What are we to make of the signs in the sky?
Is it significant that in the last 500 years there have only been four occasions of four “blood moons” in a row that occur on Jewish feast days [1]?
Is it significant that these tetrads [2] have occurred at significant times in Jewish history?
Is it significant that for the first time in history there is a total solar eclipse [3] occurring on the first day of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana – this coming Friday 20 March – just 2 weeks ahead of the 3rd blood moon in this series of four that occurs on Passover?
A series of four total eclipses of the moon in a row without any partial eclipses in between is called a “tetrad” and we are now approaching the third of the 2014/15 series of four and this will coincide with Passover. Tetrads are rare anyway but to coincide with Jewish feast days is even more rare. Previous tetrads on Jewish feast days have occurred in 1967 (six-day war, liberation of Jerusalem), 1949 (end of Israeli war of independence) and then all the way back to 1493 (after expulsion of Jews from Spain). The final blood moon of this series is on Sept 28, 2015.
Note that the solar eclipse is only visible in parts of the northern hemisphere and not from Australia. http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/32497/passover-blood-moon-preceded-by-exceedingly-rare-solar-eclipse-biblical-zionism/#pB9bjxXvZfzX5jlk.97 [4]
What may we conclude, if anything?
- Well, first of all the actual occurrences of the tetrads is fascinating for sky-watchers.
- That the last three and the present one actually occur on Jewish feast days is extraordinary.
- That the third blood moon in this tetrad is preceded by a solar eclipse on the eve of Rosh Hashana for the first time ever is also fascinating.
- What is going to happen? We may hazard predictions as to events occurring in God’s calendar and we may take some “precautions”, but we do not know.
Should we take note of the signs in the heavens?
- The Magi from the East did. Should we conclude anything else but that they were led by God?
- Jesus confronted the Pharisees and Sadducees for not reading the signs “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.” Matt 16:2-4 NIV.
- And Jesus tells us to be watching and discerning, “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. Matt 24:32,33 NIV
- Jesus however explicitly tells us that we will not know when He is returning, “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son but only the Father. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come”. Matt 24:36 NIV
So what are we to do?
- We must watch, understanding the times [5], be responsible, fulfilling our God-given tasks conscientiously, be ready. Jesus tells us “If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” Matt 24:43-44 NIV.
- We are to prepare for persecution [6].
- We are to pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.
- And it would be good – as suggested [4] by Bob O’Dell, a devout Christian, and Gidon Ariel, an Orthodox Jew, to devote two minutes of prayer as a response to the solar eclipse. “I will be praying Isaiah 11:9 for two minutes at the Western Wall in Jerusalem at 12:18 PM local time” he (Ariel) said. “None will harm or destroy another on My entire holy mountain, for the land will be as full of the knowledge of the LORD as the sea is filled with water.” That time is Friday 20, 10.18am GMT = 6.18pm WAST.
Lachlan Dunjey 15 March, 2015.