The following is a write up in response to the 2015 hype over the Tetrad Moons. I wrote the article to clear up questions surrounding the Tetrad Moon cycle and then looked at what the bible said about the "blood moons". I've kept the article here to show people how to discern between fact and fiction established from pulling Scripture from context to hype a natural event and make a bunch of money off un-witty people.
The Article:
There’s been a lot of questions surrounding the tetrad moons that we are currently in the middle of. I want to review the science, Bible, and prophecy teachings in relation to these blood moons.
SCIENCE
Contrary to what many are claiming, tetrad moons are part of the natural cycle of our planet, sun, and moon. According to the NASA website, there have been 142 tetrad moons in the past 5,000 years. Not exactly a phenomenon.
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OH2014.html
I believe, what they are trying to say is that the tetrad moons falling on Israel holidays are a phenomenon and, in the past, when this has happened, there have been major events happen within Israel.
It is claimed that, out of these 142 tetrads, 7 have occurred during Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles. Why would this be?
TETRADS AND JEWISH HOLIDAYS
Understanding that tetrad moons are part of the normal cycle of our planet, we must understand that, while these phases would not happen on exactly the same day every time they occur, eventually, the tetrad moons will cycle back around and happen again. The Mayan’s understood this cycle and their calendar, that was the big hype for 2013, was based on the natural cycle of the stars and moon. Science understands the cycle, but most of us who work a normal job and have a normal life doing normal people things have been kinda lost on this. Because of this, we listen to other’s who have not studied this but claim that the moons falling on Israel holidays are almost impossible odds. Why are they falling on Israel holidays and why is it only Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles? The answer to this question is actually quite simple.
To come up with their almost impossible odds, those calculating, or just repeating what others are calculating, are missing out and leaving out the key component that makes those odds almost nothing.
The Israel nation runs off of a lunar calendar. Even if the nation itself does not, all of their Biblical holidays do. How does this work?
The lunar calendar does not operate in the same manner as our common calendar today - it operates on the 30-day lunar cycle. When three or more witnesses confirm the sickle moon, that begins day one. Therefore, near the very middle of each lunar month is a full moon. A full moon lasts for about four days; thus from the 14th to the 18th is a full moon. In order for there to be a full lunar eclipse, there must be a full moon, thus they will fall in the middle of the lunar month. In order for a tetrad to be a tetrad, there must be a series of four lunar eclipse’s.
The reason that it’s not rare for the tetrads to fall on the Israel holidays is that their holiday’s surround the lunar cycle. And, the reason that they only fall on Passover and the Fest’s of Tabernacle’s is that these two holidays fall in the middle of the lunar month that is within the normal tetrad cycle.
MODERN TEACHING
There are many problems with the modern teaching of the end days; they are typically based on poor interpretation of Scripture. I’m not saying that I know everything here, but we need to, at least, be able to spot bad interpretation. So, let’s look at the blood moons in the Bible, modern teaching, and their modern hype behind them.
A blood moon is only mentioned three times in Scripture. The fourth time it’s merely mentioned as the moon turning dark.
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 2:31 NKJV)
The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord
(Acts 2:20 NKJV)
Which is a quote from Joel.
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. 13 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
(Revelation 6:12-13 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
(Matthew 24:29 NKJV)
Though this account of the moon, as spoken by Christ, is not blood but just darkened, many relate this account to that of Revelation and Revelation to that of Acts and Joel.
In Revelation we see the blood moon fall within the sixth seal. In Matthew we see the dark moon placed IMMEDIATELY after the tribulation that Christ spoke of. Modern teachers parallel the tribulation in Matthew with what they call the four horse apocalypse. They claim that the first horse, the white horse, is the coming of the anti-christ. From here, we see the horse of war, the horse of economic downfall, and the horse of death. Now, I’m just stating the modern end day teachings here.
So we have this pattern, as known by the numbers of the seals. And, we have Christ’s statement of the sun, moon, and star signs IMMEDIATELY after the tribulation.
By their own teachings, there is no way this is the “blood moons” talked about in Scripture. There has been no Tribulation, there has been no rise of an antichrist man. War’s are as they have always been, the economy has not taken a quick downturn to which we are in a famine, and there has not been great death. Therefore, according to their own teaching, this is impossible.
BIBLE
In Acts, we see Peter quoting from the book of Joel. Let’s stop here for a moment and look at the modern logic of the church.
While I’m not getting into a debate of Bible translations, many contemporary theologians, seminaries, evangelist, and the likes, have moved from the King James Version to the modern version because they believe the text which the modern versions come from is closer to the original writers. The reasoning has a very valid point. The closer we get to the original author, narrator, or speaker, the more accurate the information. I think we all can agree with this. So, according to Peter, the very one who spoke these words, a man who was from the tribe of Judah, a Israeli, who studied directly under the teachings of Christ, understood the culture, understood the original writings which we do not have today, what does he say about the timing of Joel’s statement about the blood moon?
This is during the filling of the Holy Spirit, in the upper room during Pentecost. They are speaking in other languages, and all the nationalities are hearing and understanding their words. Some, who could not fathom, or explain, what is going on, are mocking them and accusing them of being drunk. And, Peter stood...
raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel
(Acts 2:14-16 NKJV)
The Israel people knew the book of Joel was a book of symbology. It has not been until modern times that the belief had passed to the literal sense. In fact, all of Prophecy is symbology. We don’t expect to see a seven-headed beast rise from the sea and a woman riding a seven-headed beast. We understand that the statue of Daniel, the beast’s, the horns, and so forth are all symbols.
An error comes in with the modern definition of “The Great Day of the Lord”. There is a great and dreadful day of the Lord coming, but Joel and Peter are talking about a great and AWESOME day of the Lord. People, we are in this day. This is a wonderful, awesome time, which we fall under the sacrifice of the Lord - we are in that day.
What about Revelation and Matthew? Understanding that the categorization of the sun, moon, and stars are a symbol, we need to look at the other use of these symbols in Scripture.
Now a great sign appeared in heaven:a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars
(Revelation 12:1 NKJV)
This prophecy is the depiction of a woman who is clothed in the sun, moon, and stars. In prophecy, the woman is the church, as God always depicts His people as a bride or harlot, and the church is the bride of Christ. This prophecy is depicting the church that is the light of the world. Understanding what this is depicting, and understanding the sun, moon, and stars, are a symbol, what we are actually seeing is a prophecy to which the church will not be the light of the world any longer.
This should not be a surprise to us.
Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first
(2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 NKJV)
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self- control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power
(2 Timothy 3:1-5 NKJV)
Paul taught that the end days would come with a great apostasy in the church to which they will love the pleasures of the world more than God. They may have a form of godliness, but they deny the power of godliness due to their lust of worldly pleasures. This is a falling of the light of the world. Brothers and sisters, this day has come.
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