Easter Message - Which DIRECTION is the Blood Moon pointing us to?
by Pastor Moh | April 20, 2014
There has been a lot of clamor in the world about these Four Red-Blood Moons during the Four Jewish Festivals of Passover and Sukkoth in 2014-2015. On one extreme some people are preparing for the end of the world, and on the other extreme some people tell me that they just don’t care at all...So, what should be our “appropriate response” according to the Word of God to these Signs in the Heavens during the Jewish Feasts Passover and Sukkoth of 2014-2015?
Here is my pastoral direction to TSH...
Since the Creation, God made the sun and the moon "for SIGNS and for seasons" (Gen 1:14). The Lord Jesus personally taught that in addition to great earthquakes, famines, and pestilence, there would be "And there shall be signs in the SUN, and in the MOON, and in the STARS," (Luke 21:25). The Prophet Joel said that these signs in the sky will foretell the great day of the Lord. It was the Magi in the Gospel of Matthew who read the signs in the heavens and saw the hand of God on earth in their generation. Similarly, in our generation these signs in the heaven during the Jewish Festivals must guide us to see what the hand of the Lord is doing in our generation, and partner with Him in the here and now.
The words of the Jewish Talmud (Jewish Book of Tradition and Commentaries on the Bible) can give Judeo-Christians some insight on how we should relate to all possibilities and speculations: “When the Jews perform the will of God, they need not worry about omens [or celestial phenomenon]. Thus says the Lord ‘Do not be frightened by the signs of the heavens.’” (Talmud Sukkah 29a).
Hey, we may not comprehend the full significance of these signs, but any way you look at it, it is a sign to look beyond the muddle of daily existence to faithfully live for Jesus Christ, knowing that He is coming soon! "When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draws near," Luke 21:28.
Now, let’s look at a major prophecy by the Apostle Peter in the New Testament regarding the Red-Blood Moon...In Acts 2:14-21, the Apostle Peter (on the day of Pentecost) proclaims that the “Outpouring of the Holy Spirit” was the fulfillment of the prophetic words spoken by Joel, the prophet to Israel. Joel sees the day when the dream and desire of Moses would be fulfilled - (Moses did say, “Would that all God’s people were prophets,” [Numbers 11:29] but this was his wish...) Peter also points out that the “signs in the heavens” (Acts 2:20) – the Solar Eclipse and the Red-Blood Moon as a Sign to Israel – should propel us to obey and fulfill the will of God through Evangelism in our individual and collective lives. In this way, the “unsaved” will come to know God and call upon His Name (Christ Jesus) to be saved!
Peter boldly proclaims that God has broken the sin and satanic barrier which stood in the way of all humanity, and is now pouring out His Spirit on all those who seek Him. The outpouring of the Spirit is for the “healing of the nations” - Tikkun Olam (Repairing the broken Universe) (John 20:21-22). In this new way of Christ (Acts 2:14-21), God would heal the world through His prophetic words and works through His people!
Judaism is unusual in that it recognizes not one form of spiritual leadership but two: the navi and the kohen, the prophet and the priest. The figure of the prophet has always captured the imagination. He (or she) is a person of drama, “speaking truth to power,” unafraid to challenge kings and courts, or society as a whole, in the name of the God of Israel. No other type of religious personality has had the impact on Israel as the prophets of Israel. The priests, by contrast, were for the most part quieter figures, apolitical, serving in the Sanctuary rather than in the spotlight of political debate. Yet the priests, no less than the prophets, sustained Israel as a holy nation. However, prophets brought about structural changes in Israel through works of social justice, charity, faith, etc.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminded the Church that true discipleship is conformity to Jesus Christ as a contemporary presence leading us into the world. This occurs through the power of the Holy Spirit. Prophetic Ministry of Acts 2:14-21 has always been grounded in the praxis of following Christ into the world. This means men and women “being” in Christ, and working on everyday problems such as childcare, education, pollution, food distribution, injustice, genetic engineering, and proliferation of violence and weaponry—knowing that this work is holy and good, possessing the transforming power of the Kingdom of God. It will become God’s pathway for affirming and expounding the truth of who God is, and what God wishes to reveal through what He has said and done, and what God is saying and doing in the world today.
So what does it mean when the Apostle Peter says “...I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy... Acts 2:17) It means that in the process of following our God given purpose in this world through our church and daily work, we can “heal our little slice of the universe” in our generation.
Each of us is responsible to heal our little slice of the universe (Tikkun Olam – John 20:21-22). In the process of engaging in the mission of God, the people of God (men and women as seen in Acts 2:14-21) become “prophetic” by healing their world. So, Judeo-Christians enter the world not only to speak but to listen, not only to serve but to be served, not only to give but to receive.”
So, what does the sign of the Four Red-Blood Moons during the four Jewish Festivals in 2014-15 direct us to do? IT"S A SIGN FOR US TO OBEY THE WORD OF GOD...It is a SIGN to get-off our blessed assurances, and obey the will of God and follow the Spirit of God to proclaim Christ to our community through works of social justice and charity (Tzedakah). Time is short – the Lord is coming (James 5:7-9)!
Now go do something for the Lord that brings peace and healing in your "slice of the universe" starting NOW...until He comes back...whenever that is...
Resources:
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. Exodus: The Book of Redemption (Covenant & Conversation)
Ray Anderson, The Soul of Ministry
http://unitedwithisrael.org/the-blood-moon-and-jewish-destiny/
http://kenraggio.com/KRPN-BloodRedMoon.htm
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/insideisrael/2014/February/Divine-Sign-for-Israel-Hagee-Explains-Blood-Moons/