Blood Moons And Bible Prophecy

Biblegems #184

Question: Are the so-called ‘blood moons’ of 2014-2015 a sign of Christ’s Second Coming? Is God using these celestial events to remind us of the ever-forward movements of His plan?

Since the universe exists as the creation of God for His purposes, all that exists has purpose and meaning. That would not be the case if the universe were merely the result of a chance explosion. The Bible explicitly states that the heavenly bodies were designed by God to serve as “signs and seasons” for mankind,  (Gen. 1:14-17; Ps. 147:4; 19:1-3. see also, Biblegems #116, Christmas In The Stars).

The word “sign” in the Bible typically refers to prophetic events, such as the Return of Christ. Of His own Second Coming, Jesus said:

         Luke 21:25 There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.

Jesus expects His followers down through the ages to be able to understand these “signs”:

         Matt. 16:2-3  He replied, “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.

Blood Moons, as well as solar eclipses, do appear to be among some of the key “signs” associated with Jesus Return in power and glory:

         Joel 2:30-31 I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD (see Acts 2:17-21).

However, before getting too concerned over Blood Moon appearances it should be remembered that these are familiar occurances down through history. This year’ s events—or any year’s events—do not by themsleves represent dire significance. We need to understand these “signs” in the heavens in relation to other signs the Bible indicates will be associated with the Day of the Lord.

According to both Old and New Testament prophecies, there are several “signs”—dramatic and catastrophic events on a cosmological scale immediately preceding the Day of the Lord’s Wrath. Perhaps the most complete picture in one place of this period is found in the book of Revelation:

Rev. 6:12-17  I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There

was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

Notice the other “signs” alongside the Blood Moons which the old Testament prophecies indicate as well:

  • Massive, worldwide earthquakes (Jer. 4:23-24)

  • Mountains flattened; land masses twisting out of shape (Jer. 4:23a; Ezek. 38:20)

  • Starlight disappearing (Jer. 4:23b)

  • Stars (meteors and comets?) falling to earth (Matt. 24:29-31; 2Pet. 3:10)

  • Solar and lunar eclipses (Joel 2:30-31)

  • Shift in the earth’s axis (Amos 8:9)

  • Daytime Darkness (Amos 5:20; Zeph. 1:15)

  • The sky appearing to “roll up” in thick, dark  clouds (Zeph. 1:15)

When can humanity expect to see this cosmological disaster happen? As we saw in revelation 6:12, the Blood Moons and related events associated with the Day of the Lord take place with the opening of the “sixth seal.” That means the first five “seals” must take place first. The “Day of the Lord” described by the opening of the sixth seal takes place after the Antichrist has been revealed for who he really is:

         2Thess. 2:3-4 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day [the Day of the Lord] will not come until the rebellion [apostasy — falling away; rebellion] occurs and the man of lawlessness [i.e., the Antichrist] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction…

The Lord’s Return in the sky in great power, according to Jesus, will be accompanied by cosmic upheaval and the destruction of the Antichrist (Matt. 24:29-30; 2 Thess. 2:8). The Rapture of the Church, also according to Jesus, will take place “at that time” as we are gathered from the whole earth “to meet the Lord in the air” (Matt. 24:31; 1Thess. 4:17; 1Thess. 5:9). The Day of the Lord’s Wrath will begin with Jesus’ appearing and our being gathered to Him, at which time God’s wrath described above will be poured out upon rebellious mankind and the earth will be purged of the effects of sin (Is. 13:9; 2Thess. 2:8).

Are the Blood Moons we experience now a sign of Jesus’ Return? Only in as much as they cause mankind to wonder what may be coming upon the earth, and as they cause believers to “watch and pray” in anticipation of Christ’s Return. For every time there is a “blood moon” the media is flooded with speculation and the world turns to biblical prophecy. God in His grace gives us all ample time to turn to Him in repentance and surrender…before it is too late.