The Bible said a star led wise men to a Savior in a stable and centuries earlier, God made a promise to Noah through a rainbow. A lesser known natural event has mixed reactions from the Christian community. Early Tuesday morning at 2:06 a.m. there will be a lunar eclipse. It's special because it's the first of four appearing from this year to the next, without a partial eclipse in between, known as a tetrad, which means a group of four. The term "blood moon" comes from the color of the moon during these eclipses.
Two pastors in the area, Pastor Carl Gallups of Hickory Hammock Baptist Church, and Pastor Fred Rogers of Milton First Assembly of God have studied these events and their spiritual impact. Gallups and Rogers both agree the significance of these lunar eclipses is the pattern coincided not only with Jewish Holy Feast days, but also in the past when Israel experienced historic incidences. The first of the four blood moons takes place Tuesday morning during Passover. The second will be on October 8, during the Feast of the Tabernacles. On April 4, 2015 the third lunar eclipse will arrive and on September 28, 2015 the final blood moon will decent upon us, during the Feast of Tabernacles. Gallups said in recent history two blood moon tetrads happened within the years of 1949 and 1950, when Israel took back their land and in 1967 and 1968 when Israel took back their city of Jerusalem.
Rogers, more recently studying the phenomenon, said he believes something major may happen with Israel within the next year or so. "I think we'll see something, perhaps a war. They could get their temple back," he said. "Scholars say something is going to happen. I'm not sure how dogmatic we can be with this. However, God told Daniel certain things will be hidden until the time of the end. Maybe He is giving a warning of things going to happen." Rogers said God is a God of order and pattern. “Because of that,” he said, “I know He speaks through order and the tetrads are a sign of order and pattern.”
Pastor Doug Holmes, senior pastor at Christian Life Church on Avalon Boulevard, said, "I'm an astronomy nut, but hadn't heard they were coming." Holmes said he's not prone to make a connection to spirituality. He said two of the Biblical references to moons turning to blood were a prophecy in the book of Joel 2:31 and the fulfillment of that prophecy in the book of Acts 2:20. Holmes said, "This event was the original outpouring of the Holy Spirit." Holmes said Christmas is about when Jesus came to the earth. The events in Acts 2 are about when the Holy Spirit arrived for all, male and female, citizen and slave, which Holmes said was a radical concept for the Jewish people at the time.
Of the current blood moon tetrad, Holmes said, "It might be interesting, but I don't see that it's helpful. We've got work to do. Let's get at it. The team that watches the clock loses the game. We've got to play. Am I loving God better? Am I treating my neighbor better?" he asked.
Father Matthew Dollhausen of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Milton said he teaches Biblical prophecy, however he has not mentioned it to his congregation. “While we Episcopalians believe prophecy is important, most would think it is just a coincidence,” said Dollhausen. He said because Jesus said He didn’t know when He would return, it is most important for the church to be ready at any time.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Local clergy weigh in