THE END?

Nostradamus still gets press long after his predictions have been disproven.  But then, every century has their Harold Camping who predicts doom.

All the soothsayers have been proven wrong; Jesus was proven right when He said no one but the Father knows the day.

But Jesus also told us to watch the signs and be aware when the signs increase like a woman in labor.  So what signs are causing a stir today?

There are the usual suspects...the worldwide hostility (now causing mass migrations across Europe), natural disasters, depravity, and advanced technology that makes wholesale destruction more likely.

Scripture says at the end there will be an alliance that comes against Israel comprised of Gog, Persia, Ethiopia, and Put.  Who's that?  Russia, Iran, Libya, and Turkey.  Gee, it's easy to envision THAT bunch coming together.  Jesus also said His disciples would be handed over to be persecuted and would be killed and hated by all the nations because of His name.  That certainly describes the plight of Middle Eastern Christians.

But something else is being talked about this month.  It's this whole "blood moon" thing.  What does that have to do with the last days?  Blood moons are not rare, but what makes the subject tantalizing is that NASA can tell us exactly when blood moons have happened back to 1AD.

Our search is not for ALL blood moons, but only the ones which coincide with certain days on Israel's calendar in the Spring and Fall.

In fact, a Biblical tetrad is the name for four blood moons that occur on Passover and Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkoth) for two consecutive years.  And NASA records SEVEN times in history that has happened.  When it happens, something important happens to either Israel or to Christians.  Here are the seven times:

1.  The Biblical tetrads in 162-163AD saw the worst persecution of Jews and Christians in the Roman Empire.  Within three years, 8 million people (a third of the population) were killed.

The next three tetrads (#2, #3, #4) happened at the end of the 8th century and continued through the 9th century.  They were time of turmoil as Islam launched jihad on Europe.

In the center of this painting of the Battle of Tours, you see a woman and child,
the symbol of the saving of Christendom.  Jesus is the seed of the woman.

After Mohammed's death in 632, within 100 years his mandate for conquest had taken Northern Africa and Spain, causing the death of many Christians and Jews.  In fact, Muslims had advanced to just south of Paris when they ran into a general named Charles "The Hammer" Martel.

Martel's victory at the Battle of Tours in 732 STOPPED the Islamic advance into Western Europe, saving Christendom.  Then the next century marked a messy time of pushing them out.

2.  The Biblical tetrads in 795-796 marked fighting led by Martel's grandson, King Charlemagne of the Holy Roman Empire, who established buffer states between France and Spain to prevent further Arab invasions.

3.  The Biblical tetrads in 842-843 were followed by an attack on the Vatican and looting by an Islamic invasion from Africa.

4.  The Biblical tetrads in 860-861 saw the defeat of Arab armies at a battle in Turkey, which stopped the Islamic invasion of Eastern Europe until the 1600's.

Then 600+ years go by...

5.  The Biblical tetrads in 1493-1494 happened after King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain ordered Jews (200,000) out of their country.  At the time, Spain had been a refuge for Jews.  Here is how Christopher Columbus began his diary:  "In the same month in which their Majesties issued the edict that all Jews should be driven out of the kingdom and its territories, in the same month they gave me the order to undertake with sufficient men my expedition of discovery to the Indes (Indies)."  

History records tens of thousands of Jewish refugees died while trying to reach safety.  Some Spanish ship captains charged inflated ticket prices, only to take Jews out and dump them overboard in the middle of the ocean.  In the last days before the expulsion, rumors spread through Spain that the refugees had swallowed gold and diamonds, and many were knifed to death by treasure hunters.

Then America was discovered and became a home to a Jewish population which now numbers 5.5 million.  And 455 years go by...

6.  The Biblical tetrads of 1949-1950 saw the first Arab-Israeli War right after Israel became a nation (Israel was declared a nation in 1948, but the first government didn't take office until January of 1949).  Less than 24 hours after proclaiming independence, the armies of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq invaded.  Israel's Defense Forces were just formed and were poorly equipped, but they fought 15 months before becoming victors.  There were 6,000 lives lost, representing 1% of the population at the time.

7.  The Biblical tetrads of 1967-1968 coincide with the Six Day War, when Israel recaptured Jerusalem.  As her Arab neighbors threatened and gathered on her borders, Israel made a pre-emptive strike against Egypt in the South, a counter attack against Jordan in the East, and routed Syrian forces to the North in the Golan Heights.  

Think about one more thing.  As we study the skies, we also are aware of the ways Israel's feast days overlap Christendom's timeline.  Israel celebrates Passover in the Spring (on the 15th of Nissan), the first month of their Jewish religious new year.  In that time of beginning, they give thanks that God released them from Egyptian bondage and they gather around the sacrifice of the lamb which atoned for their sins.

A Christian's new life in Christ begins when they humble themselves before the Lamb of God and ask that His blood would release them from bondage and atone for their sin.   Christ's sacrifice was made in Spring on Good Friday, and He conquered death in His resurrection three days later.

In Fall, Israel celebrates the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkoth) when they focus on God who has given them the harvest.  They make booths to signify that they understand their lives here are temporary, but their dependence and their home is with God.

Similarly, in the "Fall" of God's timeline, Christians see the final ingathering as a time when the Lord of the Harvest (who has sent out workers to bring in the harvest of souls) returns for His church.

This year, the blood moon and Feast of Tabernacles will be on September 28th.  That is not a doomsday prediction, but it does seem reasonable to consider, given the significant things have happened in the past.  Shall we then not act appropriately?  Let's follow what Psalm 122 already calls us to do: PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM.

So we thank can the Lord for His promises toward Israel.  We can read Anne Graham Lotz' PRAYER suggestions and ask the Lord to make Israel's Iron Dome impenetrable...to confuse the minds of Israel's enemies...and to give Israel unity of mind.

Pray, Christians.  After all, when we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, we are praying for Jesus' return.