Norman Edwards on Tomorrow’s Red Moon

Earlier today, I received the following news item:

On Tuesday, Aug. 28th the full Moon will slip into Earth’s shadow for a two-hour total eclipse…beginning at 5:00 a.m. in Atlanta. The moon will be totally eclipsed at 5:52 a.m. and be fully out of Earth’s shadow by 8:24 a.m. However, we won’t be able to see the end in Atlanta because the moon sets at 7:08 a.m. Full animation/times at: http://shadowandsubstance.com/

And a little later, I received the following from Norman Edwards (who used to put out the independent COG Servants’ News):

The moon will not completely disappear, but will turn a dark red as it continues to be lighted by refracted light from the earth’s atmosphere.

This brings to mind the three places in the Bible that talk about the moon being “turned to blood”. While we understand the physical cause of the event today, that should not stop us from understanding that it may be a prophetic sign to us from our Father in heaven. I believe that He has given me some understanding of the meaning of these three scriptures, so I am sending this e-mail to those for whom I have addresses.

While these verses certainly have application to the physical nation of Israel, it is also clear that the “children of Zion” are the Church-the body of called out believers wherever they are. The Eternal is promising both a former and latter rain-which appears the outpouring of his Spirit on that Pentecost when the Church began, and at a later time in the future. The first few verses, above are quoted and explained by the apostle Peter:

Acts 2:16-24…Peter clearly shows that the miracles of Jesus (Yashuah), were part of those signs prophesied by Joel. According to the NASA astronomical tables at http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/LEcat/LEcatalog.html, there was a very similar lunar eclipse on Passover of 32 A.D., when at least some Chronologists believe that Christ died. The Bible also notes that the sun was darkened for about three hours (Matt 27:45) and that there was a great earthquake (Matt 27:54). This leads us to the final passage about the moon turning to blood, where I include the entire chapter of Revelation 6…

These four horses are the evil powers that have persecuted Christians and mankind in general since the time of Peter until now…

The fourth horse looks obviously bad and its rider is “death”. These are obviously evil forces who cause death by multiple methods (some repeated from the first three horses), but fortunately are limited in their power to only one fourth of the earth. These are the clearly evil empires, such as Joseph Stalin’s USSR, Pol Pot’s Cambodia, etc…

Will something again happen in the next few days to blacken the sun? I do not know. If it does, do these two signs together signal the opening of the sixth seal? Again, I have no revelation on this matter. But I feel compelled to write that others may watch. It may be that some other future atmospheric disturbance, not related to an eclipse, causes both the sun to be blackened and the moon to be red like blood…

I believe that it is significant that this Eclipse occurs in the middle of the Hebrew month of Elul. (Lunar Eclipses can only occur at full-moons which are, by most understandings, always in the middle of the month). The month of Elul has been traditionally seen as a month of repentance, immediately preceding the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement.

It is also interesting that during this same month the financial system in the USA is now closer to collapse than it has been for decades. A stock market crash, closing of the banks and/or hyper inflation are very likely. Since most of it is built on confidence, official sources are slow to talk about how bad it is. But one report I read stated that the Federal Reserve had to create 50 billion dollars of new money in a day to prevent defaults, whereas 1 to 2 Billion had been sufficient in the past. I do not know if these signs of Joel and Revelation are coming to pass in the next few days, or if it will be many years from now.

There is not another “moon turning to blood” eclipse of similar magnitude until June 15, 2011. Also of interest, while slightly weaker in magnitude there will be total Lunar eclipse on both Passover and the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles in the years 2014 and 2015. That is 7 and 8 years from now.

Some readings of Revelation include seven years of tribulation and a year for the “day of the Lord.” Again, I do not have any specific revelation here.

If the “world were to fall apart” during the next few days, would we be confident that our Father would care for us and provide for our needs? Or would we be ready to fight out neighbors to provide for our own needs? Would we be ready to follow a dictator’s every order to keep our food rations coming-even if that meant turning in fellow believers, who are proclaiming this a judgment from God-contrary to the dictator’s decree?

Again, I do not know if the “moon turning to blood” next Tuesday portends any imminent disaster. But it certainly can serve as a reminder of the prophesied events that will come to pass. Whether it be this year, 2014 or some distant future year, we need to be doing our Father’s work in faith and strength.

This the first I have heard from Norman Edwards in a while. And the first time I recall him getting into prophetic speculation relalted to a natural event like this before.

Perhaps I should add that we in the COGs normally tend to believe that the crucifixion was prior to 32 A.D., nor do we all agree with too much of what he wrote above.

FWIW, I specifically will state that the end is not going to start in a couple of days. There is another small independent who I may report on earlier who years ago indicated that the end would begin in the Fall of 2007. He is in error.

However, the 2014/2015 years that N. Edwards mentioned are possibilities–but most of us in the COGs believe that the end will begin in the Spring, not the Fall (although people on the fringe who once were in the COG, like Ronald Weinland–please see the article Concerns About Ronald Weinland’s Church of God-Preparing for the Kingdom of God,–seem to think the end will start in the Fall season).