OF BLOOD MOONS

We’ve all seen it swirling around on social media for the past months or so. Whether it’s a doomsday warning or skeptical scrutiny on the subject, we have seen a tremendous amount of interest, conversation, and even speculation about the so-called blood moons.

Now, eclipses happen all the time as natural phenomena and there are different types of eclipses including a lunar eclipse, a solar eclipse, and many more. What makes the “blood moon” a special point of notice is that its essentially a total lunar eclipse—where the moon “turns into blood” or it reflects a reddish coppery hue from the sun whenever the earth revolves in between the sun and the moon.

What makes it even more interesting is that the recent blood moon phenomena that we have been observing is actually a four-part episode of eclipses occurring in a short span of time which happened on the following dates: April 15, 2014, October 8, 2014, April 4, 2015, and the last of the four will culminate on September 28, 2015. This is what we call a Tetrad.

These Tetrads are a normal astronomic occurrence with a count of more than 50 times in our history. These Tetrads at times coincide with major Jewish feast days and holidays but this is something that has occurred only 10 times from the time of Jesus until the present.

Nathan Busenitz of The Master’s Academy, a Bible Seminary in Los Angeles, had this to say:

“Some have suggested that these tetrads, when they correspond to Jewish feast days, mark major events in the eschatological timeline, especially with regard to the nation of Israel. For example, the nation of Israel was reconstituted on May 14, 1948 just prior to the tetrad of 1949–50. And the city of Jerusalem was reunited by Israeli forces in 1967, during the tetrad of 1967–68.

Based on these past events, there is speculation that this current tetrad will signal another major event for Israel and the world, perhaps even marking the time of the rapture and the beginning of the Great Tribulation.”

Proponents of this view have commonly shared the following Bible verses as proof of a Biblical sign of the significance of the blood moon phenomena:

Acts 2:20 - "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and glorious day of the Lord comes."

Revelation 6:12 - "I watched as He opened the sixth seal. And suddenly there was a great earthquake. The sun became black, like sackcloth made from goat hair, and the moon became like blood."

Joel 2:31 - "The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and the awe-inspiring day of the LORD comes."

Matthew 24:29 - "Immediately after the tribulation of those days, 'the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.'"

There are even people who mention that in the very beginning, particularly in the book of Genesis, God has made it clear that He created the celestial lights as signs for His people. Genesis 1:14 states: “And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years’”.

These “signs and seasons”, commentators say have special terms in Hebrew (אוּת ʼût and מוֹעֵד môʻēd), which particularly mean signals, beacons, omens, or a warning. Furthermore, scholars mention that “the focus here is on the way in which God has ordained the sun and moon to order and define the passing of time according to his purposes”. The words are there to reference certain appointed times (for feasts or days set apart from the rest) in order to create patterns of worship, festivals, and observance of the law.

Now that we have a biblical backdrop of this astronomical occurrence, how then are Christians supposed to respond?

On the one hand, we have Christ-followers who take these signs quite seriously and rather take it to the extreme. They start preaching doomsday messages and have the intent to scare, shock, and escalate matters of faith into urgency in order to call upon people to repent before the time comes for the end. There are a number who flock to surrounding geographical areas for safety as if to be able to withstand the “coming judgment from the Lord” and they actually recluse to their own refuge, away from people.

On the other hand, we have Christ-followers who are skeptics, doubters, and outright deniers of these so-called signs. They brush off these seemingly false beliefs made out of the Bible along with speculative remarks, and they go on as if nothing has changed or nothing is changing. There is nothing to move them apart from the fact that they are living in the status quo.

“It is important for Christians to exercise Biblical discernment and care, rather than blindly jumping on a bandwagon of fanciful speculation." - Nathan Busenitz

While both sides describe what Christians are actually doing about this blood moon occurrence, one thing is clear from Scripture that we ought to be doing, regardless of the seasons and times in which we live: we ought to be discerning and watchful of our ever-changing times.

It shouldn't take us a blood moon Tetrad and some world-shaking signs to urge us into action and alertness. What has been said in scripture already leaves us much to be well-prepared and watchful in the event that Jesus Christ does comes back.

Although the blood moon phenomena can be considered significant and even relevant for us Christians, it should not be the main point or catalyst for us to really start thinking about the things that matter: salvation and eternal life in Christ before His soon and eventual return.

"Don’t be troubled by the return of Christ. Don’t be anxious about things you cannot comprehend… For the Christian, the return of Christ is not a riddle to be solved or a code to be broken, but rather a day to be anticipated." -Max Lucado

We cannot all tell if indeed these blood moons will mean anything significant, but like the Old Testament heroes of faith, we can exercise our faith in ways that involve action. Noah, Abraham, Joseph, and others acted by faith based on warnings, signs, and appointed times that God had given them. They not only heard His Word to them but they heeded it with action—and they were commended for their action-packed faith.

In the same way, to us who are Christ-followers, we can hear God’s word for what He says and actually heed it in obedience. Jesus already told us that there will be times of great pain, persecution, and tribulation in the last days, why are we to be surprised when these actually happen (blood moon or no blood moon)?

We won’t ever know when Jesus will return but we are given certain signs as clues whether His coming is near or not (Read on the Olivet Discourse from Matthew 24). One thing is for sure, whether the Lord Jesus comes back right now at this moment even while you are reading this article or if he doesn’t come for another 3-5 decades, we are still called to be ready.

We were born for such a time as this. At times of great darkness and uncertainty, there is an even greater need for great new heroes of faith to rise up and fulfill their God-given calling. One thing is for sure, Jesus Christ is returning soon—what are you doing about it, this very day?

While we can speculate all we want about what these blood moons actually mean, we are commanded to instead worship God and be prepared. It shouldn’t take an event like this for us to start moving in the ways of God under the Word of God. Let us not depend on a blood moon to jolt us into action but instead let the blood of the Savior compel us to take part in His redemptive plan for the world. Let us all heed Jesus’ words as we await his coming:

“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Luke 21:25-28

ONE SOLITARY LIFE

He was born in an obscure village 

The child of a peasant woman 

He grew up in another obscure village 

Where he worked in a carpenter shop 

Until he was thirty when public opinion turned against him

He never wrote a book 

He never held an office 

He never went to college 

He never visited a big city 

He never travelled more than two hundred miles 

From the place where he was born 

He did none of the things 

Usually associated with greatness 

He had no credentials but himself 

He was only thirty three 

His friends ran away 

One of them denied him 

He was turned over to his enemies 

And went through the mockery of a trial 

He was nailed to a cross between two thieves 

While dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing 

The only property he had on earth 

When he was dead 

He was laid in a borrowed grave 

Through the pity of a friend 

Nineteen centuries have come and gone 

And today Jesus is the central figure of the human race 

And the leader of mankind's progress 

All the armies that have ever marched 

All the navies that have ever sailed 

All the parliaments that have ever sat 

All the kings that ever reigned put together 

Have not affected the life of mankind on earth 

As powerfully as that one solitary life 

A prose by James Allan Francis 

YIELD TO WIELD

In the journey of discovering one's self in God, there will come a point that a certain choice has to be made. Any travel or road will have a winding path in which the journeyer would have a crossroad to face. It may be dilemma of sorts, a difficult conundrum to solve, a loss of direction, or just even a dawning of options far too many for one to make sense of.

At times it can be wildly freeing while other times incredibly paralyzing.
Certainly, in the life of a Christ-follower, there will be many tough roads upon which the believer will find himself or herself in. One of those is the crossroads of faith when the follower explicitly decides which way to go, which option to pick, which path to take, and what kind of life one will lead.

The choice comes with much resistance within the person because he or she knows that whatever path be taken, it will certainly require much commitment. Here is the problem:

Flippant Commitment

When we talk about commitment, it utterly depends on the function, ability, and will of the person making it. It renders the person to willfully commit, otherwise, when he or she is unable to, everything falls apart.

Other situations are far worse; at times, I have observed that people are really by nature flippant. We come to a really serious and life-molding commitment but we fall short of fulfilling it almost always. Our hearts are easily enticed by what is good, leaving no room for what is best. Our souls are constantly on a flurry from new inclinations so much so that we are never set on one place but keep moving from one to the next. Our minds are heavily transfixing on new interests that we never seem to have a still focus.

We are basically and humanly flippant commitment-makers.

Here comes to mind a familiar yet almost alien term to our generation:

*According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary

The Staunch Surrender

In the life of a true follower, there is no such thing as a flippant commitment. We may have been guilty of making these very choices in the past with emotional hyper-packed messages and sermons, with retreats and events that lead us to make renewed commitments but none that last long and alter life.

Yielding is universally different. It is a complete surrender, utter abandon, giving-up one's self with all rights, possessions, control, and even life to that of another.

Commitment is man-made. Surrender is on the other hand, centered on God.

When we surrender all of ourselves to what we believe in, it starts to transform our lives. We are made new in every way because God can only work on those who are willing to be re-made--in a sense--reborn. As long as we hold a part of ourselves and keep our ways, God would not have done His great and mighty work in us as He desires for us to be.

The Missional Mandate

*According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary

At once, when a yield is given, a wield is put into play. The life once given is now fully usable by the great Maker. In the wake of a man-made commitment now stands firm a mandate from God Himself that the person totally surrendered onto God would be brought to a place of meaning, purpose, and destiny--all found in his timely mission as he is living in this world. This is his Missional Mandate.

What would it take for God to so mightily use you and wield you that a heavenly mission is yours to take? A divine commission awaits you and a mandate is upon you. The catch? Yield to be wielded.

The God who who brought you forth will be the one who will send you forth

There is no more place for flippant commitment but utter surrender. The people that God are looking for are the sort who would throw their lives at his bidding without any reluctance, resistance, and recoil. The Lord summons the sleepers and lukewarm sitters. The Lord summons even those who would seem to be unfit, undeserving, and unmerited. The Lord is the one who makes great the small. The Lord is the one who gives grace to the humble.

The Tub-Thumper's Cause

A Tub-Thumper is 'a vociferous supporter (as of a cause)'; Historically, these individuals were known for their amusing, impassioned, and sometimes loud way of public speaking. The earliest known Tub-Thumpers were that of preachers on a pulpit--'tub' being used at that time as a synonym for the pulpit (stage) and 'thumper' because these speakers were known for pounding their fists, perhaps to generate interest or wake up their listeners.

*as defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary

Tub-Thumpers of Old, preaching and teaching the one and only cause they knew to be of eternal significance

Too many today would attribute a cause to something rarely relevant, supporting movements and methods that speak far less than any thing valuable, not even worthy of note. The day and age of our generation, one wherein data and information are on a constant flurry--thanks to the internet--has unfortunately made us all jaded and ignorant of the meaningful, the significant, the priceless, the enduring, and the eternal.

Sadly, we process a lot of ideas, thoughts, concepts, and isms but none of them really impact us in a way that is long-standing and life-altering. We've got a lot of buzz-worthy causes to support, Facebook advocacy pages to like, even Twitter personalities to follow but not a whole lot of substance nor truth to feed on.

With this, you've got multitudes all swearing allegiance to the next "greatest" thing, jumping on the band-wagon of the next craze or fad, listening to and following the next most emphatic and charismatic leaders, moving towards all sorts of propaganda, methodology, and ways of life that are unheard of, unparalleled, and unabashed. It is the follow-me generation.

Where there is an abundance of self, there is a lack of concern for outside of the self.
Where there is a self-centered embodiment, there is none of a God-centered enlightenment.

To put it bluntly, it is a Christ-less generation.
Consequentially, a Christ-less generation will be a life-less generation.

These very words of Jesus speak a thousand-fold into our lifeless predicament:
"I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10 ESV

Jesus came. Jesus gave His life. Jesus alone makes us live life abundantly.

Whatever is the cause of your life, the passion that drives you, the very thing that you wake up to every morning, the last thought on your mind before you sleep, the meaning to which you will ascribe the days of your life, the purpose of the very things that you do and strive for--IF NOT CHRIST--utterly pales in comparison and ultimately disappoints.

Many try to find life in making much of things, objects, events, careers, feelings, and even people but none will ever match the other-worldly beauty, majestic excellence, extravagant love, and sheer mystery of Christ. He alone can satisfy the human soul because He alone created it. The void that we all try to fill with so many worthless and useless things can only be ultimately filled by Christ.

“If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

There will never be any other cause worth living and dying for. A cause that outlasts even its followers, advocates, supporters, and also opponents. A cause that is more valuable and significant than any other. The Cause of Christ.

The next time you are to consider what cause you will live and die for, consider Christ. For He alone is everlasting and is worthy of our complete devotion, service, and surrender. His cause is the cause of Salvation for whoever believes in Him. His cause is love that dies on the cross. His cause is repentance that leads to life. His cause is unwavering faith that leads to a heavenly inheritance. His cause is to be close with you. His cause is to be Christ to you so that you may be Christ to others. His cause is undeniably, primarily, and simply...you.

That is the cause of The Tub-Thumper,

the cause of Christ. 

"I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching."

2 Timothy 4:1-2 ESV

A few words quite powerfully stand out: CHARGE, PREACH, and BE READY.

This was once read to a young man perhaps in his twenties trying to make sense out of his ministry and calling. It was an impassioned letter from his long-time mentor, teacher, and friend who was at that very time held in prison and facing trial unto death.

I cannot imagine how Timothy must have felt reading the very last words of his Discipler, Paul. Perhaps he read it with tears in his eyes brushed off, knowing the impending murder of this particular beloved suffering Apostle.

After having read such a charge as this, he must have felt a deep pain in his heart for the trials and tragedies that lie ahead--he has had several troubling moments himself--and the fact still remains that he has to stand firm to the end.

His guts wrench at the thought of his confusing circumstances, his heart beats to the beat of unknown traps that wait to entangle him, his mind sometimes drifts off to better times that he has had only to signal back to what is currently facing him, his very body is consumed with the daily toilsome work and in the very depths of his own soul, where none have ventured--not even himself--therein lies an unquenchable passion.

An ardor so unexplained that it is hard to describe; a zeal that is often too much to handle; a state of constant vigor resonates within him that he cannot contain; a surge of fervor that seemingly becomes more and more unquenchable. It yearns to break out as a fire shut up in his bones. It longs to be spewed outwardly.

Deep within himself, that is the very stuff that the man is made of.

It explodes unto the very fiber of his being and he knows that he has been foreknown, fashioned, favored, and ferociously loved to face the very destiny of his life: to preach the Word to the World.

He is after all charged in the very PRESENCE of the Father most High, the Son in Christ, and the most Holy Spirit of which will never leave him nor forsake him.

He knows he has the only MANUAL by which he must teach: the Holy Scriptures as his acclamation to reprove, rebuke, and exhort. It is to his soul's delight to preach the truest of all words.

Although infinitely beyond these is the great EMMANUEL,God with us, that promises the Lord to be with him by his very side, all of his days, in every thick and thin of a situation, through any season. With this immovable truth, he is set free to set others free. He is readied by his Redeemer.

What shall he fear? How shall he contend? Whom shall he triumph for?
Is he the man for the calling and the ministry to which he is situated?
Is this the fate to which he is bound? Where is such a one to be found?

The Tub-Thumper is such.