Signs

My friend and I were out walking one lunch hour where we work when we came upon this lovely piece of sidewalk art. I boldly predicted, "Something is going to be happening here in the near future!"

"Gee, how can you tell?" my friend responded sarcastically. "What are you, a prophet?"

"No, but I'm pretty good at interpreting signs. You see these markings here? They were left by three men. Each was wearing a hard hat and they were carrying spray paint. They drove a white pickup truck with a flashing yellow light on top, a Ford if I am not mistaken. One of the men had a beard. Another walked with a limp."

"Wow! You can tell all that by reading these signs on the sidewalk?"

"Well, actually, the men are right over there taking a break on the tailgate of their white Ford F-150. The one with the flashing yellow light on top."

"Funny."

We humans can be pretty good at reading signs. Have you ever heard this one? Red sky at night? Sailor's delight. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning. It's easy to figure things out and know what's about to happen if one just observes the signs of the times.

When certain birds return to our area we are assured that spring is right around the corner. When the tassels appear on the sweet corn at the farm near our house we can know for certain that there will be corn on the cob for dinner in a few weeks. When we see a flash of lightning in the sky we know that in a few seconds we will be hearing a clap of thunder. There are all kinds of signs out there.

Speaking of signs, did you see the blood moon Monday night? Or should I say early Tuesday morning? It was amazing! A total lunar eclipse. I took this picture in my front yard at 2:20 AM. Some say a blood moon is a sign.

Do you believe in signs? Actually, that's not the correct question. Do you believe that God provides signs for us to see? Signs of forthcoming events? How about the star that guided the three wise men to find Jesus. That was a sign. Much of the Bible is prophesy. Jesus was a prophet. He predicted many things. We believe Him, right?

Turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Joel. Jesus didn't say this. It's an old Testament text, but I'd like you to consider something - a possibility - about Jesus.

"30 I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 32 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls." - Joel 2:30-32

One of the signs we are to watch for in the last days, the days before Jesus returns, is for the moon to turn red, to turn to blood. That's what the moon did Tuesday morning. Yes, there have been "blood moons" before. But this year offers something very rare. There will be FOUR blood moons in close proximity to one another (it's called a tetrad). The total eclipse Tuesday morning, and the last of the four blood moons which occurs during this time in 2015, occurred on the first day of Passover. And the second and third blood moons? They just happen to occur during the Feast of Tabernacles. Coincidence? Or is it God's design?

Do you remember what Passover signifies? You've watched the movie The Ten Commandments before right? What did Joshua do to the door frame on Lilia's house the night that greenish smoke flowed through the city streets, killing the first born son of each family? He smeared lambs blood on her door frame. In the New Testament, The Lamb - is Jesus. The "blood" moon is used in scripture to signify the coming of the Lord, Jesus. Passover is a remembrance of the day that God's wrath "passed over" the houses of those who believed in God. And so it will be for those who place their faith in Jesus Christ.

"Many religious people believe that the upcoming tetrad has special significance because the eclipses coincide with important Jewish festivals. The two April lunar eclipses in 2014 and 2015 occur at the same time as Passover, while the October and September eclipses occur during the Feast of Tabernacle. Astronomers and scientists however do not believe that this is of any significance." - TimeandDate.com

We will not know the day or the hour of the coming of our Lord. Only God knows that. But isn't it exciting every time there is a lunar eclipse, a blood moon? One day, and perhaps it will be soon, there will be a blood moon carrying tremendous biblical significance. And Jesus will return to claim His bride. That's us by the way. Whether it is this blood moon or the next or one that occurs 100 years from now, our only concern must be are we ready? Well, are we?

If you would like to know more about the biblical significance of blood moons, all this information is in the Bible. I would encourage you to read Matthew 24, The Book of Revelation, and the books of Daniel, Isaiah and First Thessalonians. There are signs everywhere. All we have to do is have eyes to see and ears to hear. But when that final blood moon comes, oh, what a glorious day that will be.

What A Day That Will Be - The Gospel Plowboys