Blood moons occurring during Jewish feasts of Passover and Sukkot in 2015
The third of four very special blood moons is happening this Friday/Saturday! What are blood moons and why is this group of them so significant?
Blood moons are total lunar eclipses which occur when the earth passes between the sun and moon making the moon appear orange or red. Blood moons occur regularly, however, the significance of this “tetrad” (series of four) lies in how close together they occur and the fact they fall on the Jewish feasts of Passover and Sukkot two years in a row. On average, a blood moon occurs every 1.5 years. In 2014 and 2015 there are four blood moons within 18 months. According to Pastor Mark Biltz, who has studied this phenomenon extensively, this has only happened eight times in 2,000 years and it won’t happen again for 500 years. Surrounding previous blood moon tetrads on Passover and Sukkot very significant events have occurred in Israel’s history, leading many to wonder what the present set will bring.
NASA is also expecting full solar eclipses during this period. According to the Talmud and Jewish history, a total lunar eclipse is bad news for Israel while a total solar eclipse is bad news for the world, or Gentiles. (For more details, timelines, and eclipse schedules, you can visit NASA’s website here.) Though only the last blood moon of this tetrad, on September 28, will be visible from Israel we must remember that half the world’s Jewish People live elsewhere. While it is impossible to say exactly what these signs might mean for Israel, the U.S., or the world at large, some of the notable events since the first blood moon occurred at Passover 2014 are the Israel-Gaza war, ISIS, and Ebola.
Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) 2015 marks the beginning of a new shemitah cycle. The shemitah year is for the land to rest and for a business reset. The last two shemitah years have brought dramatic financial downturns with the stock market losing 7% in both 2001 and 2008. Another financial collapse this shemitah year – which would begin in 2015 and extend into 2016 on the Gregorian calendar – would not surprise our guest.
Another factor is the jubilee year. This is a 50-year cycle of rest and reset that Israel has not been able to keep for about 2,700 years. Mark Biltz admits he is not certain if the coming 2016-2017 Gregorian calendar contains the Jewish Jubilee or not, but since Jubilee is about returning land to its owner, he has noticed a pattern. In 1917, the Balfour Declaration stated that the Land belonged to Israel and in 1967 Jerusalem was returned to Jewish ownership.
Discover more about the blood moons
In our March 2015 “Jewish Voice LIVE! Webcast with Jonathan Bernis,” Pastor Biltz addressed questions of preparedness by noting that the foremost thing is to be prepared spiritually in our personal relationship with God through Yeshua. This, of course, is important no matter what signs are occurring in the heavens because none of us knows when our last day will be. He added that “it doesn’t hurt to be physically prepared” as well. He added that our goal in any food, water, or supply storage is not to hoard for ourselves, but to share so that we can bring the Good News to people when they’re in fear and they want to know where to go.
Many people are wondering what the blood moons might mean to us in light of End Times’ prophecy and if they indicate the nearness of such events as the rapture, the Tribulation, and Yeshua’s return. Pastor Biltz notes that while God has given the sun, moon, and stars for signs and feast days, and we are not able to tell the precise day or hour of these events, we are to be aware and in ready anticipation. Clearly such dramatic heavenly signs have drawn attention to biblical prophecy, God’s Last Days’ timeline, and to God Himself.
To see the blood moons webcast in its entirety, click here. You may also be interested in seeing previous blood moons webcasts: December 2013, October 2014.
Here at Jewish Voice, we are committed to keeping you informed on events that involve Israel and the Jewish People in these Last Days. To learn more about the various ways Jewish Voice is sharing the Good News of Yeshua with the world, please click here.
