The definition of a sign is "an object or event whose presence or occurrence indicates the probable presence or occurrence of something else to follow." The first mention of a 'sign' in the Bible is in Genesis 1:14 on the fourth day of creation when God made the sun, moon, and stars. "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years." Here, the celestial bodies are established as markers of time and divine order.
SIGNS AND SEASONS
The word sign' is the English translation of the Hebrew word (transliteration) 'oth,' which can mean sign, token, mark, or miracle. "It often refers to a visible or tangible indication of something significant, such as a divine promise, covenant, or miraculous event. In the context of the Old Testament, 'oth' can signify a range of things from a physical mark to a supernatural occurrence that serves as evidence of God's intervention or presence. The Hebrew word 'oth' is used 79 times in the Old Testament. It is translated as 'sign' 60 times, including Genesis 1:14." {1}
The word 'season' is the English translation of the Hebrew word 'moed.' "The Hebrew word 'moed' primarily refers to an appointed time or place, often used in the context of sacred festivals, religious gatherings, or divinely appointed meetings. It signifies a time set apart for a specific purpose, often involving worship or remembrance. In the context of the tabernacle and temple, moed can also refer to the "tent of meeting," where God would meet with His people." {2}
In Exodus 13:9-10, God tells Moses that when the Hebrew children of future generations ask why they were to celebrate Passover/Unleavened Bread during the middle of the first month of the year, the parents were to tell them, "And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the Lord's law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the Lord brought thee out of Egypt. Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year."
The sun, moon, and stars were to be used by the Hebrews for not only their calendars (days and years) but also their yearly religious gatherings known as the Feasts of the Lord, which occurred during the spring (and late spring/early summer) and fall seasons. Genesis 1:14 says the heavenly bodies would also be used as signs preceding significant future events or times.
Several biblical verses mention heavenly signs. One is in Jeremiah 10:2: “Thus says the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.” Another one is in Isaiah 7:10-11: “Moreover the Lord spoke again unto Ahaz, saying, Ask for a sign of the Lord your God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.”
The first heavenly sign recorded in the Bible is in Exodus 10 during, the time of Moses and the Exodus when God sent the ninth plague against Egypt and their Pharoah. "And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven, and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings" (Genesis 10:22-23). This was not a naturally occurring eclipse, as solar eclipses don't last three hours, much less three days. This thick darkness "that could be felt" was a supernatural event caused by God Almighty.
One of the most fantastic heavenly signs or miracles in the Bible occurred during the time of Joshua. “Then spoke Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand you still upon Gibeon; and you, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day” (Joshua 10:12-13).
The Bible mentions heavenly signs that signal significant events for the Jews (and Gentiles). Before Jesus' birth, the wise men from the east followed the sign of a 'star.' "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him" (Matthew 2:1-2).
There are many prophecies concerning the world's end (as we know it) and the coming of God's wrath, often called the "day of the Lord." "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord" (Joel 2:30-31). Matthew 24:29-30 says, "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: 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." The sign that precedes the Son of man's appearance (second coming) is the brilliant light of His Shekinah glory that will light up the sky after an indeterminate time of darkness.
The Talmud tells us that the solar eclipse is a sign or omen for the Gentiles, who base time on the solar calendar, and a lunar eclipse is a sign or omen for the Jews, who calculate the months (and Moeds/Feast days) according to the cycles of the Moon. 1 Corinthians 1:22 says, “For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom.” Of course, not all eclipses are signs from God, but I believe some of them may very well be.
In this article, we will look at some lunar eclipses (and solar eclipses), both past and future, and see how they could be construed as a “sign” for the Jews. In my article, A Proposed Chronology of the Life of Jesus Christ (rev310.net), I wrote, “The life of Jesus was fatefully linked with two kings. King Herod 1 (Herod the Great) was the King of the Jews in the Roman province of Judah during the time Jesus was born, and Tiberius Caesar Augustus was the emperor/king of the Roman Empire during Jesus’ ministry and death."
JESUS' BIRTH
The date of the death of Herod is the crucial chronological point of when Jesus was born. Matthew 2:1 says, “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.”
King Herod had to be alive at the time of Jesus’ birth to have fulfilled Matthew 2:16, in which he murdered babies in Bethlehem from two years old and under, ”according to the time which he had inquired of the wise men.” That doesn’t mean baby Jesus was necessarily two years old at this time. He could have been an infant. Herod was trying to “cover all the bases” to kill the baby king. Therefore, the date of the death of Herod is a crucial chronological point in the life (and birth) of Jesus.
Just as the birth and death dates for Jesus are debatable, so is the death of Herod. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (37 AD- 100 AD) is the primary source of information regarding the death of Herod and, thus, the birth of Jesus. In “Antiquities of the Jews,” Josephus records Herod’s death occurring between a lunar eclipse of the moon and a Passover. Since full moon lunar eclipses often occur during Passover, this particular lunar eclipse didn’t occur on Passover but shortly before.” How short? That is the question scholars have been asking for centuries now.
Four lunar eclipses were visible from Jerusalem in the possible timeframe of the birth of Jesus, from 7 BC to 1 BC. The dates of these eclipses are March 23, 5 BC (total eclipse occurred on Passover), September 16, 5 BC (total eclipse occurred on Tabernacles), March 13, 4 BC (partial eclipse occurred one month before Passover), and January 10, 1 BC (total eclipse). After much research, I now believe the September 16, 5 BC total lunar eclipse (part of Saros lunar cycle #66) is the one Josephus wrote about in Antiquities of the Jews, 17.167. “But Herod deprived this Matthias of the high priesthood and burnt the other Matthias, who had raised the sedition, with his companions, alive. And that very night, there was an eclipse of the moon.”
I believe the birth of Jesus occurred on the same date (September 16, 5 BC) and the same lunar eclipse that Josephus wrote about (regarding Herod). Herod was doing his evil act in Jerusalem (of burning two rabbis alive) while Mary was giving birth to Jesus in Bethlehem, all under a blood-red full moon.
Herod probably died before March 13, 4 BC, when a partial lunar eclipse occurred, as Josephus doesn’t mention another moon eclipse when referring to Herod. This partial eclipse (part of Saros lunar cycle 71) occurred early at about 2:30 am, so it probably wasn’t noticed much. The earlier lunar eclipse of September 16, 5 BC, would allow six months for all of the events that Josephus, Luke, Matthew, and Josephus recorded regarding Herod before he died. The Passover that Josephus mentioned (that occurred after Herod’s death) occurred one month later after the partial eclipse of March 13, 4 BC. The date would have been April 11 (Nisan 15), 4 BC. Baby Jesus would have been nearly seven months old at this point.
The total lunar eclipse that took place on the date of Jesus' birth (September 16, 5 BC) on the Feast of Tabernacles, Tishri 1, was part of Saros lunar cycle 66. This is a fitting number as 6 represents “man” in the Bible, and Jesus was the “Son of man.” 1 Corinthians 15:25 calls Jesus the last Adam. Adam was the first created man (as God formed him from the dust of the earth), and Jesus (the second Adam), as a human being, was conceived by God, the Holy Spirit.
If Jesus was born on the Feast of Tabernacles in 5 BC, there was a heavenly sign of a total lunar eclipse given to the Jews on that day. There was also a total lunar eclipse sign given approximately six months earlier, on Passover, March 23, 5 BC. You could say that is a double heavenly sign.
JESUS' DEATH
Jesus began his ministry shortly after John the Baptist's ministry. John records three Passovers Jesus attended and possibly another one simply identified as a 'feast.' They are mentioned in John 2:13, John 5:1, John 6:4, and John 19:14. It is believed by this author that Jesus’ ministry began in the fall of 29 AD and continued until the spring of 33 AD. There are no NASA-recorded lunar eclipses that occurred on any of the Feast of the Lord days (Passover and Tabernacles) in the possible timeframe of Jesus' crucifixion until we get to 32 AD.
There was a total lunar eclipse on April 14, 32 AD (Nisan 14/Passover), but it wasn’t visible from Israel. There also was a total lunar eclipse on October 7, 32 AD (Tishri 15/Tabernacles) that was visible from Israel. It was also part of Saros lunar cycle 66. This would have occurred on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, nearly six months before Jesus died on Passover (Nisan 14) in 33 AD (IMO).
John records this Feast of Tabernacles in John 7. “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:37-39).
Jesus died on Nisan 14 before the Jewish celebration of Passover on Nisan 15. His death occurred on Thursday, April 2, 33 AD, on the Julian calendar. The three hours of darkness that occurred during the last hours of Jesus' death was not a natural eclipse (as a solar eclipse cannot occur during a full moon and does not last for three hours) but was a supernatural event from God. The next day, on Friday, April 3 (Nisan 15), 33 AD, there was a partial lunar eclipse that was seen from Jerusalem, Israel. This was part of Saros lunar cycle 71. The Saros cycle, which governs the periodicity and recurrence of eclipses, lasts approximately 6,585.3 days (equivalent to 18 years, 11 days, and 8 hours). This Saros cycle is the same one in which the lunar eclipse occurred one month before the Passover that Josephus mentioned before Herod died in 4 BC.
As I mentioned before, Jesus was crucified on the Feast of Passover in 33 AD. The following day (the first day of Unleavened Bread/Nisan 15) there was a heavenly sign given to the Jews of a total lunar eclipse. There was also a total lunar eclipse sign given approximately six months earlier on Tabernacles, October 7, 32 AD. Once again, you could say that is a double heavenly sign, not to mention the supernatural sign of three hours of darkness during Jesus' last three hours on the cross.
So, regarding the first advent of Jesus, He was born on the Feast of Tabernacles, Saturday (the Sabbath), September 16, 5 BC (on the Julian calendar), which was Tishri 15 on the Jewish calendar. There was a total lunar eclipse that was seen from Israel on this day. It was part of Saros lunar cycle 66. Jesus died on the Feast of Passover on Thursday, April 2, 33 AD, which was Nisan 14 on the Jewish calendar. There was a partial lunar eclipse that was seen from Israel the next day on Nisan 15. It was part of Saros lunar cycle 71.
JESUS' SECOND ADVENT
Let's look at 2000 years (or two days for the LORD) from Jesus' death in 33 AD to the year 2033 for a possible scenario for the return of Jesus to the Earth. See After the Sixth Day for the biblical typologies that suggest this scenario is feasible. On Passover (Nisan 14), April 14, 2033, five and a half months before the Feast of Trumpets and six months before Tabernacles, there will be a total lunar eclipse that will be visible from Israel. This could be a heavenly sign for the Jews that their long-awaited Messiah is coming to the Earth to save them and to establish His earthly kingdom.
There will be a lunar tetrad in 2032/2033, just like there was in 2014/2015 and 1967/1968. The Saros lunar cycle for 2032 is #122 (one month after Passover) and #127 (one month after Tabernacles), which are the same numbered cycles for the eclipses of 2014 and 1967 that occurred on Passover and Tabernacles. The Saros lunar cycle for the Passover eclipses of 1968, 2015, and 2033 is #132, and the cycle for the Tabernacles eclipses is #137. Saturday, October 8, 2033, is the date for the fall eclipse (#137) that will occur on Tishri 16, which is the second day of Tabernacles. However, this eclipse will not be visible from Israel.
I believe (as many Christians do) that Jesus will return to the Earth on the Feast of Trumpets. After this, He will fulfill the last two Feast of the Lord, Atonement and Tabernacles. If 2033 is the correct year for his return, it will occur on the new (dark) moon conjunction of September 23, 2033, or Tishri 1 on the Jewish calendar. There is a partial solar eclipse that takes place on this date, but it will not be visible from Israel. According to Scripture, at this juncture of the Tribulation (if it is the correct timeframe), the sun and moon will not give or reflect light, so the Trumpets and Tabernacle eclipses of 2033 will not occur naturally.
The Feast of Trumpets occurs during the new moon conjunction. Here is something unusual regarding dates for Trumpets (and new moon conjunctions) in the 1st and 21st centuries. If the Jews had accepted Jesus as their Messiah, his kingdom wouldn't have begun right away. He would still have had to die on the cross for mankind's sins and be resurrected three days later. Likewise, he would still have ascended into heaven on the 40th day and ten days later would send the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, thus fulfilling the fourth Feast of the Lord.
However, Daniel's 70th week (Daniel 9:24,27) must still be fulfilled, so Jesus would have returned seven years later in 40 AD. See The Resumption of Daniel’s 70th Week for all the details on how this could have theoretically played out. As I mentioned, most scholars believe Christ will return on the Feast of Trumpets, as that is the next Feast to be fulfilled by Lord Jesus. The date for the new moon conjunction on Trumpets (Tishri 1) in 40 AD was September 23 on the proleptic Gregorian calendar. This could have been the date for Jesus' second advent if the Jews had accepted Him as their messiah king.
The date for the new moon conjunction on Trumpets in 2033 is also September 23 on the Gregorian calendar. The difference between the two new moon conjunctions of 40 AD and 2033 is only 13 hours and 31 minutes difference. Ironically (or not), September 23, 2017, was the supposed date for the astronomical (constellation) sign that many people believed mirrored Revelation 12:1. However, it did not occur on a new moon conjunction. "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars."
Revelation 12 is the chapter that refers to Israel's history from the time of Jesus to the last 3.5 years of Daniel's 70th seven, known as Jacob's trouble. Most Bible scholars believe Revelation 12:1 refers to Joseph's dream regarding his father, mother, and eleven brothers, as recorded in Genesis 37:9. "And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me." Of course, these family members are the patriarchs of the nation of Israel. Joseph was the twelfth star of Revelation 12:1.
In our current year of 2025, we are basically in the same 'season' regarding the moon's phases as 32 AD (the year preceding Christ's death). The new moon conjunctions (of Nisan 1 and Tishri 1) and full moon conjunctions (of Nisan 15 and Tishri 15) align on the same day in most cases (within hours usually). 2026 aligns with 33 AD, 2027 aligns with 34 AD,....2033 aligns with 40 AD, etc. Do these alignments (moon's phases on Feast of the Lord days) signify anything prophetically for the time we live in now? That is the million-dollar question.
Something that is often overshadowed by Jesus' death, resurrection, and ascension in 33 AD is the Church's birth. The Church began on the Feast of Shavuot (aka Pentecost) in 33 AD. Pentecost occurs 50 days after the Feast of Firstfruits (which occurs on the first day after the weekly Sabbath after Passover/Nisan 14). Jesus was resurrected on the Feast of Firstfruits. See Shavuot, Pentecost, and the Rapture for more information on these Feasts of the Lord.
Regarding these 1st-century and 21st-century alignments, it makes you wonder what will happen to the Church in 2026, as it aligns (relatively) with 33 AD, the year the Church was born. Besides the Jewish calendar (based on the lunisolar calendar), the Julian calendar employed by the Romans was used throughout the Middle East at this time. In the first century AD, there is a two-day difference between the Julian calendar and the proleptic Gregorian calendar. The following charts compare the dates of the Feasts of Passover, Firstfruits, and Pentecost in 33 AD with 2026 AD.
33 AD (Julian calendar) 2026 AD (Gregorian calendar)
Passover (Nisan 14) - Thursday, April 2, 33 AD Thursday, April 2, 2026 AD
Firstfruits (Nisan 17) - Sunday, April 5, 33 AD Sunday, April 5, 2026 AD
Pentecost (Sivan 7) - Sunday, May 24, 33 AD Sunday, May 24, 2026 AD
The date on the Julian calendar for Passover/Nisan 14, 33 AD, was Thursday, April 2 (or March 31 on the proleptic Gregorian calendar). The full moon conjunction occurred at 5:52 pm (Israel time) on April 3, 33 AD, on the Julian calendar.
The date for Passover/Nisan 14, 2026, is Thursday, April 2, on our Gregorian calendar. The full moon conjunction will occur at 5:12 am on April 2, 2026. Incidentally, there is a total solar eclipse (visible from North and South America) that will occur one month earlier on March 3, 3026 (part of Saros cycle 133).
SAROS CYCLES
So, before Jesus' birth, death, and (possible) second advent, there was/will be a sign given to the Jews (on a Feast day approximately six months ahead of another Feast day) in the manner of a total lunar eclipse (visible from Jerusalem), that something very important was/is about to take place regarding their Messiah. I believe Jesus was born on Tabernacles and died on Passover, both under a blood-red moon. I believe He will return on a dark moon of Trumpets.
Saros cycles:
Passover - Total lunar eclipse - Six months before Jesus' birth - March 23, 5 BC - Saros cycle 61
Tabernacles - Total lunar eclipse - Jesus' birth (IMO) - September 16, 5 BC - Saros 66
Tabernacles - Total lunar eclipse - Six months before Jesus' death - October 7, 32 AD - Saros 66
Passover - Partial lunar eclipse - One day after Jesus' death (1st day of Feast of U.B.) - April 3, 33 AD - Saros 71
Passover - Total lunar eclipse - 5.5 months before possible Second Coming on Trumpets - April 14, 2033 AD - Saros 132
Tabernacles - Total lunar eclipse - Two weeks after Second Coming on Trumpets - October 8, 2033 - - - Saros 137
Saros cycle math: 61+71=132; 66+71=137; 66+66=132
Besides the total lunar eclipse (visible from Israel) on Passover, April 14, 2033, there will also be a total solar eclipse that will be seen from North America approximately six months ahead of Trumpets on March 30, 2033. However, on the day Jesus returns to the earth, the sun and moon will not give or reflect light due to the catastrophes that have occurred on the Earth during the Tribulation. How long this darkness lasts is unknown, perhaps three days as in the times of Moses and the 9th plague/sign of Egypt. For more information regarding the Saros cycles, solar and lunar eclipses, and how they point to Jesus, see my previous article, Heavenly Signs or Natural Phenomenon – Part II.
A lunar eclipse is caused by Earth blocking sunlight from reaching the moon and creating a shadow across the lunar surface. Isn’t it fitting that Jesus, as the Word, created and set in motion the sun, moon, and earth eons ago? Even during creation (and before), God, the Father, had in place His plan to redeem mankind. He would send, in the fullness of time, the Word to the earth to become the Son of God and the Son of man (Jesus Christ), a kinsman redeemer for His creation. The sign of His coming/s would be these heavenly objects that He created, aligning themselves so that the moon would appear blood red. “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven” (Colossians 1:20).
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it" (Revelation 21:1-2,23-24).
Jesus Himself said, "I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12). He also said, "I, Jesus, have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star" (Revelation 22:16).
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Randy Nettles
P.S. Upcoming solar eclipses for America and Israel: Eclipses in Israel and Eclipses in the United States. Upcoming rare alignment of the planets: A Rare Alignment of 7 Planets Is About to Take Place in The Sky: ScienceAlert
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