A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly behind the Earth into its umbra (shadow). This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned (in “syzygy”) exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Hence, a lunar eclipse can only occur the night of a full moon. The type and length of an eclipse depend upon the Moon’s location relative to its orbital nodes.
“Blood Moon” is a term of folklore with more than one meaning, sometimes referring to any full moon that occurs in October (also known as a “Full Hunter’s Moon”) and sometimes referring to any total lunar eclipse, during which the moon is likely to turn dark red in color as the earth’s shadow crosses its face.
Due to its reddish color, a total eclipse of the moon is sometimes referred to as a blood moon. In addition, in the 2010s the media started to associate the term “blood moon” with the four full moons of a lunar tetrad, especially the 2014-2015 tetrad coinciding with the feasts of Passover and Tabernacles. A lunar tetrad is a consecutive sequence of four lunar eclipses, spaced six months apart. The most recent blood moon occurred on October 8, 2014 and was visible across much of the Americas and Asia.
But what does the bible say about the blood moon exactly?
The idea of a “blood moon” serving as an omen of the coming of the end times comes from the Book of Joel. This phrase is again mentioned by Saint Peter during Pentecost, as recorded in Acts.
“The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.” – Acts 2:20
And is again mentioned in the book of Revelation:
“When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.” – Revelation 6:12-14
