What is a lunar eclipse, and why will Lavanah (Moon) be red?

The earth, lit by the sun, casts a long, conical shadow in space. At any point within that cone the light of the sun is wholly obscured. Surrounding the shadow cone, also called the umbra, is an area of partial shadow called the penumbra. The approximate mean length of the umbra is 1,379,200 km (857,000 mi); at a distance of 384,600 km (239,000 mi), the mean distance of Lavanah (Moon) from the earth, it has a diameter of about 9170 km (about 5700 mi).

A total lunar eclipse occurs when Lavanah (Moon) passes completely into the umbra. If it moves directly through the center, it is obscured for about 2 hours. If it does not pass through the center, the period of totality is less and may last for only an instant if Lavanah (Moon) travels through the very edge of the umbra.

A partial lunar eclipse occurs when only a part of Lavanah (Moon) enters the umbra and is obscured. The extent of a partial eclipse can range from near totality, when most of Lavanah (Moon) is obscured, to a slight or minor eclipse, when only a small portion of the earth's shadow is seen on the passing moon. Historically, the view of the earth's circular shadow advancing across the face of Lavanah (Moon) was the first indication of the shape of the earth.

Before Lavanah (Moon) enters the umbra in either total or partial eclipse, it is within the penumbra and the surface becomes visibly darker. The portion that enters the umbra seems almost black, but during a total eclipse, the lunar disk is not completely dark; it is faintly illuminated with a red light refracted by the earth's atmosphere, which filters out the blue rays. Occasionally a lunar eclipse occurs when the earth is covered with a heavy layer of clouds that prevent light refraction; the surface of Lavanah (Moon) is invisible during totality.

What does the Bible have to say about red moons?

Revelation 6:12-17 I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, And the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"

Joel 2:28-32 'And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. 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 Lavanah (Moon) to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the HaShem. And everyone who calls on the name of the HaShem will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the HaShem has said, among the survivors whom the HaShem calls.

The Joel passage is also quoted in Acts 2:17-21

What does the Talmud say about red moons:

Sukkah 29a It was taught: R. Meir said, Whenever the luminaries are in eclipse, it is a bad omen for Israel since they are inured to blows. This may be compared to a school teacher who comes to school with a strap in his hand. Who becomes apprehensive? He who is accustomed to be daily punished. Our Rabbis taught, When the sun is in eclipse it is a bad omen for idolaters; when Lavanah (Moon) is in eclipse, it is a bad omen for Israel, since Israel reckons by Lavanah (Moon) and idolaters by the sun. If it is in eclipse in the east, it is a bad omen for those who dwell in the east; if in the west, it is a bad omen for those who dwell in the west; if in the midst of heaven it is bad omen for the whole world. If its face is red as blood, [it is a sign that] the sword is coming to the world; if it is like sack-cloth, the arrows of famine are coming to the world; if it resembles both, the sword and the arrows of famine are coming to the world. If the eclipse is at sunset calamity will tarry in its coming; if at dawn, it hastens on its way: but some say the order is to be reversed. And there is no nation which is smitten that its gods are not smitten together with it, as it is said, And against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments. But when Israel fulfill the will of the Omnipresent, they need have no fear of all these [omens] as it is said, Thus saith the HaShem,' Learn not the way of the nations, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the nations are dismayed at them, the idolaters will be dismayed, but Israel will not be dismayed.

The eclipse of the moon and stars is caused by four kinds of sin:

(1) forgery,

(2) false witness,

(3) breeding small cattle in Palestine (for they spoil the land), and

(4) cutting down fruit-trees (Suk. 29a).

The second eclipse, on Erev Hag HaSuccoth, may be the second witness to warn us of HaShem's impending action. While Lavanah (Moon) is eclipsed, Shabbtai (Saturn) will be in close conjunction with Lavanah (Moon), in the mazzaroth (constellation) of Dagim (Pisces). Not since the "Spica eclipse" of April 12-13, 1968, has the eclipsed Lavanah (Moon) been in such close conjunction with a bright object.

"A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to HaShem and to his throne. The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by HaShem, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days." Revelation 12:1-5

When I first saw the above picture for 5757, I immediately thought of the Revelation 12 sign. This sequence of four celestial snapshots were taken on Yom Teruah (The Feast of Trumpets) 5757 - 5760 (1996 - 1999). These snapshots show a progression of the new moon that may be seen as the birth pangs. In 5757 and in 5760, the sign occurs on Shabbat (Sabbath). My thought is that 5757 begins the birth pangs with the birth taking place in 5760. The above pictures do not show Draco, the Dragon, because it would make the picture curved and hard to relate to. Draco is poised above the woman, waiting to snatch the man-child.

REMEMBER:

Then HaShem said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years." Genesis 1:14

This sign, as depicted above, is how it looks from Jerusalem! Remember that HaShem's view is always from Jerusalem. Notice that the Chamah (Sun) is below the horizon so that this sign can be seen. This sign would not be visible if the sun was above the horizon.

CONSIDER:

This paper as interesting speculation. Not as gospel truth. I do not yet know if this is how HaShem will display this sign. It does seem to suggest that it might be the sign spoken of in Revelation 12:1-5. The beginning sign occurs in 5757 (1996) which is year 19 of the 19 year lunar cycle. 5758 will begin a new lunar cycle of 19 years. Those who celebrate Rosh Chodesh (the new moon) have learned that Messiah is represented by Lavanah (Moon). Lavanah represents Messiah in this unique astronomical event. This particular positioning of the mazzaroth (constellation) Bethulah (virgin) about to give 'birth' to Lavanah, has never occurred before, and will never occur again, due to the precession of the equinoxes.

Chamah (Sun) is just below the horizon such that Bethulah is 'clothed' with Chamah. Chamah must be below the horizon in order to have any possibility of seeing this 'sign'. Lavanah is 'new' and after 'birth' Lavanah will move directly to the feet of Bethulah (Virgo, the virgin) within 24 hours. Over Bethulah's head is the mazzaroth (constellation) known as 'Bernice's hair'. This is the crown of twelve stars! Higher and above her legs, we will find Draco, the Dragon, poised to devour Bethulah's child.

Yom Teruah in 5757 and 5760, falls on Shabbat (Sabbath). This means that if the Temple is standing, or the altar is built, then we will be offering the following sacrifices:

The Morning sacrifice.

The Shabbat (Sabbath) sacrifices.

The Rosh Chodesh (New Moon) sacrifices.

The Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets) festival sacrifices.

The Evening sacrifice.

On this day, and this day alone is it possible to offer all of these sacrifices! According to my understanding, this is the day that no man knows the day or the hour. This is due to the fact that it begins on Rosh Chodesh (The New Moon). The new moon was sanctified when two witnesses see the new Levanah (Moon) and attest to it before the Kohen gadol (High Priest) or the Sanhedrin in the Temple. This sanctification could happen during either of two days, depending on when the witnesses come.

So, what does this sign mean? I think that it is important to note that the emphasis is on the woman, not on the man child. The sign seems to be telling us what the woman is going to do. The obvious question, then, is: Who is the woman? Jeremiah 3:20 compares Israel to a faithless woman. Ezekiel 16 likens Jerusalem to a woman. The following passage from Isaiah seems to be the closest match to our passage in Revelation 12:

Isaiah 66:5-9 Hear the word of HaShem, you who tremble at his word: "Your brothers who hate you, and exclude you because of my name, have said, 'Let HaShem be glorified, that we may see your joy!' Yet they will be put to shame. Hear that uproar from the city, hear that noise from the temple! It is the sound of HaShem repaying his enemies all they deserve. "Before she goes into labor, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son. Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children. Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?" says HaShem. "Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?" says your HaShem.

So, I think this Isaiah passage is indicating that the woman represents the people who come forth from Zion, her true citizens. The child is obviously the Messiah. The child, though, is in heaven while the woman flees into the wilderness to be protected for 1260 days.

This sign, in Revelation 12, seems to be the signal that the children of Zion are to flee into the wilderness to begin a period of 1260 days of nourishment and protection by HaShem. This is my current opinion.

On Yom Teruah, 1996, This sign was NOT seen in Jerusalem due to cloud cover. Again, a sign has no value if it can not be seen!

September 12, 1999 corresponds to: Sunday, Tishri 2, 5760

Sabbath reading: Ha'azinu, Deut 32:1-52

Deuteronomy 32:1-52 Listen, O heavens, and I will speak; hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. I will proclaim the name of HaShem. Oh, praise the greatness of our HaShem! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful HaShem who does no wrong, upright and just is he. They have acted corruptly toward him; to their shame they are no longer his children, but a warped and crooked generation. Is this the way you repay HaShem, O foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you? Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you. When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided all mankind, he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel. For HaShem'S portion is his people, Jacob his allotted inheritance. In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye, Like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions. HaShem alone led him; no foreign HaShem was with him. He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him with the fruit of the fields. He nourished him with honey from the rock, and with oil from the flinty crag, With curds and milk from herd and flock and with fattened lambs and goats, with choice rams of Bashan and the finest kernels of wheat. You drank the foaming blood of the grape. Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; filled with food, he became heavy and sleek. He abandoned the HaShem who made him and rejected the Rock his Savior. They made him jealous with their foreign HaShems and angered him with their detestable idols. They sacrificed to demons, which are not HaShem--HaShems they had not known, HaShems that recently appeared, HaShems your fathers did not fear. You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the HaShem who gave you birth. HaShem saw this and rejected them because he was angered by his sons and daughters. "I will hide my face from them," he said, "and see what their end will be; for they are a perverse generation, children who are They made me jealous by what is no HaShem and angered me with their worthless idols. I will make them envious by those who are not a people; I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding. For a fire has been kindled by my wrath, one that burns to the realm of death below. It will devour the earth and its harvests and set afire the foundations of the mountains. "I will heap calamities upon them and spend my arrows against them. I will send wasting famine against them, consuming pestilence and deadly plague; I will send against them the fangs of wild beasts, the venom of vipers that glide in the dust. In the street the sword will make them childless; in their homes terror will reign. Young men and young women will perish, infants and gray-haired men. I said I would scatter them and blot out their memory from mankind, But I dreaded the taunt of the enemy, lest the adversary misunderstand and say, 'Our hand has triumphed; HaShem has not done all this.'" They are a nation without sense, there is no discernment in them. If only they were wise and would understand this and discern what their end will be! How could one man chase a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless HaShem had given them up? For their rock is not like our Rock, as even our enemies concede. Their vine comes from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are filled with poison, and their clusters with bitterness. Their wine is the venom of serpents, the deadly poison of cobras. "Have I not kept this in reserve and sealed it in my vaults? It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them." HaShem will judge his people and have compassion on his servants when he sees their strength is gone and no one is left, slave or free. He will say: "Now where are their HaShems, the rock they took refuge in, The HaShems who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up to help you! Let them give you shelter! "See now that I myself am He! There is no HaShem besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand. I lift my hand to heaven and declare: As surely as I live forever, When I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand grasps it in judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and repay those who hate me. I will make my arrows drunk with blood, while my sword devours flesh: the blood of the slain and the captives, the heads of the enemy leaders." Rejoice, O nations, with his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants; he will take vengeance on his enemies and make atonement for his land and people. Moses came with Joshua son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people. When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, He said to them, "Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you--they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess." On that same day HaShem told Moses, "Go up into the Abarim Range to Mount Nebo in Moab, across from Jericho, and view Canaan, the land I am giving the Israelites as their own possession. There on the mountain that you have climbed you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people. This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites. Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance; you will not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel."

Prophets:

II Samuel 22:1-51

Replaced by: Hosea 14:2-10, Micah 7:18-20, Joel 2:15-17, Shuvah

Hosea 14:2-10 Take words with you and return to HaShem. Say to him: "Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips. Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount war-horses. We will never again say 'Our HaShems' to what our own hands have made, for in you the fatherless find compassion." "I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots; His young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon. Men will dwell again in his shade. He will flourish like the grain. He will blossom like a vine, and his fame will be like the wine from Lebanon. O Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols? I will answer him and care for him. I am like a green pine tree; your fruitfulness comes from me." Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of HaShem are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.

Micah 7:18-20 Who is a HaShem like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. You will be true to Jacob, and show mercy to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our fathers in days long ago.

Joel 2:15-17 Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber. Let the priests, who minister before HaShem, weep between the temple porch and the altar. Let them say, 'Spare your people, O HaShem. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their HaShem?'

Sunset in New York is at: 6:10pm EST

The next event, to be detailed, is a solar eclipse:

In this section I will detail a solar eclipse and try to correlate it with the Biblical events that coincide with the day in which it occurs. Keep in mind that HaShem's days always begin at sundown, and so there will occasionally appear to be a disconnect between a celestial event and the Biblical events of that day. For example: Comet Hale-Bopp will make it's closest approach to Earth on March 22, 1997, while the feast of Purim is normally displayed as March 23, 1997. Since Purim actually begins at sundown on March 22 and continues till March 23 at sundown, the comet's closest approach and the feast of Purim do actually coincide. This can be very confusing.

Rosh Chodesh Adar II, 5757 is by definition a new moon. This Biblical date corresponds with March 9, 1997. On this day there will be a total solar eclipse which will affect parts of Asia, Russia, and Alaska. The following Biblical events occurred on this date in the past:

New Moon. Numbers 10:8-10

Plague of darkness begins. Zikhron Yemot Olam.

Ezekiel receives the Lord's word regarding the destruction of Egypt.

Ezekiel 32:1 Proclamation regarding the shekalim and mixed seeds are made. Megilah 13b

Okay, now lets look at something mighty interesting:

On Tuesday evening, Tishrei 1, 5766 (October 3, 2005), there will be an annular solar eclipse that will be visible from India, Africa, much of Russia, Europe, and all of the Middle East. This eclipse occurs on the eve of Yom Teruah! Yom Teruah is the day that the scriptures indicates that Messiah will come in Great glory, to become King over all the Earth. The greatest eclipse will occur at 10:31 UT. This solar eclipse is eight years, precisely, after Yom Teruah, 5758, and it is the seventh year following the sign in Bethulah, in 5760. Yom Teruah, 5758, is two weeks after the seventh lunar eclipse, some of which were red moons. five of these lunar eclipses fell on Biblical festivals. The seventh lunar eclipse occurred at the midpoint of the Days of Repentance, two weeks before Yom Teruah. Consider what the Scriptures say:

Joel 2:30 - 3:2 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 HaShem. And everyone who calls on the name of HaShem will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as HaShem has said, among the survivors whom HaShem calls. 'In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.

The next event, to be detailed, is a comet:

The proper blessing, according to the Talmud, upon seeing a comet or an eclipse is:

Blessed art Thou, O HaShem, our HaShem, King of the Universe, Whose strength and might fill the world. Talmud - Mas. Berachoth 54a

Comets have been feared throughout much of human history, and even in our own time their goings and comings receive great attention.

Comet Hale-Bopp will make it's closest approach to the Earth on Shushan Purim 5757 AM (II Adar 15, 5757 - begins the evening of Sunday March 23, 1997). This is an extremely large, bright comet, perhaps the largest, brightest comet ever discovered! This comet will be visible in a most spectacular way because it will be visible during an eclipse of Lavanah (Moon) that will be a spectacular, deep partial one that falls just short of totality (In North America. Lavanah (Moon) has a chance of being red or black as sackcloth. So, Lavanah (Moon) will be dark, or red, while the comet will be extremely bright and visible! Additionally, the red mazal (planet), Madim (Mars), will be under and very close to the red Lavanah (Moon). Hale-Bopp has been called "Wormwood" by several sites on the Internet. If this comet is to be like the Biblical Wormwood it will need to break up and have only a piece hit the Earth. If the whole comet hit the Earth it would be unlikely for any life to survive.

It is moving faster than any earth space probe (about a hundred thousand miles a day) and is twice as big as the Earth (15,500 miles across). Some say that this may be the biggest comet ever discovered. The last time it visited the inner solar system A comet discovered in July 1995 has now become bright enough to be easily seen with the naked eye, even from urban sites, and will remain easily visible to northern-hemisphere observers through April 1997. The Hale-Bopp Comet is still approaching, the sun, with its closest approach (perihelion) occurring April 1, 1997. Daniel W. E. Green of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics stated that the latest orbital calculations indicate that the Hale-Bopp comet last passed through the inner solar system about 4210 years ago. An Arutz-7 correspondent noted that according to the ancient Jewish text Seder Olam Rabah, the comet's previous appearance was approximately the same year that Noah began building the ark. {ARUTZ 7 3/31 C}

Date	Start	Type	Feast
April 15, 1995	10:07 UT	Partial 5%	Passover
October 8, 1995	18:10 UT	Penumbral lunar	Hag HaSuccoth
April 3/4, 1996	22:21 UT	Total lunar	Passover
September 26/27,1996	1:12 UT	Total lunar	Erev Hag HaSuccoth
March 24, 1997	1:40 UT	Partial 92%	Shushan Purim
September 16, 1997	18:46 UT	Total lunar	Days of Repentance
March 13, 1998	2:14 UT	Penumbral lunar	Shushan Purim
January 31, 1999	14:04 UT	Penumbral lunar	Tu B'Shevat
January 21, 2000	2:02 UT	Total lunar	Tu B'Shevat
March 3, 2007	20:16 UT	Total lunar	Purim

UT Date	Object	FeSTIVAL	Magnitude	Time(UT)	Separation
1808 May 10	Shabbtai		+0.1	7:38	3.6°
1848 Sept. 13	Shabbtai		+0.7	6:19	2.5°
1884 Apr. 10	Spica	Pesach	+1.0	12:04	1.8°
1949 Apr. 13	Spica	Pesach	+1.0	4:10	1.9°
1968 Apr. 13	Spica	Pesach	+1.0	4:28	1.2°
1996 Sept. 27	Shabbtai	Erev Hag HaSuccoth	+0.5	2:54	2.3°
2008 Feb. 21	Regulus	Shushan Purim	+1.4	3:25	2.8°
2008 Feb. 21	Shabbtai	Shushan Purim	+0.2	3:25	3.5°