Mark Biltz

Will Jesus Christ return to Earth in the year 2015? And can studying NASA's website provide evidence for such a scenario? A minister who promotes the Old Testament roots of Christianity suggests a rare string of lunar and solar eclipses said to fall on God's annual holy days seven years from now could herald what's come to be known as the "Second Coming" of Jesus. "God wants us to look at the biblical calendar," says Mark Biltz, pastor of Total lunar eclipses often make the moon appear red El Shaddai Ministries in Bonney Lake, Wash. "The reason we need to be watching is [because] He will signal His appearance. But we have to know what to be watching as well. So we need to be watching the biblical holidays." In a video interview on the Prophecy in the News website, Biltz said he's been studying prophecies that focus on the sun and moon, even going back to the book of Genesis where it states the lights in the sky would be "be for signs, and for seasons." "It means a signal, kind of like 'one if by land, two if by sea.' It's like God wants to

signal us," he said. "The Hebrew word implies ... not only is it a signal, but it's a signal for coming or His appearing." (Story continues below) Biltz adds the word "seasons" implies appointed times for God's feasts and festivals. "When we hear the word feast, we think food. But the Hebrew word has nothing to do with food. It has to do with a divine appointment, as if God has a day timer, and He says, 'OK, I'm gonna mark the day and the time when I'm going to signal My appearance.'" Yes, the Bible is completely true, but you may never have heard the spectacular, ultimate destiny God has in store for you. It's far more glorious than just floating around on clouds in heaven! Find out what you've never been told, direct from your very own Bible! In the Old Testament, the prophet Joel states, "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come." (Joel 2:31) In the New Testament, Jesus is quoted as saying, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light ... And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." (Matthew 24:29-30) Gary Stearman of Prophecy in the News noted, "When we think of the sun being darkened and the moon not giving her light, we usually think of some astronomical catastrophe perhaps the sun sputtering and the moon being affected by all this. But maybe it's time to rethink this a little bit and think of it as a natural cycle, the cycle of the eclipses." Thus, Biltz began focusing on the precise times of both solar and lunar eclipses, sometimes called "blood moons" since the moon often takes on a bloody color. He logged onto
Phases of lunar and solar eclipses on NASA's eclipse website

NASA's eclipse website which provides precision tracking of the celestial events. He noted a rare phenomenon of four consecutive total lunar eclipses, known as a tetrad. He says during this century, tetrads occur at least six times, but what's interesting is that the only string of four consecutive blood moons that coincide with God's holy days of Passover in the spring and the autumn's Feast of Tabernacles (also called Succoth) occurs between 2014 and 2015 on today's Gregorian calendar. "The fact that it doesn't happen again in this century I think is very significant," Biltz explains. "So then I looked at last century, and, believe it or not, the last time that four blood red moons occurred together was in 1967 and 1968 tied to Jerusalem recaptured by Israel." He then started to notice a pattern of the tetrads. "What's significant to me is that even before 1967, the next time that you had four blood red moons again was right after Israel became a nation in '48, it happened again in 1949 and 1950 ... on Passover and Succoth. You didn't have any astronomical tetrads in the 1800s, the 1700s, the 1600s. In the 1500s, there were six, but none of those fell on Passover and Succoth." When checking the schedule for solar eclipses, Biltz found two one on the first day of the Hebrew year and the next on the high holy day of Rosh Hashanah, the first day of the seventh Hebrew month. Both of these take place in the 2014-2015 year. Biltz says, "You have the religious year beginning with the total solar eclipse, two weeks later a total lunar eclipse on Passover, and then the civil year beginning with the solar eclipse followed two weeks later by another total blood red moon on the Feast of Succoth all in 2015." "If you think that this is a The sun's corona becomes visible during a solar eclipse coincidence, I want you to know that it's time!" exclaimed Prophecy in the News host J.R. Church. "There are no more of

these for the rest of the century." The prospect of eclipses pinpointing the time of Jesus' return is getting mixed reaction in Christian circles. After seeing Biltz's interview, Jim Bramlett, an author and former vice president for the Christian Broadcasting Network, expressed excitement. "I have just watched the program two times and do not think I have ever been more encouraged or excited about the soon return of the Lord!" Bramlett said. But Hal Lindsey, a well-known biblical analyst and author of "The Late Great Planet Earth," says while he hasn't heard of Biltz's theory, he called it "pure speculation." "In my 50-something years of studying prophecy, to me the greatest indication of the time of Christ's return is based around the general things of prophecies coming together in the same time frame." He mentioned not only Israel's birth as a political state in 1948, but the increase in tensions with Muslims, the rise of Russia, China and the European Union, which he says is even "calling itself the revived Roman Empire." "I see the whole sweep and panorama spinning together in a precise scenario," he said. During a second video interview, Biltz was presented with Bible quotes that many think suggest Jesus' return will be a complete surprise, or at least not specifically known. The 25th chapter of Matthew features a parable where Jesus likens His kingdom to ten virgins all waiting for the arrival of their bridegroom. Jesus said in the story, "ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." (Matthew 25:13) Biltz says people need to examine the quote in its proper context. "When He says you don't know the day or the hour, He's speaking to the foolish virgins, not the wise virgins," he explained.

Biltz was also asked about the famous statement in Matthew 24:36 when Jesus was discussing the signs of His "coming, and of the end of the world": "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." (Matthew 24:36) He responded by referring to the annual Feast of Trumpets holiday, saying Israelites never knew the precise moment it began, "because it was based on the sighting of the new moon." "When He (Jesus) says you won't know the day or the hour, He's telling you it's the Feast of Trumpets because that was known as the feast where no one knew the day or the hour that it would begin," said Biltz. "So it's kind of like if I told you, 'I'm not going to tell you when I'm coming, but "Gobble, gobble, gobble,'" [pointing to] Turkey Day." Church stressed despite the information suggesting 2015 could be a pivotal time, "We don't know that that will be the concluding year of the tribulation period ... so we're not setting a date and saying this is a warning. We're introducing the possibility of a watch."

God's Holy Days as Prophecy

On June 11, 2008, at the Maranatha Chapel in San Diego, Pastor Ray Bentley interviewed Mark Biltz. Mark Biltz is the pastor at El Shaddai Ministries in Bonney Lake, WA. A webcast of the interview is here. Skip about 42 minutes into this church service to get to the beginning of the interview. I wrote three articles concerning the topics covered in this interview. The material in these articles is derived almost entirely from this interview, and I want to be sure to give credit where credit is due: Mark Biltz for explaining so clearly and effectively the nature of Gods feast days as prophecy, and for discovering the relationship of the four total lunar eclipses and two solar eclipses in the years 2014 and 2015 to the feast days, and their implications, and Ray Bentley for conducting an excellent, very coherent, interview. The three articles cover roughly these three topics: 1. Gods Feast Days as Prophecy; 2. Why we can expect the Rapture to occur on Rosh Hashanah (The Feast of Trumpets), and the Gentile Churchs misinterpretation of Jesus words concerning the timing of His coming; and 3. The findings of Mark Biltz (and others) regarding the eclipses in 2014 and 2015, and what they might tell us about the timing of the Lords return.
This is the first of these articles.

Genesis 1:14 says And God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days

and years. The Hebrew word translated as signs carries a connotation of being a signal for His coming or appearing. The word translated as season means appointed times, as in feasts, convocations, dress rehearsals, and assemblies. Therefore, God himself has told us that the sun and the moon were placed in the heavens to be signs and signals for us.

It is important to note that when God gave these feast days to Moses, He called them the Feasts of the Lord, not Feasts of Israel, or Feasts of the Jews. They are His. To man, this should emphasize their importance.

If there are signs and signals during the feast days, the signs and signals would be solar and lunar eclipses. An eclipse on a feast day is a sign that Heaven is intersecting with earthly history and something exceptional is about to happen. More on this in the third article in this series.

Mark Biltz views the festivals/feasts as dress rehearsals of what Israel is going to go through in the future. The seven feasts are all to be fulfilled in Jesus, all are pictures of Him. The First four are a type of the First Coming and have already been fulfilled; the last three are a type of the Second Coming and will be fulfilled soon.

In this article we will mostly discuss the first four of the seven feasts. These are Passover (Pesah), Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and Weeks (also known as Passover).

Passover Christians know Passover as the day the Angel of Death passed over the children of Israel in Egypt, because of the blood of a lamb over the door of the Israelites house. We also know Passover because our Lord, Jesus Christ, died for our sins on Passover. We know Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The Passover lamb was offered to God to cover up the sins of Israel for the year. Jesus atoned for

them forever.

The killing of the Passover lamb every year was a dress rehearsal of the death of Jesus on the cross. The Lord was bound to the cross the third hour of the day (9:00 AM). This is the time of the morning sacrifice. At this very time, the priest was binding the Passover lamb to the horns of the altar. Jesus died at the ninth hour of the day (3:00 PM). This is the time of the evening sacrifice. Jesus died at the very same time that the high priest was killing the Passover Lamb, fulfilling this prophecy!

Unleavened Bread The Feast of Unleavened Bread is the next day after Passover, and celebrates the Israelites' release from slavery in Egypt. In the Bible, leavening (yeast) is used to represent sin, so unleavened means without sin. Jesus was without sin, and His body did not decay.

Firstfruits The Feast of Firstfruits is three days after Passover. This is the day that Jesus rose from the dead after his crucifixion. Imagine! The Jews had been celebrating the feast of Firstfruits for 1500 years before Jesus fulfilled it, for He is the firstfruits of the resurrection!

Weeks (Pentecost) The first Pentecost was the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. On this day God killed 3,000 Israelites who sinned against God by worshiping the golden calf. After Jesus resurrection, on this day the Holy Spirit was poured out, first on the disciples, then on the 3,000 who were redeemed by receiving Jesus on that day. The Jews kept Pentecost for 1500 years before its fulfillment by the Holy Spirit on our Pentecost!

There is a gap in the feasts, known as the Summer Harvest. This symbolizes the 2000 years from the first coming to the second coming. It is a time of harvesting. We are somewhere near the end of the Summer Harvest. Now the time of the Gentiles is almost fulfilled.

The last three feasts are the Feasts of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah), The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and Tabernacles (Sukkot). We will discuss them in the next two articles.

The Feast of Trumpets

On June 11, 2008, at the Maranatha Chapel in San Diego, Pastor Ray Bentley interviewed Mark Biltz. Mark Biltz is the pastor at El Shaddai Ministries in Bonney Lake, WA. A webcast of the interview is here. Skip about 42 minutes into this church service to get to the beginning of the interview. Iwrote three articles concerning the topics covered in this interview. The material in these articles is derived almost entirely from this interview, and I want to be sure to give credit where credit is due: Mark Biltz for explaining so clearly and effectively the nature of Gods feast days as prophecy, and for discovering the relationship of the four total lunar eclipses and two solar eclipses in the years 2014 and 2015 to the feast days, and their implications, and Ray Bentley for conducting an excellent, very coherent, interview. The three articles cover roughly these three topics: 1. Gods Feast Days as Prophecy;

2. Why we can expect the Rapture to occur on Rosh Hashanah (The Feast of Trumpets), and the Gentile Churchs misinterpretation of Jesus words concerning the timing of His coming; and 3. The findings of Mark Biltz (and others) regarding the eclipses in 2014 and 2015, and what they might tell us about the timing of the Lords return. This is the second of these articles.

The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah)

This is the only feast where the Jews blow the Shofar (trumpet) one hundred times. Throughout Jewish history, the 100th blast has always been known as the Last Trump. Therefore, when Ephesians speaks of the Last Trump, Paul was talking about the Feast of Trumpets. All other feasts are on the full moon, 14 days after the last new moon. Their start can be determined by simply counting days. The Feast of Trumpets is on the new moon, the very first day of the month. In order to determine the new moon, two witnesses would need to go to the Sanhedrin and testify that they saw the new moon. Fires would be set to let all the Jews everywhere know that the feast had begun. They couldnt just count days. Because of this uncertainty, when you woke up in the morning, the feast could already be half over. This was unacceptable, because the Jews were required to keep the entire day. To solve this dilemma, they kept the feast for two days, and it was known as one long day.Because it was based on the sighting of the new moon, the feast was known as the feast where no one knew the day or the hour when it was going to begin. Even to this day, on Jewish calendars it still covers two days. (Rosh Hashanah is also called the Feast of the Long Day.) I dont know which day its going to be on, but its one or the other. It is also known as the Hidden Day. Because it is on one day or the other, its hidden from Satan so he wont know the exact time, either. The Rapture begins the Wedding of the Messiah. Whenever any Jewish man was going to get married, the father did all the preparation. Whenever the groom was asked when the wedding would be he would respond Only my father knows. This was a common

term of respect. The Feast of Trumpets is the sign. Its the Last Trump. It is the crowning of the King. It is the day of Hiddenness. Its the day the gates are opened, the opening of the books. Its the long day. And, its the only feast where you dont know the exact day or hour. God always warns before he brings judgment. For example, there are seven trumpet judgments in Revelation. Many people, including Mark Biltz, believe that the Rapture will occur on the Feast of Trumpets. When a statement like that is made, it is inevitable that someone will point out the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:36, But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. However, as we have just seen, this was a common Jewish phrase in Jesus day, with a different meaning from our present day, gentile, understanding. In addition, Pastor Biltz cites several verses that show that Jesus was speaking to the sleeping church that is not watching and awaiting His return. In 1st Thessalonians 5:1-2 Paul says, But of the times and the season, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. What does Paul mean by thief in the night? Pastor Biltz shows a picture from The Temple Institute of a sleeping watchman being found asleep by the captain of the watch.

Remember, God lit the

first fire on the altar. The Israelites were commanded to never let the fire go out. Priests were assigned to guard the flame, two at a time. When the captain of the guard would come to check, if he found one of the priests sleeping, he would take a torch, light it with the fire from the altar, and set the sleeping priests garments on fire. The priestly guard would jump up screaming, tearing off his burning garments, and go running through the temple naked. The captain of the guard was referred to in the vernacular as the thief in the night! His

job was to insure that the watchmen were keeping the fires burning. When Jesus talked about coming as a thief in the night, he was talking about this very circumstance. He was not speaking to those who are watching and waiting, He is warning the church that is not watching, asleep on the job. Jesus was writing to the religious community that didnt believe that He was coming, werent watching, were asleep. In effect, He was saying to them When things start happening, youll be running and screaming, exposing your shame because you were not prepared, even though you said that you were My children. In Revelation 3:1-3, Jesus says I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. (My emphasis) Through John, He was writing to the dead church. He was telling them that He would come as a thief to those who are not watching! Revelation 3: 17-18 says, For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. This ties in with Revelation 16:15 - Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed! He comes as a thief to the sleeping church. 1st Thessalonians 5:3 says, While people are saying, There is peace and security, then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. Sudden destruction will come upon them speaks to those who are not watching, not those who are watching, because those who are watching are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. (emphasis mine)

In the parable of The Foolish Virgins, Matt 25:8-13, Jesus said And the foolish said to the wise, Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. But the wise answered, saying, Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves. And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, Lord, lord, open to us. But he answered, Truly, I say to you, I do not know you. Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. Jesus was speaking to the foolish virgins, not to the wise virgins. The wise virgins were already in the marriage feast. In the story of faithful and unfaithful servants, Luke 12:37-48, Jesus said, Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Peter said, Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all? And the Lord said, Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, My master is delayed in coming, and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more. If youre not watching and dont believe the Lord is coming, THEN he comes like a thief in the night. Don't let that be you! Every year on the Feast of Trumpets we should be watching for the return of our Lord.

The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) this year is on September 30 and October 1. Be ready!

Update! After I posted this, I realized that to use the illustration from the Temple
Institute I needed their permission. When I emailed them, not only did I receive permission, I also received some comments correcting my understanding of the temple guard. This is the email I received: Dear Mr. Smith, Shalom and greetings from Jerusalem. Thanks for your email request. Permission is granted for this use. Respectfully, I'd just like to comment on what you have written here, from the standpoint of Jewish scholarship...since the subject of the Holy Temple is a Jewish subject I would like to clarify one point. It was the Levites, not the priests, who stood guard in the Holy Temple at night. There were twenty four specific points within the Temple where these guards stood watch; however, the purpose of this guard was to honor the Divine Presence. No priests were assigned to guard the flame on the altar. Also, the sleeping Levite's garments were only singed. There were never allowed to actually catch fire. No one ever ran through the Holy Temple naked. Sincerely, Rabbi Chaim Richman Director, International Department The Temple Institute I would like to thank Rabbi Richman for his kind comments, and I stand corrected.

Blood Moons Rising

On June 11, 2008, at the Maranatha Chapel in San Diego, Pastor Ray Bentley interviewed Mark Biltz. Mark Biltz is the pastor at El Shaddai Ministries in Bonney Lake, WA. A webcast of the interview is here. Skip about 42 minutes into this church service to get to the beginning of the interview.

I have written three articles concerning the topics covered in this interview. The material in these articles is derived almost entirely from this interview, and I want to be sure to give credit where credit is due: Mark Biltz for explaining so clearly and effectively the nature of Gods feast days as prophecy, and for discovering the relationship of the four total lunar eclipses and two solar eclipses in the years 2014 and 2015 to the feast days, and their implications, and Ray Bentley for conducting an excellent, very coherent, interview. The three articles covers roughly these three topics: 1. Gods Feast Days as Prophecy; 2. Why we can expect the Rapture to occur on Rosh Hashanah (The Feast of Trumpets), and the Gentile Churchs misinterpretation of Jesus words concerning the timing of His coming; and 3. The findings of Mark Biltz (and others) regarding the eclipses in 2014 and 2015, and what they might tell us about the timing of the Lords return. This is the third of these articles.

When Pastor Biltz saw a photo of a total lunar eclipse over the

Dome of the Rock earlier this year, it stirred his memory and curiosity. He remembered the verse in Joel (Joel 2:31), "The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes." He also recalled Mark 13:24, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light." The plain meaning is that these passages refer to solar and lunar eclipses. As it turns out, NASA has a web site that has tables of solar and lunar eclipses for thousands of years. These web sites are: 1. lunar eclipses - http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEcat/LEcatalog.html 2. solar eclipses - http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/solar.html Pastor Biltz noticed that NASA had commented on a series of four total lunar eclipses in a row in 2014 and 2015, calling them a "tetrad." The dates didn't seem to mean

anything, until he realized that he should be looking at the dates in the Biblical, Hebrew calendar, not our Gregorian calendar. (You can download a good Biblical calendar from aish.com. On the left click on "holidays", go to the bottom for free Hebrew calendar download. When he looked at them in the Hebrew calendar, he found that the first lunar eclipse in 2014 is on Passover. The second is on the first day of Succoth (Feast of Tabernacles). That seemed pretty unusual. Then he noticed that in 2015 they are on Passover and Succoth again! A lunar eclipse (blood moon) on the first and last of God's feasts for two years in a row! The next question was, how often does this happen? In this century there are other tetrads, but none occur on the festivals. In the last century, the last time there was a tetrad on Passover and Succoth was in 1967 and 1968, associated with the Six Day War when Jerusalem came back into the hands of the Jewish people. The next previous time was 1949 and 1950, marking Israel becoming a nation on May 14, 1948. In the 1800s, no tetrads at all. In the 1700s, no tetrads at all. In the 1600s, no tetrads at all. In the 1500s, 5 or 6 tetrads but none on Passover and Succoth. In 1492, Columbus (who was Jewish and a believer in Christ) sailed for America on the 9th of Av. All the Jews were kicked out of Spain on the 9th of Av in 1492. In 1493 & 1494 there was a tetrad on Passover and Succoth. As an aside, the 9th of Av is a really, really, really bad day in Jewish history! When the 10 spies brought the bad report of the Promised Land, and Joshua and Caleb brought the good report, this was the 9th of Av. The 10 spies became cursed in Jewish history for rejecting the land. When Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the temple in 587 BC, it was burnt to the ground on the 9th of Av. In 70 AD, Titus and the Roman 10th Legion destroyed the temple and burned it to the ground on the 9th of Av. In 1290 all the Jews were kicked out of England on the 9th of Av. In 1492 all the Jews were kicked out of Spain on the 9th of Av. WW I started on the 9th of Av. Hitler's proclamation to kill the Jews was issued on the 9th of Av. And Israel evacuated the Gaza strip on the 9th of Av. Truly a bad day for the Jews! What about eclipses? Throughout the Scriptures, a blood moon (total lunar eclipse) is a

bad sign for Israel and a total solar eclipse is a bad sign for the nations (the gentiles). We've talked about lunar eclipses. What about solar eclipses in those years? A total solar eclipse occurs in 2015 just before Nissan 1, ending one religious year and beginning the next. Nissan 1 is the day Moses set up the Tabernacle and the Glory of God fell from heaven, marking a new beginning. On the Feast of Trumpets in 2015 is another solar eclipse (a partial eclipse). We have seen that God has used these Tetrads on His holy days to provide a sign to the world. It seems reasonable that He is doing it again. Although no one knows God's timetable, He just might be marking the return of Jesus Christ with these signs. If we make the assumption (and it is only an assumption) that Jesus returns in 2015, we know the Tribulation is seven years making the beginning of the Tribulation in 2008. Yes, this year! We also remember that many believe that Jesus will Rapture His church on the Feast of Trumpets, Rosh Hashanah. Rosh Hashanah this year (2008) is on September 30 and October 1. One other set of signs seems to point to the beginning of the Tribulation this year. This has to do with a three week period known as the Dire Straits. The Dire Straits begin on the 17th of Tamuz, in the summer time. This is the day the Israelites worshipped the golden calf. The 17th of Tamuz is the same day Nebuchadnezzar broke through the Northern walls before he destroyed the Solomon's temple, and the same day the missiles went through the Northern border of Israel at the beginning of the last Lebanon war. They end on the 9th of Av, three weeks later. During this time, Jews are seeking God and repenting for the sins of their forefathers. The next three solar eclipses occur 3 years in a row right in the middle of the Dire Straits, on the last day of Tamuz and on the 1st of Av. The first one occurred this year on August 1, the 1st of Av. Things have been very interesting since then, haven't they? Does this prove that Jesus will Rapture His church this year? No. No, it does not. No one knows the mind of God. But it could be this year! The signs are pointing to it!

Sid Roth welcomes Mark Biltz

On Its Supernatural: Are the biblical feasts dress rehearsals for the return of Messiah? Mark Biltz proves a major biblical historical event will happen in 2014 on the feasts. Can ancient secrets of the supernatural be rediscovered? Do angels exist? Is there life after death? Are healing miracles real? Can you get supernatural help from another dimension? Has the future been written in advance? Sid Roth has spent thirty years researching the strange world of the supernatural. Join Sid on this edition of Its Supernatural. SID: Hello, Sid Roth here. Welcome to my world, where its naturally supernatural. My guest is Mark Biltz, and he has revelation like few people have ever seen. Let me give you an example. Lets suppose you live 2000 years ago in Jerusalem, and there was the hottest show in town, the best play in the world, and you could go into the dress rehearsal of the play. But this play has a spectacular theme. The theme is the coming of the Messiah. And you would see, in the dress rehearsal, every aspect of the Messiah coming to planet Earth. You would not have been among the Jewish people who missed the Messiah, had you seen that dress rehearsal. Well my guest, Mark Biltz, says there is a built in dress rehearsal of the first coming of the Messiah, but there is also a built in dress rehearsal of the return of the Messiah in the Bible itself. Mark, you were telling me about in the book of Leviticus there is a section that tells us about these dress

rehearsals. And you know what? Maybe there wouldnt be so much confusion in Islam and Judaism and Christianity if we could get into this dress rehearsal and see about the return of the Messiah. MARK: Oh, exactly right Sid. I cant help but think, at a wedding you have a dress rehearsal beforehand, and you want to be at the dress rehearsal. Well in Leviticus 23, it says These are the feasts of the Lord. He said These are holy convocations. These are even My feasts. So I think its interesting the Lord says theyre His feasts. It doesnt say theyre Jewish feasts or the feasts of Israel, but the feasts of the Lord. SID: And the thing thats so amazing to me is, when you understand in the Hebrew what the words feasts and holy convocations means. Explain that. MARK: When we hear the word feasts, we think of food. But the Hebrew word literally means an appointment, a divine appointment. The word convocation is like an assembly, but in Hebrew the word implies a dress rehearsal. So we see all the feasts of the Lord were dress rehearsals where they were rehearsing what was going to take place 1,500 years later, prophetically, on the spring feasts. Then the fall feasts concern the second coming. SID: Its so specific on the first coming of the Messiah, and its all in the feasts. Or, in the Hebrew it says these are set appointments that God has in which God says I am going to show up. So tell me, for the first coming of the Messiah, in the, you call them Gods feasts, I usually call them Jewish feasts, MARK: Theyre both. SID: But theyre really even higher, its Gods feasts. Tell me some of the signs. MARK: One of the most fascinating things to realize, first off, they had the evening sacrifice, the morning sacrifice. They were at 9 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon. At 9 in the morning is when they would offer up the Passover lamb. Well in Mark, it

says that Yeshua, Jesus, was bound to the cross the third hour of the day. So the very moment that the high priest was binding the Passover lamb to the alter at the dress rehearsal, theyre binding Yeshua to the cross. Then at 3 in the afternoon, the very moment the high priest is slaying the Passover lamb, thats when Messiah died. Whats amazing, God had even planned the songs that were going to be sung at His Sons funeral. They would always sing at the Passover whats called the hallel, which is Psalms 113 through Psalms 118. So at 9 in the morning, youd hear all throughout Jerusalem, through all the hills, valleys, the Mount of Olives Josephus said there were two and a half million Jews in Jerusalem at that time. You could just hear the chorus outside. Everyone is singing Psalms 118, which is Bind the sacrifice with cords, even to the horns of the alter. Psalms 118 says This is the day the Lord has made. SID: There was more in that rehearsal, because at Passover we read Psalm 118. Part of that says The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. Could you picture knowing all of this ahead of time? MARK: Yeah. At the Mount of Olives It says they had sang a hymn at the Last Supper. Well, I can tell you the words to that hymn. It was Psalms 118. So what were the very words they were singing right before He was betrayed and rejected, but what you said: The stone the builders rejected has become the chief stone of the corner. SID: Well is it just as precise in the fall feasts as the spring feasts, as far as the return of Messiah? MARK: I think so. I think everyone realizes that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And if we really believe that, if He fulfilled the spring feasts to the day of His first coming, Hell fulfill the fall feasts to the day of His second coming. We dont set dates at all. SID: What Im wondering is, how did something that started out exclusively Jewish, so Jewish, so biblical, become the opposite of Judaism? Howd that happen? MARK: Well, I think 2000 years ago, a lot of the early church fathers wanted nothing to do with the Jews or Judaism. They didnt think they were grafted in, but almost like a separate tree. But God has the Gentiles, He wanted them grafted in so they would understand the richness and the fatness of the olive tree, and get to the root.

SID: But why? I believe its a satanic, diabolical plot to stop people from understanding every from going to the dress rehearsal of the return of the Messiah. MARK: I think so too. The book of Ruth, Pentecost, one of the spring feasts, they always read the book of Ruth, which is about a Gentile being grafted in to this Jewish family, going back to Jerusalem, working the harvest, and bringing forth the Messiah is Ruth. Well, Ruth is Hebrew means friend, so she befriended the Jew. But Orpah means to turn your back on, so she turned her back and went back to her gods, which I think is symbolic of these last days of the Gentile church. Satan does not want the Gentiles to understand divine appointments. It says in Daniel the antichrist is going to change the times and the laws. He doesnt want us to know, so were not there for the appointments. SID: Well these divine appointments are not something that someone has to attend. But my mother didnt raise a dummy. Who would not want to be at a divine appointment which God says He promises to show up at? I want to find out in detail about this divine appointment of the return of the Messiah thats built into Gods feasts.

Sid Roth welcomes Mark Blitz

SID: Hello. Sid Roth here with Mark Biltz,and we found out the most amazing thing. How would you like to have gone into a dress rehearsal of the first coming of the Messiah? Well, the biblical feasts are so precise. I mean the exact moment the Messiah died was written into the feasts. In fact, you were telling me two and a half million Jewish people came to Jerusalem with what, 250,000 lambs sacrificed on Passover? Thats a lot of blood. MARK: Oh yeah. Even if a lamb had a quart of blood, youre looking at 55,000 to 60,000 gallons. Thats like a thousand 55 gallon drums of blood. Wheres all that blood go? The priest wouldve been swimming in blood. They would splash all the blood at the base of the alter. They had these like aqueducts under the Temple Mount, and the Temple faced east, so all the blood would go right downhill to the Valley of Blood, the Hinnom Valley. They had these giant cisterns filled with water, thousands of gallons of

water. They would release that water and the blood would be flowing, this massive river of blood and water flowing down the right side of the Temple Mount into the Valley of Blood. So when you think about that, the Father is in the Holy of Holies, the Son, Yeshua, is on the cross. So at the same moment the blood and water was flowing from the Sons side, a river of blood and water was gushing from the Fathers right side into the Valley of Blood. SID: Coincidentally, the side happens to be the right side. MARK: Ha ha! The right side. SID: Every detail is so precise! MARK: Yeah! Then in Judaism, if you remember when Jacob thought Joseph had died, he rent his garment from top to bottom. The symbolic aspect of that is its showing a broken heart. Its called keriah in Judaism. So what happens is, the blood and water is flowing from the Fathers right side, the veil is His garment. He rent His garment from top to bottom, showing His broken heart over the death of His Son. SID: You know what else is so amazing? As a matter of fact, the DVDs that youre making available and the workbook, what kind of feedback are you getting on this? MARK: The feedback is incredible. We are selling thousands and thousands to people all over the world; every nation. SID: Because its so simple, yet so profound. Speaking about something profound, on Yom Kippur, there is something in the Talmud. What happened 40 years before the destruction of the temple? Explain that. MARK: I think its amazing. In 70 A.D. the temple was destroyed, and the Talmud records that 40 years prior, which puts it at 30 A.D., right when Messiah died. What they would always do is tie a red crimson thread to the temple doors. Then on Yom Kippur, the scapegoat that was taken out in the wilderness, they would tie a red sash around one of its horns. Then when they got out to the edge of this cliff, they didnt want their sins returning, so they would throw the goat over the cliff so it would die. The crimson thread on the temple doors would miraculously, supernaturally turn white, and thats how they knew their sins were forgiven. But its recorded in the Talmud that, ever since 30 A.D., it stopped turning white. Then the temple menorah inside the Holy Place, the middle candle is called the Western Candle, and it was commanded in

Leviticus that the candle was never to go out. It had to burn continually. The Talmud records that all of a sudden that westernmost candle went out, and it would never stay lit. Then the other thing is, there were these massive doors. These doors in the temple were 75 feet high, monsters. 25 feet wide. It took 25 men to open these doors. They said also in the Talmud that those doors would just naturally open up by themselves. SID: So this begs the question. All these supernatural signs occurred 40 years before the temple was destroyed. Temple destroyed in 70 A.D. 40 years reversed goes to 30, the year 30. What did we miss on that year that caused all these supernatural signs to show that God was displeased with us? Were going right back to Yeshua as the Messiah. MARK: Oh yeah, definitely. All the signs pointed to Him. In Genesis 1:14, God said He was going to give us signs. SID:Ok. Speaking of signs, when we come back, I want you to talk about these strange signs in the sky that indicate something major is about ready to happen. But just as the spring feasts speak of the first coming of the Messiah, the fall feasts speak of His return. Tell me a bit about what insight we have on His return. MARK: Sure. The spring feasts were fulfilled in order, so the fall feasts will be fulfilled in order as well, not necessarily the same year; could be. The first fall feast is the Feast of Trumpets. I think people that have read the book of Revelation are familiar with trumpets. Then after the Feats of Trumpets, which I think signal the beginning of the tribulation, some year, on that day I dont set dates after that comes the feast of Yom Kippur. Thats Israels day of atonement. I believe some year, on that day, the veil will be removed, and Israel as a nation will recognize Yeshua as their Messiah. Then comes the Feast of Tabernacles, where He will tabernacle among men for that thousand year reign of peace. SID: Do you believe that as we get more and more insight into Gods feasts, we will be able to know the details of the return of the Messiah? MARK: I think so. SID: How strongly do you believe that? MARK: I believe that very strongly. In Daniel, it talks about in these last days knowledge will be increased, and I think thats not just scientific knowledge, but

biblical knowledge. I think that God is going to be removing the veil. In Isaiah, God says theres a veil over all nations. SID: Something is coming very soon, because Mark has some revelation on things going on in the sky, that show a major event is about ready to happen.

Sid Roth welcomes Mark Blitz

SID: Hello, Sid Roth here with Mark Biltz. Mark, you had a revelation last night. Im still staggered by it. Explain. MARK: Sure. As I was dreaming last night, all of a sudden I woke up, and the revelation hit me as far as whats happened to the word of God. I kind of think of it as a prune, or lets say something thats been dehydrated. All the waters been taken out of it. Thats how people sometimes view the Torah or the word of God. It needs to be hydrated. You need to have Yeshua is the river of life, the living water. I think what

has happened, a lot of people have taken the living water out of the word, and we need to rehydrate it. SID: And when its hydrated, you find out the most amazing things. Speaking of hydrated with the Spirit of God, the Messiah said thered strange signs in the atmosphere, in the sky, and you found out something amazing. MARK: Yes. Whats amazing to me is, Yeshua said there would be signs in the heavens: the sun would turn dark, the moon would turn to blood, or red. It quotes that in Joel as well. I thought this sounds like a total eclipse of the moon, a total eclipse of the sun. So I went to NASAs website. Because God is so mathematical, when He created the sun, moon, and stars, they can project all of the eclipses, thousands of years backward and forward. In Genesis 1:14, God said He created the sun and moon for signs. In Hebrew, the word there is oath, and it means signals. The main purpose of the sun and moon was that God wanted to send us signals. Then it says for seasons. We think winter, spring, summer, fall, but the Hebrew word is the same translated as festival. So the sun and moon, God created as signals on His feast days for signs of His appearing. Then it says its for days and years. So I went to NASAs website and looked, and lo and behold, there are four total eclipses of the moon back to back in 2014 and 2015. NASA calls it a tetrad, where theres no partial eclipses in the middle. I looked at it on our normal calendar and didnt notice anything, then I thought, well, I have to look at the biblical calendar. So I switched the dates to the biblical calendar, and behold, in 2014, on the first day of Passover, is when we have a total eclipse of the moon. The next one is on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, then again in 2015 theres a total eclipse of the moon on Passover again, then again on the Feast of Tabernacles. SID: Now looking back in the past, when there have been these total eclipses on these set appointments from God, these biblical feasts, there are some amazing, significant, prophetic things that have happened. MARK: Yes. These tetrads, or these four moons, total eclipses of them, happen rarely. But last century they happened twice. 1967 and 1968, when Jerusalem was recaptured, on Passover and Tabernacles, Passover and Tabernacles. And then again right after Israel became a nation in 1948, it happened in 1949 and 1950. So I thought, oh my gosh, this is tied to Israel. I looked in the 1800s, there werent any, 1700s there werent any, 1600s there werent any. In the 1500s there were like four or five times, but none of them fell on the feast days. Then in 1492 is when all the Jews were kicked out of

Spain, and in 1493 and 1494, the same thing. I thought, wow, 2014 and 2015 looks like its going to be pretty significant. SID: We know its going to be significant, just based on what youve said. A little sanctified speculation; what might happen. Might. I know we cant predict, but might. MARK: Yeah, I dont predict anything, but I think this is a sign that will happen during the tribulation, at some period of the seven year tribulation. I dont know if its in the beginning, middle, or end. I think that God is trying to signal His people that theres something significant thatll be happening in 2014 and 2015. And the reason for that too is, I thought, what about the solar eclipse, because He also said the sun would turn dark. So I looked at NASAs website, correlated it to the biblical holidays. It so happens Nissan 1, lets say roughly April 1st, God told Moses to change the calendar that began in the fall to begin in the spring, for the religious calendar. It so happens, on Nissan 1 is when Moses set up the tabernacle. Theres a total eclipse of the sun on the first day of the religious calendar. Then two weeks later on Passover, the total lunar eclipse. Then theres another solar eclipse on the Feast of Trumpets, followed by another total lunar eclipse on Tabernacles in 2015. SID: What feast is the Messiah going to return on? MARK: I think His feet will land on the Mount of Olives People mean different things by return, but in Zechariah 14 it says His feet will land on the Mount of Olives, itll split in two. Then three times in Zechariah 14, it talks about everyone, from all the nations of the world, have to come to Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Tabernacles, which has to do with Yeshua tabernacling among men for the thousand year reign. So I believe His feet will land on the Mount of Olives on Yom Kippur, then five days later you have the Feast of Tabernacles, Hell begin His millennial reign. SID: What doesnt make sense to me is, the first church was all Jewish, observed all of Gods feasts. Then there was an interim period where the feasts stopped. Then in the millennium, as you just mentioned, Zechariah says well start resuming the Feast of Tabernacles. Isaiah talks about the Sabbath. All these things are going to be renewed. Now we know these feasts have nothing to do with our relationship with God, the cleansing of our sin, the atonement of

our sin, our righteousness. It has nothing to do with that. But it has a lot to do with understanding the times and seasons that were living in. MARK: Oh definitely, definitely. Well be sitting down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at that feast. And like you said, its not a salvation thing. But I tell you what, how many people want to be at the wedding supper of the Lamb? If you want to be there, itd be good to be at the dress rehearsals to know whats expected. SID: Speaking of dress rehearsals, do you know that you can have a dress rehearsal for heaven? You really can. You can experience heaven while youre still on earth. You can experience the kingdom of heaven, the rule of heaven. You dont have to put up with all the nonsense that life has to offer. You can have an encounter with God for yourself. Im not talking about religion, Im not talking about terminology, like being born again, or saved, or any of these things that are turn-offs to most people. But theres something thats not a turn-off, and thats having intimacy with God for yourself. Whatever your religion, do you have intimacy with God? Im not talking about knowing and believing in Him, Im talking about intimacy with Him. Im talking about hearing His voice. Im talking about walking in divine peace. Im talking about fulfilling destiny. Theres only one way to know God, and thats the Passover Lamb has been slain. His name? Yeshua in Hebrew, Jesus in English. And all that blood that flowed washed away every one of your sins. Although you think youre a pretty good person, God says all of your righteousness is as of unclean linen in His sight, because compared to His holiness, youre unrighteous. So you need His blood. You need the blood to wash away your sins. Tell Him this. Say I believe the blood of Jesus washes away my sins, and Im clean. And now that Im clean, Jesus, live inside of me. I make You my Lord and Savior. Amen. Thats it.

Pastor: Christians Should Celebrate Jewish Holidays September 11, 2009 2:20 AM

While some evangelical leaders and politicians are urging Christians to commemorate the Islamic holiday of Ramadan, one pastor is calling on believers to join with Jews around the world next Friday in observing Rosh Hoshana - or the Feast of Trumpets.

Mark Biltz, who specializes in teaching the Hebrew roots of Christianity, says the biblical feasts in the fall and spring calendar are not just, as commonly believed, "Jewish holidays." "These are not Jewish holidays, they are the Lord's holidays," explains Biltz, who has recorded teaching videos, "The Feasts of the Lord," for WND. "As gentiles we are also joining in the wakeup call for all Jews to return to the Torah and to Hashem," says Biltz. "This is in response to Zechariah 8:23: 'Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.'" Biltz adds: "We are asking gentiles from around the world to join our global wave of shofar blasts around the world in every time zone honoring Hashem as King." "The Feasts of the Lord" have special meaning and significance for all believers in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, says Biltz. They were commemorated by Jesus and His apostles - and continued to be observed by Jesus' followers in the first century even

after His death and Resurrection. They also have special meaning with respect to the life, death, resurrection and return of Jesus, he points out. There's still time to learn these important lessons before the fall feasts are past. Rosh Hashana begins Friday night, Sept. 18 this year. It is followed by Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, Sept. 27. "I believe these DVDs can profoundly increase the faith of followers of Jesus, giving them a new appreciation of who He is, why He came and what He expects of us," says Joseph Farah, founder and editor of WND and the producer of the video series. "I think most people who view these teachings by Pastor Mark Biltz will be stunned by what they learn about the meaning of these feasts in our lives." For instance, is it true the Bible says we cannot know the day or the hour of Jesus' return? On the contrary, says "The Feasts of the Lord," the Bible is quite specific about the day of His return - it's just the year that remains a mystery. This misunderstanding of what the Lord said about His return is due to a simple misreading of the Scriptures - partly a result of not understanding the cultural context of the message. Would you like to know the specific day of the Lord's return? The spring feasts - or appointed times - were fulfilled by the first coming of Yeshua, the Hebrew name of Jesus, which means "Salvation," explains Biltz. The fall feasts will be fulfilled by His Second Coming - in the very near future, he relates in an engaging, informative and entertaining series of teachings you will want to watch again and again and share with your friends, relatives and fellow believers. Biltz emphasizes that these feasts, described in Leviticus, were not intended for the Jewish people alone. He says they are meant to be observed as well as to serve as signs of the times in which we live - reminders of the greatest events of the past and foreshadowings of the future. Biltz says much of the church is asleep - unaware of the significance of the feasts in God's holy time clock. The feasts were not intended to be abandoned by believers after the coming of Jesus. His followers observed them in the First Century. It's time to rediscover them again as the hour of His return approaches.

The fall feasts began Sept. 30 with the Feast of Trumpets, or Rosh Hashana. Christian believers will be stunned by the importance of this feast and all the others to follow when they view this unique teaching video by Biltz, an expert in the Hebrew roots of Christianity. "Just as the spring feasts were the dress rehearsals for Messiah's first coming, the fall feasts are the dress rehearsals for His Second Coming," says Biltz. Biltz says far from telling us not to be concerned about the time of the Lord's return, the Bible over and over again commands believers to be "watching" - and provides some shocking and amazing hints for the discerning student. The video series pinpoints the specific day on the Hebrew calendar for the return of Jesus. The only unknown, according to Biltz, is which year that return will occur though he makes the case it is very near. Biltz says most of the church is unaware of this very specific prophetic time clock offered by God to the human race in the Bible. Because of this, he believes many Christians will be surprised rather than watching with anticipation and hope, as the Bible commands. "Your faith will be renewed or heightened to new limits by these teachings, I predict," says Farah. "These are powerful videos - unlike anything ever produced before."