'Blood moons' discoverer fires back at 'end of world' claims

He's the pastor who discovered the "blood moons" phenomenon, and now he's being called a herald of the apocalypse.

But Mark Biltz, head of El Shaddai Ministries and the author of "Blood Moons: Decoding the Imminent Heavenly Signs," says critics who claim he is predicting the imminent end of the world have it all wrong.

"I believe and have always taught these signs in the heavens do not mark the end of the world," said Biltz. "My interpretation is that we have at least another 1,000 years. But I do believe these signs portend major changes, including a possible major war involving Israel and an economic collapse."

Biltz was responding to a recent series of claims that he is preaching that the end of the world will accompany the final blood moon of a tetrad Sept. 28.

According to the Daily Mirror in the United Kingdomd, Biltz believes the blood moons are "the indicator of the end of earth as described in the Bible in Acts 2:20 and Revelation 6:12."

Not so, says Biltz.

But he does warn "the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is trying to get the attention of the entire world."

And judging from the widespread attention the "blood moons" are attracting from around the world, God is succeeding.

Biltz believes God is sending signs in the sky to urge the world to repent. And those who dismiss these signs do so at their peril.

"There are always the naysayers and the agnostics when it comes to God trying to reach mankind in His urgent message to repent. Even among the religious you have the leaders in every generation who deny God's signs. God plainly says in His Word in Genesis 1:14 that He created the sun and the moon to send us signals according to His calendar. Here we have had four total lunar eclipses in a row on Passover and Tabernacles. And just look what is happening in the world today!"

According to Biltz, September is shaping up to be a perfect storm of global catastrophes. He cited several examples from at home and abroad. In the United States, civil order is under assault as police are increasingly under attack, homosexual marriage has been imposed on the entire country and Christians are being sent to jail for their beliefs. Abroad, the recent panic over Ebola showed the potential for a global health crisis, a shooting war continues in Ukraine and Russian troops are rumored to be in Syria.

In the Middle East, the rise of ISIS, Barack Obama's nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran and the push for recognition of a Palestinian state are all leading to a highly precarious security situation.

In the developed world, the refugee crisis raises the specter of a fully Islamized Europe, and the global economy is highly unstable as fears persist of a coming "economic apocalypse."

There is even a crisis in the natural world. Scientists are mystified by mass animal die-offs and disease outbreaks.

"Just as signs warn of things to come, I believe we have only seen the beginning of what is quickly coming at us," said Biltz. "Events are coming through the end of next year that will astound us all."

Biltz argues what is important is not just what signs are in the sky, but the dates when these astronomical occurrences are taking place. God wants the world "and His people in particular" to return to the Jewish calendar and celebrate His feast days.

"The Muslims, Hindus, Chinese, Christians and everyone else have all created their own calendar system but God is putting the world on notice that His is the one that really matters. God is even giving signs in the heavens through blood moons and solar eclipses appearing specifically on significant dates on the biblical calendar to grab the world's attention."

Biltz says believers should view these signs not just as warnings but as a heavenly invitation by God to celebrate His feast days.

He argues: "These are not just harbingers of things to come. I believe the heavenly call is going out to all would come to the Feast."

He cites Matthew 22:2-5, which states: "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise."

"Many believers want nothing to do with the Feasts of the Lord," mourns Biltz. "Some only want to study them but God is calling us to join Him for His Feasts. As believers we need to get on God's calendar not just study it. The religious leaders in Jesus' (or Yeshua's) day were rebuked for not understanding the signs of the times. God is again using the signs in the heavens to get our attention that we need to get connected to the Shemitah cycle to properly understand prophecy."

Biltz urges Christians to return to the biblical calendar and to also study the importance of the Shemitah cycle. The biblical principle of the Shemitah was given to ancient Israel, when God told Moses in Deuteronomy 15: 1-2 that the Israelites were to observe a Sabbath year once every seven years, allowing the land to rest with no sowing or reaping, while fellow Israelites were to be released from their debts. As long as the ancient Jewish nation followed the one true God, the Shemitah resulted in economic, spiritual and material blessings. But when Israel abandoned God’s ways and embraced pagan customs, the Shemitah manifested as judgment.

Biltz believes America is inviting such judgment. And foreign media outlets are already commenting on how America's economic instability seems to correlate with the biblical pattern.

Biltz says anyone who presumes to make predictions about the end times should understand it is based on the biblical calendar. He believes the prophesied seven-year tribulation "cannot begin just anywhere" or "in just a random year on our pagan calendar."

For Christians to understand it, they need to adopt "God's calendar" and celebrate the feast days Biltz believes God Himself wants people to celebrate.

"With everything that is going on, I hope God gives us more time," said Biltz. "May God give us more years for the body of believers worldwide to come into this understanding of participating in the Feasts. May we have enough time to obtain wisdom and understanding that everyone can be ready."