soon-coming book which includes information on the Feasts of the LORD, these four lunar eclipses, and so much more. That book, Prophecies Fulfilled in the Life of Jesus, has just released! It is now available on Amazon and should become available on many other online outlets as well as in e-book soon. For those who are interested, find it here. Thank you!

Prophecies Fulfilled in the Life of Jesus

Book 3 in the "Prophecies Fulfilled" series

Special Note:

Discussing the first of the four lunar eclipses which occurred early this morning, we've been looking at information important to understanding their significance. If you missed some of the posts, here is the schedule we covered in recent days. (Tweet that!) I'm sure you know someone who would be interested in these prophetic times. 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.)

"Tetrad" of Four Lunar Eclipses on Jewish Feast Days in the Past

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We've been talking about the tetrad of four lunar eclipses that are occurring on major Jewish Feast Days—Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles—in both 2014 and 2015. The first of these will occur early morning tomorrow, April 15^th.

While I knew this lunar eclipse was scheduled for April 15^th, what I didn't know was would it be early morning hours April 15 or the evening or April 15? 

This I knew for sure: the Jewish "day" begins at sundown of what we in the west consider the previous evening. So I was wondering if the eclipse might actually be on what we here in the United States would think of as the night of April 14^th which begins the Jewish Passover.

Silly me. I should have known if the scientists say the eclipse is on the 15^th, then it is on 15^th (after midnight). And since the Passover ends at sundown on April 15^th, then it couldn't be the evening (after dark) of the 15^th and still be on Passover. Hey, I'm learning here too.

I found the precise information of when this lunar eclipse will occur and when we'll be able to see it here in the United States and the entire Western Hemisphere in this article from CBSNews.com: "Lunar eclipse could doom NASA's LADEE moon orbiter." According to this article, "The total phase will last 78 minutes, beginning at 3:06 a.m. EDT and ending at 4:24 a.m. EDT." (Tweet that!)

Thanks to www.Morguefile.com

You might be wondering just how rare is this schedule of four lunar eclipses occurring on Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles two years in a row? (Tweet that!) While it really is quite rare, this is not the first time even in recent history that this has occurred.

Four lunar eclipses also fell on Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles three times in the last five hundred and twenty-five years or so. What's interesting is that very significant events occurred in Israel during those same years. (Tweet that!)

1967 – 1968

Most recently, this same tetrad of lunar eclipses on Passover and Tabernacles occurred in 1967 and '68. The first lunar eclipse fell on April 24, 1967, on Passover. In June, Arabs nations were gathering to attack Israel, but Israel preempted their attack beginning June 4, 1967, fought on three different fronts, and won decisive victories on each. During these six days, Israel more than doubled in size and also seized the Old City of Jerusalem. You can read more about the Six-Day War in this "This Day in History" article on History.com: "June 11, 1967: Six-Day War ends."

1949 – 1950

Another tetrad with eclipses on Passover and Tabernacles occurred in 1949 and 1950. Adolf Hitler and his Nazis tried to annihilate the Jews in the Holocaust during World War II, which the United States was involved in from 1941 – 1945. But the unexpected result was that Adolph Hitler was dead while Israel came back to life. For the first time in over 2,000 years, Israel once again became a nation on May 14, 1948. The first Israeli government took office on January 25, 1949 and in the coming months Israel signed truce agreements with Egypt (on February 24), Lebanon (on March 23), Jordan (on April 3), and Syria (on July 20).*

The first lunar eclipse of that tetrad occurred on Passover on April 13, 1949.

1493 – 1494

Most Americans know that Columbus set sail on his infamous journey to the New World, America, in 1492. What does this time have to do with Israel? This time is almost as important in Jewish history as in American history. On March 30, 1492, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain signed a decree ordering the Jews to leave by August if they refused to convert to Catholicism. The Jews were stripped of their wealth and their home.*

Columbus sailed in August 1492. The first of the four lunar eclipses occurred on Passover on April 2, 1493.

Christopher Columbus recorded this infamous edict in his diary:

In the same month in which their Majesties [Ferdinand and Isabella] issued the edict that all Jews should be driven out of the kingdom and its territories, in the same month they gave me the order to undertake with sufficient men my expedition of discovery to the Indies.

FourBlood moons: Something is about to Change by John Hagee (Worthy Publishing, 2013), page 187.

*I learned this information from Pastor John Hagee's book Four Book Moons: Something is about to Change, which I recommend. His book includes a lot of additional fascinating details.

32 – 33 A.D.

Mark Biltz, the man from whom I learned about the Feasts of the LORD and the lunar eclipses, recently said he had traced another tetrad to the years of Jesus Christ's crucifixion.

Please take time to get up early and go out and see the lunar eclipse in the early morning hours tomorrow.

In the next post I'll talk about why I don't think anything "big" is actually going to happen tomorrow. We'll see if I'm right soon enough.

Special Note:

In anticipation of the first of the four lunar eclipses occurring in the early morning hours tomorrow, we're discussing information important to understanding their significance. If you missed some of the posts, here is the schedule we covered in recent days. (Tweet that!) I'm sure you know someone who would be interested in these prophetic times. 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
• Tomorrow, Day 5, April 15: The First Lunar Eclipse on Passover 2014 (and why I don't expect anything to happen that day.)

What Causes the Moon to Turn Red Like Blood?

Thanks Morguefile.com 

In the natural world, meaning in nature, there are only three things than can cause the moon to appear red. Some societies in human history have called these a "blood moon."

While God is able to supernaturally cause anything He wants to happen, He most often uses the natural way of the creation which He created to do what He has in mind to do.

Knowing that, it's perfectly logical to believe that the coming natural phenomena of the four lunar eclipses which will cause the moon to appear red while naturally occurring could, at the same time, be spiritually significant. In other words, just because these eclipses are happening naturally and not supernaturally doesn't mean they are not spiritually or prophetically significant.

The moon and its orbit, as well as all the galaxy, was pre-arranged by God. And He knew from the beginning of creation that there would be a lunar eclipse on April 15, 2014.

In the natural realm, with no supernatural intervention, what can cause the moon to appear red?

Thanks to www.Morguefile.com 

There are three things:

• when it is low in the sky, because of the effect of the earth's atmosphere;
• when there is smoke from a forest fire, ash from a volcano, or other debris in the air;
• and during a lunar eclipse, again because of the effect of the earth's atmosphere.

The first of the coming four lunar eclipses occurs next Tuesday, April 15^th, on the first Feast of the LORD which is Passover. (Tweet that!)

Will you be watching the skies next Tuesday night? I will. What if it's cloudy? My bet is it won't be. Why would God hang a "sign" in the sky and then cover it with clouds so we couldn't see it? (Tweet that!)

I'll be watching. I hope you will too.

This article, "Lunar eclipse could doom NASA's LADEE moon orbiter"  from CBSNews has information about the time we can see the lunar eclipse in the Western Hemisphere, including the United States.

Be awed. Be amazed at what God is doing this Passover night! (Tweet that!)

Who do you know who would like to know about this? Please share it with them. You may use the share buttons at the bottom of each post. Thank you.

Special Note:

In anticipation of the first of the four lunar eclipses occurring next week, we're covering some prophecies concerning red moons and other information important to understanding their significance. (Tweet that!) Here is the schedule of these posts. 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.)

The Prophetic Significance of the Feasts of the LORD

Thanks Morguefile.com 

What are the Feasts of the LORD? God gave seven Feasts to the Jews in Leviticus 23. These were Feasts the Jewish people were required to keep, and they continue to observe and celebrate them to this day. 

In some translations of the Bible, such as the newer (2011) New International Version (NIV) as well as the New Living Translation (NLT), they are not called "feasts" but are called "festivals."

It's important to notice these are not the Feasts of the Jews. These are Feasts of the LORD. They belong not just to the Jewish people but to everyone who belongs to the LORD.

The seven Feasts of the LORD have both historical meaning and prophetic meaning.

By "historical" I mean these Feasts point back in time to a certain time in history and the Feast is designed to remind the Jews (and all of us) of what God did for the Jewish people at that time in history.

By "prophetic" I mean these Feasts also point forward in time to something God said He would do in the future. Now, these Feasts were given in the time of Moses, who lived approximate 1500 years before Christ, so some of what was "future" in that time is now past history to us. In other words the prophetic/future meaning for some of these feasts is in our past. And we can clearly see it since we now have the benefit of looking back in hindsight.

The prophetic meaning of the first four of the seven Feasts of the LORD were fulfilled in the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The prophetic meaning of the last three of the seven Feasts of the LORD will be fulfilled in his second coming.

Some people don't believe Jesus is coming again. Their disbelief does not affect that truth that he will indeed come again—and that time is growing near. (Tweet that!) Two reasons we can be so confident he will indeed come again are:

• The fact that he has already fulfilled four of the seven Feasts in his first coming
• The fact that three of the seven Feasts have yet to be fulfilled.

The first three Feasts occur in spring. Then there's a break of fifty days to Pentecost.

Then the last three Feasts occur in fall of the year.

Here are the seven Feasts (or festivals) of the LORD in the order they occur annually along with the historical event or meaning, the prophetic event or meaning (Tweet that!), and the Scripture backup for that event:

1. Passover, which points historically to when the Passover Lamb is slain. Prophetically, Christ was our Passover Lamb, slain for the sins of the world (all who will accept that). 1 Corinthians 5:7
2. The Feast of Unleavened Bread, celebrated by eating only bread without leaven. Historically it points to when the children of Israel left slavery in Egypt in haste with no time to let bread rise. In the Bible leaven often symbolizes sin. Prophetically, Jesus Christ, who was without sin, was buried and in the grave for the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. 2 Corinthians 5:21
3. The Feast of First Fruits historically commemorates and thanks God for the first of the harvest after the Israelites entered the Promised Land. Prophetically, Jesus Christ is the first of the harvest, the first raised from dead. 1 Corinthians 15:20, 23; Revelation 1:5
4. Pentecost, historically commemorates the giving of the Law by God to Moses. Prophetically, after Jesus ascended to heaven, the giving of the Holy Spirit was poured out on Pentecost. Acts 2
5. The first in the fall is the Feast of Trumpets, also known as Yom Teruah or Rosh HaShana. The Feast of Trumpets, historically, is associated with the blowing of the shofar (ram's horn trumpet). Prophetically, it is connected to the resurrection of the dead and/or the Rapture. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
6. Historically, on the Day of Atonement, also known as Yom Kippur, the High Priest enters Holy of Holies to atone for the people's sins. Every fiftieth year on this day, the Year of Jubilee is proclaimed. Prophetically, Jesus Christ will come again to get his people whose sins are atoned for. Mark 15:37-38, Hebrews 10:19-21
7. The final Feast is the Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of Booths or Sukkot. Historically this celebrates the completion of the harvest. Prophetically, the harvest of souls from the earth is complete and God comes to live or "tabernacle" with us. Revelation 14:15-16

NASA projects there will be a full lunar eclipse on both Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles, the first and the last annual Feast of the LORD, in 2014 and then the same repeats in 2015. (Tweet that!)

Do you find this fascinating?

Who do you know who would like this information? Who would you like to share this with? Please use the share buttons at the bottom of this post to share it with others. Thank you.

Thanks to www.Morguefile.com 

Tomorrow we will look at what in nature (apart from God doing something supernatural) can cause the moon to turn red like blood. (Tweet that!)

Special Note:

In anticipation of the first of the four lunar eclipses occurring next week, we're covering some prophecies concerning red moons and other information important to understanding their significance. (Tweet that!) Here is the schedule of these posts. 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.) 

How the Jewish Calendar Works

Thanks Morguefile.com 

Yesterday we talked about signs from God in the moon and the four lunar eclipses, the first of which is coming next week. These four lunar eclipses coming in 2014 and 2015 will fall on major Feasts of the LORD. (Tweet that!) We're going to talk about the Feasts of the LORD tomorrow, but first we need to lay some ground work about the Jewish calendar and how it works.

In the United States and in most western countries, we use the Gregorian calendar which is based on the sun (solar). The Muslim calendar goes strictly by the moon (lunar). The Hebrew or Jewish calendar is based on both: the lunar cycle defines months and the solar cycle defines years.

The calendar used in most of the west, including the United States, is called the Gregorian calendar and it came from Pope Gregory. He tweaked the previous calendar a bit regarding our leap year, which occurs every four years (on presidential election years in the United States) where we add one day, February 29^th, to keep us in sync with the sun. Before the Gregorian calendar there was the Julian Calendar from Julius Caesar, the Roman. The Julian calendar dates from around 70 B.C.

The Jewish or Hebrew calendar is what God uses and what the Bible goes by. On the Jewish calendar, months are 29 or 30 days, corresponding to the 29½ day lunar cycle. There are twelve or thirteen months in the Jewish year. In order to keep the yearly cycle on track so that the Feasts of the LORD stay in their appointed seasons, occasionally a thirteenth month, or leap month, is added creating a leap year. Seven leap years occur in a 19-year cycle.

The first of a Jewish month always begins on a "new moon." In America that means when no moon is visible, however on the Jewish calendar "new moon" means the first sliver of moon sighted.

Why is understanding the Jewish calendar important?

• It's important for understanding when Jewish holidays occur, such as the seven Feasts of the LORD. 
• It may also be important to understanding prophecies in the Bible like those in Daniel 12:11-12 and Revelation 11:3 and 12:6.
• And it might be significant when eclipses—which can only occur during full moons—fall on Feasts of the LORD. 

Since the first of the month on the Jewish calendar always falls on a new moon, this means that the 15^th of the Jewish month is always on a full moon.

Thanks to www.Morguefile.com 

Two Feasts begin on the fifteenth of the month or full moons: the first Feast and the last, which are Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles (also called Sukkot).

What does that have to do with lunar eclipses? Lunar eclipses only occur during full moons.

As we've talked about, there are four total lunar eclipses on the horizon, with the first occurring only a few days from now. Here are the dates on our calendar and Hebrew calendar for these four lunar eclipses, as well as the Feast they will occur on: (Tweet that!)

• Gregorian Date           Hebrew Date     Feast of the LORD
• April 15, 2014             Nissan 15          Passover
• October 8, 2014          Tishrei 14/15     Sukkot
• April 4, 2015               Nissan 15          Passover
• September 28, 2015    Tishrei 15          Sukkot

Please come back tomorrow for a very important discussion of the seven Feasts of the LORD and their prophetic significance. 

And please invite someone you know who might be interested in the things of the Lord to join us.

If you are enjoying these posts and would like to learn more, you can find much more in depth information on these same topics in my "Prophecies Fulfilled" books. (Tweet that!) The soon-coming book, Prophecies Fulfilled in the Life of Jesus, contains information about the Feasts of the LORD, these lunar eclipses, and more. I don't yet have a release date from the publisher for this book, but it should be released within a few weeks. To see if it's available or to order, you may check Dianne's Amazon Author Page. 

Special Note:

In anticipation of the first of the four lunar eclipses occurring next week, we're covering some prophecies concerning red moons and other information important to understanding their significance. (Tweet that!) Here is the schedule of these posts. 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.)