How many Christians know that there has already been one blood-red moon and
one 'sack-cloth' moon over Jerusalem in 1996. Precisely on the Passover Sabbath
and the Eve of the Feast of Tabernacles? And how many know of the other
significant signs that are occurring at the moment - obviously pointing to
imminent events that must surely be about to shake this planet? This article
owes much to the information gathered by Greg Killian of Israel, whose site
is linked at the end of this article.
Some Christians seem to view the concept of 'signs in the heavens' as being
somehow akin to godless astrology or pagan superstition. However, the Bible
makes it very clear that God Himself very often employs such celestial signs, to
prepare and warn His people of imminent earth- shaking events. We are told in
Genesis that God created the sun and the moon "for SIGNS and for
seasons" (Gen 1:14). "And I shall show wonders in heaven above, and
signs in the earth beneath..." (Acts 2:19). The Bible declares that this
will be particularly true of the Last Days.
YAHUSHUA Himself warned of this 'End-time' period: "And great earthquakes
shall be in diverse places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and
great signs shall there be from heaven... And there shall be signs in the sun,
and in the moon, and in the stars" (Mt 21:11,25). The Bible even talks of
the moon being "turned to blood" as a sign that we are nearing the
very end of the age. (Joel 2:31, Rev 6:12).Significantly, there has already been
one blood-red moon and one 'sack- cloth' moon (caused by lunar eclipses) over
Jerusalem this year, falling precisely on major feast-days of the Jewish
calendar. The first of them came on the evening of 3 April 1996, which was the
beginning of the Feast of Passover. The second came on the evening of 26-27
September 1996, which was 'Erev Hag HaSuccoth' (the Eve of the Feast of
Tabernacles).
And there will also be two such eclipses in 1997, falling precisely on the
feast-day of 'Purim' (23 March 1997 - a 90% eclipse) and also in the middle of
the 'Days of Teshuva (Repentance)' on 16 September 1997. There will not be any
further total lunar eclipses over Jerusalem until 21 January 2000. The chances
of such a string of eclipses occurring over Jerusalem precisely on these
significant dates surely has to be far more than coincidence. It is also worth
noting that if we take the Jewish month of Nisan as being the first month of the
year, as the Jews were commanded in Exodus 12, then the first three of these
eclipses all occur within the space of just one biblical year. (April 1996 to
March 1997).
But what causes some eclipses to turn the moon blood-red? Well, the answer is
as follows: A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon is full, and the earth passes
between the moon and the sun, thus blocking the sun's light and casting a shadow
on the moon for a time. However, often during a total lunar eclipse, the moon is
not completely dark, but is faintly illuminated with a red light refracted by
the earth's atmosphere which filters out the blue rays. Occasionally a lunar
eclipse occurs when the earth is covered with a heavy layer of cloud, which
prevents light refraction, making the surface of the moon completely dark (like
sack-cloth). However, the first lunar eclipse this year certainly turned the
moon blood-red. As one Jerusalem resident commented of the Passover eclipse:
"Did you see that beautiful 3-D Red Moon? It was awesome; The most
beautiful sight I've ever seen in the sky..."
The words of the prophet Joel regarding blood-red moons are somewhat more
ominous however: "And I will show 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 terrible day of the Lord
come" (Joel 2:30-31). These words are found in the same passage that speaks
of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon "all flesh" in the Last
Days. In other words, the prophesied great End-times Revival and harvest occur
in the same immediate time-frame.
It is also interesting to note what the Jewish Talmud (book of tradition) has
to say about blood-red moons: "When the moon is in eclipse, it is a bad
omen for Israel... If it's face is as red as blood, [it is a sign that] the
sword is coming to the world..." Interestingly enough, on the very day of
the 'Erev Hag HaSuccoth' Sack-cloth moon this year (26 September 1996), renewed
violence broke out between the Palestinians and the Israelis (due to the opening
of a tourist tunnel near the Dome on the Rock), after many months of comparative
peace. Who knows where all this renewed bloodshed might lead?
It seems very clear that the signs mentioned above are obviously designed by
God to point us to the significance of the Jewish Feast-Days and Festivals at
this time. And indeed, the significance of these Feasts for the Last Days is
well worth looking into. The three most important Feasts that God instituted for
the Jewish people were, of course, Passover, Pentecost and the Feast of
Tabernacles. Significantly, YAHUSHUA the Messiah was killed exactly on the
Passover nearly 2000 years ago, with the details of His death corresponding
precisely to symbolic Passover rituals (the slaying of the sacrificial lamb,
etc). And fifty days later, precisely on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit
was outpoured upon His disciples for the first time, thus beginning the
Christian Church.
Many Christians today believe that the last great move of God
before the end - the last great 'harvest' - will somehow be tied directly to the
coming of the third one - the Feast of Tabernacles (which is a festival
celebrating the 'first fruits' of harvest). It was actually during the Feast of
Tabernacles that Solomon dedicated the Temple, and while the musicians 'lifted
up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and
praised the LORD', suddenly the cloud of God's glory filled the Temple (2 Chron
5:3-14... Might it not be the same in our day also?) These are some of the
reasons why I feel it is so significant that these blood-red and sack-cloth
moons are pointing to particular Jewish Feasts.
I also want to make an additional point about the Passover here. During the
Passover meal, it has been Jewish tradition from time immemorial, to set a place
at the table for Elijah the prophet, symbolizing the fact that they expect
Elijah to come, "preparing the way" for the Messiah. As Greg Killian
wrote, "Pesach [Passover] is when we expect Elijah to begin turning hearts
and preparing the way for the King". As the Scriptures declare:
"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great
and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the
children, and the heart of the children to their fathers..." (Mal 4:5-6).
Many Christians today also believe that 'Elijah' is about to arise again
during the Revival/harvest period that will precede the final JUDGMENT and the
return of Christ. The reason I mention all this is that it gives an 'End-time'
aspect to the Passover which may be one reason why God is again pointing to this
particular Feast at this time. Perhaps 'Elijah' really is about to emerge again,
just as John the Baptist did almost two millennia ago). Some people today scoff
at the idea that we are nearing the end of the age, and the final Judgment of
all the earth. When they are reminded of the unprecedented bloodshed, and the
terrible droughts, earthquakes, famines and plagues that have scourged the
planet in recent years, they say that such natural disasters have occurred right
down through history. (Yes, but on such an epic scale?) Perhaps even now they
will continue to scoff, even with blood-red and sack- cloth moons hanging
ominously in the Jerusalem sky. But are we not witnesses today to the exact
signs prophesied in Scripture, pointing to the 'time of the end'?
These blood-red and sack-cloth moons are by no means the only spectacular
"signs in the heavens" that are occurring at the moment, however. In
July 1995, the comet Hale Bopp was discovered by two amateur astronomers from
America. What fascinated astronomers at the time was that while it was still far
beyond the orbit of Jupiter, the comet could actually be seen with small
telescopes. Leading astronomers admitted to being astonished at the discovery.
"It is unheard of for a comet to be visible by small telescopes while so
far away," said Dr Brian Marsden of Harvard University, an expert on
comets. "It could become the comet of the millennium as it comes in towards
the sun over the next year or two." This giant comet is now estimated to be
about as large as a mountain (between 25 and 100 miles across), making it
probably the biggest comet ever discovered. The last time it visited the inner
solar system was about 4000 years ago. And amazingly, the day that it will make
it's closest pass to earth is 23 March 1997 - the very Feast Day ('Purim') when
there is to be another blood-red (or sack-cloth) moon over Jerusalem. (More on
the meaning of this particular Feast in a moment). In fact, the comet will be
easily visible on the very night that the eclipse itself occurs.
It is interesting to note that when it was first discovered, this comet was
located right inside the drawn "bow" of the archer in Sagittarius.
Those Christians who are familiar with the 'Divine witness of the stars' will be
aware that Sagittarius is known to signify the Redeemer's triumph. The figure is
that of a mighty warrior with a bow and arrow, riding forth majestically. Most
importantly, the barbed arrow in his bow is aimed at the heart of the Scorpion.
In the Apocalypse, the apostle John sees the same mighty conqueror going forth:
"And I saw, and behold a white horse; and he that sat on him had a bow, and
a crown was given unto him, and he went forth conquering, and to conquer"
(Rev 6:2).
Of course, there is nothing new in God using such "signs in the
heavens" to alert mankind to spiritually significant events. As everybody
knows, it was just such a sign that enabled the wise men to locate the newborn
Messiah, YAHUSHUA, almost exactly 2000 years ago. According to the traditions of
the Jewish Talmud, it is especially alarming to have a comet pass through the
constellation of Orion (which is exactly what Hale-Bopp is doing): "There
is a tradition that it never passes through the constellation of Orion, for if
it did, the world would be destroyed..." However, the Jewish Feast of
'Purim', which is clearly being drawn to our attention in the most obvious way
by the above signs, actually celebrates a very significant DELIVERANCE in the
history of Israel. If you read the book of Esther, you will see that this was
the day that the king's right-hand man Haman had purposed for the exiled Jews to
all be put to death. The holiday is called Purim after the selection process
which Haman used to select the date of the Jews destruction: a lottery (or a
"Pur"), using astronomical forecasting . This method was supposed to
result in the date that the Jews were most vulnerable to attack.
In fact, this was astronomically true - the Jews WERE most vulnerable on the
13th of Adar. One of the miracles of Purim was that Esther - godly Bride of the
king - was given the ability to totally reverse the astronomical implications of
the day so that the Jews would instead be victorious. Because of this miracle
which came about through the lottery - the "Pur," the holiday is
called Purim. Interesting that God is so clearly pointing to this particular
Feast-day at this time, isn't it?
Another significant 'sign in the heavens' that is occurring at present very
possibly equates with the 'Woman crowned with twelve stars' found in Revelation
12: "And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was
with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery...
And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he
might devour her child when she brought it forth; she brought forth a male
child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was
caught up to God and to His throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness,
where she has a place prepared by God, in which to be nourished for 1260
days" (Rev 12:1-5).
Over the next four years (1996 to 1999), precisely at the time of the Feast
of Trumpets in Israel (Tishrei 1), there will be a sign in the heavens that has
never occurred before and will never occur again. The new moon will be 'born' in
the constellation of Bethulah (the Virgin) on this date during each of these
four years, and will then move directly to the feet of the Virgin within 24
hours. The Sun is just below the horizon, so that Bethulah is 'clothed' with the
Sun. Positioned over the Virgin's head is the constellation known as
"Bernice's Hair",- this is the crown of twelve stars! And higher,
above her legs, we find Draco, the Dragon, poised to devour her child when it is
born.
Greg Killian believes that the three-year period of this sign may represent
the "birth pangs" of the woman. In 1996 and also in 1999, this sign
occurs on the Sabbath. His thought is that these birth pangs may begin in 1996,
with the actual birth taking place in 1999?
Please remember that this particular positioning of the constellation
Bethulah (the Virgin) - about to give 'birth' to Lavanah (the moon), has never
occurred before, and will never occur again, due to the procession of the
equinoxes. The new moon is a very significant factor to all those who follow the
Jewish Talmudic tradition, and is the basis of the whole Jewish calendar system.
(It is believed to be symbolic of the Messiah).
There are a number of other interesting factors which also point to these
years (particularly 1996 and 1997) as being important ones in God's End-time
calendar. As is well-known by many Christians, 1996 has seen the celebration of
exactly 3000 years since the founding of Jerusalem as David's capital for
Israel. Many also believe that 1996 brings up exactly 2000 years since the birth
of Christ (most likely on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles), though
some believe that the correct year is actually 1997. The idea that God has a
specific timetable that He is working through, with certain 'signs' indicating
important seasons of spiritual activity, should not be foreign to those who
study the Bible. Many prophecies (notably those of Daniel and Revelation) have
times, years and dates specified in great detail, and it is obvious that God is
ordering events and spiritual seasons on the earth to coincide precisely with
His long term plan. And this applies even more to the 'Last Days', which is the
period that we have now very much entered into.
Just as an aside here, a number of Revival-oriented readers might also be
interested to note the thrust of a prophecy reportedly given at the tail-end of
the great "Healing Revival" of the 1950's by the man who is
universally regarded as the key leader of that move of God. (The Healing Revival
essentially lasted from 1947 through 1955, and was the last true 'Revival' as
such to hit the Western world. We have had Charismatic renewal and the
"YAHUSHUA Movement" of the '70's since then, but nothing this
powerful). This prophecy which was given in Chicago on the 16th of January 1956,
stated that the church was about to go into a "wilderness" period for
forty years (obviously implying that on the other side of this wilderness lay
further Revival).
And of course, forty years on from 1956 brings us to the year 1996. Perhaps
true Revival really is just around the corner? The year 1997 is obviously also
being pin-pointed by God, with blood-red moons and unprecedented celestial
signs, but also with patterns of spiritual activity involving YEARS AND DATES as
well. Many Christians recognize that as this age draws to a close, the spiritual
impact of the church on Israel, and Israel on the church, becomes more and more
significant. A number of Christian leaders have noted that significant events
affecting Israel over recent decades have often mirrored or foreshadowed trends
that were occur- ring in the church also. And I believe that this will become
increasingly true as we near the very 'time of the end'.
There is an interesting pattern of significant dates involving Israel over
this past century or so, which it would be good for us to look at with this in
mind. The following is a very significant set of dates that have been crucial to
the successful formation and survival of modern Israel:
(a) 1897. The first Zionist Conference in Europe, led by Theodore Hertzl.
(Two-thirds of the delegates were Messianic Jews). Crucial to the eventual
formation of Israel.
TWENTY YEARS LATER: (b) 1917. The British Generals Gordon and Allenby (a
Christian) and their armies take Jerusalem without firing a shot. When camped
outside, after praying about the situation and getting a Scripture about a
"flock of birds", they decided to send biplanes over the city and drop
clay tablets bearing the words: "Leave the city now, signed Allenby."
The Turks thought the word 'Allenby' resembled 'Allah', and they fled the city,
surrendering Jerusalem entirely without a fight!
THIRTY YEARS LATER: (c) 1947 (- November). The United Nations officially
declares Israel to be a recognized state. (It took the Israelis another nine
months to defeat the Arabs who were occupying the land).
TWENTY YEARS LATER: (d) 1967. The Six-day War. Against all odds, the vastly
outnumbered Israelis are completely victorious, and now occupy the whole of
Jerusalem, Gaza, the West Bank and the Sinai, etc.
THIRTY YEARS LATER: (e) 1997. Blood-red moons over Jerusalem. Who knows what
will eventuate for the nation?
It is interesting to note the Revivals and significant trends that began in
the church at around the same time that things were happening in Israel. And
this "foreshadowing" has become even more pronounced in recent years,
I believe. After a relatively quiet (and in the church, 'stagnant') 1980's, the
1990's are again proving to be a tumultuous and eventful period for both Israel
and the church. Like Israel, in the last couple of years it seems to me that
through spiritual compromise, the church has literally been 'giving away' huge
sections of it's own territory to the enemy, who have no doubt been rubbing
their hands with glee. However, when true Reformation and Revival come (with the
corresponding godly leadership), this whole "Laodicean" scenario will
be completely re- versed, and it will be Satan who will be on the back foot.
(Surely this mighty move of cleansing and repentance is not too far away now.
And like Israel, it will begin with a complete change of leadership - the
kingdom being taken from one group and given to another). Who knows - perhaps
1997 will be a significant year toward the emergence of such a mighty move of
God? I have been amazed at what has been occurring in the political scene in
Israel over the last few years or so. I believe that it was quite significant
symbolically that the Jewish Prime Minister Rabin (who had really been buying
peace by giving away Israeli land to the Arabs) was killed at a peace rally in
'Kings of Israel Square' in Jerusalem in late 1995, and was replaced by Mr.
Peres, whose name is literally part of the "writing on the wall" where
it says: 'Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and the Persians' (Dan
5:28).
The very man who was continuing Rabin's policy of giving away Israeli land
had a name that Biblically carried the sense of a kingdom being taken away and
divided! And I find it interesting also that Mr. Peres has now been replaced as
leader by Benjamin Netanyahu, whose first name means 'Son of the right hand' and
whose last name means 'Beloved of God'. Like this complete change in the
leadership of Israel, I believe that the church is also about to go through a
complete 'Reformation' of it's leadership, which will lead to a tremendous
Revival, though this may come at quite a price. I am convinced that, as always,
only a comparative "remnant" from today's church will make it through
into the coming move of God. What God has been showing many praying people in my
own country about the coming move is that it is to be a
"street-revival" - a street- based outpouring of the Spirit of God,
bringing tremendous conviction of sin and deep repentance. But after this mighty
'harvest' comes an equally mighty JUDGMENT, which will fall upon all the earth.
To conclude this article, I would just like to return again to the fact that
AT THIS VERY TIME - IN OUR DAY - there are awesome Scriptural prophecies being
fulfilled, which have implications that are almost too vast to take in all at
one time. WE ARE LIVING IN THE VERY LAST DAYS - the very 'time of the end'
that the Bible speaks of. RIGHT NOW. And God is sending His "signs in the
heavens" to warn us of what is about to come upon this generation. The
question is, what will you, what will I, do about it? Will we allow apathy to
continue to dominate our lives? Will the church "laugh and party" it's
way into the next millennium? Or will we allow God to bring true Reformation -
beginning with us?
To me, one of the most frightening Scriptures in the entire Bible is the one
that speaks of people in the End-times, "eating, drinking, partying,
marrying", etc, blithely ignorant of what is coming upon the earth. But
isn't much of Christendom in our day largely in the same 'bless-me, bless-me',
inward-looking state? Church awake! Clothe yourself with righteousness and
Truth. The "happiness club" days are gone. It is surely time now to
get serious with God. Surely only those who are seeking Him with all their heart
can expect to make it through the dark days that lie ahead.
