Blood Moon Passover Message
“look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near”
April 14, 2014 Chester’s First Baptist Church Chester, IL Dr. Mike Fogerson, Speaker
Introduction:
A In Henry W. Longfellow’s poem of Paul Revere’s ride from Boston to Concord, with the nation on the verge of revolution, he wrote the phrase, “One, if by land, and two, if by sea.”
1 It was a reference to the secret signal orchestrated by Revere to signal/alert the patriots about the route the British troops chose to advance to Concord.
a Genesis 1.14, tells us that God created the Moon & heavenly lights to...
Genesis 1:14 (NASB) 14 Then 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;
aa The word for “signs” can translated as “signal.”
bb The word for “seasons” can be referring to God’s appointed times (Jewish Holy Days/Feasts; Passover, Pentecost, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, etc.)
b It’s like God wants to signal us about His appearing/coming.
aa If so, what is the signal? What “signs” should we be aware of?
bb Perhaps the Bible gives us a clue about what the church’s “One, if by land and two, if by sea” signal is.
2 The first mention of blood & the moon are in the book of the prophet Joel.
Joel 2:30-31 (NKJV) 30 "And I will show 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 coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.
a The next mention is when the Apostle Peter is preaching on the South steps of Herod’s Temple, immediately after Shavuot (Pentecost.)
aa He quotes the prophet Joel . . .
Acts 2:17-21 (NASB) 17 'AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,' God says, 'THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS;18 EVEN ON MY BONDSLAVES, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, I WILL IN THOSE DAYS POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT And they shall prophesy. 19 'AND I WILL GRANT WONDERS IN THE SKY ABOVE AND SIGNS ON THE EARTH BELOW, BLOOD, AND FIRE, AND VAPOR OF SMOKE. 20 'THE SUN WILL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD, BEFORE THE GREAT AND GLORIOUS DAY OF THE LORD SHALL COME. 21 'AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.'
bb John the Revelator tells us,
Revelation 6:12 (NASB) 12 I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood;
B Joel and John seem to plainly describe an end time solar eclipse and lunar eclipse.
1 During solar eclipses the sun is obscured by the moon except for wisps of light around the corona as if a hairy sackcloth was put in front of the sun.
a Lunar eclipses are when the earth is between the sun & the moon, often cause the moon to not disappear completely but turn shades of orange and red.
aa There are usually two LUNAR eclipses a year, and one SOLAR eclipse every 18 months.
bb The Lunar eclipse is seen by the entire night side of the earth for several hours, Solar eclipse is seen by only a small part of the earth for up to 6 to 7 minutes at best.
b The blood moon is a result of lunar eclipse during a full moon, this year there are 4 lunar eclipses, called a tetrad.
aa Since 1493, there have been three tetrad that are worthy of our attention.
bb These three tetrad occurred during God’s appointed times/Jewish feasts.
2 The first time it happened, in the year 1493, the four blood moons occurred on the Hebrew holidays of Passover and the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah).
a 1493, signaled the beginning of the fall of Spain following the expulsion of the Jews a year earlier and was God’s announcement to the world that the mantle of prosperity had thusly been placed on the shoulders of the infant nation that would become the United States’ since it became a refuge for the Jewish people.
b The second appearance of four blood moons appearing on Hebrew holy days was 1949-1950. They occurred on Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles and the next day Israel was declared a nation.
c 1967 Six-Day War had back-to-back, blood-red moons occur on the first day of Passover and Sukkoth (Pentecost)
aa Israel was attacked by Egypt, Syria, & Jordan.
bb For the first time in 2,000 years Jerusalem was united, Jews reclaimed the Temple Mount.
3 Tonight, beginning at around 12:33 AM, the earth will come between the sun & the moon.
a It will reach full eclipse at around 1:41 AM and will last for about 1 hour & 12 minutes.
aa We have not had Scripture, Science, & History come into perfect alignment like this since 1967 and we won’t see it again this century.
bb There are no solar or lunar accidents; every heavenly body is controlled by the unseen hand of God to send signals to humanity of coming events.
b I believe that the heavens are God’s billboard – that he has been sending signals to planet Earth and we just haven’t been picking them up.
C Tonight, not only is there a blood moon, but it is also the first Jewish feast of the year, God’s appointed time called “Passover.”
1 Leviticus 23:4-8 (KJV) 4 These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. 5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. 7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. 8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
a The feast was established to be an annual reminder of how/when God freed Israel from their 400 year bondage in Egypt.
b The three most important parts of the Passover meal (Seder) are:
aa Maror/The bitter herbs (Horseradish): Reminds us of the afflictions of this world.
bb Pesach/Roasted Lamb: Reminds us how the blood of the lamb caused the angel of death to pass over the houses of Israel, blood of Jesus covers us & causes our souls to be “off-limits” to death.
cc Matzoh/Bread of Affliction: Without leaven, striped, bruised, pierced; reminds us to keep sin out of our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit.
2 During the Seder, there are four cups of wine, plus one, that also have a unique significance derived from
Exodus 6.6-7 (NASB); "Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, 'I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7 ~'Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
a The first cup is the cup of sanctification (I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. . .)
aa This cup reminds the Jew of how God set them free, brought them out from under 400 years of Egyptian slavery, bondage.
bb The prophetic fulfillment is that the God that set the Jew free is the same God sets us free from the bondage, guilt, condemnation of sin/death.
b The second cup is the cup of deliverance or judgement (AKA; Praise & Plagues) (I will deliver you from their bondage. . .)
aa This cup serves to remind the Jew of the freedom that God secured them, provided for them.
bb The judgement aspect was aimed at the Egyptians; Each of us has a choice to make, chose to follow Christ into freedom and know JOY or chose to go it without Christ and remain in bondage and face JUDGEMENT.
cc Whether we drink the cup of Joy or Judgement all depends on our relationship with the LORD.
c The third cup is cup of redemption (I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgements . . .)
aa This cup is drunk after the meal, it would have been the cup Jesus took/blessed as the new covenant in His blood and gave it to His disciples.
bb It reminded the Jews that blood had to be shed, placed over the door facing in order for death to pass them by.
cc Our salvation was bought, secured, purchased by blood that was spilled from the “outstretched” arms of Messiah on Calvary.
d The fourth cup is the cup of acceptance (Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, . . .)
aa The image of the fourth cup is that of marriage, accepting of the people to be His Beloved.
bb Mark 14:22-25 (NASB) 22 While they were eating, He took some bread, and after a blessing He broke it, and gave it to them, and said, "Take it; this is My body." 23 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 And He said to them, "This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 "Truly I say to you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."
cc To me, it was this cup of acceptance that Jesus will partake in at the Marriage Supper of Lamb, when Christ & His Bride (the Church), are finally united for all of eternity.
3 The Passover cups (Sanctification, Joy/Judgement, Redemption, Acceptance) were all prophetically fulfilled in Christ and His installation of the Lord’s Supper.
a In the first century, if you attended a meal/feast at the house of a Roman, you were required/obligated to drink a certain amount of glasses of wine.
aa The number of glasses required was determined by the number of letters in the first name of the host throwing the party.
bb ie., Pilate (7 glasses), Flavious (8 glasses), Titus (5 glasses)
b At the Passover, the Jews drink 4 glasses of wine at the Lord’s Feast.
aa YHWY is His Name . . . it’s His appointed time!!
bb When we take the New Covenant Passover/Lord’s Supper, we are coming at YHWY’s request to remember our sanctification, joy, redemption, acceptance!!!
D Shortly after the Lord ordained the Lord’s Supper, we find Him in the Garden of Gethsemene with His 3rd chair disciples (Peter, Jimmy, & John).
1 After a while in prayer, Judas betrays our Lord with a kiss, upon which a small contingent of soldiers proceed to arrest Him (for blasphemy).
a Peter draws out his sword
John 18:10-11 (NASB) 10 Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave's name was Malchus. 11 So Jesus said to Peter, "Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?"
aa Luke 22:51 (NASB) 51 But Jesus answered and said, "Stop! No more of this." And He touched his ear and healed him.
bb Why is this story the dessert in our Passover Meal?
b Shema (The most important verse in all Judaism) says,
“Deuteronomy 6:4 (NASB) 4 "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!”
aa The vast majority of people who Jesus preached to did not hear/receive His message, Good News.
bb Instead, chose to serve a corrupt priesthood and dead ritual/religion (bondage.)
cc Their ears were not “hearing” what God was saying!
c Malchus, was a servant to the High Priest (picture of Israel!) and their ear was cut off!
aa Jesus doesn’t leave the man deaf, unable/incapable of hearing, so Jesus touches his dangling hear & restores Malchus’ hearing.
bb Romans 11:26-27 (HCSB) 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written: The Liberator will come from Zion; He will turn away godlessness from Jacob. 27 And this will be My covenant with them when I take away their sins.
cc We are living in the time when God is signaling to all the world, especially Israel & His Church, that He’s return is soon and if we eyes to see & ears to hear . . .we will be alert, ready for the next phase of what God is going to do.
2 Communion: The Lord has invited us to the New Covenant fulfillment of the Old Covenant Feast of Passover. His Name is YHWY.
a The bread of affliction & cup of redemption are prepared, presented for you to partake.
aa It should lead you from reflection to rejoicing, preparing to praising.
bb We are reminded that He has brought out of bondage, delivered us, bought us with the outstretched arms of Jesus, and He has accepted us!!!
b We are honored to be invited by The One True God to share in this meal, why would we not partake?
aa Not saved? Not free?
bb Remedy the situation tonight.
3 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (NASB) 23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me." 25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.
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Mike Fogerson
