The End Times, A Blood Moons Prospective
Today, many say we are in the End Times. There is much talk about the Blood Moons and their relevance (or lack of) to our lives and events in general.
Relevance seems to be at the forefront of most people’s interest (or lack of) in these topics…and rightly so. After all, if an individual’s primary concern is simply, “Where will my next meal come from?” one can hardly expect them to pay much attention to the establishment of a Palestinian State in the historical heartland of Israel. Additionally, some also question the very existence of the Father Himself. It is this author’s purpose, not to prove His existence, I’ll leave that up to Him, but to show those who know He does exist, that we need to be paying attention in this day and time more than at any other time. Because, judging from Biblical Prophecy’s description of the End Times, these events have great relevance to everyone…believer and unbeliever alike.
Is it relevant to me if I don’t live in Israel?
George Santayana said, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” We find, in the historical record, great relevance to everyone living in the day when the 7 year drought and famine struck Egypt and the rest of the Middle East during the time of the Pharaohs and Joseph. Later, of course, Egypt experienced the plagues (Genesis 40). The point is: these “Biblical” events affected everyone, not just those who believed in God. Scripture tells us His purpose was so “all would know that He is the one true God.”
How is all this relevant in the 21st century when the above examples happened over 3500 years ago? That is ancient history! The prophets tell us God has stated his purpose for the End Times events including and especially, the Great Tribulation, is the very same purpose He gave for the events in Egypt so long ago. Specifically, so the world will know that He is God, the one true God!
Not just the Jews
Is it just a Jewish thing as many believe? Is “The Church” exempt from judgments? To answer this, simply look at past events. How did He operate when Israel was in Egypt? A quick look shows us He protected His own while judging the rest…side by side. Historically we see His protection of His own in the “midst of the storm” is part of his method of providing proof that He is the one true God.
In addition, the question above about “The Church” being exempt is very relevant here. In their study of the prophets, and because they don’t find “The Church: mentioned, some conclude”The Church” is gone before these events begin. This conclusion leads these peole to believe the so called, Pre-Tribulation Rapture” theory. The troubling aspect of this conclusion is the removal of “The Church” from prophecy altogether. It is as though God didn’t know “The Church” was even going to exist.
There is a rule in scriptural study which says, all scripture must agree. If it doesn’t, we have either mistranslation or misinterpretation. As an example of this conflict, we hear many calling themselves “New Covenant Believers.” This raises an issue because, in Jeremiah 31, verse 31 says (God speaking), “I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah.” Nowhere in this scripture is there any reference to any other group for the new covenant! Nor is there any other group mentioned that might even be interpreted as “The Church.” As before, we have to ask the question, “Did the Father just forget that, at some future time, he would be making a new covenant with “The Church?” And, was there an “old covenant” which “The Church” was in first?
Since the first covenant was a marriage covenant (Jer. 31:32), the new covenant is also and is simply written in a different place (hearts instead of stone), does it make sense that He would forget to mention “the bride of Christ” as many term themselves? Or, is it possible there would be yet another “new covenant” just for the church after already making one new covenant? How many new covenants do you suppose there are?
These discrepancies show doctrinal teachings which break the rule of scriptural agreement. The conflict is easily resolved though through Paul’s teachings. However, understanding Paul necessitates the opening of one’s mind to the possibility of doctrinal error in what one may have previously been taught.
In Ephesians 2:11-12, Paul teaches, as believers in Christ, believers are “citizens of the Commonwealth of Israel (KJV).” He refers to the adoption (into Israel) in Romans 9:4-5 and similarly in 1 Cor. 10:1. The point is simply, Paul, as the apostle to the Gentiles, was and is showing the new believers they were joined to AND part of “the whole house of Israel” as Ezekiel calls it (Ez. 37:11).
Although the Council of Nicaea (325AD) created “The Church” as a separate and unique entity and carefully separated it from its Hebrew roots, this was not the original, the first church’s identity.
This man-made separation doctrine clouds the issue making the full thrust of prophecy and its relevance difficult, if not impossible to understand.
A case in point would be the night when the angel of death passed over Egypt killing the firstborn (Ex. 12). The blood on the doorpost saved all those inside. It was not a condition for those who were Hebrew to be saved. God’s rules applied to all people then and still do today.
What about our times?
Returning now to current events and today’s relevance of the Blood Moons, we find some interesting prophesied events in very recent history which seem connected to Blood Moons. One event is the reestablishment of Israel as a nation (1948) and another is their recapture of Jerusalem (1967). Both these Blood Moon events are found in the writings of the prophet Joel and he pegs the two most recent Blood Moon events exactly in sequence.
Here is the way Joel predicts these events: 3:1 For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem. The term, in those days, is an end times reference. The reference to Judah indicates the descendants of the Southern Kingdom. The term bring again the captivity refers to ending their captivity and allowing them to return to the Father’s land. Of course, as mentioned above, the reference to ending the captivity is tied to recovering Jerusalem.
The Lost brother and this Blood Moon tetrad…a connection?
The other recipient of the new covenant, the Northern Kingdom, the House of Israel, is a completely different entity from Judah. Hosea prophesied they would lose all their identity but we see Judah maintaining theirs throughout history. This makes them easy to for us to identify. Hosea, also prophesied the House of Israel would be allowed to come back to the Father and His land.
We are in the midst of another set of Blood Moons. As yet we don’t know what, or even if, they will signify anything at all. However, Joel does have more to say about possibly upcoming events. Verse 3:2 seems to involve the entire world in a war, the dividing of His (God’s) land-possibly a Palestinian state, and the call for the bride (House of Israel) to come home. Will these prophesied events be tied to the current Blood Moons? Who knows, but the previous two tetrads are found in the previous verse. It does make one wonder. Time will tell, and that time could be short.
Did Joel also tie the Blood Moons to the End Times directly? He most certainly did! Two verses prior to the above it says: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. That sure sounds like the time of the Tribulation.
In conclusion, one should be able to see, the relevance of scripture to world events. Not believing in God didn’t change the facts of Israel’s rebirth or their capture of Jerusalem. These were world events for both believers and nonbelievers alike. If you were directly involved in one of those wars, famines or whatever, you would really see the significance. It would (or should) make you a believer.
One final note about the blood moons, NASA does say this will be last of tetrad falling on the Father’s feast times for the predictable future. Be watching.