'Blood moon' this September could be biblical sign of Apocalypse, pastors say

The moon is shown in its final eclipse over Los Angeles City, early April 15, 2014.Reuters

In Acts 2:20, Peter, the Apostle, warned of these signs of the Apocalypse: "The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord."

Similarly, Revelation 6:12 described the same Apocalyptic signs: "I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red."

This month, anywhere from Sept. 21 to 28, the Moon is expected to turn red, prompting at least two Christian preachers to warn that this could be the sign of Jesus Christ's second coming.

Pastors Mark Blitz and John Hagee claim that the "blood moon" this September will fall on the date of the last of four "blood moons" over the past 18 months, and following Pope Francis' visit to the United States—all indications, according to them, of a potential Apocalypse.

Blitz even warned that the "great earthquake" may take place in the coming days.

"It was prophesied that there would be earthquakes at increased levels before the return of the Messiah and they were to be likened to birth pangs. With the increase in activity and the increase in magnitude I definitely see it as being but another sign along with the signs in the heavens that we are at the door," Blitz said.

Hagee, for his part, said the previous blood moon in 2014 and the upcoming one next month "point to dramatic events in the Middle East."

"The heavens are God's billboard. He's been sending signals to Earth, and we haven't been picking them up," Hagee said.

Science, however, also provides an explanation: during an eclipse, when the Moon will not be entirely invisible, the sun's rays will bend around the Earth and the light becomes red—lending the moon a coppery colour, thus, the Blood Moon.