Two things got my attention this week. They weren't similar and yet had things that tied them together. The two things were the elections and the full moon in eclipse.
This week was important for many in that it was a week that many went to have a say in political matters by voting. For me, it is a relief to have the many political ads that were seeking to convince me one way or the other come to an end. I can't begin to say how much they annoyed me. So many were not positive and were trying to convince me how horrible and wrong the opposition was. They painted a dark picture for the future if you did not vote "their" way. It kind of reminds me of the 'dark side' of the moon. The 'dark side' of the moon is not anymore darker than the side that we see monthly/nightly. The side of the moon permanently turned away from us, or its 'dark side' is the side we cannot view from earth. The moon indeed rotates, but it does so at the same rate as the earth's rotation. So, there is a side we never see. In reality, it is no darker than any other part of the Moon’s surface as sunlight does in fact fall equally on all sides of the Moon. It is only ‘dark’ to us, as that hemisphere can never be viewed from Earth due to a phenomenon known as ‘Tidal Locking’. A better term for the side we don’t see is the ‘far side’, rather than the ‘dark side’, which leads to all kinds of misconceptions. Yes, many people seem to have a far side that has me wondering, “How can they possibly think that way”. They have a side that I can't see. Yet, God can have them in his family too, along with me, and lead us all into His light. In the Great Controversy, the angels in heaven probably could not fathom how Satan and his angels with their dark side could think in the way that they did before being cast out and expelled from heaven.
Sometimes I get a call from one of my sons asking me, "Did you see the moon tonight?" The full moon impresses him and does me, too. I love to see the full moon when it first rises in the evening. It seems impossibly large, and I love the golden color that we only see a couple of nights a month. I love the pictures that others take of a full moon. Pictures that I want to take but my photos never meet what my eye sees, and I get so disappointed. That reminds me that God's view and His picture of what is happening is not the picture that I see. His picture of our country and what happens is not what I see happening and what disturbs me is, in reality, what has to happen before the Second Coming of Jesus can happen. I think that I am glad that I can't see God's picture. It probably would not make me happy in any way looking into the future. Only till then will I appreciate what is coming in the days and years ahead.
Many years ago, more years than I want to tell, I was required to take a class called Physical Science. I have one memory of that class that stands out over anything else from that class. The assignment was to make a silhouette picture, using dark green and dark blue construction paper showing the nighttime horizon shape in front of me. Then every night at the same time, I was to go outside, and stand in the same place and draw/position a moon on the paper where I thought I was seeing it. The position and shape of the moon were important parts of the assignment. To me it was a great assignment. I learned that the moon didn't just randomly show up and did not have a random shape. I learned the orderliness of the 'lesser light' that rules the night that was created by God. It had never dawned on me until that class. If you never had that assignment, I encourage you to do one for yourself. It will make you appreciate that God is in control of the world and everything that happens concerning it. Things progress in an orderly manner controlled and guided by Him. We see the moon only because it reflects the light from another source--the sun. But then again, others can only see God as we reflect the light we receive from the SON. I pray that I can reflect the light from Him in just as beautiful a way as the full moon reflects light .
This week was special in that we had an eclipse of the moon at the same time it was a full moon, the November Beaver Full Moon. And it happened during a time that I did not have to get up in the middle of the night to see it. Instead, this time it happened when I had to get up and start my day.
A Science lesson for you--The lunar eclipse takes place when the sun, earth, and full moon are all in alignment and the moon moves into earth's inner shadow. A little amount of sunlight is able to reach the moon--illuminating it every so slightly. The unique color of a lunar eclipse comes from the long red/orange wavelengths being bent or refracted back towards earth, whereas the blue/violet colors are more easily scattered away. The intensity of the moon's color during an eclipse can also be impacted by the amount of various dust particles in the air; the more dust the redder the moon! Once again, I didn't even try to get a picture of the blood moon. Instead, I enjoy the pictures taken by others. The red blood color of the moon can remind us of the blood of Christ as He hung on the cross as He secured our Salvation.
Whenever I see a picture of a blood moon, I am reminded of the many signs in scripture that are foretold to take place, right before Christ’s 2nd Coming back to earth. “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord,” – Joel 2:31. “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord.” – Acts 2:20. This year two events coincided--the full moon eclipse and the day for elections 2022. There have been several blood moons, each one reminding us of the prophecy.
In the words of Pastor Mike in his The Open Word on November 8, 2022--
"On Election Day, one verse jumps out at me more than any other: And, because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. Matthew 24:12. I have noticed an uptick in the fulfillment of this prophecy, in particular. People hating people. Anger. Stark divisions in families, institutions, and governments. A willingness (by some), to throw others away in haphazard manner. People are often treating each other with coldness and indifference, and behaving like that’s perfectly normal. So many things are swirling all around us, and it gives me pause to wonder just how close we actually are. I’m no prognosticator, and the scriptures make it clear that no man knows the day or hour of His return. We do, however, have the opportunity to witness signs of its imminent unfolding. May we each take a relationship with Christ seriously, before time runs out, regarding that important decision."
