As the eyes of the world are drawn towards the current events in Russia and the Crimea, many prophetic pundits are eagerly waiting to see what will happen next. Once more the modern day prophetic teachers are announcing that the headlines of today fulfill ancient biblical prophecies.
With a fixed Dispensational paradigm in mind, the modern prophets declare that current events are signs of the time, anti-Christ is on the horizon, the rapture of the church is imminent, the Great Tribulation will come upon the world, and Israel shall fight the Battle of Armageddon very soon. In short, the world is coming to an end (again!)
Just ask John Hagee. He believes in the signs of the time and has written about them in yet another speculative and sensationalized book, Four Blood Moons: Something is About to Change. Based in large part on the words of the prophet Joel, Mr. Hagee guarantees this year and next (2014-2015) will be a time of cataclysmic world events.
Joel 2:28, And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. 30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come. 32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.
A blood moon is simply a full lunar eclipse. Four of them in a row is called a tetrad.
What excites Mr. Hagee is that four blood moons on a Jewish holiday have happened three times in the last five hundred years. Mr. Hagee explains that in each instance the Jewish people moved from tragedy to triumph.
Item. On March 31, 1492, with the Edict of Expulsion, the Jews were expelled from Spain. That was a time of tragedy. However, in 1492 Columbus discovered America and “the Jewish people had a home until the Jewish people had a state” (John Hagee). That was a time of triumph.
Item. Prior to 1948 the Jewish people suffered the Holocaust. That was a time of tragedy. But then the United Nations recognized the modern state of Israel. That was a time of triumph.
Item. In 1967 Israel had to fight the Six Day War. That was a time of tragedy. But then Jerusalem was united as part of the state of Israel. That was a time of triumph.
After reviewing these events in an interview with Lauren Green of Fox News Channel, Mr. Hagee surmised that the words of Joel, which are quoted by the apostle Peter in Acts 2, and the words of Jesus in Luke 21, indicate the coming end of this age and the inauguration of all the events Dispensationalists believe are yet to come.
Therefore, the following dates should be kept in mind.
April 15, 2014 Jewish Passover
October 8, 2014 Feast of Tabernacles
April 4, 2015 Jewish Passover
September 28, 2015 Feast of Tabernacles
It would take a much longer blog than this to point out all the errors Mr. Hagee embraces. However, one or two points can be noted.
First, as clever a man as he is, Mr. Hagee is counting on the fact that few of his listeners understand Jewish apocalyptic literature which is very symbolic.
Second, Mr. Hagee is counting on people not opening their Bibles to Joel 2:31, Acts 2:20, or Luke 21:25 and reading the context of what is being said.
If a person were to turn to Acts 2, for example, when Peter quotes the prophet Joel, the apostle explains that what was happening on the Day of Pentecost was a fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy. Acts 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: 15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. 16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
According to Scripture, the prophecy of Joel 2 was fulfilled in AD 30, not 2014-2015.
Tragically, since individuals will not read the Bible for themselves, people like John Hagee can continue to throw disjointed historical facts and biblical passages together in order to twist the Scriptures, scare people, and make a large sum of money in the process off of God’s sheep.
Here is my word of exhortation. After 2015 passes and the four blood moons of this cycle is over, if the prophetic events Mr. Hagee embraces as a Dispensationalist do not come to pass, then he should admit he is a false prophet, and repent.
Today, John Hagee is in grave biblical error. With the passing of time he will be exposed as the false prophet of tomorrow.