Scripture Overhead, Part 1: Blood Moon Warnings

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

And it shall come to pass that he that feareth me shall be looking forth for the great day of the Lord to come, even for the signs of the coming of the Son of Man. And they shall see signs and wonders, for they shall be shown forth in the heavens above, and in the earth beneath. And they shall behold blood, and fire, and vapors of smoke. And before the day of the Lord shall come, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood, and the stars fall from heaven.

—D&C 45:39-42

I know what you’re thinking. “Not another Blood Moon blog!” 

Yeah, I get it. We’ve all heard plenty about these Blood Moons. Books have been written. Ominous warnings have been issued. Conspiracy theories have been presented. Something is coming. It’s big—really big. It’s gotten big press, and it’s made big money.

And so, with all this hoopla, some of us have even stayed up late or gotten up early to go outside and look at the Blood Moons. I’ve done so for all three that have happened so far. I’ve seen more clouds than anything. Nothing happened. The world didn’t end. It was…a moon, but kind of orange.

OK, that was exciting. Back to bed.

Not so fast.

What if there actually IS something to these Blood Moons? What if this tetrad, which has garnered so much attention, has a very specific series of messages for us, and we’ve neglected to notice them? What if we’ve been looking in the wrong place?

What follows in this series of posts is an analysis of the testimony written in the heavens. This is, of course, nothing more than my interpretation, and I’ll be the first to admit I could have some stuff wrong. But the Lord has been teaching me, and whatever is wrong is my fault, not His. I don’t expect you to simply believe what I share. Rather, I hope you’ll take these things to the scriptures and the Lord and ask what you’re to make of them. If I can stimulate that process, I’ll be satisfied with my efforts.

Oh No—Astronomy!

Here’s where I’m coming from: I’ve never liked astronomy. Sure, I can appreciate the complexity, regularity, and harmony of how God has organized the heavens, but I’ve always pretty much ignored what’s overhead. Astronomy always felt too mathematical to me—and on the opposite end of the spectrum—don’t even get me started on astrology. Never liked either one.

And yet, there’s this:

But the records of the fathers, even the patriarchs, concerning the right of Priesthood, the Lord my God preserved in mine own hands; therefore a knowledge of the beginning of the creation, and also of the planets, and of the stars, as they were made known unto the fathers, have I kept even unto this day, and I shall endeavor to write some of these things upon this record, for the benefit of my posterity that shall come after me. (Abraham 1:31)

Abraham ties astronomical knowledge to the records of the patriarchal line and the rights of Priesthood. And in Abraham 3, the Lord spends a great deal of time teaching Abraham about astronomy, through the Urim and Thummim, tying it to the very creation and purposes of this Earth. And then, there’s Facsimile 3 where Abraham reasons upon the principles of astronomy in Pharoah’s court.

Scripture Overhead

The point is, this stuff is, apparently, very important to God. He’s organized the heavens for His purposes, speaking a specific testimony, and He wants us to understand what He’s written there. We ought to make some effort to understand and heed His warnings. We ought to be looking for the signs He has placed there:

And it shall come to pass that he that feareth me shall be looking forth for the great day of the Lord to come, even for the signs of the coming of the Son of Man. (D&C 45:39)

And the Gods organized the lights in the expanse of the heaven, and caused them to divide the day from the night; and organized them to be for signs and for seasons, and for days and for years; (Abraham 4:14)

The heavens are signs, and in fact they are ordinances, having been ordained by God from the beginning. They are there to teach us of Him.

Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The Lord of hosts is his name: If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. (Jeremiah 31:35-36)

Now, I’m certainly not in possession of the knowledge Abraham had about the heavens. Modern information and interpretations are, no doubt, significantly altered, and much has surely been lost. It reminds me of the discussion about the Bible in the Book of Mormon. Plain and precious parts are missing, and what remains has been corrupted.

Nevertheless, the testimony remains overhead, and the Lord can still speak to us through what little knowledge we have left to us. He’s clever like that. I’ve found that He does the same through the scriptures, adapting the message to the lens through which we view it in our day. Therefore, though I’m sure I don’t even begin to comprehend the full message of these Blood Moon signs, I do think that with some research we can learn enough to be warned.

And we should. 

What would be the point of God sending a warning we had no hope of understanding? Let’s try to understand it, using the information available to us. A little effort yields great dividends. We’ll begin with a quick review.

This Tetrad is Significant

A tetrad of lunar eclipses (Blood Moons) is by no means rare. This happens on a rather regular basis. You'll have about 300 years with no tetrads and then 300 years with about 15 or so tetrads. We are in a tetrad cycle now. 

www.BloodMoonsComing.com

But this particular tetrad has many unique features that have caught the notice of the world. Here are a few:

• All 4 moons in this tetrad occur in a short period of 17.5 months. 
• All 4 moons in this tetrad occur on Jewish holy days. This won’t happen again for over 500 years.
• The last time a series of Blood Moons coincided with Jewish holy days was 1967, when Israel won the 6-day war. Other notable times were when Israel gained statehood and when the Savior was crucified.
• In fact, Blood Moons falling on Jewish holy days appears to generally indicate something significant is happening for Israel.
• This tetrad is perfectly symmetrical, as you can see from the illustration. 
• All four Blood Moons will be visible from America, which is a significant indicator of the people being warned.
• And, of course, many current world events coincide with the Blood Moons, including LDS General Conferences, Middle East events, and political maneuverings. Books have been written about these things.

You’ll note that most of these unique features I’ve listed have to do with the calendar. By that, I mean holy days, symmetry, and coincident events, all remarkable in this instance, are also all recognized by consulting a calendar. 

And though I believe the calendar events ought to certainly draw our attention to these Blood Moons, I don’t believe the calendar will tell us what these events mean. God speaks, but he’s not primarily doing so through the calendar. Remember, the lights in the heavens are there for signs. The calendar is just to keep track of them. There is an astonishing warning written in the heavens, not on the calendar. Let's look up.

The First Warning

Let’s examine the first Blood Moon of the tetrad.

The Time:

April 15, 2014 1:46 AM Mountain Time

First day of Passover

The Location: 

As you can see from the picture, this Blood Moon appeared in the constellation Virgo, as did the planet Mars. In fact, the moon was directly between Mars and Saturn, nearly covering the star named Spica in the constellation Virgo.

The Players:

Spica is the 15th brightest star in the night sky. It is actually a binary star system, with the two stars so close together they cannot be separately resolved through a telescope. The name Spica derives from Latin spīca virginis, which means "the virgin's ear of wheat.” 

Virgo: The Constellation Virgo derives her name from Latin for “the virgin.” She is traditionally drawn with a sheaf of wheat in her hand, represented by the star Spica. The virgin is sometimes identified as the virgin goddess Iustitia or Astraea, who is drawn holding the scales of justice in her other hand. The scales are represented by her neighboring constellation, Libra.

Libra: Depicted as a set of scales, representing justice and judgment.

Saturn: Named for the Roman god of agriculture, founder of civilizations and of social order

Mars: Named for the Roman god of war and bloodshed, whose symbol is a spear and shield. Mars is also the ruling planet of the constellation Aries.

Aries: The constellation Aries represents the Ram. Coincidentally, 2015 is the year of the Ram in the Chinese Zodiac.

The Message:

In this eclipse, the moon is almost directly between Saturn, representing civilization and social order, and Mars, representing war and destruction, but much closer to Mars. The warning is that the world is headed for the loss of social order and the coming of widespread war, violence and destruction. Or in scriptural language, the world is ripening in iniquity, and waxing old as a garment. Many prophecies testify of this coming destruction, and the moon’s placement ought to remind us of these prophecies. Here’s an example:

And thus, with the sword and by bloodshed the inhabitants of the earth shall mourn; and with famine, and plague, and earthquake, and the thunder of heaven, and the fierce and vivid lightning also, shall the inhabitants of the earth be made to feel the wrath, and indignation, and chastening hand of an Almighty God, until the consumption decreed hath made a full end of all nations; (D&C 87:6)

As the moon is situated between Saturn and Mars, it is touching the star Spica (ear of wheat) to remind us that in preparation for the coming destruction, the Lord will gather out the wheat from among the tares, and leave the tares to be burned.

Therefore, let the wheat and the tares grow together until the harvest is fully ripe; then ye shall first gather out the wheat from among the tares, and after the gathering of the wheat, behold and lo, the tares are bound in bundles, and the field remaineth to be burned. (D&C 86:7)

The harvest of wheat has already begun as people awaken to their awful situation, arise from their slumber of complacency, shake off their binding chains of unbelief, and earnestly seek to know the Lord. As the destruction becomes imminent, those who are prepared will be physically gathered by the angels sent for that purpose. (D&C 77:11) Those who are not prepared to be gathered by angels will be left to the burning.

Note that Virgo is a female; she is holding the gathered wheat in her hand. This ought to remind us that when the Lord speaks of gathering his people, it is a hen, not a rooster, who gathers the chicks. The male divine (Mars) orchestrates destruction, but the female divine accomplishes the gathering:

For, behold, I will gather them as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if they will not harden their hearts; (D&C 10:65)

The moon is a symbol of the Terrestrial kingdom, “which excels in all things the glory of the Telestial, even in glory, and in power, and in might, and in dominion.” (D&C 76:91) We currently inhabit a Telestial world, but those gathered by the angels—the wheat—will build a holy city that will become Terrestrial in nature, as will its inhabitants. The moon touching Spica therefore reminds us not only of the wheat gathering, but also of the Zion to come.

The presence of Mars reminds us of the constellation he rules: Aries, the ram. The horns and hoofs of this animal ought to bring to mind the Savior’s prophecy in the Book of Mormon, regarding the destruction of the Gentiles by His covenant people:

For I will make my people with whom the Father hath covenanted, yea, I will make thy horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass. And thou shalt beat in pieces many people; and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth. And behold, I am he who doeth it. (3 Nephi 20:19)

The ram, like Mars, symbolizes the coming destruction of the Gentiles by the Lord’s covenant people. 

In Summary, this first blood moon warns us of the following:

• We Gentiles (particularly in America) are ripening in iniquity and heading for destruction
• We are being weighed in the balance on the scales of justice
• The Lord has begun the gathering of the wheat from among the tares
• The gathering will eventually form Zion
• The times of the Gentiles are fulfilled 
• The Gentiles will soon be overrun and destroyed by the Lord’s covenant people

To put a finer point on it—what has the Lord written in the heavens and highlighted for our observance? The same testimony he gave the Nephites and preserved for us in the Book of Mormon:

And I say unto you, that if the Gentiles do not repent after the blessing which they shall receive, after they have scattered my people—Then shall ye, who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, go forth among them; and ye shall be in the midst of them who shall be many; and ye shall be among them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, and as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he goeth through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. Thy hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off. 

And I will gather my people together as a man gathereth his sheaves into the floor. For I will make my people with whom the Father hath covenanted, yea, I will make thy horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass. And thou shalt beat in pieces many people; and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth. And behold, I am he who doeth it. (3 Nephi 20:15-19)

It's all right there. We ought to pay attention, because this isn't some distant future event. This is happening now. The gathering has begun! The destruction decreed is already underway!

Therefore, the very serious question we ought to ask ourselves is this: 

How can I qualify to be one who is gathered, 
rather than one who is destroyed?

We can take a clue from the Nephite destruction that happened at the Lord's first coming. As you may recall, the Lord said:

And many great destructions have I caused to come upon this land, and upon this people, because of their wickedness and their abominations. (3 Nephi 9:12)

Cities were sunk, cities were burned. Cities were buried under mountains. The earth shook, the tempests raged, the destruction was unimaginable. Yet, some few were spared. Here's the Lord's explanation:

And it was the more righteous part of the people who were saved, and it was they who received the prophets and stoned them not; and it was they who had not shed the blood of the saints, who were spared—And they were spared and were not sunk and buried up in the earth; and they were not drowned in the depths of the sea; and they were not burned by fire, neither were they fallen upon and crushed to death; and they were not carried away in the whirlwind; neither were they overpowered by the vapor of smoke and of darkness. (3 Nephi 10:12-13)

Did you catch that? It was they who received the prophets the Lord sent. How do you "receive" the prophets? 

Well, first you have to seek, discern, and find true messengers. I've written a fair bit about that. You have to separate true prophets from pretenders. I've written a fair bit about that as well. And, having found true messengers, you must heed the message delivered by the Lord through His messengers.

The scriptures contain the words of true messengers. How carefully and thoroughly are you searching into and heeding their message?

Joseph Smith was a true messenger. How carefully and thoroughly are you searching into and heeding his message? 

Denver Snuffer is a true messenger. How carefully and thoroughly are you searching into and heeding his message today? 

And now, whoso readeth, let him understand; he that hath the scriptures, let him search them, and see and behold if all these deaths and destructions by fire, and by smoke, and by tempests, and by whirlwinds, and by the opening of the earth to receive them, and all these things are not unto the fulfilling of the prophecies of many of the holy prophets. (3 Nephi 10:14)

The prophecies about our day are certain. The signs and warnings are right above our heads. The Lord warned me about these things some time ago, and "it becometh every may who hath been warned to warn his neighbor." (D&C 88:81) 

All that I've written in this blog from the beginning is focused on helping you do just what I've recommended above: detect false messengers, seek true messengers, and heed the Lord's word. Doing so is the ONLY protection available for what lies ahead.

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. 

—Joel 2:32