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Astronomical events have always been associated with gloomy biblical predictions. Planets aligning, solar and lunar eclipses are signs coming from God that tell us the end of the world is approaching, some believe. The total lunar eclipse that took place on April 15 was the first of four eclipses that will occur before the end of next year, 2015. The phenomenon is called a tetrad and it’s a series of four eclipses that some religious leaders say are signs of changes to come. Others go so far as to say that the eclipses actually predict the end of the world.
Scientists have different opinions, as always. They say that the blood moon happens because of the red coloration produced by the sunlight which refracts through the Earth’s atmosphere. They call it the blood moon because the moon looks dark red, associating it with the color of blood. But the color of the moon actually depends on several factors like weather conditions and blood moons are not easy to predict. The shadows that are produced by Earth have two regions: a darker inner core – the umbra and a larger region which causes the dark red coloration called the penumbra.
John Hagee who founded the Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas wrote a book in which he claims that the tetrad of eclipses that will happen in the near future will bring “great changes” to our world. Last time a series of eclipses took place was in 2003-2004 and they will occur another seven times during the 21st century.
John Hagee quotes from the Bible Acts 2:20 which say that “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord.” Is this just another coincidence or does it have a deeper meaning to it? The total lunar eclipse that occurred on April 15 coincided with the first day of Passover and with another traditional holiday, the Seder meal. The next three lunar eclipses all coincide with other Jewish holidays: the next lunar eclipse coincides with the Sukkot which is the Feast of Tabernacles. This holiday is on October 8, just like the next eclipse.
The Blood Moon – a message from God?
Hagee says that these are messages from God who is using the celestial bodies to tell us something. The pastor wrote that “Just as in biblical times, God is controlling the sun, the moon, and the stars to send our generation a signal that something big is about to happen.”
What do you think about the blood moon? Is it just an astronomical event or does it stand for something more?
