Mbostrom2's Blog

NOTE: There is a huge difference between astrology and astronomy. Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects (such as stars, planets, comets, nebulae, star clusters and galaxies) and observing the cycles in the heavens. Astrology is witchcraft, where they believe the order of the stars lead them to a successful life or warn them of things coming.

In biblical times, watchmen were posted on the walls surrounding the city. They not only watched for an enemy approaching, they also recorded anything happening in the night sky. From historical events on earth during the same time that  unusual heavenly events were recorded, they observed a relationship pattern of occurences relating to  heaven and earth. (Israel’s calendar is linked with the cycles of the moon, but keeps with the solar cycle by their leap years).

When Jesus told His disciples what would be the signs of the end of the age in Mark 13, some of them involved signs in the heavens.  Mark 13 closes with Jesus commanding them to ‘watch’ 4 times. I consider myself to be a Watcher, and observe what is happening in the heavens relating to the Last Days. When unusual signs are seen in the heavens  I watch, pray and record.

Psalm 19:1, “The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship. (2) Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. (3) [There is] no speech nor language [Where] their voice is not heard. ”

A lunar eclipse is when the moon passes behind the earth such that the earth blocks the sun’s rays from striking the moon (like a red sunset). This happens when the sun, earth and moon are lined up exactly or very close and always comes at the time of a full moon (middle of the lunar month).

Joel 2:31, “The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.” (Acts 2:20, Rev 6:12)

There will be 2 total lunar eclipses (blood moons) in 2011. The first will be June 15 and the second December 10. This blood red lunar eclipse will be over all the nations that are in turmoil in the Middle East. This will be the darkest lunar eclipse in almost 100 years and will cover 2 days and will last 1 hour, 40 minutes & 12 seconds! It will be seen in East Africa, the entire Middle East (including Jerusalem), Central Asia, Western Australia and will mid eclipse in the Mauritius. (This will be USA 4:14pm EDT) North or South America will not witness this event.

Below are some interesting historical events that happened on earth when there were lunar eclipses.

• 1 BC- Only eclipse that Josephus recorded, at the time of the death of King Herod.
• Sept 27, 14 AD, death of Caesar Augustus
• April 3, 33 AD, possible time of the Crucifixion
• March 4, 71 AD, the plowing of Jerusalem with salt by the Romans
• January 28, 632 AD, (solar) visible over Medina, Arabia. This is the year Mohammad, the founder of Islam died.
• May 22, 1453, the fall of Constantinople to the Muslims
• March 1, 1504, called the Columbus eclipse, when Columbus and his men were being held captive and Columbus read in the almanac that there was to be a lunar eclipse that evening. He told the natives if they did not let them go, he would make the moon go away. They were released soon after.
• July 31, 1776, after America’s independence from Britain
• January 15, 1805, the Lewis & Clark expedition
• July 4, 1917, WWII and Balfour Declaration
• Passover, April 3, 1996- The 100th anniversary of Jerusalem
• September 26, 1996 following the blood moon renewed violence broke out between the Palestinians and the Israelis (due to the opening of a tourist tunnel near the Dome of the Rock), after many months of comparative peace.
• November 9, 2003 –  A large explosion rocked a Riyadh residential compound housing foreigners and Saudis a day after the United States warned of terrorist attacks in the kingdom which is battling a surge in Islamist violence.  Thousands of Saudi troops were deployed in the holy city of Mecca to provide additional security until Ramadan is over.
• February 21,  2008-Israeli PM Ehud Barak and IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi spoke in preparation for war with Hezbollah and Hamas, and both these terror organizations leaders were bold in their rhetoric against Israel in this time of great tension.
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Rabbi Meir Baal Hanes (139-163 AD) said, “Whenever the luminaries are in eclipse, it is a bad omen for Israel since they are inured to blows. This may be compared to a school teacher who comes to school with a strap in his hand. Who becomes apprehensive? He who is accustomed to be daily punished. Our Rabbis taught, ‘When the sun is in eclipse it is a bad omen for idolaters; when Lavanah (Moon) is in eclipse, it is a bad omen for Israel, since Israel reckons by Lavanah (Moon) and idolaters by the sun. If it is in eclipse in the east, it is a bad omen for those who dwell in the east; if in the west, it is a bad omen for those who dwell in the west, if in the midst of heaven it is bad omen for the whole world. If its face is red as blood, [it is a sign that] the sword is coming to the world; if it is like sack-cloth, the arrows of famine are coming to the world; if it resembles both, the sword and the arrows of famine are coming to the world. If the eclipse is at sunset calamity will tarry in its coming; if at dawn, it hastens on its way, but some say the order is to be reversed. And there is no nation which is smitten that its G-ds are not smitten together with it, as it is said, And against all the G-ds of Egypt I will execute judgments. But when Israel fulfill the will of the Omnipresent, they need have no fear of all these [omens] as it is said, Thus saith the L-RD, ‘Learn not the way of the nations, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the nation are dismayed at them, the idolaters will be dismayed, but Israel will not be dismayed.”