If Blood Moons Signal the Apocalypse, We Have Been in the 'End Times' for 4.5 Billion Years

blood moon 2014 — A blood moon photo taken on Apr. 15, 2014. The world did not end when that blood moon occurred, and it is unlikely to end tomorrow, either.

(Image credit: NASA Ames Research Center/Brian Day)

Tonight (July 26), the moon will pass through the center of Earth's rusty-red shadow and remain there for a whopping 1 hour and 43 minutes.

To astronomers, this is a thrilling example of a total lunar eclipse — the longest one we'll see for the rest of the century. To some doomsaying YouTube preachers, on the other hand, it's a terrifying example of a "blood moon," and it may be the last one we ever see in this or any century.

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This is not the first time a so-called blood moon has attracted prophecies of doom — not by a long shot. Throughout history, many non-Christian cultures have interpreted the disappearance of the trusty moon as a dark omen. According to National Geographic, Incan myths held that a lunar eclipse meant the moon had been eaten by a large jaguar, while ancient Mesopotamians believed an eclipse was the work of demons. With the light of the moon being so crucial to timekeeping and agriculture, it's little wonder why its disappearance or sudden blood-red makeover was a terrifying sight.

The only mention in the Old Testament shows up in the book of Joel, which describes a plague of locusts and foretells an apocalyptic event that will separate the faithful from the unfaithful. Here's what Joel says about that pending apocalypse, according to the King James translation: "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lordcome." (Joel 2:31)

Thanks to the predictable orbits of the Earth and moon, every calendar year sees a minimum of four eclipses — two solar and two lunar, according to Earthsky.org. Some years may have many more, up to a maximum of seven (1982 was the last time that happened, and 2038 will be the next time it occurs). But whether you look at the minimum or maximum annual number, there have still been tens of billions of eclipses since the Earth and moon formed about 4.5 billion years ago. Somehow, our planet has survived through all of them.

Brandon is the space / physics editor at Live Science. With more than 20 years of editorial experience, his writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Reader's Digest, CBS.com, the Richard Dawkins Foundation website and other outlets. He holds a bachelor's degree in creative writing from the University of Arizona, with minors in journalism and media arts. His interests include black holes, asteroids and comets, and the search for extraterrestrial life.

So, what does the Bible actually say about blood moons?