by Rod Thomas | Sep 28, 2015 | Podcasts
The Blood Moon Controversy
With a Side of Shmittah
I. Introduction
This Monday, September 28, 2015, a total lunar eclipse will be visible over Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas. This event is projected to last 1-hour 11-minutes. In Israel the eclipse will begin at 3:12 A.M. (Wootliff—09/20/2015) Additionally, this lunar event will feature “the biggest full-moon of 2015 as the moon will be at perigee that day.” (Rao—09/22/2015) This naturally occurring celestial event is aptly called a “supermoon,” and the last such eclipse happened in 1982. The next such occurrence of the eclipsing supermoon will not occur until 2033. Hopefully we all get the opportunity to, as Hebraic Roots teacher Keith Johnson of Biblical Foundation Academy International stated, witness this amazing example of the Creator’s power and creativity. (Johnson-2014) This event is the final chapter to a 4-part lunar extravaganza that began in the spring of 2014.
The greatest aspect of this rare celestial event is not the event itself, but what the event appears to forebode in the eyes and minds of some prominent modern-day Christian leaders. The greatest of these Christian-Evangelical leaders, addressing the relevance of these recent “blood moon” occurrences, appears to be Pastor John Hagee who has not only authored a book on the subject of “Blood Moons,” but has also done a television/YouTube video, multi-episodic teaching series on the subject. According to Hagee, this series of blood moons (and there were 3-others in the last 500-years that coincided with a significant period in the nation of Israel’s history and we’ll look at those historical events being linked to so-called blood moons in just a moment) portends impending judgment upon the nations of this world. But as it relates to this current series of 4-total lunar eclipses that some have labeled bloom moons, they’ve occurred as follows-(1) 04/15/2014–Passover; (2) 10/08/2014–Sukkot; (3) 04/04/2015–Passover and (4) 09/28/2015–this year’s Sukkot celebration, are clear signals from God that judgment is coming to the nations of the world as well as to the enemies of Israel. This tetrad of so-called blood moons, is a sign of the impending destruction that is with the utmost certainty coming to a neighborhood near you.
The utter lunacy of this false prophecy (pun intended) is unforgivable and I’ll get into why I believe this prophecy is false later on in this posting. Nevertheless, the objective of such lame and irresponsible prophecy serves no good purpose other than to distract would-be believers from turning their hearts and minds and souls to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Indeed, teachers like Hagee are attempting to turn the attention of the world’s population to Jesus Christ, but they are resorting to the ole “fire and brimstone” tactics of yesteryear. Now, I’m not saying that employing a little of that ole “fire and brimstone” preaching in one’s teachings is necessarily a bad thing. Indeed, sometimes it takes a little elbowing and fear-mongering to get people’s attention. But if one is going to use fear as the basis of their getting folks to listen and then act in a way that secures their souls in a right-relationship with the Almighty, you better darn well make sure you are telling that which “thus saith the LORD.” Announcing prophecies—which Shimon Keefa (aka as the Apostle Peter) so aptly stated must be of NO private interpretation (2 Peter 1:20)—that are based upon one individual’s interpretation of specific events and then one’s own interpretation of scripture is playing with people’s physical and eternal lives. Every true prophet of God that has ever lived and delivered true prophecies has done so either as a result of hearing directly from the Father Himself, the Master Himself, or the Holy Spirit has revealed the prophecy to him or her and directed them to deliver the prophecy accordingly—in the Father’s perfect reckoning of time.
As it relates to this “Blood Moon” craze, and even exacerbated by the whole “Shmittah Year” violation by the peoples of the earth, these so-called modern-day prophets are latching on to a naturally occurring astronomical/celestial event and improperly attaching scripture to its occurrence in order to foretell of certain doom and destruction for the peoples of this earth. Interestingly, anyone who has been a Christian or of the Hebraic Roots of the Christian Faith for any length of time inherently knows that doom and destruction are inevitably coming to the inhabitants of this world. Blood Moons as Hagee is referring to—which are really lunar eclipses mind-you–and so-called violations of the Shmittah–both being indicators of impending judgment on the nations of the world, are improper interpretations of scripture. Therefore, it is the intent of this posting to not only debunk this whole Shmittah Year violation and the Blood Moons controversy–all signaling impending judgment by God upon the nations of the earh, but to set the record straight about these two situations using the bible as the primary reference. So let’s get started and see if we can make sense of this matter.
II. What is a Blood Moon?
If you’ve not done any research on this topic, suffice to say that you might be in for a little bit of confusion. This whole controversy over “blood moons” is somewhat of a misnomer if you will. What some call “blood moons” is really total-lunar eclipses. The only saving grace these folks who title these total-lunar eclipses as blood moons have is that during these eclipses, the moon can appear red in color. Astronomers confidently explain this “reddish color” that the moon takes on during these total-eclipses as “Rayleigh Scattering.” Quite simply, it’s the same naturally occurring mechanism that causes colorful sunrises and sunsets. (Reference http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/facts-lunar-eclipse.html) So, a blood moon as referenced by the John Hagees and the Mark Blitz’ of the world are really total-lunar eclipses. And I don’t know about you, but total-lunar eclipses are simply examples of the amazing handy-work of our Creator that man has over the course of human history witnessed hundreds of thousands of times.
So where did this concept of “Blood Moons” originate? For the believer in Jesus Christ (also known as Yahshua HaMashiyach), the concept of Blood Moons was mentioned by the Apostle Peter as he—no longer ashamed of the Gospel nor afraid to be a witness of the Master as he’d been before—responded to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Temple Mount on the Day of Pentecost—known by some as the day the Church was born. Peter, filled to overflowing by the Holy Spirit (also known as the Ruach Kodesh), not only defended and explained to the pilgrims attending the Feast of Pentecost (also known as the Feast of Shavuot) what was happening to the disciples of Yahshua HaMashiyach, but also uttered this profound prophecy that is yet to be fulfilled: Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: 15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. 16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: 21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Act 2:14-21 KJV)
Now, any good student of the bible should be curious as to where Peter got this very explicit prophecy and utilizing any good cross-reference bible or bible software, you will automatically be referred over to the teachings of our Messiah Yahshua—recorded in the book of Matthew:29¶ Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:30And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.31And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.1(Mat 24:29-31 KJV)
Now one will quickly notice that there is no actual mention of blood moons here by the Master in his prophecy known to many as the Olivet Discourse (that which He delivered to His disciples who came to Him privily and asked Him to explain the end times to them). The key here is not that there is no mention of “a blood moon,” but the timing of this most ominous day—this event will occur “after the tribulation of those days.” One could conclude, if we were to have an open mind, that the moon not giving her light as described in this passage is indicative of a total-eclipse of the moon. But there are other mitigating factors to be considered here. Along with a moon that will not shine in the night-sky is a darkened sun, stars falling from heaven and the powers of the heavens shaken. And if that weren’t enough, the “sign of the Son of man” will be visible in the heavens to all who remain alive on the earth. To me, this is clearly indicative of the return of the Master to take His elect to the “sea of fire and glass” where they await the time for Messiah’s triumphant return to earth to establish His eternal kingdom here on earth. Notice that I did not say establish His kingdom in heaven. News flash friends: we ain’t going to be raptured up to heaven to reign with Jesus for all eternity. That is an eschatological teaching that can not be at all supported by the bible, regardless what churchianity (also known as Christianity that seeks to church their members instead of discipling them) has to say on this subject.
This passage of Matthew is actually linked to a famous passage in the Book of Joel where a similar celestial event will occur, this seeming to occur just after the time that an outpouring of the Holy Spirit comes upon the peoples of Zion. The Father states the following through His servant Joel: 23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.1 24 And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. 25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. 26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. 27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed. 28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. 30 ¶ And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. 32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call. (Joe 2:23-32 KJV)
Clearly we see from this passage of Joel a reference to the moon being turned to the color of blood. However, we’ve not seen an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the peoples of Zion; at least I’ve not seen or heard of it as of yet. Certainly, such an outpouring is coming upon the House of Israel—not just the Jews who call themselves the Nation of Israel.
So, the question that must be asked then is: is the current “tetrad” that is concluding the 28th of September—which happens to be the first day of the Rabbinic Feast of Sukkot (also known as the Feast of Tabernacles), with a total-lunar eclipse, a likely reddish hue, and a supermoon to boot, the same event that Father prophesied through the Prophet Joel? We’ve already concluded that there are some timing issues associated with this Joel event as well as, assuming the two events are similar, the Olivet Discourse event? Let’s dig a little deeper.
Taking a look at the current “tetrad,” which there has been 3-other tetrads that have occurred at significant times in Israel’s history: (1) 1493-1494—occurred after the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492; (2) 1949-1950—occurred after the nation of Israel was re-established in 1948; and (3) 1967-1968—occurred or coincided with the 6-Day War of 1967. One can certainly see why the Hagees and Blitz’ of the world are so excited about this current tetrad? But consider this friends, as Hebraic Roots teacher Keith Johnson states in his discussion about blood moons, these key events in Israel’s history occurred a year before the so-called blood moons were actually sighted. This is a fact that Pastor John Hagee has not brought forth to his readers and listeners. Furthermore, if we are going to be transparent about this whole blood moon thing, what about the tetrads that have occurred where there was no significant events tied to it in Israel’s history? We know of 4-such uneventful tetrads: (1) 162-163 CE; (2) 795-796 CE; (3) 842-843 CE; and (4) 860-861 CE. Again, Pastor Hagee has failed to mention these tetrads occurring during uneventful periods in Israel’s history over the last 2-millennia.
This current-day 4th lunar eclipse, part of a tetrad, will occur on the first night of the Feast of the Lord called Sukkot which will be September 28, 2015. (Please note: This 28th of September being the first day of Sukkot happens to be the rabbinic reckoning of the date Sukkot falls. The Creator’s calendar has the first date actually occurring September 30, 2015—so we have a slight discrepancy here.) The previous total-eclipses took place on 4/15/2014 which happened to coincide with Passover; 10/8/2014 which happened to coincide with Sukkot; and 4/4/2015 which happened to coincide with Passover once again.
Here’s an interesting tidbit to consider: our moon shines only because the rays of the sun are reflected off the surface of the moon. If the sun is darkened, as noted in the first part of the Joel prophecy, it would stand to reason that the sun would shine either. Consider this prophecy of Ezekiel that seems to capture this same event but from a slightly different perspective: And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.1 (Eze 32:7 KJV) Even though we adhere to scripture as the basis for our understanding the world and the things associated with it, we must also employ the commonsense that the Good Lord has given us when establishing such natural events as tetrads, eclipses, both solar and lunar. Before there was the level of understanding that we have today regarding astronomy and the hard sciences, people would look upon these naturally occurring, celestial events, as omens. And God-forbid if anything bad remotely happened near or after the time of an eclipse or blood moon, the people were led astray by the religious leaders of the day to believe that the bad thing that happened was foretold by the occurrence of the celestial event. Are some of us falling for the same medieval mindset today as it relates to these tetrads and the so-called blood moons?
III. Is the Current Tetrad Indicative of Coming Judgment?
All indications from the data that we’ve reviewed thus far would suggests that the current tetrad as well as the other set of 3-tetrads from 1492, 1948 and 1967 were not the famed blood moon that was foretold of in the Joel prophecy. Notice I said blood moon in the singular. The reddened moon spoken of in the Joel prophecy seems to be a single event and not multiple tetrad events spread out over the course of decades, centuries and even millennia. In fact, THE blood moon spoken of by the prophet Joel would not be an eclipse, but a moon that is reddened for some reason—be those reasons something in the realm of the miraculous or an atmospheric condition that paints the moon a blood color from the perspective of the viewer.
Archaeologist, author and Hebrew Roots teacher Michael Rood in his book “The Mystery of Iniquity” and his most recent DVD teaching series on the subject—”Blood Moons, The Shmittah and the Day of the Vengeance of our God”—contends that the blood moon as mentioned in the Joel prophecy is an atmospheric condition, the result of war and the use of conventional and nuclear weapons. In other words, the resulting smoke and explosive residue in the air and sky, left behind by advanced weapons of war at the end times, will cause the moon to appear a blood-red color. Personally, I tend to agree with Michael because of the context in which the Joel prophecy seems to be taking place. Father, through Joel, seems to be referencing a time in the future when the elements will be shaken and fear and destruction will be the rule of the day. Sounds awfully like some kind of major conflict, even war-like conflict to me. To be honest and fair, however, there are those like Hebraic Roots Teacher and founder of Biblical Foundations Academy International Keith Johnson, who believe that the blood moon, the darkening of the sun and moon and the falling stars of the Joel prophecy are going to be manifestations of Father’s power and might. I respect that perspective and believe that Keith has as much a point as that of Michael. I respect both men’s opinions on this issue.
Additionally, the prophecy of Joel seems to be referencing a time in the future when Father’s precious Holy Spirit will fall upon the peoples of Zion and cause their sons and daughters to prophecy and the old men to dream dreams and the young men to see visions. As much as we might like to believe this is occurring today, but limiting this occurring in the evangelical-charismatic Christian churches of the United States, I believe that interpretation to be very myopic and to a small degree, anti-semitic. Whether we choose to believe it or not, Israel—I’m addressing the Jews and the people of Ephraim—will experience a Holy Spirit resurgence that promises to overshadow anything that churchianity has witnessed in the last two or three centuries. Let’s be honest, this has not yet occurred and as far as I can tell, this event doesn’t seem likely to occur anytime soon. The Jewish nation of Israel remains as secularly-centric as it’s ever been in its history. The nations of Ephraim are just now starting to awaken to the Hebraic Roots of the Christian Faith and come into the fold of the True Faith that was once delivered to the first-century saints by Jesus Christ (also known as Yahshua HaMashiyach). It’s going to take a monumentally miraculous act of the Father’s Spirit to turn the hearts of the Jew and the Lost Tribes of Israel back to Him. When that happens, then we will likely see the the Joel prophecy and the Blood Moons prophecy manifested.
As it relates to tetrads and the blood moons—which we’ve already established are really lunar eclipses—we find that throughout history, there have been many Israeli world-events that coincide with these tetrads, but also, many more tetrads that have occurred that did not coincide with any significant Israeli world-event.
Keith Johnson, in his treatment of the blood moons controversy, or what he chose to call “Blood Moon Mania,” makes an interesting point: since 1-C.E., there have been 62-tetrads. Of those 62-tetrads, 7-tetrads coincided with Feasts of the Lord, according to the calculated Jewish calendar. This is huge saints: the emphasis that is being placed upon this present tetrad of 2014 and 2015 is number 8 in a series of 63-tetrads since the beginning of this millennia. Seems pretty remote that the end of the world is coming as a result of this current tetrad. I mean, there were 7-other times when this same set of events occurred in conjunction with the Feasts of the Lord, but the world did not come to an end. Commonsense and a sound understanding of the Word of God is essential to being able to work through these types of things. Otherwise, the John Hagees and the Mark Blitz’ of the world will have us in the palm of their hands and before we know it, we’re funneling hundreds if not thousands of dollars into their coffers in order that we find out more of the misinformation they’ve been feeding us.
John Hagee, in his multi-episodic television series on Blood Moons, filmed in 2012 and 2013, and in his book addressing the same issue, has announced that this current tetrad is a signal of judgment that is coming to America and the enemies of Israel. The problem I have with Hagee and Blitz as it relates to their treatment of this topic is that they are indeed right in one respect: judgment is indeed coming, not only to America and the enemies of Israel, but judgment is also coming to the rest of the world for her sins and her refusal to seek the forgiveness of God Almighty. That is a certainty. But to state, emphatically, that this impending judgment is being foretold by a naturally occurring celestial event such as the current tetrad, to me, is heresy. Such teaching, according to Keith Johnson, and I wholly agree with him, is being used to strike fear in Christians and insight the giving of offerings and purchases of their books and DVD’s by their followers. Furthermore, these jack-leg preachers are hijacking the Feasts of Yahovah by causing the people to focus on the celestial light (or lack thereof) show, removing their focus on the moedim of Yahovah—God’s appointed times. These appointed times belong solely to Father. These are times that Father has deemed as holy and set apart and He requires that we set aside our lives for those 7-times during His calendar year to meet with Him—to empty our minds and hearts of the cares of this life; to seek His face and meet Him on His terms, not ours. Father doesn’t need blood moons to stress His festivals nor does He need blood moons to tell Him when to bring judgment upon the world. Father will bring judgment at a time and place of His choosing and He’s not going to consult the Hagees and Blitz’ of the world before He brings the judgment.
Additionally, these horrendous celestial events as prophesied in Joel will most certainly prior to or during the Day of the Lord—the Great Tribulation—when Father will tribulate the earth and those who tribulated His people and refused to obey His commandments and repent from their sins. The Apostle and the Disciple most beloved by the Master, recorded the following: 12 ¶ And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.1 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? (Rev 6:12-7:1 KJV) There is no indication in the scheme of world events that the 6th-seal has been opened saints. I may be entirely wrong about this, but it would sure seem that before the 6th-seal is to be opened, there would have had to have been an opening of 5-prior seals. I don’t believe these seals have been opened yet. But you see, this commonsense stuff—this bible stuff if you will, should have been provided to the people of God so that they know the truth and that they are armed with enough information so as to make informed spiritual decisions about the events that are going on around them. It’s not about buying ourselves more time before the return of Master; it’s about placing the focus where the focus is supposed to be placed—the Father’s appointed times. And this week, our focus should be placed on the Feast of Sukkot or the Feast of Tabernacles. This is the last of Father’s mandated moedim for the calendar year. Why are we focusing on stuff that only serves to distract us from our purpose in Yahshua Messiah?
Let me just say this: I have from afar respected the ministry of John Hagee. I don’t agree whatsoever with his Trinitarian doctrine and pretribulation rapture theology. However, I do respect His stand on the nation of Israel and his concern over this country’s future and sinful ways. But like he did with the whole prayer shawl controversy, which we discussed briefly in a previous episode, John Hagee has once again taken a controversy taking place in the Faith and capitalizing upon it. Worse, he has painted himself as a false prophet and we know how Father feels about false prophets. Regardless, Shimon Keefa (also known as Peter) said it best: 16 ¶ For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. 19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.1 (2Pe 1:16-21 KJV)
Bottom line saints, is the current tetrad indicative of coming judgment from God upon the world’s nations? No! It is indicative of the great and mighty powers of the Creator of the Universe. Judgment is coming, but this present-day tetrad is not the billboard delivering that message I’m afraid to say.
IV. What About the Shmittah?
Now, I don’t want to spend much time at all on this whole “Shmittah” controversy, that seems to be so intricately tied to this “Blood Moon” controversy. Bottom line saints, this Shmittah controversy seems to have taken on a life of its own. We have various church and religious leaders, who have never wanted to have anything to do with the Hebraic Roots of the Christian Faith; never wanted to have anything to do with Torah; never wanted to have anything to do with Judaism, now, all of a sudden, latching on to a Torah principle. The problem with this is, if you aren’t properly grounded in Torah, but you out of the blue elect to take on Torah-related things or topics or subjects such as the Shmittah, then you are flirting with certain disaster. Certainly, this Shmittah controversy has led many a well-meaning, sincere Christian, astray, thinking that they or their nation has violated Shmittah. Again, these Torah-less leaders and teachers are teaching Torah concepts to Torah-less believers. There ain’t no good to come out of that mess if you ask me.
Let’s take a quick look at this thing. The concept of Shmittah was first conceived in Torah, found in Leviticus 25:1-7, which reads as follows: And the LORD spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD.1 3 Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; 4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. 5 That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land.1 6 And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee, 7 And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat. (Lev 25:1-7 KJV)
This prescription that the Lord provided the nation upon entering the land of Canaan seems pretty clear—every 7-years, the nation was to allow the land to rest every 7-years. In other words, every 7-years, the nation would not work the land agriculturally, but would make provisions in the 6th year to store up produce so that the land would be allow to go un-worked for the 7th year. This was a commandment of the Father to the nation of Israel, which it turns out, the nation never ever obeyed.
There are curses associated with violations of Shmittah, as Christian leaders are so quick to point out and apply to the world’s nations. These curses for violated Father’s commandments are recorded in Leviticus 26. Chapter 26 of Leviticus is a lengthy chapter and I will not read or record the entire chapter here in this episode. Suffice to say, violations of God’s Commandments—His Torah—will lead to the nations demise. And indeed, this very thing happened to Israel, the 10-Northern Tribes, from 722-713 BCE, when the Assyrians swept in to Northern Israel and drove the people out of the land. The 10-Northern tribes were scattered into the lands beyond Israel and the people assimilated into the Gentile nations of the world. Many of us listening to this podcast episode or reading this blog post, are descendants of those 10-Lost Tribes, we just don’t realize it yet. But I believe the Father’s Spirit will open our eyes to this fact at a time not so far away.
Judah, on the other hand, also violated Torah and they were taken into captivity by the Babylonians in 586 BCE.
Anyone who is versed in Scripture to any reasonable degree will realize that the Shmittah commandment applied only to the our forefathers in the land of Canaan/Israel. It does NOT in any form or fashion, apply to the United States, to Europe, to Asia, to Africa, or to areas in the Middle East outside of Israel. Yet these Christian leaders, hoping to make a dollar and cent from teaching a perverted, error-ridden doctrine of Shmittah and applying it to the world at large, are as Hagee and Blitz, false prophets. These must not be listened to nor must they be given any respect as spokesmen for Yahovah. They’ve led too many astray and they will pay the price in some future time. Oh, they will channel their inner Jew and latch on to Rabbis who will tell them that Shmittah was re-established in 1952 and thus, in 2015, we will enter the next Shmittah-year. First off, the rabbis do not keep nor do they recognize the creator’s calendar, thus they are in no position to determine when or when not to keep Shmittah. Secondly, Christians need to get back into the habit of studying their bibles and not rely upon the jack-legged preachers and teachers of the world to feed them a bunch of bull, such as the Shmittah applying to everyone in the world, when it clearly doesn’t apply to everyone in the world.
So then, is our nation and the world heading for certain doom and destruction and ultimate judgment from God because of Shmmittah violations? The answer is NO, not because of violations of Shmittah, but judgment from God for the same reasons I sighted above when addressing the Blood Moons; because our of sins, our failure to repent from our sinful ways, and our refusal to come to God and obey Him. Not because of Shmittah.
V. What Do We Do With this Information?
Well, you might be wondering by this time, “so what Rod?” What do I do with all this seeming superfluous information that you’ve put out in this episode? Well, I’ll tell you: if you are in a position to do so, go out and enjoy the sight of the supermoon and the total-lunar eclipse that will occur on the 28th of September. Go and appreciate the wonders of the Creator and really get a sense of His power and might and how blessed you are to know Him and have a relationship with Him. Secondly, don’t listen to the false prophets that are out there peddling their wares to those who are biblically illiterate and spiritually deaf. Pray for these people that they come to understand the truth and turn away from their sinful ways. Pray for our nation that we turn to the Father and repent from our sins. Walk this Faith like you’ve never walked it before. Allow spiritual exploits to manifest through you as you go about doing the will of the Father. Be ready to give every man an answer who asks you why you believe what you believe.
That’s all I’m trying to get across in this episode dear saints. The last total-lunar eclipse of the current tetrad is a wonderful natural celestial occurrence that clearly helps us appreciate the power and majesty of our heavenly Father. But this controversy of the Blood Moons and the Shmittah also clearly tells us that we got a lot of work ahead of us. So let’s gird ourselves for the work and battle ahead. Let us stay prayed up, fasted, have a song of praise in our hearts and minds, and go forth and make disciples of the nations of the world. It’s what we’ve been called to do, each and everyone of us.
And until next time, may you be most blessed, fellow saints in training. Shalom.
Music by Dan O Music
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