A Blood Moon Passover

Total Lunar  Eclipse, April 15, 2014

photo by Victor Rogus

And God said,

"Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens

to divide the day from the night;

and let them be for signs and for appointed times

and for days and years..."

- Genesis 1:14

The heavens declare the glory of God;

And the firmament shows His handiwork.

Day unto day utters speech,

And night unto night reveals knowledge.

There is no speech nor language 

Where their voice is not heard.

Their line has gone out through all the earth,

And their words to the end of the world.

-Psalm 19:1-4

And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars...

Now when these things begin to happen,

look up and lift up your heads,

because your redemption draws near....

... So you also, when you see these things happening,

know that the kingdom of God is near.

- Luke 21:25, 28, 31

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, These are the appointed feasts of the Lord that you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are My appointed feasts...

These are the appointed feasts of the Lord, the holy convocations which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the Lord's Passover.

- Leviticus 23:1, 2, 4, 5 

I no longer recall the precise moment when I began to have a deep love for the nation of Israel and the Jewish people. All I remember is that the stories of the forefathers of my faith -- Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob -- have made such an impact on me as a young follower of Christ.

After a life-changing encounter with God Himself, Jacob received a new name, Israel. After him was named the special nation that God calls His "first born son" (Exodus 4:22).

It saddens me when I hear other people say that the nation of Israel has fallen from grace, and has disqualified herself from God's original purposes for her. Because what I know and understand is that God's covenant with Abraham is everlasting. Even if Israel broke the covenant because of her unfaithfulness and disobedience, the promise is that there is a new covenant, the existing one made even better by God:

Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah--not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, through I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people... they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more. - Jeremiah 31:31-34

If there had been a change in His plans, He would have plainly told us, and we would not have to resort to guesswork and speculation about His real intentions.

Repeatedly it is said in Scriptures that God has a redemptive plan for the whole of humanity, and Israel has an important prophetic role in the midst of it.

In the fullness of time God will unfold His sovereign plan before our very eyes.

God's Appointed Times

An integral part of the prophetic timeline of this nation are seven important feasts, or moedim, directly translated as "appointed times," which God said are to be observed for all generations.

These feasts are not random events prescribed by men, they are appointments made by God Himself. In Genesis 1:14 it is clearly stated that the "lights in the firmament," the heavenly bodies, were created by God as His timepieces for these appointments.

Gradually, over the years, I have put some of the pieces together and have come to understand the significance of the Lord's feasts.

These feasts are rehearsals of the actual events of our redemption story.

The three spring feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits, point to the First Coming of Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus our Messiah, our Redeemer, and have already been fulfilled:

Jesus' crucifixion and death took place on the feast of Passover, April 3, 33 A.D., or Nisan 14, 3973 in the Hebrew calendar.

He was buried on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and rose again on the Feast of First Fruits.

The Holy Spirit descended on the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost, an event that is considered to be the birth of the Church.

source

We are still awaiting the prophetic fulfillment of the last three Fall Feasts: Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles, which point to the Second Coming of Yeshua HaMashiach.

Blood Moons

At the start of this year we began seriously looking at the significance of the blood moons, or total lunar eclipses, that fall on the same days as the Jewish feasts.

Four consecutive blood moons, called a tetrad, falling on Jewish feasts is very rare, and has only happened seven times since the time of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It has been observed that each time a tetrad "coincided" with the Jewish feasts, a significant event took place in the history of Israel.

NASA has confirmed that tetrads falling on Passover and the first day of Tabernacles (Sukkoth) on back to back years have taken place seven times since 1 AD.

First Tetrad

The very first tetrad to ever fall on Jewish feasts took place in the years 32-33 A.D. This tetrad is tied to Jesus' crucifixion on April 3, 33 A.D.  Jesus died on a blood moon Passover. The Bible also mentions that at twelve noon till three in the afternoon, there was darkness over the land, an account of which is mentioned in Luke 23:44,45 --

"Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two."

source

Second Tetrad

In 162-163 AD another lunar tetrad occurred. Famine, persecution, and plague took place within this time frame.

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Third Tetrad

Charlemagne stopped the Muslim invasion of Europe during the 795-796 lunar tetrad. 

source

Fourth Tetrad

The lunar eclipses of 860-861 AD takes place just after millions of Christians were killed by Arab crusaders in North Africa and Spain. The Greek-Byzantine victory over the Arabs at the Battle of Lalakaon which halted Islamic conquest in Eastern Europe also happened right after the four blood moons for these particular years.

 source

Fifth Tetrad

Right before the 1493-94 lunar tetrad, their Majesties Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain issued the "Edict of Expulsion" (March 31, 1492) ordering all Jews in Spain to leave the kingdom.  Around 200,000 Jews were dispersed as a result. This expulsion was a pet project of the Spanish Inquisition aimed at protecting the Catholic converts from Judaism to remain loyal to their new religion.

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Sixth Tetrad

The 1949-1950 lunar tetrad takes place after the rebirth of Israel as a nation (May 14, 1948). On July 5, 1950 the Knesset passed the Law of Return giving Jews the right to settle in Israel and receive legal status as citizens, something previously blocked by Britain after World War II.

source

Seventh Tetrad

The tetrad of 1967-68 is tied to the June 7, 1967 Israeli victory in the Six Day War where Jerusalem was retaken after 1,897 years!

source

Eighth Tetrad

Within this year 2014, and the next year 2015, there are four blood moons taking place, all four of them also falling on the feasts of Passover (April 15, 2014), Tabernacles (October 8, 2014), Passover (April 4, 2015), and Tabernacles (September 28, 2015).

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What is significant about this particular ltetrad is that it will be the eighth lunar tetrad that occurs on the same dates as the Jewish feasts. It will not happen again in this century.

It is worth noting that in the Bible, the number eight stands for new beginnings.

Are we on the threshold of a new beginning?

Many believe that we are in the generation of the Lord's return. 

Well, we are told by our Lord in Scriptures to watch, to pray, and to be ready for His return.

Jesus said there will be signs. He does not leave us in the dark. 

The book of Joel actually has this to say about the last blood moon before the return of our Lord Jesus:

The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and the terrible day of the LORD comes. - Joel 2:31

Celebrating a Blood Moon Passover

Abba Father said that His appointed feasts are to be observed as a reminder of His Lordship over us.

We at the Negros Island House of Prayer celebrated this special blood moon Passover at sundown of April 14, 2014. Around 370 persons representing the different churches in Bacolod City joined in the celebration.

Passover is a beautiful reminder of God's eternal promise to never leave nor forsake His people, Israel.

One of the traditional terms for Passover is z'man cheruteinu, or "the season of our freedom." (http://ravmatt.blogspot.com/2014/04/passover-season-of-our-freedom.html)

In observing Passover we re-live the events of the Israelites' exodus from Egypt and their freedom from slavery. Because it is our desire to be one with Israel in her prophetic destiny, and to recognize the Hebraic roots of our faith, we look at the events surrounding Passover not as something that happened in the past, but about the freedom we have been given and which has been experienced by "us" together with our Jewish brothers.

image source

During Passover, we commemorate the death of Yeshua HaMashiach as our Passover Lamb.

We celebrate the truth that because of His sacrificial death, our sins have been atoned for, our debt paid in full by the shedding of His blood.

Indeed, this blood moon Passover was a very special one for all of us.

It was a privilege for me to have been a part of this meaningful celebration.

I Will Run to You
(Lyrics by Darlene Zschech)

Your eye is on the sparrow
And Your hand, it comforts me
From the ends of the earth to the depth of my heart
Let Your mercy and strength be seen

You call me to Your purpose
As angels understand
For your glory, may You draw all men
As Your love and grace demand

And I will run to You
To Your words of truth
Not by might, not by power
But by the spirit of God

Yes I will run the race
Till I see Your face
Oh let me live in
The glory of Your grace.








Sharing some photos of the memorable evening:

Butch Yulo, enjoining everyone to rejoice in the presence of our Lord

as the Passover Seder was about to begin.

After the Passover ceremony and dinner
From left to right:
Patrick Serios, Lyndon and Ann Cana, Mylene and Butch Yulo,
me, Miguel Zayco (behind me), William and Ruby Su,
Sofia, Honey Grace, and Raffi Catalan



Dan and Jing

Migui and Macy

Ruby, Ann, me

Jing, me, Pat

my dear family (daughter Obedient One was still in Manila)
Standing: First Born, me, Worshiper, and Chosen One
Seated: God-given

Blood Moons Coming

The Coming Blood Moons

Experience the Seven Blessings of Passover

The Apple of His Eye