A celestial theory has seized Christians who are keen on these sorts of things. It has to do with today’s eclipse. Is it god talking to us? What is he saying? Does it mean the apocalypse is coming?
Some religious folks, like evangelical Pastor John Hagee, discern something profound in this, pointing to passages in the scriptures that say such phenomena portend a day of judgement. “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord,” Joel 2:31 said, as noted by Religious News Service.
It’s pretty heady stuff, and to some this means the judgement is upon us. (This, of course, is not a new assessment. Every year or so someone is talking apocalypse this, and apocalypse that, with little to show for it.) But right now, the rumors over the blood moon are getting a boost among some of this theory’s adherents. Today’s eclipse was said to be a once-in-100,000-years event. And the rarity of that fact surely means something very unusual is happening with the skies. It can’t be a coincidence, said Texan Christian Bob O’Dell. What’s more, we’re only two weeks away from the next blood moon, set to land on April 4, the first full day of Passover.
Such lunar events are “almost like the opening and closing of a chapter” with “big picture religious meaning,” O’Dell was quoted saying in the Times of Israel.
His pal Gidon Ariel, with whom he runs the ecumenical Web site Root Source, concurred. He advised prayer at a time like this. Who knows what messages the skies doth whisper?
“While a worldwide call to prayer is not typical for Jews like myself, the concurrence and rarity of this natural event, together with the times in which we live, points to prayer as being the right response to such an amazing natural event that might indicate the finger of God in history,” Haaretz quoted him saying.
Could it be the judgement itself? Pastor Mark Biltz, author of “Blood Moons: Decoding the Imminent Heavenly Signs,” said yes. And that’s a big yes.
“In Jewish tradition, a total solar eclipse is a warning to the Gentiles and a sign of judgement on the nations,” Blitz told WND Faith. “When we look at where the darkness will be, it will be in northern European countries like England and Sweden where we see the rise of Islam and anti-Israel sentiment. Europeans especially should take heed.”
Pastor John Hagee is also reverent of the Blood Moon Happening. He’s even released a fairly slick trailer for a documentary he calls the “Four Blood Moons.” It’s set for release this week, and tells the story of every time in history various blood moons occurred in close proximity. “Science,” it intones. “History. And scripture. Align. Again.” He’s also done a book on the subject that at one point was No. 4 on the New York Times bestseller list, and has clocked more than 2,500 reviews on Amazon.
As of press time, it still wasn’t clear whether today is, in fact, judgement day. But according to reports, it appears that we’ve staved off that fate once more.
Until, perhaps, the next blood moon.