And The Moon Shall Turn to Blood

MoonToBloodThirty years ago, I encountered a book that changed my life. It introduced to me a unique way of interpreting and understanding prophetic phrases. Passages of scripture that previously mystified me with their obscurity became clear as day and have maintained that clarity ever since. I know of no other book that has impacted my thinking about the last days quite like Anthony Larson’s first book in the Prophecy Trilogy …And the Moon Shall Turn to Blood… The Very Last Days.

As I read the book for the first time I had numerous “ah ha” moments that caused me to open the scriptures to annotate them with new insights. Even after dozens of subsequent readings, I still get that same feeling of wonder each time I read it again. At 136 pages it only takes a few hours to read. For me, the insights from pondering the ideas presented continue for days. The book has led me to a multitude of discoveries about the history of this world and our future world events.

I always wondered why some things described in the scriptures seemed like magic. I knew God was not a magician and wondered if there couldn’t be a logical explanation for such things. Although I picked up the book because of my interest in the last days, I was surprised to learn how the miracles of the Exodus may have come about and how they can explain the prophesied events of the end times. In the process I was introduced to the ideas of Immanuel Velikovsky.

Controversial Theories of History

Even after thirty years of discussing this book with others, I still find the majority of people I encounter have never heard of Immanuel Velikovsky, the author of Worlds in Collision, a best-selling book first published in 1950. The public bought millions of copies. The academic and scientific community denounced it as pseudoscience and declared war on Velikovsky. Carl Sagan ridiculed Velikovsky at a famous 1974 science conference and in his TV show Cosmos.

I think the reason Velikovsky was denounced so vociferously was because he used biblical sources to supplement his other, more accepted histories to put forth his theories. That and the fact that he claimed Venus was ejected from Jupiter in the recent past. Carl Sagan especially had a field day with that one. I won’t get into the science arguments here. Just be aware that a large part of Anthony’s book is based on the idea of close encounters between Earth, Venus and Mars.

Even though both Velikovsky and Anthony Larson present their books as theories, because the ideas are so radical, they are attacked by those who supposedly know, based on science that such things could never be. If you are married to the idea that science has all the answers then you will find this book infuriating. If you are open to the possibility that what we currently accept as fact, even laws of the universe, may in fact also be theories, then you will gain much from this book.

Last Days Foretold

How much do you think about the prophesied events of the last days? If you’re like most people, it’s probably very little to not at all. Yet I suspect that within a few years, it’s a subject that will be on everyone’s mind, perhaps night and day. Why? Even though I’m in the latter part of my time here on earth, I am confident I will see some of the cataclysmic events foretold in the scriptures fulfilled before I die. When these things start happening, the whole world will change.

Social upheaval, economic collapse, government failure, breakdown of the communication and transportation infrastructure and all kinds of other events we worry about can all be explained without any reference to unusual cosmological or geological happenings. But when you throw in earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, plagues, new comets, showers of meteorites that are not predicted and all kinds of other unforeseen events in the earth and sky, people tend to panic.

In order to understand what is about to take place, Anthony Larson takes us back to the times of the Exodus as he examines the pillar of fire and smoke with a unique explanation. Once you have accepted this basic premise of his book, all the subsequent material, as fantastic as it may seem, comes into focus. In fact, if you can agree to this key component of the theory, you are in for a whole new world of possibilities about how the world works and what will soon come to pass.

Catastrophism and Uniformitarianism

I suppose the most objectionable part of the theory to readers of a purely scientific mind is the idea that the world has not always been the same. The prevailing belief of today’s scientific community is that the same gradual, almost imperceptible changes occurring in the earth around us today are the result of eons of the same slow forces at work. The argument is that lofty peaks, deep canyons, prairies, islands and great continents were all caused by gradual uniform forces.

Catastrophism, as opposed to Gradualism, purports that geologic changes come from sudden, dramatic upheavals. This implies that when change comes, it is catastrophic in nature. Up until the time of Darwin in the mid 1800’s, catastrophism was supported by science. The geologic record supports catastrophic change. The scriptures support catastrophism (2 Pet 3:3-4). It is difficult for modern thinkers to accept because we simply have no recent evidence to support it.

The cataclysmic events of the very last days have been dismissed by many in the scientific community because of this very reason. They are consumed with the idea that “all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” However, we are taught and believe that the heavens and the earth of old have changed and they will change again, probably within the very near future. The earth shall reel to and fro. There shall be a new heaven and a new earth.

Close Encounters of the Planetary Kind

The fundamental criticism from the scientific community against Velikovsky, and by extension Anthony Larson, was that its celestial mechanics were irreconcilable with Newtonian celestial mechanics, requiring planetary orbits which could not be made to conform to the laws of conservation of energy and conservation of angular momentum. In other words, there’s no way a large planet can come close to the earth before gravity pulls them apart (look up Roche Limit).

Velikovsky conceded that the behavior of the planets in his theories is not consistent with Newton’s laws of motion and universal gravitation. He proposed that electromagnetic forces could be the cause of the movement of the planets, although such forces between astronomical bodies are essentially zero as far as science can currently detect. This is another idea that will be helpful to readers of Anthony’s book in order to understand the events of the very last days.

The bottom line revelation and premise of the book is that our world in the past was visited by planets knocked out of their observed orbits. When they came close, they wrecked devastation upon the earth. I won’t give away the details in Anthony’s book. It is fascinating to read and ponder, especially if you are looking to make sense out of the many obscure phrases that the Lord uses in reference to events that are prophesied to come to pass just prior to His return.

Cataclysmic Events Prophesied

I have some favorite sections in the Doctrine and Covenants I like to read to remind me of the coming prophesied cataclysmic events we will all experience. I note they were all received early in Joseph’s years as the first prophet of this dispensation. They contain language that can make one uncomfortable, especially if you don’t like to think about upcoming end of the world stuff.

September 1830 – Section 29:8-28

Nov 1831 – Section 133:10-74

February 1831 – Section 43:17-35

March 1832 – Section 77:6-15

March 1831 – Section 45:15-75

Dec 1832 – Section 88:87-116

Verse 93 in section 88 has always intrigued me: “And immediately there shall appear a great sign in heaven, and all people shall see it together.” It makes reference to Matthew 24:30, where the Savior taught his disciples, “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven… and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

Joseph further elaborated on the Savior’s great sign. “. . . then will appear one grand sign of the Son of Man in heaven. But what will the world do? They will say it is a planet, a comet, etc. But the Son of Man will come as the sign of the coming of the Son of Man which will be as the light of the morning cometh out of the east.” Joseph’s interpretive statement has been hotly debated.

Signs of the Times

James Burgess recorded some additional detail as Joseph spoke: “So also is the coming of the Son of Man. The dawning of the morning makes its appearance in the east and moves along gradually. So also will the coming of the Son of Man be. It will be small at its first appearance and gradually becomes larger until every eye shall see it.” Very interesting wording, I think.

And from LeGrand Richards, 1951: “While I was president of the Southern States Mission, one of our missionaries wrote in from Florida and said, ‘President Richards, I have been reading about the signs of the coming of the Lord. When the sun darkens and the moon ceases to give its light and the stars fall from heaven, everybody will know that he is coming.” His answer:

“The newspapers might announce some great phenomenon in the heavens, misplacement of planets, that have caused this consternation, and scientists will have their explanation to make of it.  Unless they have faith in the Living God, unless as Jesus said, they can read the signs of the times, they may not know anything about what is going on in the world.” In other words, it may not be such a good idea to trust what the science pundits are saying when it comes to this stuff.

The Grand Sign

I’ve thought a lot about this great sign or grand sign referred to by Jesus and the prophet Joseph and how we will perceive it when it happens. I think Joseph and LeGrand Richards nailed it. We will rely on our scientists to explain what is happening and take their word for it that it really is nothing unusual. Their explanations will be so logical that we would be foolish to doubt them. Or so they would have us believe. But those who have studied the signs of the times know better.

Joseph gave us a little insight into the timing of the grand sign. It really is one of the last things to happen before the Lord returns. He said that no one will see “the sign of the Son of Man … until after the sun shall have been darkened and the moon bathed in blood.” He also taught us that “The devil knows many signs, but does not know the sign of the Son of Man, or Jesus.”

Yet we know that “all people shall see it together.” OK, I think it’s obvious that it’s some sort of celestial manifestation. How else could everyone see it at the same time? I just can’t imagine it could be anything other than an approaching planet that looks like a comet just as Joseph said. I wonder what the world would be like if another planet came close to the earth. Could it happen?

World-wide Destruction

And could the earth survive such a close encounter? If two planets came that close together, they would have a tremendous destructive force upon each other. Besides the electromagnetic interaction between the two planets, the gravitational forces would cause the tectonic plates to shift with violent movements. Volcanic activity would explode wherever the plates met. Surely the last days will be a day of burning as smoke and fire cover the earth with tremendous heat.

Think about what would happen if two large planets came close together. The rotation of the planets would change. The magnetic poles would align. The earthquake at such a movement would be tremendous. It would look like the stars were falling from the sky. The oceans would throw themselves beyond their normal bounds for miles and miles inland. Eventually they would race towards the other planet and stand up as if in a heap drawn by the magnetic embrace.

Does all this sound familiar? “The earth shall tremble and reel to and fro as a drunken man … the stars shall … cast themselves down …” Or this: “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven …” And this: “The heavens shall shake and the earth shall tremble …” My favorite: “He shall command the great deep and it shall be driven back into the north countries …” These and many more scriptures are examined and explained in Anthony’s first book of his trilogy.

The Beginning of the End

It all starts with the approach of a large comet or a small planet with a tail. Of course, by the time you start hearing about all this, it will be too late. You’ve only got a few weeks or months left, depending on how soon it is discovered and announced. There is a lot that will happen before this great and dreadful day. That’s why I love prophecy. The Lord has given us so many signs.

Call me crazy for trying to marry what I know about science, astronomy and cosmology with what I believe from the scriptures about the last days. I am convinced that the Lord uses natural means to bring about his purposes. “Miracles cannot be in contravention of natural law, but are wrought through the operation of laws not universally or commonly recognized (Talmage).”

In other words, I think it’s plausible and beneficial to look for natural explanations for the signs of the last days, especially as they relate to the great and dreadful day. I’m thinking we’re going to be hearing and reading a lot more about this in the years to come. I know we’re not there yet but I for one intend to keep looking for those signs in the sky above and in the world around me.

Watch for these Signs

Anthony writes about each of these signs in his book. He does not attempt to put them in any chronological order. Note that none of these can be attributed to man. Some may attempt to ascribe them to global warming, but as we advance in the Lord’s agenda, it will become more and more obvious that there is no other explanation other than what we find in the scriptures. Yet I suppose until they actually see the Lord, some will continue to say it’s all due to natural causes.

1. Plagues, pestilences and famines, 2. Signs and wonders in heaven and earth, 3. Disasters, earthquakes and tornados, 4. Great hailstorm will destroy crops of earth, 5. Sun shall be darkened, 6. Moon shall turn to blood, 7. Earth shall reel to and fro, 8. Trumps shall sound both long and loud, 9. Great deep rolled back into north countries, 10. Great earthquake such as never before, 11. Return of the lost ten tribes, 12. Return of the City of Enoch, 13. Earth will be cleansed by fire, 14. New heaven and new earth

I don’t know about you but this stuff fascinates me. I want to know what to look for as the end of the world approaches. I am grateful the Lord has revealed it in advance. He loves us and has forewarned us. The adversary is doing all in his power to discredit the warnings, mainly through the opposition of the theories of science. Remember, scientific laws discovered by man are incomplete. There is so much we don’t understand about how God works through natural means.

The Prophecy Trilogy

I think you can tell I am excited by Anthony’s book. As I wrote in the beginning of this essay, it has made a profound difference in my life. It has changed my relationship with the Lord. It has strengthened my testimony of Joseph Smith as a prophet of God. What’s even more exciting is that this is only the first book in a trilogy of additional insights and revelations from Anthony. If you think this book is exciting, wait until you read the next two books in the Prophecy trilogy.

Besides being influenced by Velikovsky, Anthony subscribes, as do I, to the theories of the Electric Universe. Regular readers of my blog will be familiar with my references to Dave Talbott and Wal Thornhill. If you have not heard of the Saturn Myth, look it up. If you want to know how Anthony has applied it to LDS theology, continue to read the other works in the prophecy trilogy. Each of the three books are about 150 pages in length and well written.

Beyond the prophecy trilogy, Anthony has authored two additional books about the last days that again, offer a unique perspective on revelation. One is a commentary on that very book entitled The Plainest Book: Revelation. The other is entitled Parallel Histories: The Nephites and the Americans. If you want to learn more about things happening in America today, and things yet to happen in this great nation before the return of the Lord, read and ponder this wonderful book.

Summary and Conclusion

I love Anthony’s books. I have read them over and over. I have read every entry on his blog and every article he published in other sources. I have attended his seminars, both in person and over the Internet. There is no doubt that he is controversial. He is also extremely confident that what he shares is helpful, strengthening and uplifting to members of the LDS church and others. I am one who happens to agree, even though I have read plenty of well written opposing viewpoints.

I feel so strongly about what I have learned from Anthony that I have committed to write a work of fiction based on what I have learned from him, from Velikovsky and from proponents of the Electric Universe. I have spent the last several years learning to write fiction. In my opinion, it is much more difficult to write good fiction than it is to write essays like these. My personal goal this year is to write each month two essays related to the last days and two chapters of fiction.

Thanks for reading my review. You can read others on Amazon, Goodreads and on Anthony’s website. In fact, you can read the first few chapters online for free. Anthony’s books sold well when they were first published. I believe they will see a resurgence of interest in the coming years. Yes, they are strange and unusual. Yes, they are controversial, even among the LDS community. But are they worth your time to read? Yes, I enthusiastically endorse these books.

Links to Anthony Larson’s materials:

Videos – http://youtube.com/user/toeknee1943/
Website – http://mormonprophecy.com/
Blog – http://mormonprophecy.blogspot.com/
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/keystomormonprophecy
Scribd – http://www.scribd.com/anthonyelarson

28 thoughts on “And The Moon Shall Turn to Blood”

  1. Yes, several billion years ago the moon did eject the moon from its mass, probably when struck by a large body.

    But, these books are pseudo science at best. They really aren’t worth the read.

    1. Wait, what? You want to edit your comment, Steve? You wrote, “Yes, several billion years ago the moon did eject the moon from its mass, probably when struck by a large body.” I assume you meant the earth ejected the moon from it’s mass. That undisputed fact never came up in the essay. Velikovsky claimed that Venus was ejected from Jupiter.

      Tell me more about why the books are not worth the read. To what specific parts of Anthony’s book did you object? I always appreciate good feedback. It helps me build one of the main characters I’m creating for my book. He needs to know his stuff and have good, convincing arguments to show that the other main character is flawed. Thanks.

  2. Honestly, this strikes me as crank theology backed by crank science…but of a relatively harmless variety as long as it’s not convincing people to go Harold Camping and ruin their lives. As fodder for fiction it’s no more out there than any other Sci-Fi/thriller premise so best of luck!

    1. Thanks Cogs. Good comments. Much appreciated. I especially like the part about “relatively harmless” beliefs. Ah yes, Harold Camping…pretty delusional and very sincere. Caused a lot of other people to look foolish, didn’t he? He would make a good character for the novel. Thanks for the encouragement. We’ll see how it turns out. I’ve never publically committed to a writing schedule before. I suppose serious writers could crank out two chapters a week. Two a month for me right now is about all I can handle with work and church.

  3. If you look more subtly, less dramatically and less literally more figuratively much of this has already taken place. The parable of the ten virgins comes to mind. Are we ready? Are we paying attention to what is before our eyes? For instance we have already seen the moon bathed in blood, a total lunar eclipse actually bathes the moon in a reddish glow, as seen in 2001.

    1. Howard,

      Do you know how many hundreds (if not thousands) of similar eclipses have happened both before and after the time of Christ?

      This stuff is just plain silly . . .

    2. Moon to Blood Scriptures

      Joel 2:31 – The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.

      Acts 2:20 has slightly different wording: “that great and notable day”

      Matt 24:29 – 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.

      Rev 6:12 – …there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood.

      D&C 29:14 – …the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall be turned into blood, and the stars shall fall from heaven…

      D&C 88:87 – For not many days hence and the earth shall tremble and reel to and fro as a drunken man; and the sun shall hide his face, and shall refuse to give light; and the moon shall be bathed in blood; and the stars shall become exceedingly angry, and shall cast themselves down as a fig that falleth from off a fig tree.

      I don’t think we’re talking about an eclipse here. And I don’t think it’s because we’re looking at these celestial objects through earthly clouds, smoke, nuclear fallout, air pollution, volcanic ash or anything else in our atmosphere.

      This prophecy is about something strange and unusual, something that none of us has seen in our lifetime. It will be observable by everyone in the world.

      The moon will first be darkened, then will glow incandescent red with heat from an approaching celestial object. The moon has no atmosphere so it will glow.

      I wrote about this previously: https://www.latterdaycommentary.com/2008/01/28/has-the-prophecy-in-joel-231-been-fulfilled/ Note my responses to the comments there.

      1. I don’t know, using your D&C 88:87 quote for example; it may simply be talking about earthquakes, new scientific knowledge and eclipses. The earth does wobble on it’s access and stars do die but this was unknown when the revelation was given and few knew much about earthquakes and eclipses unless they happened to be in the right place at the right time. Much of the world has knowledge of and an impression of increasing numbers of earthquakes and eclipses because of the availability of that information via. TV, internet and radio. God would have known that man would eventually discover these things so this may be a way of referring to a period of increased human enlightenment some unknown years away but an inevitable period in the future. The translation of this verse might be something like “Christ will return after science and technology reigns”.

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  5. Tim, I am currently preparing a review of Larson’s book for my own blog, “Pure Mormonism,” and already I feel I have been bested.

    This was an absolutely incredible post. Nicely done, and cogently explained.

    1. Thanks Rock. I hope you don’t mind. I edited your comment to include a link to your blog. I have been a long-time reader. Loved your recent essay on City Creek. Others should read your stuff. That’s why I added the link. Although anybody who knows how to Google should be able to find it. Looking forward to reading your review.

      1. Thank YOU, Tim! Happy to hear you are a reader. And in my upcoming discussion of Larson’s book I intend to direct my readers over here to read your analysis.

  6. I read a lot of Velikovsky’s stuff back in the 70’s — I don’t really go for it now. I think what’s most interesting about these particular signs is how they symbolize the atonement.

  7. Tim,
    Do you follow James McCanney and his postulations on comet C/2012 S1 (Ison) regarding it’s potential effect on Mars in Oct 2013 and Earth in Jan 2014?

    1. Hi Roy,

      I was just thinking about comet Ison this morning. Was planning to write a little something about it this weekend. Phil Plait (Bad Astronomy) just loves him (not!). http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/misc/mccanney/index.html
      I disagree with James on many points but I also have been wondering if some comet, someday may just possibly tip the orbits of one of the inner planets towards Earth. According to Phil and many other astronomers, it could never happen. I, for one, would at least like to consider it. Thanks for bringing it up.

  8. Could it be that the earth and moon are removed out of our solar system? Thats why it would seem the stars are falling and the moon turns red like blood. “The earth shall reel to and fro. There shall be a new heaven and a new earth.” The new heaven because the earth is somewhere else and the new earth beacuse the lands shall be one again during the great earthquake of armageddon.

    1. I like it. Your opinion is as good as mine because we’re all just guessing. Yes, I’ve considered the idea that the earth and moon will eventually be taken back to where they were before the fall. But I believe that will not happen until after the millennium. The Lord is clear that the sun being darkened and the moon being turned to blood occur before his coming, or at least that’s how I read the scriptures. Thanks for sharing.

  9. Michele Visarraga

    The vision of Joel has been fulfilled wherein he declared:

    “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

    “And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

    “And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

    “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.”

    What is your take on these words, spoken by President Gordon B. Hinckley in General Conference, October, 2001?

  10. I GUESS YOU ARE ONE WHO DOESN’T BELIEVE THAT THIS IS THE DAY OF THE LAMANITE, WITH WHAT IS EXPLODING IN MESO-AMERICA AND SOUTH AMERICA. IT IS IMPORTANT TO STICK WITH WHAT WE ARE HEARING FROM OUR PROPHET AND THE FIRST PRESIDENCY WHEN IT COMES TO THE L.D.S. CHURCH. ANYONE CAN GET OFF ON TANGENTS THAT ARE NOT DOCTRINE AND FALL ASTRAY FROM THE TRUTH. THAT’S WHY WE HAVE GENERAL CONFERENCE TWICE A YEAR TO KEEP US ON TRACT. ANGELO

    1. Little advice for you Peggy (or is it Angelo?): Anything written in all caps is usually considered shouting. Try using upper and lower case when sharing your thoughts. Second, make sure your comments are related to the subject of the original blog post, which in this case is a book review of Anthony Larson’s book about the cataclysmic catastrophes prophesied for the very last days. Third, it’s considered bad form to start a comment by insulting your readers, accusing them of not believing something. Fourth, check for typos in your comments before posting. Assuming you’re not a spam-bot, thanks for reading and commenting.

      I would have deleted this comment as spam, but decided I wanted to respond. First, yes, I do believe we are entering the day of the Lamanite, and have been for quite some time. By extension, the day of the gentile is coming to an end. You share some good advice about heeding the words of our prophets and apostles. One of the things our prophets have counseled us to do is to read the scriptures so we can become familiar with the signs of the times and not be dismayed when they begin to come to pass as we read in Anthony’s books.

      Is there anything in the blog post you would like to identify as a tangent or false doctrine which may cause someone to fall away from the truth? General Conference is a good thing, but it is no substitute for keeping the commandment of the Lord to study the scriptures so we become familiar with the warnings the Lord has shared with us about the very last days. I quoted a number of those scriptures in the Doctrine and Covenants. One of the more prominent signs will be when the moon appears to be blood red. Won’t that be an amazing thing to see when it comes to pass? It will be accompanied by many other signs in the heavens.

  11. Just mentioning a book you may find interesting and/or applicable. The title is “The Secret of the Incas : Myth, Astronomy, and the War Against Time”. In part the author gives reason to believe that Andean Mythology is oral history of celestial events. This in part relates to the catastrophism/ gradualism, Velikovsky etc. It does give an interesting and significant reason as to why these “Myths” were so important to preserve. Thank you for your blog

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