We are in dangerous, unsettling times. The earth is nearly shaking on its axis. Previous generations were spared dealing with concepts such as Sharia Law, Islamic Caliphates, nuclear centrifuges in rogue hands, chemical weapons, NSA spying, IRS lawlessness, border invasions, and corruption and serial lying at the highest levels of government.

Even nature is out of control. And today’s church is compromising so there aren’t many shelters any longer.

If you dwell on headlines too long, you would think that Armageddon is on our door step. And maybe it is. If you listen carefully, you just might hear the footsteps of the four horsemen of the apocalypse in the distance. Has their journey begun?

A Coalition of Comfort
That is why thousands travel every year to various Bible and prophecy conferences so they can compare notes with like-minded believers and comfort one another. They want to encourage one another (Hebrews 10). They want to be a “coalition of comfort” to one another. They also want assurance that their perspective on the world and church is on target.

In mid-July I participated in Dr. Dave Reagan’s annual Lamb Lion Bible conference near Dallas, TX with a number of great teachers and leaders. I came away with some distinct impressions I’ll share here. Many of you will identify.

His Return Trumps Dark Times
Every single person I spoke with was tired of bad news and dark headlines. Yet no one was depressed. No one wanted to give up. Why? They all had the hope of Christ’s imminent return.

That trumps dark news, slanted stories, the glorification of evil, the threats coming from Washington, and the hypocrisy from people in high places.
Many of those I met have been told to keep things light and even major in minors. They cannot do that. Some feel like an island even among other family members.

Just as I was writing this, someone e-mailed me the following. It fits in well. “We need one another. We are instructed to join together and worship and share and build up each other in Christian love. And we need commonality. We need people who can relate to the crisis of the day, or the hassles of the job, or the latest news headlines, or the sorrows of pain and loss. We need people who can help us discern doctrine. We are brought together by God for that purpose. God knows who we need and He brings us together.”

Why Is the Church Silent?
The conference attendees were 90% in unison that their church was silent on all of the important issues of the day, and particularly silent on the theology of the Lord’s return. That’s another reason why folks travel hundreds or thousands of miles to have like-minded fellowship.

They have been told that such topics don’t promote church growth. This subject matter is “controversial.” (Really???) Bible prophecy makes some people uncomfortable. Just what do all those bowls, vials, and seals really mean?? Their pastor might not have been trained in eschatology and he doesn’t want to risk preaching it. He might have it wrong. Or their pastor has been taught all the varying prophecies and they are unsure which one is sound.

And date-setters have given the topic a black eye!

Come, Lord Jesus, But Not Too Soon!
I asked many attendees what their experience was when dealing with the younger generation and current issues. Most responses were the same: Younger folks want to live out their lives on this aching planet and THEN enjoy Eternity. In other words, come, Lord Jesus, but not too soon!

They knew some young people who were an exception to that but not many. Most younger folks really wanted to enjoy life even with today’s struggles. They want to see kids grow and get married. Eternal issues can wait.

Yet I met a 15 year old who said to me, “I want to pass this torch.” He wanted to pass on the information, and the urgency of our times, to his generation! Rare, perhaps, but such occurrences happen to let us know we should not give up hope. You never know who you are affecting! I regularly hear from the younger generation. They are not all focused on the now and self.

Undaunted
But everyone left undaunted and built up in their faith. And they will keep journeying to various places far and near for this kind of like-minded fellowship where the minors are overlooked for the majors.

“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 . . .’ ” — Genesis 1:14

We can argue about the blood moons past, present and future, but no one can argue that they have captured the attention of the world and church. I presented one program on the topic back in 2013 and I wrote about them in my summer, 2014 print newsletter (sign uphere — it’s free for one year and comes out five times a year).

I have been interviewed on the topic a number of times because of the Jewish element that applies to the subject.

In other words, I have covered the topic in an underwhelming way.But the response to my 2013 broadcast was overwhelming with folks wanting to better understand this phenomenon.

Three authors have written on the blood moons and I had two of them on air on our current radio program. The program is in a debate format. Pastor Mark Biltz debates Pastor Mark Hitchcock.They have very opposite opinions and you can listen here or hereor here.

Jesus chastised the Pharisees for knowing the signs of the weather but not the signs of the times spiritually speaking. There are “signs in the heavens” that are a part of those “signs of the times.”

Mark Biltz suggests that all signs of the times are on overdrive: wars, famines, globalism, etc. He suggests that we’re heading pell-mell into the final days and the blood moons could be a harbinger of the lateness of the hour.  He is not a date-setter and he does not suggest that “things are about to change forever” as John Hagee does.

Pastor Biltz does believe the reference in Genesis 1:14 indicates the signs in the heavens are there to “send signals” to us and that they are a herald of His coming. Since the reference suggests “seasons,” he feels this is a reference to the Jewish Feasts of Israel such as Passover and Sukkot or “God’s appointed times.” In other words, the signs in the heavens could be related to the Jewish Feasts.

Mark Biltz does go as far as to suggest that significant events could take place in 2014 and 2015 during the tetrad of blood moons such as a war or wars in the Middle East. He feels the moons could also be a warning: Don’t divide the land of Israel!

If you haven’t tracked the blood moon phenomenon, here is a very brief history. It is not often the tetrad of four moons falls on a Jewish Feast day such as they do in 2014 and 2015. There they fall on the first day of the Jewish Feast of Passover and Sukkot.

There were no blood moon tetrads on Jewish Feast days in the 1800s, 1700s, or 1600s. There will be no more in this century after October 2015.

There was a tetrad in 1493-1494 right after the Jews were thrown out of Spain. Some historians say Christopher Columbus had a boat load of Jews on his ships that sailed for a new land in 1492.

There was a tetrad in 1949-1950 right after Israel was declared a nation.

It happened again in 1967-1968 when Israel recaptured Jerusalem in the “Six Day War.”

Dr. Mark Hitchcock urges caution because this is another opportunity for Christians to have egg on their face with soft date-setting or astounding claims and conclusions. He asks how can these things be a “sign” when they are happening after the fact? In other words, the expulsion from Spain was 1492 but the tetrad of moons was 1493-1494

The blood moons couldn’t have been a sign of Israel’s impending independence when that tetrad was 1949 -1950.

Hitchcock rightfully cautions John Hagee about making astounding claims that “things are about to change forever” for we certainly don’t know that to be true.

Dr. Hitchcock is troubled that the moons are seen in limited parts of the world. How, then, could they be a sign for Israel since Israel hasn’t witnessed most of them? Obviously the entire world can witness them on television, the Internet, etc. in the 20th and 21st Century. But is this a stretch?

Dr. Hitchcock strongly believes that the “authentic blood moons” the Bible refers to are during the Tribulation and would likely be a sign of Christ’s Second Coming. He believes they will be supernatural similar to the star of Bethlehem. There is often a reference to fire and smoke and thus they are not a naturally occurring event such as a blood moon pre-Tribulation.

Dr. Hitchcock concludes these blood moons in the Bible have nothing to do with the church in this church age. Their significance is future. Frankly, he calls what’s happening today “hype and sensationalism.” He feels what is happening today, in 2014 and 2015, is a naturally occurring phenomenon and not an unusual “sign in the heavens.”

What is referenced in Joel 2, Matthew 24, Acts 2, Revelation 6, etc., will be totally supernatural.  It will be cataclysmic. There will be little opportunity to casually observe the events during the Tribulation as the world will be under such judgment no one will care to observe them in back yards with binoculars and lawn chairs. The planet will be coming undone.

But are they a wake-up call? Are they a herald of His soon coming?People have written this ministry stating they have used the blood moon of Passover 2014 (April 15) as a witnessing tool. Is there anything wrong with this?  They will do so again in October 2014 and in April and October 2015 again to generate a discussion on the Lord’s return. Everyone is so intrigued, including unbelievers, that the question is raised as to how can we not use them evangelistically?

Who will deny that the world is writhing? The birth pangs are deplorable. The Mideast is literally on fire. America seems to be in a death spiral. The church isn’t functioning too well either. Russia may be Magog on the move. Israel is surrounded. Evil is out of control.  Need I say more? I’m addressing the remnant here. The final curtain could be tomorrow.

Most people, believers and unbelievers, are not paying attention today — to anything.  They are checked out of serious things and checked into enjoying life. It takes something pretty earth-shattering to get their attention. The blood moons have. At least with some.

The unbelieving world is watching us cautiously because some believers have been date-setters and some have been reckless.Both Mark’s caution against that! Nothing of consequence happened in 1988, 2012 or on Y2K. Yet a few Christians implied that things could change forever on those occasions. So let’s be careful.