From the humid lowlands of Brazil to the intensely cold and clear air of the Colorado Rockies at 10,000 feet elevation, tens of millions early Tuesday watched a lunar eclipse, the first of a "tetrad" of four blood moons that are to occur over the next 18 months.
Amid all of the scientific explanations, even establishment media couldn't help but ask: "Does the Bible predict the 'blood moon'?"
Pastor Mark Biltz, whose "Blood Moons: Decoding the Imminent Heavenly Signs" is one of the hottest books in America, believes that people, indeed, need to be paying attention.
"I believe that the blood moons have great historic and prophetic significance just as they did following 1948 and 1967. In the book of Joel it mentions three times about the sun and the moon going dark and in context it also mentions Divine wrath against all countries that want to divide or part the land of Israel," he said.
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"I believe the moons are like flashing red warning lights at a heavenly intersection saying to Israel as well as the nations they will be crossing heavenly red lines and if they do, they will understand as Pharaoh did on Passover night 3,500 years ago that the Creator backs up what He says."
Biltz said that like Pharaoh, the "leaders and pundits of today will realize when it comes to crossing the red lines of the Creator of the universe he has more than a pen and a phone in his hand."
Pastor John Hagee, author of "Four Blood Moons," would agree.
In a commentary published by Christian Post, he wrote:
"Is there any significance to these extraordinary celestial events? Could it be that God is using the sun, moon, and stars to communicate with us and to announce things to come? The answer is yes!
"The Bible is clear that the sun, moon, and stars are connected to Israel and biblical prophecy. Throughout history God has used the science of astronomy (never astrology!) in connection with historical events to write prophetic messages in the heavens.
"One significant way God reveals coming events is through a phenomenon that scientists call "Blood Moons." These are total lunar eclipses in which the moon appears to be blood red.
"The coming message from God is so urgent that He is going to sovereignly arrange the sun and the moon to perfectly align themselves to create not just one Blood Moon, but a tetrad - a series of four consecutive Blood Moons!
"God is clearly speaking to us through the coming series of Four Blood Moons. The question is, are we watching and listening?"
Biltz's work explains the significance of the dates of the four total lunar eclipses that started Tuesday on Passover.
The second will be Oct. 8, 2014, during the Jewish Feast of the Tabernacles. The third will come on April 5, 2015, during next year's Passover celebration, and the fourth will arrive on September 28, 2015, another Feast of the Tabernacles, also known as Sukkot.
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One NASA page online was reporting nearly 26 million views, and across the country, museums were reporting crowds for middle-of-the-night openings for the viewing.
CNN reported more than a quarter million watched on Express.co.uk, and in answer to its own question about God speaking, CNN posted Kenneth Waters' commentary that said while signs may be in the heavens, Christians should look to their calling.
"Instead of looking to the heavens for signs of the future, Christians should focus on the hope and promise of the gospel message and seek to reflect Christ in word and deed," he said.
"And especially as we enter Holy Week and anticipate Easter, may each of us look within our own hearts for those shadows that keep us from enjoying the fullness of relationship with the Creator of the sun, the stars, and yes, the blood moons."
Images of the eclipse were posted online from Minnesota, Florida, California, Oklahoma, Utah, Colorado and Brazil.
Biltz noted the tetrad has happened only a handful of times over the last 2,000 years.
"And the last two times these occurred on the Jewish holidays there was a war in the Middle East regarding the nation of Israel. These are patterns and historical facts that cannot be disregarded. The Jewish Talmud records that total lunar eclipses are indicators or omens for the nation of Israel," Biltz said.
The previous tetrads were in the late 1940s when Israel as a state was born and during 1967, when Israel fought the Six-Day war.
"We need to be watching when those events happen," he said.
In an interview with Israel News, Biltz explained that the Old Testament prophet Joel wrote that a blood moon would mark the day of the Lord. Biltz believes that it then stands to reason that some significant historical events will take place either right before or shortly after a blood moon is seen.
He cites the additional factors of the fourth blood moon in the current series. It's a super moon, viewed at its closest point to earth, and will be a total eclipse, seen in Israel on the holy high day.
The report also noted that there will be two solar eclipses in 2015, one on the first day of the Hebrew month of Nissan (March 20) and another on Rosh Hashanah (Sept. 13).
"Both of these Jewish dates are considered significant in that they are 'New Years' for different aspects of the Jewish calendar. According to Jewish tradition, the first of Nissan is the new year for God and Kings while Rosh Hashanah celebrates the Jewish new year in the Hebrew calendar," the report said.
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