The January Full Moon will take on a deep red hue during the January 21 total lunar eclipse – an alleged sign of death and destruction. Christian conspiracy theorist and doomsday preachers fall back on obscure references to the Moon in the Bible which are supposed predictions of the world ending. Some passages found in the Book of Revelation and the Book of Joel outright speak of the Moon turning into blood in the final days of humanity. The appearance of the ominous Blood Moon is believed to be a sign Jesus Christ will soon return to Earth in what is dubbed the Second Coming of Christ.
Direct references to a red Moon, not specifically the January 21 Super Blood Moon, can be traced to the Book of Acts, Book of Joel and Book of Revelation.
The Book of Joel 2:31 reads: “The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.”
The Book of Acts 2:20 reads: “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come.”
And Revelation 6:12-14 reads: “When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale.
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“The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.”
Firebrand preacher and evangelical pastor Paul Begley from West Lafayette, Indiana, is one of the main supporters of the Blood Moon prophecy.
Preaching to online audiences over YouTube and radio, pastor Begley firmly believes humanity has already entered its final days.
And in his opinion, the upcoming Blood Moon is just another sign of Jesus Christ’s impending return for the final judgment.
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The preacher said: “A Super Blood Moon – it is a harbinger. The Lord gave me that word about a week ago.
“He said to me: ‘Paul, the Super Blood Moon is a harbinger for America’.”
Pastor Begley stressed he has not set a date for the end of the world but he assured his followers the world will eventually end, regardless of whether the Blood Moon arrives or not.
He said: “I did not say Jesus Christ is coming because of the Super Blood Moon. Jesus Christ is coming, period.
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“He’s coming and He’s coming soon, and yes, the Bible says the Sun will be darkened and the Moon will turn to blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord shall come. So yes, that’s going to happen.
Scientists, however, fall back on rational explanations based on the principles of physics and the movements of the celestial bodies.
Space agency NASA, for instance, has said the Blood Moon is the direct result of refracted sunlight falling on the Moon while it passes through Earth’s shadow.
NASA said: “When this happens, the only light that reaches the Moon’s surface is from the edges of the Earth’s atmosphere.
“The air molecules from Earth’s atmosphere scatter out most of the blue light.
“The remaining light reflects onto the Moon’s surface with a red glow, making the Moon appear red in the night sky.”
The effect in question is known as Rayleigh Scattering and is the exact same effect which paints orange sunsets and turns the skies blue during the day.
Rayleigh Scattering is caused by the scattering of light particles through a medium with a different wavelength.