(WND)—On Monday, March 25, 2024, the sun, earth and moon will perfectly align, creating a penumbral lunar eclipse two weeks after a total solar eclipse transverses the continental U.S.
WND spoke with Pastor Mark Biltz of El Shaddai Ministries about the celestial events. Biltz deeply understands the connection between eclipses and biblical holidays.
The scientific explanation of a lunar eclipse is that it takes place when the earth passes between the sun and the moon, and the moon passes through the earth’s shadow. A penumbral eclipse occurs when the outer part of Earth’s shadow blankets the moon. About 35% of all eclipses are of the penumbral type, which can be difficult to detect even with a telescope. Another 30% are partial eclipses, which are easy to see with the unaided eye. The final 35% or so are total eclipses.
In the upcoming lunar eclipse, the Earth’s shadow will block out 97% of the moon’s surface. This eclipse will be a “blood moon,” the result of atmospheric conditions that give the moon a reddish tint rather than black when it moves into the shadow. The red color comes from some of the sunlight passing through Earth’s atmosphere where it gets bent and colors like blue and green are filtered out, leaving behind longer wavelengths like the color red.
While the science is clear, Biltz emphasizes that the deeper significance of these phenomena is biblical.
“From a biblical point of view, an eclipse is meant to be a sign from God,” said Biltz, citing Genesis 1:14: “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.”
“The number one reason for an eclipse is to be a sign,” he explained. “It is a sign that is beyond man’s control, something he cannot manipulate.”
Pastor Biltz emphasized that the Hebrew calendar must be studied to understand the significance of these celestial signs.
“Our Gregorian calendar is based only on the sun. It’s a great calendar, very scientific, but it’s not the one God uses,” he emphasized. “God said to let both the sun and the moon determine the times. And we can only have a total lunar eclipse or a solar eclipse on a full moon. What good are eclipses if you’re not recognizing when they can occur? Passover and Sukkot are on a full moon, but the Hebrew calendar does have a solar element. It’s adjusted so that the holidays occur in the same season every year. The month begins with a new moon, but the years are adjusted with a leap year. So, for example, Passover is always in the springtime and we adjusted through the use of a leap month.”
“Ecclesiastes tells us that there is a time for everything, but by using a solar calendar, most of Christianity’s plucking at planting time and planting at plucking time, because they don’t know what time it is,” Biltz said. “They don’t know what the season is.”
He explained that a leap month is added seven times over a 19-year cycle because the lunar and solar cycles come back together again every 19 years.
“This is also why, on the solar calendar, you have to add one day every four years,” Biltz added.
While lunar eclipses occur on average one or two times a year, Pastor Biltz explained that when they fall on the biblical holidays, they are significant. This convergence is what Biltz refers to as a “blood moon tetrad,” a phenomenon he first identified in 2008.
His blood moons prophecy is based on a series of four consecutive total lunar eclipses coinciding with Jewish holidays with six full moons in between that have no intervening partial lunar eclipses. This series is referred to as a tetrad.
The most recent tetrad began with a total lunar eclipse on April 15, 2014, the first night of Pesach (Passover). This marked the first of four consecutive eclipses. The second lunar eclipse took place on Oct. 8, 2014, marking the second night of Sukkot. The third lunar eclipse was on April 4, 2015, the second night of Pesach, and the fourth occurred on Sept. 28, 2015, the second night of Sukkot.
“NASA declares you can mathematically only have one total lunar eclipse in a year and a half,” Pastor Biltz said. “But here, there were four total lunar eclipses in a year and a half. This is like hitting the lottery.”
Indeed, in the past 2,000 years, a blood moon tetrad (four sequential lunar eclipses with no partial eclipses in between) has occurred on the Jewish holy days of Passover and Sukkot only eight times, most recently in 2014-2015.
However, the tetrad in 2014 was the second of eight tetrads to take place during the 21st century. This is remarkable, as in the past millennium, only four documented tetrads have occurred on or around the Jewish holidays of Passover and Sukkot, and each one was followed by a major event that shifted Jewish and global history. Those tetrads occurred in the years 1428-1429, 1493-1494, 1949-1950 and 1967-1968.
For instance, the Tetrad in 1428-1429 marked the end of a big wave of forced conversions for the Jews in Spain, and the Tetrad in 1493-1494 signaled the end of the Spanish Inquisition, which concluded with the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492. Then there were the blood moon tetrads of 1949-1950 (corresponding with the creation of Israel as a nation in 1948) and 1967-1968 (with the unification of Jerusalem occurring in 1967).
The notable exception was the blood moon tetrad that occurred in 2014-2015. No major war or significant event happened that year.
“I was trying to figure out what it was, but it was October 7 that showed me what that Tetrad meant,” Pastor Biltz said. “The 1967-1968 tetrad of blood moons was a seven-year warning of the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Yom Kippur in 1073 was the very first day of the Jubilee cycle. And then the 2014-2015 Protective Edge incursion into Gaza and the Blood Moon that accompanied it were a seven-year warning before the October 7 war which happened on Simchat Torah, the very last day of that same 50-year Jubilee cycle. So, the last Jubilee cycle was bookended with wars and blood moons.”
Pastor Biltz emphasized that not only will a total solar eclipse traverse North America on Monday, April 8, 2024, but it will be followed by an “almost” blood moon tetrad.
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“The first eclipse will be a partial lunar eclipse,” Biltz noted, “But then there are three total lunar eclipses in a row. There are four lunar eclipses in a row, which is phenomenal, but only three are total.”
“But they are all happening on the feasts, two years in a row,” Biltz said. “That should be a wake-up call to Israel.”
The first lunar eclipse on March 25 will coincide with the Jewish holiday of Purim. Biltz noted that it was fitting that the moon should be eclipsed on Purim, as Esther literally means “hidden.”
“Purim is not in the Torah, but it is important for the Jews because the story of Esther is about the dangers of assimilation,” Biltz said. “No one knew Esther was Jewish. The Jews wanted to assimilate, but God miraculously delivered them. The Jews have enemies, but they have to fight the assimilation as well.”
Pastor Biltz referred to the Talmud in its discussion of eclipses (Sukkot 29a), which specifically described solar eclipses as being a bad omen for the nations who base their calendars on the solar cycle. He noted that since the United States became a nation in 1776, only eight total solar eclipses have completely crossed the continent.
“And when did they occur?” Biltz asked rhetorically. “The Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and the Vietnam War.”
He remarked that the upcoming total solar eclipse will cross the border into Canada, passing over a city called Economy in the end.
“I think this is a warning we’re going to see an economic tragedy coming to the whole world,” Biltz said. “It will begin in the United States, but it will reverberate throughout the whole world.”
Thankfully, the next blood moon tetrad that falls on the biblical feasts will not take place for another 500 years. It should be noted that a prophecy in the Book of Joel indicates that the coming of the Messiah will be preceded by a blood moon.
“Before the great and terrible day of God comes, I will set portents in the sky and on earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke; The sun shall turn into darkness And the moon into blood. But everyone who invokes the name of Hashem shall escape; for there shall be a remnant on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, as God promised. Anyone who invokes God will be among the survivors.” (Joel 3:3-5)
This is also stated in the New Testament in Acts 2:20 and Revelation 6:12.
Pastor Mark Biltz’s new book “America at War 2024-2026: The Sons of Light vs The Sons of Darkness” is available for preorder.
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Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
