Australia’s Largest Christian News Site

Prophecy watchers are observing with interest as reports spread of lunar eclipses in America – known as a blood moon – occurring directly on the Jewish and Biblical holiday of Purim both this year and next year.

Is there a link between the blood moons and End Time events? And if so, where does Purim fit into the picture with its focus on the story of Queen Esther? Purim is today celebrated widely in the Jewish world with frivolous masquerades and parties, so what message – if any – can we find in the appearance of the blood moons on this very day?

Blood Moons, Purim and End Times

While lunar eclipses and blood moons are regular celestial phenomenons, the Bible specifically links the appearance of the blood moon to the End Times. The prophet Joel writes:

The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. (Joel 2:31)

The Book of Revelation similarly describes the moon becoming ‘as blood’ in conjunction with the End Time events (Rev. 6:12).

The story of Purim and Queen Esther is not normally treated as End-Time prophecy, yet a Jewish Rabbinic perspective reveals remarkable links to Gog, Magog and the End of Days hiding right beneath the surface of this ancient story – perhaps shedding light on the phenomenon of the blood moons occurring on Purim.

A World Empire and a Wicked Ruler

During the days of Queen Esther, Haman the Agagite rose to prominence in the vast Persian empire, which at the time stretched from India across the Middle East and all the way down to Ethiopia.

Haman means “magnificent”, and Agag means “exalted”, and this wicked man certainly thought of himself as being someone particularly grand. It was commanded that everyone should bow before Haman, which involved prostrating oneself in veneration as to a god. Mordechai the faithful Jew pointedly refused – incensing Haman. As the story goes, Haman’s fury drove him to seek the annihilation of not only Mordechai, but of all the Jewish people.

While Haman’s plans were ultimately foiled, is that the end of the story? Or is the book of Esther prophetic of the End Times? Will the End Times see another figure arise who – like Haman – controls a massive empire, demands worship and manically persecutes the Jews?

Agag and Gog

Rabbinic sources see Haman as a precursor to Gog, the famed End Time figure from Ezekiel’s book.  While Christians generally draw a clear line of distinction between Gog and the anti-Christ, the Jewish view of the End of Days puts Gog front and centre of the last and final battle.

The Bible identifies Haman as an Agagite (Est. 3:1-2), a descendant of the last king of the Amalekites. Curiously, this name shares the very same Hebrew root as the rather unusual name Gog. In Ezekiel chapters 38-39, Gog is portrayed as the grand leader of a massive end-time coalition of nations against Israel. Gog’s gigantic northern army crushes down on Israel until God finally intervenes, destroying Gog and revealing His glory to the nations and to Israel.

Bible prophecy teachers typically differentiate between Gog’s war and the final End Time battle. A key point raised is that the specific nations mentioned in Gog’s coalition are different from those listed in other End Time conflicts. But yet again, a Rabbinic view brings out a different perspective worth considering, especially in the context of the blood moons.

The word “Gog and Magog” in Hebrew has the numerical value ‘70’, which, from a Jewish mind, links directly to the Biblical list of 70 nations of mankind (Gen. 11). From this perspective, therefore, the Gog and Magog war coalition against Israel will include not just a limited handful of nations but rather represents the great and final end time battle against the Jewish nation foretold by the other prophets.

Furthermore, Ezekiel describes Gog as the one foretold by the prophets of Israel (Ezek. 38:17). This is curious as no other prophet directly mentions Gog by name. However, if Gog is simply another title for the final evil ruler of the End of Days who comes against Israel, then yes, he was predicted in great detail by many prophets of Israel.

Bible teacher Joel Richardson points out that after the war of Gog and Magog, God’s name will no longer be profaned (Ezek. 39:7). If the Gog/Magog war occurs immediately before the Tribulation, then it occurs right before the most blasphemous time in human history! However, if Gog and the anti-Christ are one and the same, then it is logical that his defeat will indeed lead to God’s name no longer being blasphemed and Israel and the Nations knowing that the LORD is God.

Comparing Haman and the anti-Christ

Both think of themselves highly and demand worship.

Both become enraged and turn on the Jewish people.

Both lead a large coalition of nations against Israel, seeking their annihilation and their plunder.

In both situations, it looks entirely hopeless for Israel until God Himself intervenes.

At the end of the story of Haman, many Gentiles convert to follow the God of Israel. Similarly, at the demise of the anti-Christ, the nations will finally see and know that the Lord is God.

The story of Esther tells us of the miracle of an amazing divine turn-around and salvation that came to the persecuted Jewish people, and I believe also points us to the future deliverance of God’s faithful ones in the final defeat of the anti-Christ.  And as Mordechai and Esther ended up co-reigning with the king, so I believe there is coming a day in which the saints will rule and reign with Jesus in His kingdom right here on this earth.

Coming Back to the Blood Moons

Could the blood moons appearing on Purim be a heavenly sign pointing us to the importance of these Biblical prophecies right now in our time? We are indeed increasingly seeing the nations rise against Israel, especially since the beginning of the October 7 war, and it is important that we, as Christians, understand the significance of these things.

While there have been many “Haman” figures arising through the years to come against the Jews, could these heavenly signs be a warning pointing us towards the coming of that last and ultimate Haman?

May I encourage you to search these things out for yourselves from the Scriptures, and to join me as we watch and pray for Israel and the Nations in these days of great turmoil?

For more about the End Times from a Jewish perspective, see Enoch Lavender’s new book, The Jubilee Discover the End Time Mystery, available via Amazon and other retailers.

___

Image courtesy of Adobe.