FOUR BLOOD MOONS: SOMETHING IS ABOUT TO CHANGE

 May it interest readers to know that the contents of this message is primarily based on John Hagee’s “Four Blood Moons” and “Jerusalem Countdown” respectively, and Mark Gabriel’s “Journey into the Mind of an Islamic Terrorist”

With eager longing, many have been waiting for a follow-up of a message I shared pertaining the Four Blood Moons. However, I implore you to discard anxiety so as not to be beclouded by fear at the expense of the message. For Christians, the bible is so rich, yet controversial to the extent that one may be able to fault its logic, but not its message. And at least for a moment, the scientific world has shown its amazement towards an event so scientific in principle, yet with a biblical foundation. This to a large extent has aroused some sort of creative tension in our society.

It is notable to grasp clearly some scriptural passages that give a clue to our theme. It will amaze our dear readers how evident the bible puts it, though we may not have been conscious of it.

There will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars…Then they will see the son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen…your redemption draws nears (Lk. 21:25, 27-28.)

 I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs in the earth beneath…The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood… (Acts 2:19-20; Joel 2:31.)

Immediately after the great tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened (solar eclipse), and the moon will not give its light (lunar eclipse); the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken (nuclear warfare?) Then (after the signs in the heavens) the son of man will appear in heaven (Mtt. 24:29-30.)

It is worthy to note that astronomy is the science that studies the movements and positions of planets and stars (God created the stars and calls them by name (Psalm 147:4.) Astrology on the other hand is the worship of stars which is both occultic and pagan. People who make choices based on the stars are seeking guidance for their lives from created things rather than from the creator. It violates God’s law (Rom. 1:20-21; Exodus 20:4.) Therefore, when someone calls you a star, it may not necessarily be a compliment.

What is a Blood Moon?

“Moon turning into blood” in these verses of scripture would lead us to the fact that there is an astronomical event called a BLOOD MOON. A Blood Moon occurs during a total lunar eclipse; it means that the moon does not actually turn into blood, but it does appear blood-red.

That there shall be signs in the heavens? The Hebrew word for sign is owth, which means signal. The heavens (sun, moon and stars) are God’s billboard announcing coming event (Rev. 8; Joshua 10:11; Ez. 38:22-23; Ps. 19:1-4.) The word heavens is plural because there are three heavens in scripture; the first is the one we see with our naked eye (sun, moon and stars); the second is where Satan has his throne. God converses with Satan in the second heaven (Job 1:6-8.) The eternal heaven where God dwells is the third heaven (2Cor. 12:2.)

The Tetrad of the Four Blood Moons has occurred three times in the past 500 years. It occurred between 1493-1494 in the following order;

1.      Passover April 2, 1493

2.      Feast of Tabernacles September 25, 1493

3.      Passover March 22, 1494

4.      Feasts of Tabernacles September 15, 1494

In between the Four Blood Moons was a total solar eclipse (September 24, 1493.)

 The second Tetrad of the Four Blood Moons was between 1949-1950 in a similar order but with different dates. The third was between 1967-1968, following the same pattern. In between the Four Blood Moons, there was always a solar eclipse (September 24, 1493; September 12, 1950; November 2, 1967.) Going through the previous Blood Moons that had occurred in history, there is a common denominator; it always begins with tribulations or sorrows, but there is always victory at the end. For example 1493 witnessed the expulsion of the Jews from Spain by King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I (tribulation). Shortly after, America was discovered and it became a home for the Jews (joy.) Those who are curious would certainly find other events in the Blood Moons of 1949 and 1967 respectively.

FOUR BLOOD MOONS 2014-2015

NASA (The National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has projected that the next tetrad of the Blood Moon would begin on April 2014 and end in September 2015. It will occur in the following sequence:

1.      Passover, April 15, 2014.

2.      Feast of Tabernacles, October 8, 2014.

3.      Passover, April 4, 2015.

4.      Feast of Tabernacles, September 28, 2015.

In between the tetrad, there will be a Total Solar Eclipse on March 20, 2015.

What is the prophetic significance? The tetrad of 2014-2015 aligns with the feast of the Lord as in 1492, 1949 and 1967 respectively. Isn’t that awesome? They were centered on significant events in relation to the Jewish people. No wonder, Israel is the apple of God’s eye. No wonder, down through the ages in scripture, those who rally round Israel have God’s favour; in Luke 7:5 the elders told Jesus that he should grant the request of the Roman Centurion because he loves their nation and built their synagogue. Acts 10:22 describes Cornelius as a just man who has good reputation among the Jews. Psalm 122:6 says that those who love Jerusalem are prosperous, etc. Hagee puts it more succinctly: “Judaism does not need Christianity to explain its existence; Christianity, however, cannot explain its existence without Judaism.” The wisdom of some Christian communities (Catholic Church and Cornerstone church) towards supporting Israel both materially and spiritually becomes more evident to me.

Adolf Hitler hated the Jewish people with an unrepentant passion to the extent that before coming into power, Hitler wrote “Mein Kampf”, which means, “My Struggle”. It is no coincidence that the word Jihad also means “My Struggle”. Little wonder, President Abdur Rahman Aref of Iraq stated: “The existence of Israel is an error which must be rectified. This is our opportunity to wipe out the ignominy which has been with us since 1948. Our goal is clear- to wipe Israel off the map.” It is also noteworthy that until the coming of Yasser Arafat in 1959 and his terrorist organization, there has never been any autonomous group of people called Palestinians.

In 1983, Lebanon constituted 86% Christians and 14% Muslims, but today Lebanon is 34% Christians and 66% Muslims and the number of Christians decrease as days go by. It is also noteworthy that 62% of Muslims live outside the Middle East. Most Christians who want to dismiss something as old and irrelevant would say, “that’s history.” However, for a Muslim, the past and the present cannot be separated. That is why for Muslims, the invasion of Muslims in Jerusalem by Crusaders in 1099AD, invasion of Egypt and Syria by Napoleon Bonaparte between 1798-1801, America’s invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003 are all seen as one and the same event. It becomes highly probable that Islamic terrorists (not Muslims) are in every country of the world; you attend school with them and you dine with them.

We live in a world where right means wrong and wrong becomes right. There are countless number of prophets with a message of political correctness in the guise of replacement theology, a society where people are more familiar with Forbes magazine than with the bible, more at home with the symbols of coca-cola than with the sign of the cross. Nothing is absolutely right since they have been reduced to matters of personal concerns. Joseph Ratzinger puts it clearly when he referred to it as “the dictatorship of relativism.”

Global scientists are warning the world of a potential pandemic flu outbreak which usually strikes three to four times in a century; this flu is capable of spreading from person to person and it is not a question of “if” it would happen, but a matter of “when” it would occur. “When it does happen, gather all your family…and isolate yourselves for several months. That will be the price of survival.”

We still have some unanswered questions: what lessons does the Blood Moon hold for us? What occurrences should we be expecting? Could it be the pandemic flu? Could it be the realization of Iran and Russia in their determination to wipe out Israel? Why is it coming at a tensed moment in our dear nation? On another hand, I choose not to dwell in the negative, since I know that though it begins with tribulation, there is always victory to those whose God is the Lord. Brethren, surely like myself this message is subject to rationalization, but also remember that the fear of the Lord is the starting point of wisdom. When God wants to destroy an incorrigible people, he uses a ‘David’ to end the pride of a ‘Goliath’ to shock those who put their trust in men. Let those that have ears listen.

CHOOSING BETWEEN TWO EVILS? APC AND PDP

Following sequentially the drama in our democracy as it unfolds and the quest for good governance, we have to thread with caution in making our choices in the midst of certain ideological wars informed by Machiavellian principles that surrounds us. First of all there are certain fundamental questions we must ask ourselves about the emergence of this political party called APC: is the emergence of the political party provoked by the fact of bad governance or offended by the fact that there is need for a formidable opposition? Are these two political parties (APC and PDP) fighting each other not having the same political genotype? Does the National Assembly comprise senators belonging only to one political party? If the answer is a resounding NO, then what guarantees us that democracy would be better if the democratic president comes from an ‘antagonistic’ party? Sailing through the history of Nigeria from independence, have you also noticed that the older the leaders, the weaker the GDP and our polity in general? Who/what is the medium used by either APC or PDP? Does Lagos state (Bola Ahmed Tinubu), which is the political etymology of APC run a transparent-based governance/leadership? There are very many questions to be raised that lead us to what the answers may be. Awareness of the level of democratic recklessness in government is only possible in a government that encourages transparency. While I keep pondering, all I have to say for now is that, the medium is the message.

ATTACKS ON CBCN (JOHN ONAIYEKAN & HASSAN KUKAH)

For some weeks now, statements have been spreading virally on the internet in reaction to the perceived activities or comments of Hassan Kukah and John Onaiyekan, not really because comments made about them may be true in themselves, but because the internet is a place where even the whistling of a bird is acceptable. As an individual one may have his/her reservations against these two prominent figures, but we must try to approach issues with some reasonable sense of objectivity. If every article or comment made on the internet is publishable, then many Nigerians do not need much to become professors. These reactions are not unconnected with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and their points of departure on issues of national importance. As a result, Christians of different denomination/factions and people of different faith perceive their opinion not to be in consonance with CAN and in defense of Ayo Oritsejafor, Nigerians make unwarranted comparisons among this trio. It is in reaction to the comparison made by some incoherent minds that I summarily make certain observations.

Ayo Oritsejafor is certainly the president of the Christian Association of Nigeria and we give him credit for that. However, on issues of national importance, we should not be beclouded by the office of the CAN president at the expense of one’s suitability for particular situations. John Onaiyekan and Hassan Kukah are first of all human beings, Nigerians and then clergy. However, because of our conscious amnesia, we throw to the waste bin that which qualifies them not as bishops, but as scholars and by extension resource fellows. All we need to do is to strive to sieve the ideas of these figures within scholarly and ecclesiastical lines and know when they speak as clergy and when they render their views as scholars. When I listen to some Nigerians make careless statements on internet such as; “Kukah or Onaiyekan is a politician”, “their view does not represent the mind of CAN”, the question is; should Drs. Onaiyekan and Kukah be taken for granted simply because they are bishops Onaiyekan and Kukah respectively?  Oritsejafor on one hand attended the New Covenant Bible Institute Benin City, Nigerian Baptist Seminary Ogbomosho, Oyo state and Morris Cerrulo’s School of Ministry, San Diego. All these certainly qualifies him as a pastor that he is, but absolutely not as a scholar and by extension not a resource fellow on issues of national importance.

Known across various continents for their contributions to scholarship, Christian unity and peace, Onaiyekan, who was nominated to be a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize alongside Barack Obama and Kukah, a Harvard alumnus whose intellectual prowess is unequalled among his critics (both of whom had a stint on international diplomacy at various intervals) do not stand out as clergy alone but people of outstanding intellectual reputation. People should be discouraged, if not tired, of talking when those whose attention they want to attract, are very busy making meaningful impact in our world, therefore having no time in their schedule have to respond to mediocre. My advice to ‘you’ who seeks relevance is to have a touch of what they have acquired so that your voice like theirs, will become relevant.      

DOYIN OKUPE AND HIS ANTICS

The very first time I listened to Nkoyo Toyo on the floor of the National Assembly, the first impression I got registered in my memory because I was marveled by the level of her accuracy, logical consistency and intellectual exposure. I had to sail into her profile and I have come to revere her as one of those very few honorable members of the House of Representatives marked with clarity and distinction. As a philosopher, I always probe into a person’s profile to learn or unlearn some qualities based on either positive or negative impressions.

The first time I heard Doyin Okupe was on an interview on Aljazeera TV. Having been accused by a Sahara reporter of “doing deals with the military leaders and selling away Nigeria…” Okupe anxiously asked the reporter to “shut up”. Also, his seemingly unprofessional response to the anchors of Sunrise Daily is quite resounding. His approach to issues immediately captured the attention of many around the world and the rest of the story is on Google. But I want to draw our attention to some issues of importance:

1)      Okupe denied the allegation that he had been arraigned before the EFCC for some corrupt dealings shrouded in secrecy.

2)      He assured Nigerians never to be in despair since the Nigerian government had every situation under control.

3)      He referred to the reporter from Sahara as a liar and one that has no reputation

4)      On 3^rd November, 2013, he gave a wrong figure of the number of ATC that were fired in 1981 to be 1435 persons as against 11345 persons.

5)      That the government has granted the demands of ASUU more than ASUU desired.

6)      Above all, do not forget that President Obasanjo was reported to have physically beaten up Doyin Okupe on account of his dishonesty.

7)      Doyin Okupe said that government has opened an account with the CBN and ‘set aside’ the sum of 200million naira as ASUU requested. (Recall that he used the words ‘set aside’ and ‘paid’ interchangeably.)

If you have gone through the tertiary system of education or still an undergraduate student, then you probably should have done some GST in philosophy and logic. If numbers 1 to 6 is false, then number 7 is probably false too. So why should Okupe cajole Nigerians into believing that every demand has been met. With all these misgivings, it beats the imagination of every average mind who is impatient with incoherency why Okupe should persistently be a mouth-piece in government at this point of our political history. Having understood the antics of government and the antecedents of some government representatives, would you not expect members of ASUU to reason as intellectuals?

In 1981, when the American president fired some ATC, recall that he offered them an 11% increase in their wages having seen the demanding nature of their job. The ATC in turn rejected the offer because they wanted 100% increase. There was no prior written agreement between the government and the ATC, even though he evaded telling us the security implications it had for the American government. In the case of ASUU, there is a written agreement between the government and ASUU and a memorandum of understanding. The weak precedent or foundation upon which Okupe based his argument is feverish to a sound mind. While there is certainty that the government and ASUU are drawing closer to a middle course, the government in turn should strive to be a friend of democracy.

    

THAT ALL CATHOLICS WILL GO TO HELL? OKOTIE WAS RIGHT

I have received too many reactions from various quarters in anger against the very controversial but somewhat true statements of pastor Okotie. Please before you condemn the words of Chris Okotie; it is worthwhile that you understand the context from which he speaks. Be slow to anger lest you become as guilty as he is. Recall that in 2002, God ‘personally’ told Pastor Okotie that he should be the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2003. In that same year (2003), he did not only lose the election to Olusegun Obasanjo, but was number eight (8) in the electoral results ranking.

If it was the same God that gave Obasanjo landslide victory over Okotie, then that God is a liar. But anyone who is conversant with previous write-ups knows that we have already established that God cannot lie since to lie is evil and evil is the absence of good and goodness is the very nature of our God. It becomes pertinent to know that he is yet to recover from the disappointment of a god who promised him presidency and failed. As for me, I will not want to find myself in the presence of a god who cannot guarantee common electoral success; for that is the nature of the god that Okotie serves. Invariably, when Okotie says all Catholics will go to hell, I think he could probably be correct since what we consider as heaven may be hell to him. Or would you rather follow and find yourself in the presence of a god who promises and fail?