The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Staff Reports
Posted: Monday, January 01, 2018 12:43 PM
FAITH: Eclipses Seen As Warning Sign That God About To Intervene
It was a partial eclipse across Europe, the Middle East, Russia, Africa, Asia and South America, and for those few in the high Arctic and at sea, it was a total eclipse as the moon passed in front of the sun.
But is it more than celestial happenstance?
Pastor Mark Biltz, discoverer of the blood-moons phenomenon, says signs in the heavens are only a precursor to what is coming on Earth as the world mobilizes against the nation of Israel.
In other words, watch out.
The head of El Shaddai Ministries and the author of “Blood Moons: Decoding the Imminent Heavenly Signs,” Biltz said the prophecies of the Bible need to be acknowledged, because opposition to Israel will increase even as God is sending signs in the heavens that He will intervene.
In an interview with WND, Biltz said: “I believe a new era has begun when it comes to the Middle East peace process. The international isolation of Israel has not only begun but has left the station and is moving full steam ahead!
“I believe the … total solar eclipse on the first of Nisan followed by the blood Moon of Passover two weeks later are all signs to the world that God is about to step directly in some way into human history and there will be no doubt it is Him.”
Order your own copy of “Blood Moons: Decoding the Imminent Heavenly Signs” right now and don’t miss out.
Biltz maintains Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s re-election this week is serving as the excuse for international leaders to act on their latent anti-Israel prejudices. But according to Biltz, Israelis were simply reacting against threats of genocide and aggression toward the Jewish people.
“Many say that by re-electing Prime Minister Netanyahu after he has publicly reneged on his commitments to peace and a two-state solution that the Israeli voters were voting against peace,” Biltz said.
“I don’t think so. I think what actually happened is the Israeli voters woke up to the Hamas/Fatah/Hezbollah’s definition of peace. They are the ones who don’t want a ‘peaceful’ two-state solution or they would have agreed to it back in 1948 and the multitudes of times it was offered to them since then. It’s they who want a one-state solution, and it is one without any Jewish people in it.”
As Biltz explained, in Jewish tradition a solar eclipse is a warning to the world. And the pastor thinks that such a divine warning is warranted as Israel finds itself surrounded by enemies seeking its annihilation.
“The Jewish people have always wanted peace but with a partner who doesn’t desire their destruction,” he said.
Biltz’s comments come at a time when President Obama is reportedly preparing to abandon the Jewish state at the United Nations and force sanctions on Netanyahu’s government. Such an action would signal the effective end of an alliance that has extended over decades and the administrations of American presidents from both parties.
An anti-Netanyahu political action group tied to Obama also vowed it is “here to stay” even after its defeat in the elections and has declared a “long march” toward change in Israel.
Pastor Carl Gallups, author of the blockbuster theological bestseller “Final Warning: Understanding the Trumpet Days of Revelation,” is not surprised.
“The headlines of the last couple of days declare that since Netanyahu won the most recent Israeli elections, the U.S. is considering pushing the U.N. to ‘force’ Israel to capitulate, give away land, and cooperate (against everything they stand for) in creating a Palestinian state. The latest addition to these alarming headlines is a recent story in the Huffington Post that ‘The World is No Longer Bound to Defend Israel Internationally.’ This is what we would expect from a biblical viewpoint.”
In an interview with WND, Gallups confirmed Scripture predicts Israel will be abandoned by its one-time allies.
“There can be no doubt, biblically speaking, that the prophecies of the last days before the return of Jesus Christ speak of Israel being abandoned by the nations of the world, and then, ultimately, being attacked by a specific coalition of nations. The coalition that is prophesied to attack them is made up largely of Middle Eastern nations, and of course, most of those nations today are Islamic and openly hostile to the Jewish state,” he said.
“The trumpets of warning are blowing in our lifetime. The Islamic coalition is forming up before our eyes. Furthermore, they are gathering allies from around the globe who will either join with them or will not oppose them as they come against Israel.
“Now, even the United States appears to be among those nations that might not come to Israel’s aid.”
Pastor Ray Bentley of Maranatha Chapel in Rancho Bernardo, California, also believes that world events are coming to a head and that the signs in the heavens are a specific warning to Christians.
“Today, we can see the predictions of secular prophets and religious prophets aligning from different perspectives,” he told WND in an interview. “There are signs in the headlines and signs in the heavens – take your pick!”
Bentley urged even non-Bible readers to pay attention to how, in his words, “God is using these signs in the heavens” to speak to those who are not familiar with prophecy and Scripture.
“It’s interesting to me that even the secular media is making such a huge deal about the solar eclipse and the blood moons. Everyone looks at the sky and looks at the sun, moon, and stars, even if they don’t read the Bible. And even if people think prophecy is nonsense, they can’t avoid the reality that these astronomical phenomenon are occurring at a time when there is such tension between the leader of the free world, the president of the United States, and the leader of Israel,” he said.
“The fact that there is an Israel proves that there is a God and that God knows the future. The guiding hand of God is visible through what happens to nations. If I were an atheist or agnostic, I would be extremely uncomfortable,” said Bentley.
“At the heart of prophecy about the latter days is that Israel will be reborn. And God very specifically warns us about what happens to those who try to divide His land. Unfortunately, right now, the response of the nations to the re-gathering of the Jewish people is what is driving global events.”
To Bentley, the signs in the heavens are an indication of major conflict in only the next few years.
“Barack Obama sees the fight with Israel as a way to set himself up as a world leader. Forcing through a deal with the Palestinians is going to be a top priority for him, even if it endangers the security of Israel and unleashes further conflicts,” Bentley said.
And as the world looks to the sky, Gallups urges Christians to recognize the fierce urgency of what God is trying to tell them.
“How can the church in America not see what is happening? How can we not recognize the ominous and prophetic words of the Bible? How can these turn of events not drive us to our knees in prayer and repentance?”
