Summary of Blood Moon Lunar-Solar Eclipses and the Lord’s Feasts [Part I.]
The first installment of this study focused on many levels of the Menorah pattern of 7, related to the Lord’s Feasts and holy days. When viewed in the context of the Blood Moon Tetrads, the Menorah takes on new light culminating in the Blood Moons of 2014-2015.
Picking up from key elements in the first part of this study of the Blood Moon Tetrads linked to the Lord’s Feast’s over the last 2000 years, we noted important ties to agricultural aspects of the 7 Feasts of the Lord, and their relation to the harvest of certain crops. Within the structure of the Lord’s 7 O.T. Feasts, the Hebrew Calendar focused on three of these sacred feasts, all commemorating the celebration of an important harvest. The first harvest was celebrated in Nisan during the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the barley harvest, when a sheaf of barley was brought to the Priest for the wave offering of the first-fruits of the harvest. This was the first day the Hebrews began counting the 7 weeks toward Pentecost. During our current Blood Moon Tetrad of 2014-2015, the next heavenly sign that occurs on a Hebrew Feast will be a total Solar Eclipse, taking place on Nisan 1 of 2015. This represents the center of this Blood Moon Tetrad, initiating the sacred year of the Hebrew Calendar. The 2nd harvest observance was the wheat harvest at Pentecost, 50 days later. The third harvest was the Feast of Tabernacles in the middle of the 7th month. This final harvest of the year included the grape harvest, ending the agricultural year before winter. As these three feasts of the Lord were celebrated during three separate harvests, they also celebrated three great events in the history of Israel. First, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, celebrated Israel’s Exodus from the bondage of Egypt. The second, Pentecost was recognized by Hebrews to mark the time God first revealed the Law to Israel at Mount Sinai. The third feast, the Feast of Tabernacles was a 7-day feast commemorating God’s watchful care of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness forty years. [Levi. 23] As we have just witnessed the final harvest Moon, as a Blood Moon on the Feast of Tabernacles in October of 2014, we can see the continuance of God’s watchful care for Israel during their current war with Hamas. This war will eventually escalate to a situation where Israel is surrounded by her enemies, intent on wiping her off the map, but Almighty God will intervene to save Israel and destroy those enemy nations coming against her.
The 40 years of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness depicted not only God’s care for His chosen people, but also God’s righteous judgment on Israel for their stiff-necked defiance. God’s plan of redemption was structured around these feasts illustrating future events in Bible prophecy, related to how these feasts are fulfilled in the ministry of Christ as Prophet, Priest and King. The feast of Unleavened Bread shows the resurrection of Christ as the first-fruits from the dead, [I Cor. 15:20-23]. The wheat harvest of the Feast of Pentecost illustrates the giving of the holy spirit on the Day of Pentecost, when the apostles and believers initially spoke in tongues. The Feast of Tabernacles depicts the resurrection of the just and unjust, in the harvest at the end of the world.1 This is being highlighted by the Blood Moon Tetrad of 2014-2015 especially in last harvest Moons, as Blood Moons during the Feast of Tabernacles in both years, emphasized during the Jubilee year of 2015.
There were 7 weeks of counting, that linked Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread with Pentecost. At the time of the first Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread, Israel left the bondage of Egypt. A major transition point during the Exodus was the giving of the Law at Sinai, to which Pentecost became linked. The last Passover embodied in Jesus Christ. symbolizes not only Israel’s Exodus from Egypt, but the Church’s Exodus from death and bondage to the OT Law. The current Blood Moon Tetrad of 2014-2015, conspicuously marks the Passover feasts of both these years in the last Blood Moon Tetrad that will not take place again on Hebrew feasts or holy days, for the next 500 years!! Christ’s redeeming work led to Pentecost in 28 AD, when the new birth first became available, and the gift of holy spirit was poured out as prophesied by Joel [Joel 2:28-31], starting a new spiritual administration, the Age of Grace. Christ was resurrected at the first harvest during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, as the first-fruits from the dead. At Pentecost in 28 AD, the believers were made a harvest, manifesting the first-fruits of the holy spirit as they spoke in tongues for the first time; [Rom. 8:23]. Believer’s in the age of Grace having the first-fruits of the spirit, meet Christ in the air in his victorious return for his Saints, gathering us together, [I Thess. 4:14-17]. Christians during the current end times are warned by a series of Blood Moon Tetrads, among other heavenly signs, leading to the last days prior to our gathering together unto the Lord. The final, and complete harvest will be at the return of Christ with his Saints, when the enemies of God are vanquished, and remaining believers are resurrected. God’s Word describes this as the harvest at the end of the world.2 [Matt. 13:38-39]
As the first-fruits from the dead, Jesus Christ is the crown of God’s spiritual harvest, being resurrected at the first harvest during the feast of Unleavened Bread. At the very time of offering the first-fruits according to Leviticus 23:10-11, Jesus Christ furnished himself as the first-fruits from the dead, the first in a long line of believers who will conquer death. The perfect coordination of the luni-solar celestial cycles with the Lord’s Feasts as we have seen in the Blood Moon Tetrads during the Age of Grace, shows the undeniable witness of the Creator’s Hand behind these events, according to His perfect foreknowledge. The apparent consummation of these Blood Moon Tetrads seems to be taking place at the posting of this Blood Moon blog in the fall of 2014, leading into the Jubilee year of 2015. The sooner the followers of both Christianity and Judaism recognize that Christ fulfilled every aspect of the 1st three of the Lord’s Feasts and the Old Testament Law, the more prepared we will be for his immanent return.
Jesus Christ fulfilled the OT Law as a result of his first appearance in his ministry to Israel, including the first set of three feasts, opening the way for Pentecost in 28 AD. “When the Day of Pentecost was fully come…” [Acts 2:1a], which had been in process for centuries prior, the way was finally cleared for the holy spirit new birth to be shared with humanity. Now we stand at the threshold of the Lord’s long awaited return when he will fulfill the second set of three feasts of the Lord leading to the feast of Tabernacles as seen in the Hebrew calendar.
One aspect in the celestial relationship to these feasts is seen clearly in connection with the Book of Ruth. This short story in the OT Bible record holds great insight for our understanding of the Lord’s Feasts, as they relate to the 1st and second appearances of the Lord Jesus Christ. Ruth was a Gentile woman, of the Moabites, who by God’s Grace and Mercy was included in the Royal genealogy of King David. Ruth 2:11-12 records Boaz’ high opinion of Ruth and her reward, for her trust under the Hand of the God of Israel. Ruth came to Bethlehem with Naomi, at the start of the Barley harvest [Ruth 1:22 to 2:22], and gleaned in the fields of Boaz till the end of the Barley and Wheat harvests, [Ruth 2:23]. Following this she obeys Naomi’s instruction to go to Boaz, activating her right of the eastern custom called kinsman redeemer. Since Boaz was part of Naomi’s family, and both Ruth and Naomi’s husbands had died, it became Boaz’ right to take Ruth in marriage, if a closer kinsman didn’t activate this right ahead of him. Ruth 3:9 shows how Ruth presented herself to Boaz and how he covered her with his cloak, signifying his acceptance and protection of her in their resulting impending marriage.
As we consider the skies during this time of year in Israel, its instructive to realize Virgo’s position during this harvest season. When viewed historically, we find astronomers as early as Caesius, linking Virgo with Ruth gleaning in the fields of Boaz.3 Annually we can see Virgo’s position mirroring the harvest seasons as follows. Virgo arises in the East during the Barley harvest and Wave Offering, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Virgo at Sunset on September 11th 3 BC, marking Christ’s Birth.
Virgo is at zenith, the highest point in the sky during early evening at the start of the Wheat harvest, during the Pentecost Feast. Finally, Virgo is setting in the early evening western skies of the latter harvest, during the Feast of Tabernacles. As we find in the graphic above, this matches Virgo’s position on the eve of September 11th, in 3 BC!4 We should be reminded that this was the period when the Sun was clothing Virgo, giving us a beautiful link to Boaz spreading his cloak over Ruth, as a figurative sign of his acceptance and protection of her. Since Boaz was part of the royal genealogy leading to the Christ, the Sun of Righteousness and the light of the world, enlightening Virgo is truly a beautiful celestial figure aligning with this Scriptural truth. It also embodies the Bridegroom [Ps. 19:5], as Christ, clothing his Bride-Israel, a figure of the marriage supper of the Lamb, all foreshadowed in Boaz redeeming his kins-woman Ruth! This Marriage Supper of the Lamb will occur during the Feast of Tabernacles, while the latter harvest relates to the 14th day of this seventh month of Tishri.
Also, when the Gentile Ruth came to Bethlehem, the birthplace of both David and Jesus and was allowed by God’s Grace, to share in the Lord’s royal genealogy, she was a forerunner of the Gentile Magi who came to Bethlehem as the first Gentiles to recognize the promised seed. Remember that it was his star–Jupiter in Virgo leading the Magi to Bethlehem, following their meeting with Herod. The graphic below depicts, not only the 12 signs of the Hebrew Zodiac in the center of this Temple scene, quartered in the four points of the compass or the Cardinal directions, but also the Tabernacle with Menorahs in the upper box, along with the women, as Ruth gleaning in the fields during harvest time, in the lower box.
This perspective on the Book of Ruth gives us a panoramic view of the Biblical harvest feasts in light of the celestial events surrounding the birth of Christ. We can see that these harvest feasts were first addressed to Israel in the Old Testament, with important applications to the Blood Moon Tetrads in the Age of Grace marking the victorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ. As we recognize Jesus Christ; as the master key to unlocking God’s Word, both written in the heavens and in Scripture, our understanding of the majesty of God’s Word and Works to and for man, is enlightened at new levels of understanding that God has opened to us.
Hebrew timekeeping is based on the Creator’s system regulated by the celestial cycles of the Sun, Moon and Stars according to [Gen. 1:14-17]. As we have already seen, the 12 signs/months of the Hebrew Zodiac directly relate to the 12 tribes of Israel, as Israel is enlightened by this 12-fold light of God. The Creator spun the stars and planets in their orbits in the heavens, to shed light upon the earth according to this 12-fold symmetry. We have also seen how the 50-year pattern of Hebrew Jubilees is based on the golden section, or phi ratio which governs the growth life of the plant, animal and human kingdoms on earth. These agricultural and biological growth cycles are in turn ruled by the cycles of Sunlight via photosynthesis in plants, indicating light’s dominion over the four kingdoms of life on the earth. Photosynthesis is possible due to another 12-fold symmetry found in the chlorophyll molecule, a life-giver for the agricultural and biological life kingdoms that transforms light into organic substance. Is it a coincidence that the spectrum’s of light and sound are also built on 12-fold symmetries? Not at all, since God is light and in Him is no darkness at all, and the sound of His Spoken Word at Creation reverberates throughout all Creation since the Beginning, as the basis of what holds it all together. Thus it is fitting that this symmetry is carried to the harvest seasons of the Hebrew Calendar and the 7 feasts of the Lord associated with these harvest celebrations.
Footnotes
1. Jesus Christ our Passover, VP Wierwille, ppg. 407-408
2. Jesus Christ our Passover, VP Weirwille, p. 409
3. Star Lore, Myths, Legends and Facts. William Tyler Olcott, p. 385.
4. Graphic Credit from Jesus Christ our Promised Seed, VP Wierwille