RESOURCES: The End of the Age as well as The Train of Warning Signs Before the End Times Launch
Many people who study Bible prophecy understand that there are certain heavenly signs that unfold before the “end times” begin. In fact, although that tumultuous time is typically referred to as the “end times,” more accurately, it should be called the day of the Lord. But before that day begins, we are told in the Scriptures that two specific signs will be observable in the heaven’s warning of its approach. And the beginning of the day of the Lord launches with a great-war that is, effectively, World War III. Both of these heavenly signs are mandated by the Holy Scriptures to unfold before that terrible time begins. In other words, the great-war launching the day of the Lord (end times) cannot start unless both celestial signs have already taken place. But in addition to the necessity of these two heavenly signs unfolding before the day of the Lord begins, there is also a heavenly condition we are told will be present during the day of the Lord. And this distinction can easily trip you up when studying Bible prophecy.
This article is dedicated to establishing that distinction. First, consider the heavenly signs that unfold before the day of the Lord begins.
Two Heavenly Signs before the day of the Lord:
1st Sign: And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
2nd Sign: The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood BEFORE the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. Joel 2:30-31
The prophet Joel tells us that before the day of the Lord begins, the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood. Precisely what produces this sign is not explained. It is possible this is referring to notable solar and lunar eclipses. This is one possibility because, during a solar eclipse, the sun is turned into darkness. On the other hand, a lunar eclipse can cause a dispersion of sun light that produces a reddish hue on the lunar surface or blood moon. Since there are a multitude of solar and lunar eclipses each year, if this is what the Scripture is identifying, it would have to be eclipses that are notable for some reason. But there is something else these Scriptures tell us will happen in the heavens prior to the launch of the day of the Lord.
In verse 30, we are told there will be wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke part of the verse are a clear reference to a war on the earth. And for this war to be identified in the Scriptures, it must be a notable one. So we are told this notable war will take place before the great-war that launches the day of the Lord. What the wonders in the heavens are referring to is not explained here. But, apparently, this notable war will be able to be identified as the one the Scriptures are calling for by the unfolding of this heavenly sign in combination with it.
Verse 30 is truly a gift from the Lord. Because if a notable war takes place associated with some kind of wonders in the heavens, then His children can reasonably know that the day of the Lord is near. But if that war also involves Israel and resolves notable rumours of wars (Israel vs. Iran?), then a truly ominous warning becomes very real. Likewise, without these two heavenly signs unfolding, there is no reason to be concerned. Here is a second Scripture that confirms both heavenly signs. Acts 2:19-20
And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come: BEFORE the day of the Lord
Joel 2:30-31
The Book of Acts provides the exact same heavenly signs that will unfold before the day of the Lord begins, as we just read in Joel. It provides the same notable war that will in some way be associated with wonders in the heavens… and the sun darkening, and the moon turning into blood. So based on a literal read of both Scriptures, we know the heavenly signs that will occur before the great-war that launches the day of the Lord. To understand the difference when reading prophecy Scripture, consider the heavenly condition that appears across the earth during the day of the Lord. It is what is frequently confused with the heavenly warnings coming before.
The Heavenly Condition during the day of the Lord:
That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness…
Zaphaniah 1:14
Which causes this heavenly condition…
The stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
Isaiah 13:10
Nuclear Detonations & Thick Darkness:
Zaphaniah tells us that the day of the Lord is a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness. Why would such notable clouds and thick darkness be one of the characteristics of that time? In 2 Peter 3:10 we get the answer.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2 Peter 3
Like Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3, Peter tells us that the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. So we immediately see harmony between the two Scriptures. But now consider the additional details Peter provides, which appear to describe nuclear detonations.
- A great noise
- Elements shall melt with fervent heat.
- The earth… shall be burned up.
Now consider verse 12.
Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
2 Peter 3
When Peter says the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat he is providing a perfect description of a nuclear detonation from the perspective of a first-century man. There is a great noise (nuclear explosion) followed by the heavens being on fire, (nuclear fire ball) elements melt with fervent heat, (fire ball melts everything) the earth also and the works of men therein are burned up. (A fire ball causes land to be burned for miles away.) This is a detailed description of what happens after a nuclear detonation. But there is something else that happens after multiple nuclear detonations take place. The explosions kick up a massive amount of dust and debris into the atmosphere, which darkens the sky. Now consider again what Zaphaniah had to say.
That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness…
Zaphaniah 1:14
Zaphaniah appears to be describing the atmospheric conditions that will exist in the aftermath of the nuclear detonations that Peter described. The sun cannot get through due to thick debris filling the atmosphere and blocking the light emitted from all celestial bodies from reaching earth. Light from the sun, moon, and stars will be blocked. It is important to note that during this time, the smoke in the atmosphere can, on occasion, cause the moon to appear reddish. So although light from all celestial bodies will be blocked, it is also possible that occasionally a reddish moon could appear, depending on the thickness of the smoke in any given location on the earth. Next, consider a series of verses in Joel chapter 2 which describe events DURING the day of the Lord. Notice that he immediately confirms what Zaphaniah describes in terms of it being a day of clouds and thick darkness as well as Peter’s fire playing a great role.
Joel 2:1-3 & 10-11
1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand; 2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. 3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
Zaphaniah 1
Then, a few verses later, the impact of this day of clouds and of thick darkness is described, echoing an array of other Scriptures.
10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:
11 And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?
Zaphaniah 1:10-11
After Joel confirms Zaphaniah’s details of clouds and thick darkness and Peter’s description of great fires burning the earth, the prophet then describes the impact on the heavens. Remember that in the next chapter, Joel provides two specific heavenly signs that warn of the approach of the day of the Lord. Those signs are the wonders in the heavens associated with a notable war, the sun darkening, and the moon turning into blood. Acts 2 confirmed this exact sequence and details. So the warning BEFORE the day of the Lord starts is limited to the sun and moon. However, here, as he describes the day of the Lord in verse 10, he tells us that the sun, moon, and stars are impacted. Now consider Isaiah 13.
Isaiah 13
6 Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. 7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt: 8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pang as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. 9 Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. 10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
Isaiah 13:6-10
Isaiah is describing a series of events that unfold during the day of the Lord. In verse 10, he describes the impact on the celestial… wherein light from the sun, moon and stars cannot be seen. Like in Joel 2, all three are impacted DURING the day of the Lord. But BEFORE the day of the Lord begins, there are two Scriptures alerting us that the heavenly warning signs are limited to the sun and the moon. Now consider Matthew 24:29.
Matthew 24
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Matthew is speaking to the condition of the atmosphere, which is darkening the sun, moon, and stars after a time of tribulation. Based on a very literal reading of Scripture, there are two times of tribulation during the day of the Lord. The first is in its opening phase, when nation shall rises against nation which is when the four horsemen of the Apocalypse ride. This initial phase of the day of the Lord is the birth pangs phase. So Matthew is pointing out that the light from all celestial bodies is blocked after that time of tribulation. Mark 13 confirms Matthew.
Mark 13
But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things. 24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, 25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
Notice that both Matthew and Mark are speaking about the impact on the heavens AFTER a time of tribulation has started. In other words, this is distinctly different from the warning of the sun darkening and the moon turning into blood BEFORE the day of the Lord begins. Joel’s heavenly warning BEFORE, which includes only the sun and moon, cannot be the same one being mentioned by Matthew and Mark because tribulation has already begun. Matthew and Mark say, “After the tribulation of those days” which means tribulation has already begun. And if tribulation has already begun and the impact on the sun, moon, and stars is being described, then this celestial description cannot be the same one as we read in Joel 3:31 and Acts 2, in which we are told it will happen BEFORE it begins.
A counter point to this reasoning is that the day of the Lord unfolds later, during a time referred to as the “tribulation.” The problem with that is that Jesus specifically goes out of His way to establish the beginning moment of the tumultuous times popularly referred to as the “end times” in Matthew 24:7-8 and then refers to it with a birth pangs term. Then Paul does the exact same thing in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3, referring to the sudden launch of the day of the Lord with the term birth pangs as well. By doing this, both Jesus and Paul connect their events as being the start of it all, with Paul adding the detail that it is the beginning of the day of the Lord. Then you can add to the mix Jeremiah 30 and Joel 2:30-31 & 3:1-2, which also make it clear that the start of the day of the Lord is the literal beginning of it all. So if Jesus, Paul, Joel, and Jeremiah are read literally, there is no other conclusion possible than that the “end times” start with the launch of the day of the Lord.
The Sun, Moon & Stars in Revelation 6:
12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
Revelation 6
DURING THE DAY OF THE LORD…STARS INCLUDED
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Revelation 6
The key in these verses is that the four horsemen of the apocalypse have just ridden. And as verses 16 & 17 tell us God’s wrath is come. So as the day of the Lord is raging, not only are the sun and moon impacted, but the stars as well. This is, of course, consistent with what the previous Scriptures told us will occur during the day of the Lord. However, this time in Revelation 6, we are thrown a new wrinkle. We are told that the moon turns to blood which is also what we are told happens to the moon in the warning that comes just before the day of the Lord launches. Of all the Scriptures that describe the impact on the sun, moon and stars during the day of the Lord this is the only place where we are told the moon not only darkens but also takes on a blood color. Whereas in both of the Scriptures that describe the celestial sign coming before the day of the Lord, the moon turning to blood is mentioned. What probably explains this is the following: During a time of great smoke in the atmosphere, the moon will occasionally turn red. Since it is only mentioned once out of all the Scriptures describing the celestial event during the day of the Lord, it is probably because occasionally, as the sun, moon, and stars are darkened by the clouds of smoke, the moon appears reddish.
Revelation 8:
12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
Revelation 8
We are deep in the day of the Lord here, with the fourth trumpet sounding. Notice that a third part of the sun, moon, and stars are darkened.
Understanding that there are two distinct heavenly signs before the day of the Lord begins and a separate heavenly condition during the day of the Lord allows an array of Scripture to fit together and make sense. Otherwise, there is total confusion.
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