Sunday, April 13, 2014

Blood Moon Tetrad (2014-2015): A Sign of the End?

The speculation that this blood moon tetrad may be directly connected with Christ’s return is completely based on speculation connected with biblical prophecies found most notably in Joel 2 (and as quoted by Peter in Acts 2), Matthew 24 and Revelation 6.
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 coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. (Joel 2:30-31, NKJV)

Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (Matthew 24:29–30, NKJV)

I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, (Revelation 6:12–15, NKJV)
These passages refer to God’s coming judgment upon the earth as part of what is known in the Old Testament as “the Day of the Lord” (or frequently just “that day”). Furthermore, these passages clearly indicate that there will be specific events in nature which will serve as signs that God’s judgment is at hand or that it is already underway. When understood in light of other passages, we know that this judgment will begin shortly after the rapture of the church and prior to the Lord’s return to the earth, during the seven-year tribulation period.
However, do the Scriptures genuinely support the conclusion that these upcoming eclipses are the specific signs predicted by Jesus and Joel and which were shown to John the apostle?
While I fully believe that we may be in the last of the last days, and I also understand that we must always be prepared for the Lord’s appearing, there are very real dangers associated with attempting to assign prophetic fulfillment to specific current geo-political, religious, societal or natural events. Many have tried to do this in the past, leading to scores of failed predictions concerning the rapture, the tribulation, the rise of the antichrist, Christ’s return and the end of the world.
Of course we certainly don’t want to miss any signs from the Lord, but concerning His return, Jesus issued this warning:
But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. . . .Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Matthew 24:36–44, NKJV)
Mark records that Jesus said that even He was among those who did not know the time of His return by including the rather remarkable phrase “…nor the Son”:
But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. (Mark 13:32–33, NKJV)
Understanding the expression “No man knows the day or hour” is not possible by simply taking the English translation literally, because in the book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation, we are given EXACT descriptions of timing, relative to KEY events – such as the shutting down of the altar sacrifices in Jerusalem at the MID-POINT of the 70th week. Dan 9:27
Jesus was asked, “When shall these things be?” Matt 24:3
His answer ties us in to a very specific event (The Abomination of Desolation) which can be measured on our calendars: “When you therefore shall see the Abomination Of Desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoever reads, let him understand:)…” Matt 24:15It is now clear that “no man knows the day or hour” does NOT mean “no man knows the day or hour” as we read it from a modern-day English perspective. (emphasis mine).
All we can do is be ready when the time and day comes,be ready to see the Lord. 

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