November is well into winter in the Cariboo-Chilcotin region of B.C. One of the nice things about our long winters is the night sky. Clear starlit nights with a sky that looks like sequin-covered black velvet are common. A night sky virtually snapping and whirling with northern lights is not infrequent. But a blood-red moon?
On the way to house church at Sheridan Lake, after I picked up Harold, Jean, Audrey, Tyler and Alamaz, we all noticed the full moon rising in the clear sky just at dusk. By the time we reached Pete and Nicki’s ranch, they along with Bill, Elaine, Jody, Ole and Elsa were all standing on the veranda in the near-darkness watching the bright full moon as the earth’s shadow slowly crawled across it from the lower left side. It was around 7:00 p.m. We kept getting up during church to gaze out the ranch house windows to watch. By 8:30 p.m. the moon was fully eclipsed by the earth’s shadow. The amazing thing was that the moon was blood-red. It caused much speculation in the fellowship time that followed worship.
The intensity of the colour of a blood-red moon depends upon the amount of particulate matter in the sky; the more, the bloodier. The moon’s light refracted by the earth’s shadow and shining through the particulate matter of the atmosphere causes the effect, much the same as the refracted light of a setting sun shining through the same stuff gives us the red sky sunsets we all love. That is the simple scientific explanation of a blood-red, totally eclipsed moon. But ancient thinkers and writers didn’t have scientific explanations, and so a blood-red moon was the cause for much god speculation or what some people call theology.
The Judaeo-Christian faith is no exception. The prophet Joel spoke about the blood-red moon: “The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.” (Joel 2:3) The Apostle Peter quoted Joel’s very words as pointing to the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:20). In Revelation, John writes: “When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and there came a great earthquake; the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood,” (Revelation 6:12). Even Jesus made references to a lunar eclipse, quoting from Isaiah 13:10: “But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,” (Mark 13:24). And apparently there are also references to the blood-red moon in the interpretations and instructions of the Jewish Talmud.
So do we believe in predictive spiritual astronomy or astrology or what? Jeremiah says, “Thus says the Lord: Do not learn the way of the nations, or be dismayed at the signs of the heavens; for the nations are dismayed at them.” (Jeremiah 10:2) The non-believing world may believe in astrology or even in some form of spiritual astronomy, but not the people of God. We are people of the word. We do not take our messages from God from signs and wonders, be they in the heavens or on earth. So what do we make of things like the blood-red moon and some of the places where it and other astronomical phenomenon appear in the word of God?
For me, the blood-red moon, as well as other signs and wonders, are neither prescriptive nor descriptive nor predictive language. They are, in the purest biblical sense, metaphorical language. The way I have come to understand this stuff, both as it appears in nature and as it is referred to in scripture, is to appreciate it as the metaphorical language of God that reminds me that God is breaking into human history all around me. Somehow this metaphorical language of the in-breaking of the Kingdom of God encourages me to give myself over to being faithful to God and what God is doing. I see the blood-red moon and I am encouraged by this powerful metaphor that God is presently at work breaking into human history and human lives and that the best I can do is to dedicate myself to joining with God in God’s Kingdom work. I see the blood-red moon and metaphorically it causes me to give thanks for the gift of the Holy Spirit of God, as God’s way of breaking into me and into human history with His Kingdom. I see the red sky at night or in the morning and I remember Jesus’ use of that sky-born image and give thanks that all that is is not all that will be. I give thanks that Jesus promises that if I look, I can see the metaphorical deposits of the in-breaking Kingdom all around me. I give thanks that Jesus said to those demanding signs and wonders that were definitive, prescriptive, descriptive and predictive: “Some Pharisees and Sadducees were on him again, pressing him to prove himself to them. He told them, ‘You have a saying that goes, ‘Red sky at night, sailor’s delight; red sky at morning, sailors take warning.’ You find it easy enough to forecast the weather — why can’t you read the signs of the times? An evil and wanton generation is always wanting signs and wonders. The only sign you’ll get is the Jonah sign.’ Then he turned on his heel and walked away.” (Matthew 16:2-4)
The sign of Jonah is the only predictive sign we will get concerning the coming of the Kingdom. And Jesus made it crystal clear what he meant when he said the sign of Jonah: “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 1:40) The only definitive sign we will get concerning the in-breaking of the Kingdom of God is the resurrection of Jesus from the grave. So there is no point to looking to signs and wonders, whether they be a blood-red moon, other phenomena of nature, or world events, and crying out that we are about to enter the “end times.” It appears we have been living in the end times since Jesus was raised from the grave. There is no biblical reason for a Chicken Little theology nor a “sky is falling” eschatology. It is like Jesus is saying: “What are you waiting for, get on with it,” … “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.'” (Luke 17:20-21)
