The various end time speculations of 2012 never panned out, so it really should not surprise anyone that a replacement theory would now arise in order to sell new hype to people looking for a tribulation that fits their impatient unrealistic schedule. I am talking about the new hype that the blood moons of 2014 and 2015 could fulfill the blood moon talked about by Joel, and Revelation.
Pastor Mark Biltz of Tacoma Washington first came up with the theory and now Pastor John Hagee is running with the ball with his new book, “Four Blood Moons: Something Is About To Change”. Something is always about to change, John. However, if you are in any way implying that these blood moons in 2014 and 2015 have anything to do with the Joel or Revelation prophecy and the earth-shaking events that Jesus also referred to, you are 100 percent wrong. There are now hundreds of other “ministries” that have jumped on this blood moon bandwagon.
I have not read the book, so Hagee may not be saying this is any fulfillment of Joel prophecy, he probably is hedging his bets and speaking out of both sides of his mouth, but I know others are suggesting this. Just do a Google search and you will find them all over the Internet. They are as far off the mark as the Harold Camping’s of the world with endless speculations that try to convince others that the tribulation is upon us and the second coming of Jesus will be fulfilled before 2018.
The usual “Christian” media hucksters are also doing all they can to literally sell this latest hype to gullible Christians. There are always Christians out there willing to buy the next prediction; the main focus of their Christian life seems to be following the neo-Gnostic prognosticators.
I first should explain what the four blood moons that they are talking about are. They are nothing more than lunar eclipses. A lunar eclipse happens when the earth is blocking the light of the sun from being reflected on the moon. Most blood moons do not look red. I have seen several total lunar eclipses but saw nothing that looked red.
Keep in mind, that in a total lunar eclipse anything seen from the moon comes from light being refracted through the earths atmosphere. So what you see depends upon atmospheric conditions on the earth. At moonrise the moon often looks orange or reddish because it is shining through so much atmosphere. This is much the same, although an eclipsed moon would not be as bright as a moonrise. Obviously Joel is not talking about a lunar eclipse any more than he is talking about daily moon rises.
Blood moons can only occur at a time of a full moon when the moon is on the opposite side of the sun. The Jewish calendar is lunar, therefore, blood moons are going to occur around the 15th of a Jewish month because that is when the moon is full on the Jewish calendar.
When blood moons (eclipses) occur in the two equinox months of the year they also must occur on Passover and Sukkot because these two holidays are held on the full moon of the spring and fall equinox month. Therefore, on average, one in six blood moons will occur on either Passover or Sukkot, so it is not a rare event. It also is not unusual to have no blood moons for a few years followed by four blood moon in a two-year period. If you’re interested in why these variances happen read the link below.
This link will give many
details about blood moons. And this link will give you
even more information why this sequence is not all that significant. Thirty-seven times in just the 20th century these blood moons occurred on the full moon associated with Passover or Sukkot, so it is not as rare an occurrence as Biltz and Hagee make it out to be. And since blood moons are not rare, it is easy to backdate and find something significant that happened to the Jews around the time of a four sequential moon eclipses that could be viewed from somewhere on earth during Passover and Sukkot. Heck, I know people who can find something significant related to Israel every time we have a major storm in the U.S.
Anyway, blood moons happen often enough in history to make it clear that what was said by Joel and Revelation have nothing to do with these natural reoccurring events. Not only that, you would think that the blood moons that Biltz and Hagee are talking about should at least be visible from Jerusalem in a prophecy given to Israel. However, three out of four of the blood moons that take place in 2014 and 2015 will not even be visible from Israel at all.
Those are the scientific facts, but you really have to rip scripture out of its context and know nothing about the Day of the Lord to think that these 2014 and 2015 eclipses fulfill the prophecy in Joel and Revelation. Pastor Mark Biltz says the second coming of the Lord will occur on Sukkot and he implies 2015. That is impossible. We would have to already be in the 3 1/2 year Day of the Lord and the Jews would have already fled from the Antichrist. Of course, not everyone takes all Bible prophecy literally, some pick and choose only what fits their theory and they ignore or allegorize all the rest.
Let’s look at the scriptures that talk about blood moons:
Joe 2:30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
Obviously blood moons do not cause wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke and the sun turning dark. Obviously something more is going on here than just a lunar eclipse.
Rev 6:11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Again, we see a whole lot more going on here than just an eclipse of the moon. And all this occurs before the Great tribulation or the Day of the Lord even begins.
Jesus gives a parallel passage talking about the same events.
Luk 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
It is clear that this is talking about more than just blood moons. People are going to have heart attacks because of the fear of what they see coming upon the earth. This sounds more like a comet or large body called Wormwood in the Bible rather than any lunar eclipse blood moon. If the earth is influenced by a large body, the gravitational force could set off volcanoes and kick up dust into the atmosphere and this will turn the moon blood-red in color and darken the sun. Every eye will see what is coming upon the earth and small and great will hide in holes in the ground as Revelation says. This is not about people observing lunar eclipses. Most people on earth will not see or care about a lunar eclipse anyway.
In the Trumpet Judgments of Revelation, Wormwood hits the earth. That would account for the great earthquake, earth upheavals, and every island being moved out of its place. In other words, the whole crust of the earth is going to be moved and changed. A Lunar eclipse does not explain any of the catastrophic details given by the prophets or Revelation; it is lunacy to try to tie these natural reoccurring events to any fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
These three passages and a quote of Joel in Acts is all there is in the Bible about blood-red moons. From these passages people are claiming that 4 lunar eclipses that are not even seen in Israel are the fulfillment?? As John Stossel would say, “give me a break”! One might use some common sense here. A sign is not a sign if most people of the world never see it.
Something significant can happen in 2014 or 2015 in Israel, but it won’t be the start of the Day of the Lord. I can look at the situation in the Middle East and surmise that something significant is likely to happen in 2014 and 2015 but I don’t need any lunar speculations to figure that out. I suppose the main players promoting the 2014 and 2015 blood moons will now be seen all over the Christian Speculation Networks for the next two years.
Why do I get the feeling that many Christian are going to be sucked into a great deception. There are people found all over the Internet that claim to have great knowledge of end time prophetic events but they deny any pre-trib Rapture. Some of these now believe that we are already in the first half of the last seven-year period and the Antichrist is some Mahdi in Islam. They think Jesus will come in glory by 2017 or 2018 and they now think we have to physically hold our ground against the Antichrist until Jesus comes. They are ripe to be inducted into a holy war against Islam thinking that they are fighting for God instead of fighting for the pseudo Christian Western world order that will ultimately lead to the real Antichrist.
By 2018, a war against Islam may be fought and won but the real Antichrist could be leading the effort, or perhaps he still will not even be on the scene yet. Will some think the arrival of the Antichrist is the Christ that they are waiting for? With the strange mixing of aberrant theologies held by some of the people doing these prophecy sites and Christian talk circuits, I really do have to wonder.
Ever since the Tower of Babel rebellion about 4,200 years ago (Gen 11:1-9), the vast majority of mankind has been governed and ruled by this godless political and religious system. This idolatrous ideology has indeed developed and deepened throughout the world system for ~ 4,200 years. Civilizations and cultures, ideologies and philosophies, religions and societies, cities and nations, morals and traditions have all sprung forth from this event. God in His judgment scattered the people (Gen 11:8-10; Deut. 32:7-8) to the “four corners” of the earth. It is these God-rejecting rebellious seeds - planted by the founders of Babel - that now dominates the world. The great hope and aim of this godless ideology is to achieve a global Utopia in which man's fallen nature and the fallen creation will be in harmony with one another. This godless philosophy and hope is absolutely doomed to dismal failure and will be destroyed by Almighty God via the Anti -christ in the middle of the Tribulation (Rom. 8:20-22, 1 Cor. 1:18-32, Rev 17: 15-18, 21:8).
The Bible states that Man must be rescued from his fallen humanity (i.e., lost condition). This is achieved when one puts their trust and faith in the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ (Romans 7:24, Acts 16:30-31). In Christ is found all the provision for the sinful soul (1 Cor. 1:30).
Don Koenig is the founder of ThePropheticYears website. He has been publishing articles on the Internet on Bible prophecy, biblical discernment and Christian worldviews since 1999. You can find well over a thousand articles and thousands of comments written by Don from the homepage of this website.
