A total lunar eclipse due to occur this coming Friday has given new life to an ominous End Times warning known as the 'Blood Moon Prophecy.' The breathtaking celestial event, set to occur on the evening of July 27th, will be the longest total lunar eclipse of the century. Known as a 'blood moon,' because it causes the lunar surface to take on a deep red color during its peak, the forthcoming event has excited skywatchers around the world due to both its duration and relative rarity.
However, the impending eclipse has given rise to another round of doomsday warnings. Specifically, the event has brought renewed attention to a rather infamous prophecy put forward by a pair of Christian ministers a few years ago. Citing biblical passages which they believed foretold the coming apocalypse, John Hagee and Mark Blitz declared that a series of four successive blood moons, taking place over the course of 2014 and 2015, would mark the start of End Times.
Alas, the fourth blood moon of their prediction came and went in September of 2015 without the world coming to an end nor, as far as we know, the apocalypse beginning to unfold. But with a new blood moon on the horizon, doomsday prognosticators are once again looking to the sky and suggesting that this time could be different.
Again pointing to biblical passages to strengthen their case, online commentators also argue that the fact that the blood moon will be seen over Jerusalem is significant because 2018 is the 70th anniversary of Israel becoming a nation. While these factors may sound somewhat curious, when examined against the longer history of eclipses which also fell on significant dates, but did not spark the apocalypse, it's probably a safe bet that you'll still be here to enjoy the weekend. And, an even more favorable wager would be that the next time there's a blood moon, we'll be hearing apocalyptic warnings once again.