Sun and Moon

I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance,” Joel 2:28-32

I have been praying about Malachi 4:1-6 and these verses in Joel 2:28-32, that speak of the time just before the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord (His 2nd Coming).

I recently shared my thoughts on what I believe the ‘Blood, Fire and Pillars of Smoke’ could mean, but have wondered about the Sun being darkened and Moon turning to Blood. What does this mean? Unfortunately the majority of Christians now days look at these End Time scriptures in a negative sense, for we love bad news. But is it possible that its speaking of Revival? The sun being darkened and the moon going red has to be symbolic language, for if the Sun is darkened literally, you would not even be able to see the moon, let alone a blood red one.

I believe this is talking about higher spiritual powers being dismantled by the Lord during the Day of His Power in the days before His return. At the beginning of Joel chapter 2 and in Malachi chapter 4 it speaks about the wicked being like ashes beneath our feet when God and His Army shows up. Its all positive things regarding the enemy being dealt with. The wicked here are not literal people (flesh and blood) but spiritual forces, for we are told we are now not fighting against flesh and blood but the forces of darkness.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12

As I have already said when God moved in Wales earlier in the last century a great revival broke out because God brought down the forces of darkness over the land and the nation turned to God and many people were saved. The long standing strongholds and towers fell and the covering over the land dissipated. People flooded into the Churches and there was a major repentance. God can do this again.

There are lots of verses that back up the fact that the sun and moon are speaking of spiritual powers over us and not just the literal planets. The first clue to this symbolism is found in Genesis 37.

“Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” Genesis 37:9-10

Joseph’s father said that the sun and the moon symbolized Joseph’s parents in the dream. Those ruling over Joseph. The heavenly host are also used to describe kingdoms and ruling powers as we see in the Prophets. To give you another example of this form of prophetic language, and how you can’t always be taken literally, I’d like to show this verse.

“All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll; All their host shall fall down As the leaf falls from the vine, And as fruit falling from a fig tree.”

Most of us would think that this verse is taken out of the Book of Revelation, and that it will literally happen in the future. But it’s not so, for this is from Isaiah 34:4-5 and speaks of judgment coming on the Edomites, Israel’s enemy. The heavenlies spoken of here are the spiritual forces that empowered Edom being brought down. The Edomite nation fell, as the spiritual rulers over them were destroyed. Daniel 10:10-14 makes this principle clearer when we see that there was a Prince over Persia who was a principality.

So could it be that the heavenly powers (The Sun) that has been interfering with the spiritual atmosphere in the earth will be put out for a season before the Lord’s return so that many can be saved? As one commentator says, that the sun going dark means. ‘Lights out on an old order.’

The moon turning to blood is another way of looking at the same event. During a solar eclipse the moon turns blood red because the only sunlight reaching the moon passes through the earth’s atmosphere. The more dust or smoke in the earth’s atmosphere during the eclipse, the redder the moon will appear.

In the preceding verse in Joel 2:30, it speaks of ‘Pillars of Smoke’. If there are ‘Pillars of Smoke’ (God’s Presence) in the atmosphere before His return, then the redder the moon would become, for its smoke and dust that makes the moon go red.

In a sense I can see that this is talking about the same thing and that is a bringing down of the powers of darkness and a great revival before the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord. This ties up with Malachi Chapter 4 before the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord where the Devil’s work is burnt up and a healing revival occurs. There are miracles through the Spirit filled Church (symbolic for God’s Elijah), and hearts being turned to God.

When I was in Zimbabwe during the winter when there were many fires in the dry grass. The atmosphere was filled with smoke, and as a full moon came up on the horizon, the moon was blood red, because of all the smoke in the atmosphere. Could this be speaking of the affect that God’s presence will have on spiritual powers before the Lord’s Return?

Scriptures speak of a great revival and not a falling away before the Lord returns. Hosea 6:1-3 and James 5:7-8 for instance. The Former and the Latter rain are also called the Early and the Latter Rains. The Latter rain in Israel’s farming calendar was always bigger than the Early rains. We have seen the effect of the Early rain at Pentecost, but I believe that the Latter rain will be even bigger. Before Christ returns there needs to be the Former Rain (Pentecost) and a Latter Rain – the Great Revival.

“Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the EARLY AND LATTER RAIN. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” James 5:7-8

“Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he has given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.” Joel 2:23

“Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight. Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the LATTER AND THE FORMER RAIN to the earth.” Hosea 6:1-3

I have also sent my notes on the 3rd Day which will also help you to understand where I am coming from.

I believe the Church needs to wake up and see this truth so that the Day of the Lord can be hastened. At the moment most Christians are believing for the worst and a Falling Away’ of the Church when God wants us to be praying for Revival and a maturing of the Church into a Perfect Man. Yes, sin is abounding but the Wheat is still growing along with the Tares and its God’s will for there to be a harvest.

“But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.” Proverbs 4:18