Did you know that the moon has always played an important part in human culture? That the moon’s phases were the most important way of measuring time before other methods were developed, and still are in many cultures today.
Since before ancient times, people have watched the moon wax and wane and wondered at its beauty because the Moon has powerful influences on every living thing on God’s Earth.
Because the Moon is our closest celestial object it has very strong affects the Earth and Humans. It influences our lives because it is so close to us here on earth, which makes its power over us, and within us, great! Modern science is discovering new effects of the lunar cycle on everything that lives on Earth every day. There are plenty of examples demonstrating of the power of the moon: women’s menstrual cycles, the high birth rate when the Moon is full, the growth of plants and vegetation, the movement of the tides, variations in climate and others.
Its force exerts two and a half times the gravitational pull of the sun. It has been observed that people suffering from mental ailments invariably have their passions and emotional feelings affected during full moon days.
Our human body consists of about seventy percent liquid. It is accepted by physicians that our bodily fluids flow more freely at the time of full moon. Medical science had also ascertained the different reactions of certain medicines under different facets of the moon, because of the influence of the moon on human beings.
Researchers have also found that certain phases of the moon not only affect humans and animals, but also influence plant life and other elements. Low-tides and high-tides are a direct result of the overpowering influence of the moon.
This may be why more than five thousand years ago people had recognized the influence of the moon on cultivation. Farmers were very particular about the effect of the moon on their crops. They knew that certain grains and paddy would be affected if blooming took place during a full moon period.
The moon influences are a vital in the Earth’s ability to support life.
The moon keeps the same face to the earth, which is the face with the image of the Holy Mother of God, the Virgin Mary and the Son of God our Lord and Savior the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Moon in Religion:
The moon is an important figure in many religions. Many cultures have linked the moon with change and rebirth.
The moon is a well-known symbolism of the Law Covenant.
The moon is both appointed and ordained. It is appointed for seasons, according to Psalm 104:19,20 and ordained with concomitant ordinances in its role as ruler of, and light giver to, the night (Psa. 8:3,21 Jer. 31:35-3622). The use of the word ordination confirms the correctness of equating the moon with the body of Christ, the church (Acts 13:4823).
The church is the prime focus in the Scripture’s use of the moon for signs.
Many of the signs given by the moon are prophetic about the last days. Luke 21:25 addresses these by telling us:
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars, and upon earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring.
Psalm 72:5 says, “They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.” This is repeated in verse 7 with, “In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.” Psa. 89:37 chimes in with, “[the seed of v. 36, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ] shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah”;
The Bible also states that the moon was created to give light to the Earth.
Genesis 1:16-17 – “God made two great lights, the sun and the moon, to shine down upon the earth. He also made the stars. God sent these lights in the heavens to light the earth.”
All bear witness to Gen. 1:14.
As the moon shines by the light of the sun, and has no light of its own, so the church reflects the light of Christ and has no light of its own.
Did you know that Apollo 14 took a Bible to the Moon?
A special case is Mohammed’s “sinless” (immaculately conceived) youngest daughter, Fatima, who also bears the title Queen of Heaven in Islam and who is compared to the moon in the “Fatima Zahra.” It is also reported that when Fatima was born, her face shone so brightly it lit up the sky. Muslims declare Fatima to be everything just short of a goddess.
Her titles rival those of the Roman Catholic Virgin Mary, who is also pictured with the moon under her feet.
In Revelation 12:1-2, says:
And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
Arabs still use the lunar calendar and legend holds that the founder of the Ottoman Empire, Osman, had a dream in which the moon stretched from one end of the earth to the other. Taking this as a good omen, he chose to keep the crescent and make it the symbol of his dynasty.
The Jewish Holidays revolve around the New Moon. The New Moon tells which day is the first of the month. The New Moon is the most pivotal date in the Jewish calendar.
Native American spirituality hold moon as a sacred time of purification.
“And the light of the moon shall become like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall become sevenfold, like the light of the seven days, when the LORD binds up His people’s wounds and heals the injuries it has suffered.” — Isaiah 30:26
In western astrology the moon is associated with a person’s emotional make-up, unconscious habits, rhythms, memories and moods. It is also associated with the mother, maternal instincts or the urge to nurture, the home, and the past as well as the moon is used to characterize the inner child within us; the moon is used to characterize the inner child within us!
To Buddhists, the moon has a special religious significance especially on full day because certain important and outstanding events connected with the life of Buddha took place on full moon days. The Buddha was born on a full moon day. His renunciation took place on a full moon day. His Enlightenment, the delivery of His first sermon, His passing away into Nibbana and many other important events associated with His life-span of eighty years, occurred on full moon days.
