After the last Blood Moon of the Tetrad (four successive lunar eclipses that turn the moon into a reddish color) rose last Sept 28, 2015, tragedy struck. Palestinian Jihadists went on a daily knife-stabbing, car-ramming spree in Israel. Tremors of terror spread to Paris, France, where Islamic terrorists shot and killed 130 civilians in cafes and other venues; and then in San Bernardino, California, U.S.A., where a Muslim Jihadist couple shot 14 people dead in an auditorium.
Blood Moon Tetrad proponents Mark Biltz and John Hagee observe that Blood Moon Tetrads are heavenly signs for Israel that marked out triumphs that emerged from tragedy. The Tetrad of 1492 happened during the Spanish Inquisition where Jews were persecuted and expelled from Spain, but were led to sail and discover America, a new safe haven for millions of Jewish exiles. The Tetrad that rose in 1949-1950 saw the rebirth of the state of Israel from the ashes of the Holocaust. The 1967-1968 tetrad marked the return of Jerusalem into Jewish hands after the Six-Day War. Since Israel is the world’s epicenter, what happens to the Jewish state and people affects the globe.
What is the last Blood Moon Tetrad announcing to Israel and the nations? Are the terror attacks in the West leading to a world war that will put Israel as a central chip on the bargaining table? Is a one-world government beginning to form to quash ISIS, but which will eventually pressure Israel to accommodate a Palestinian state for the sake of Middle East peace? How will Israel emerge victorious from these challenges? The prospects on the immediate horizon seem foreboding. But one landmark book inspires us to look up and cheer up! Whether we realize it or not, a time of great blessing is already upon us and on Israel. It is called the Yovel or Jubilee. It is described in the last, climactic chapters of “Israel First!” (www.israelfirstbook.com) a compelling, riveting book on the signs of our times written by an unlikely tandem—Gidon Ariel, an Orthodox Jewish Israeli and founder of Root Source, an online Bible teaching site reaching out to Christian readers; and Bob O’Dell, an American evangelical Christian engineer and businessman.
Filipina Zionist, Grace Gupana (in white dress), “Israel First!” author Gidon Ariel and wife (right) and CBN Asia senior writer Nena Benigno (in checkered shirt) gather at Zion Square, Jerusalem in Israel to proclaim and celebrate the Yovel Jubilee for the nations of Israel and the Philippines.
Yovel was ushered in by a phenomenal astronomical sign that O’Dell observes is even rarer than the Tetrad. It was the solar eclipse that appeared on March 20, 2015, right in between the two pairs of Blood Moons. The darkened sun was visible at the top of the world, the North Pole, on the first day of Spring, during Nisan 1, first day of the first month of the Jewish calendar, right on the Shemitah (seventh or sabbath year). This never happened before in human history! Jewish sages say that lunar eclipses are a message for Israel, but solar eclipses are a proclamation to the world.
The Tetrad and eclipse point to Yovel, a special season of grace, favor and breakthrough commemorated on this Jewish year 5776. This started September 14, 2015 and ends October 4 next year. It is also called the Double Shemitah (seven times seventh year or 49th year).
Yovel in Hebrew means Shofar or Ram’s horn, blown during feasts and special occasions. The Yovel Jubilee is God’s ordained time to proclaim freedom from slavery, recovery of one’s original property or inheritance, restoration of the family, a season of rest. This is described in Leviticus 25:8-13.
I trust that Bible-believing Christians, “grafted-in” to the family and covenant promises of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, may request in faith for the blessings of Yovel. We may ask for family restoration, freedom from vices, depression, poverty, the pull of a dark past. We may ask for the return of land, goods, opportunities stolen or forfeited because of wrong deeds and decisions. We may also enjoy a season of quiet, reflection, rest, refreshing from our Prince of Peace.
There is yet another key to unlock the full outpouring of Yovel blessings. Discover it in the next chapter of this review.
