“One hallmark of intellectual honesty is the solicitation of opposing points of view” Tom Clancy
Joel 2:31 (KJV)
“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the MOON INTO BLOOD, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.”
What exactly is a blood moon? A “blood moon” is a moon that has a reddish color. A lunar eclipse, low moon on the horizon, or dust in the air can cause the moon to take on the reddish color. The moon turns red because red does not scatter as easily as other colors. The same spectacle happens when the sun is low on the horizon, or to the sky when the sun is rising and setting.
There has been a lot hubbub on “blood moons” lately. Undoubtedly, many parishioners sat in a service or heard a televangelist speak on this astrological event. While that is not wrong, it becomes wrong when more emphasis is on the material world then it is on the message. To be certain, there is nothing wrong with using natural, earthly, and otherwise “heavenly” occurrences to teach believers spiritual truths that can be had from their observations. However, the problem arises when the “types” are taught as the true.
Jesus himself used the natural world to teach heavenly truths to those who sat around him. Throughout the gospels Christ references “seeds,” “birds,” “wheat,” and “trees” that we can easily understand to explain the Kingdom of Heaven. There were many that sat and listened to Christ’s natural examples and did not have a clue what he was talking about, and even the disciples had to ask Christ to explain it to them. With that said, let’s not make the mistake of failing to see the true spiritual significance behind the illustrations by making the examples more than they are. To be sure, for Christ to save us we do not have to understanding the spiritual implications of his types and shadows, nor is it a perquisite for him to bless us.
Can these up and coming tetrad (tetrad means a group of four) of blood moons be used to get people’s thoughts directed towards God?! The mark of a good minister whether they are a pastor, evangelist, prophet, or apostle is the ability to move people from what they can see, hear, or touch to “looking” solely towards Christ. During our journey we will pass from the natural into the spiritual realm. The opposite of that statement is true as well – the mark of an inapt minister is one who points to the material world.
First, let us deal with the question: is the natural blood moon a sign from God? To answer this we must consider to whom is the sign given too or in other words is the sign for everyone or just a select few? This past blood moon and the ones remaining are not visible to everyone. Like with a solar eclipse a blood moon is not observable for everyone on the planet.
“People in North and South America will be able to see the entire eclipse, while sky watchers in the western Pacific can catch only the last half. The moon will be setting in most of Europe and Africa during the eclipse, so residents there probably won’t see much.” http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/11/tech/innovation/blood-moon/index.html
If these blood moons are a sign, then I feel sorry for those who may not witness it themselves or even learn about it. Contrary to belief not everyone has the ability to get on the Internet whenever they wish to learn about these incredible astrological events. As Americans we can easily take for granted the many luxuries that we use daily such as Internet, cable TV, or other media and information outlets. However, there are many countries that do not have access them or even if they did could not afford them. These poor countries have just surviving on their minds daily.
Is God justified by only allowing a few to see his sign while the rest of the world goes on in darkness? I think not. God’s signs will be available to all regardless of position on earth, or access to information. From the village in African that does not have electricity and informational outlets, to the city that has the Internet and other luxuries at their fingertips, God is able to give a sign that everyone can receive.
The church is looking for signs that it can witness thru their fleshly faculties such as our eyes or ears. However, God’s signs are not bound to the “rudiments of this world,” as Paul said in Colossians 2:8 (KJV) “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” The meaning of the word rudiments is “something orderly in arrangement.” The blood moons are not random events in the sky. We can mathematically plot their trajectory through the sky. These astrological events follow a unchanging course through the sky, therefore scientists can give dates of the ones that will happen and those that have happened. Paul also said in Galatians 4:9 (KJV) “But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?” The word element is a reference to the “substance of the material world.” Are the “blood moons” a part of the material world, at least how we understand it now? The answer is clearly YES! God did not reveal these naturally occurring events to his prophets, apostles, or other ministers; worldly scientists uncover these natural events. It is a sad day when the church has been so far removed from the cross to equating miracles and other blessings by following the material world.
Matthew 24:23-27 (KJV)
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25 Behold, I have told you before.
26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Our view limits our understanding.
The moon does not produce any light; it reflects light from the sun. The bride of Christ that is the church reflects the light from the bridegroom on a lost and dark world. Light is synonymous with the cross of Christ that is the gospel. Therefore, the light the bride reflects on the world is the message of the cross of Christ.
Adam is a derivative of the word for red in scripture. In Hebrew the word red means “to show blood (in the face), i.e. flush or turn rosy” (Strong’s Concordance). Hence, the first man was name Adam because he “showed blood in the face.”
The moon is a symbol and type of the bride (or wife) of Christ. The moon itself does not produce any light but reflects light from the son; so too then the bride reflects the glory of the bridegroom. The scripture passages on blood moons are a reference to the bride of Christ. It is the bride of Christ that will turn into blood. In the last days the church will turn back to the cross.
There was darkness on the earth when Christ was crucified. Some say that this was a solar eclipse. A solar eclipse is when the moon is between the earth and the sun. However, a solar eclipse cannot happen during a full moon, because during a full moon, the moon is on the opposite side of the earth. Or in other words, the earth is between the sun and the moon. At Christ’s crucifixion the darkness was on the face of the earth from noon to 3p.m. What does this tell us? Something was between the “greater light” and the earth, and in the future something will be between the two “lights.”
“A lunar eclipse occurs when the earth passes between the sun and the moon during a full moon phase. The moon enters the earth’s shadow, which consists of two parts: the umbra, or inner, dark shadow, and the penumbra, or the outer, hazy shadow. Some sunlight makes it around the earth, and our atmosphere bends, or refracts, the light. This refraction of light gives the surface of the moon a reddish or coppery tint.”
Read more: http://www.ehow.com/info_8451999_causes-lunar-solar-eclipses.html#ixzz30Cyeo3cP
Just as light withheld its shinning during the crucifixion of Christ, similarly the world will experience the same event when it interferes with the light from the moon. However much the world obstructs the light of the gospel, it can never block out the message of the cross. The message of the cross will always find its way through the muck.
The blood moon is a twofold prophecy: it is to the world, and to the church. For the church, it will finally come to the understanding the message of the cross is the only message. And to the world, they will see the truth shinning in their faces. The light of the gospel will “bend” around the interference and will shine on the bride of Christ turning her into blood.