In all the hoopla surrounding the Blood Moons my hope is that the real significance of this day is not forgotten. You see, over 6000 years ago our Creator set in motion His heavenly Rolex so that you and I could see this incredible display. I know, many claim the world we live in is just the evolution of randomness, but just a glance into your child’s eyes will put the lie to that claim.
As someone who loves to dig into the history and chronology of the Bible, to me the blood moon is a spectacular reminder of a world changing Biblical event that happened long ago. For those of you who have read my book The 13th Enumeration: Key to the Bible’s Messianic Symbolism or one of my blog articles on the subject you know that there is reasonable, if not conclusive, evidence that today, nearly 2018 years ago, a Jewish child was born who changed the history of the world.
We know Him as Jesus or by his Hebrew name Yeshua and today just happens to be his birthday. You see today is the Biblical Feast of Sukkot also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths and it was around this time of year that Yeshua was born in Bethlehem of Judea. Interestingly, the traditional association of Christ’s birth with Christmas likely comes from the fact that it was nine months earlier during the Feast of Hanukah (in late December) when the conception of the Messiah took place. Over the years the lines between Hanukah (also known as the Festival of Lights / Feast of Dedication) and Christmas blurred due to the increasingly gentile make-up of the early church and slowly the messianic significance of the Jewish Festival of Lights was forgotten.
Did you know that Yeshua, during the Festival of Lights in Jerusalem, told his listeners that He was “the light of the world”? Indeed, when YHWH’s spirit brought about the conception of the Messiah in a Jewish maiden named Mary, a new hope was brought into a world blinded by the darkness of sin.
And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him…
As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing…..
And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. John 9:1-7; 10:22
Although Yeshua told us that He was the light of the world it was the apostle John who so eloquently alluded to the birth of Christ in words which remind us of the Feast of Tabernacles.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God…..
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt [tabernacled] among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:1-2, 14
So over the coming days when you look back on the “super blood moon” during the Feast of Tabernacles in 2015, no matter what your opinion on the subject, don’t forget about a lowly little Jewish child born in a manger who brought light and hope into this world.
Daniel’s 70 Weeks: The Keystone of Bible Prophecy
For those of you who would like real Biblical proof for the promised Messiah I’m happy to tell you that I’ve finished Book II in the Prophecy and Patterns series. Daniel’s 70 Weeks: The Keystone of Bible Prophecy is finally finished!
As promised, subscribers to my blog may download it for free. If you are not yet a subscriber and would like to read the book please feel free to subscribe below. The book will also be up on Amazon in the coming days.
Let me tell you right up front the book will be controversial. This is not your ordinary book on the prophecy of Daniel 9. Those of you who have read my blog over the years know I often have an unconventional take on Biblical history and Bible prophecy. Here are just a few of the many topics we will look at in the book which I hope will give you a new appreciation for the subject:
- Can we date the birth of the Messiah from Daniel 9:25?
- Why does Daniel 9 point symbolically to the flood of Noah and the consequences of mankind’s sins?
- What is the significance of the Messiah being “cut off” after the 69th week?
- Who gave the “commandment” to restore and build Jerusalem?
- What is the significance of the covenant of Daniel 9:4 as it relates to the covenant of Daniel 9:27?
- Why have we ignored the Biblical evidence concerning the 2nd temple era?
- Who was the “Artaxerxes” of Ezra and Nehemiah?
- Why do many acknowledge that Yeshua fulfilled the Biblical feast days of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits using a biblical lunar/solar calendar, but when it comes to Daniel 9 and the prophecy of 70 Weeks, they insist on a so called “prophetic” calendar which would wander through the seasons much like the Islamic calendar of today?
- Why both Historicists and the Futurists have used Daniel 9 and an erroneous chronology of the 2nd temple era to bolster their theological positions. (And the effect this has had on modern eschatological thought.)
- Why many scholars believe the Messianic message of Daniel 9 ends with the Messiah’s death.
I know some may be wondering why any of this even matters. Whether you know it or not, the truth is, Daniel 9 has in some way influenced nearly every aspect of how we see the Messiah Yeshua. This is especially true for our yet future eschatological expectations. Daniel 9 is the basis for our understanding of a 7 year tribulation, the anti-Christ, and many other end time events. Yet, surprisingly very few of us can provide a solid Biblical basis for our interpretation of this wonderful prophecy.
Today, I asked you to join me in a Biblical adventure with the goal of remedying that oversight. Together let’s look at the prophecy of 70 Weeks with an eye to its 2nd temple era context and a Biblical reckoning of time. I can’t promise you that you’ll agree with me on every point, but I will guarantee that by the time you have finished the book you will be in awe of YHWH’s love for His fallen Creation and how Daniel 9 is one of the greatest testimonies of that love found in the Bible.
To help you understand the extent to which Daniel 9 has influenced our view of the End Times, YHWH willing over the coming weeks I will be sharing with you how Daniel 9 has been incorporated into the teachings of some of today’s most popular prophecy teachers. We will take a respectful but critical look at how Daniel 9 is used to strengthen:
- Hank Hanegraaff’s historicist view of Bible prophecy.
- Chuck Missler’s futurist view of Bible prophecy.
- Alan Kurschner’s futurist, pre-wrath view of Bible prophecy.
- David Raegan’s futurist, pre-trib view of Bible prophecy.
- Joel Richardson & Wadi Shoebat’s futurist – Islamic anti-Christ view of Bible prophecy.
As we will see, though diverse in their opinions regarding Daniel 9, all have failed to address the most basic aspect of the prophecy of 70 Weeks – that is they have failed to establish the prophecy of Daniel 9 on a solid chronological basis in the Biblical and secular record. In other words, they have failed to provide a definitive starting point upon which to calculate the countdown to the Messiah. This oversight in turn has caused each of them to make assumptions about Daniel 9 which has altered their eschatological world view. Can their end-times world view survive this oversight? Stay tuned, the answer will surprise you.
Getting a Head Start
If you would like to get a head start on these upcoming discussions I encourage you to download a free copy of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks: The Keystone of Bible Prophecy. Verified blog subscribers may download a free copy of the book here: Subscribers Book Download
If you would like to become a subscriber you may use the form below. It’s free to subscribe and I won’t share your email nor will I spam you with junk mail. Long ago I made a commitment to make the information on this blog and my websites available free of charge in one form or another. So you won’t find advertisements on this blog or a donation button, just my unconventional take on Biblical history and Bible prophecy.
My Gift to You
So today, on Yeshua biblical birthday, my gift to you is reasonable Biblical proof that Yeshua was the Messiah promised in the Scriptures. My hope is that you will enjoy the adventure as much as I have!
VERY interesting, Bill! I really look forward to reading these books. I always enjoy reading your papers but I’m woefully behind in reading your blogs. I’ve always assumed Jesus was born on the Feast of Trumpets as that is when he will be returning to the Mount of Olives. One of my mentors, Ronald Dart, has always agreed with you that He was born on the 1st day of the Feast of Tabernacles (Succoth), although he never covered the feast of lights aspect.
Thanks for your work. Incidentally, we’re observing the Feast of Tabernacles here in Steamboat Springs, CO. and this would be my 50th Feast but for a few years I missed in my errant 20’s.
Take care, friend,
Rich
Hi Rich,
Thank you! Hope you enjoy the book. We enjoy celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles as well although we’ve only understood it’s significance and symbolism for the past 15 years. I look forward to your thoughts on the subject of Daniel 9. Always a pleasure to hear from you.
Warm regards,
Bill
Hello William, I look forward to reading your ‘controversial’ book :D
Controversial is good; we should not get so complacent with our ideas we close our minds off to new possibilities. In my opinion, the Pharisees were so sure of their knowledge and understanding of scripture and the law, they did not recognize the Messiah, though He stood in front of them, and in spite of all the signs that followed Him. Let us not make the same mistake, and think we have the final understanding of the truth, for I suspect we only scratch the surface.
Hi Jorge,
That is my hope and fear as well. I never want to get so comfortable or arrogant in my belief of Bible prophecy that I cannot see my own errors. Thanks for the comments, Jorge.
Warm regards,
William