The biblical Moon
We have already searched and found the word »full moon« in the Bible, but only in two places in the Old Testament (Psalm 81:3–4 and Proverb 7:18–20). This is surprising, because the Last Supper of Jesus and his disciples must have taken place during the full moon, and hence, should have been mentioned in the New Testament.
We have extended our research and have looked for the word »moon« in the Bible. Here too, most passages can be found in the Prophetic books and Psalms of the Old Testament. However, there are also two places in the New Testament in the Gospel of Luke and Mark.
Luke 21, verse 25
(Translation: Darby Bible, 1867)
[25] And there shall be signs in sun and moon and stars
and upon the earth distress of nations in perplexity
(at) the roar of the sea and rolling wavesMark 13, verse 24
(Translation: Darby Bible, 1867)
[24] But in those days, after that distress, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give its light
[25] and the stars of heaven shall be falling down, and the powers which are in the heavens shall be shaken
[26] and then shall they see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory
In both portrayals, the moon helps to describe the cosmic condition at the return of Christ, which resembles an apocalyptic scenario and represents the opposite pole of the announced, positive power of God.
Finally, in the Old Testament, there is an eye-catching, very early naming of the Moon, which relates to the story of the Creation. In the Genesis you can read the following:
Genesis 1, verse 16
(Translation: Darby Bible, 1867)
[16] And God made the two great lights,
the great light to rule the day,
and the small light to rule the night,
and the stars.
So the Moon is described as »small light«, which rules the night, in comparison to the »great light« of the sun for the day. And even though, we do know nowadays that the Moon originated from our Earth, these words allow some parts of this magic to come alive, which still fascinates us today when looking at the moonlight.
Very interesting blog. Since you are interested in all things moon, I thought you might like my book, Full Moon Friday, the third book in a mystery series set in a fictional Chicago suburb. This one happens on a day when the full moon coincides with Friday the 13th and everything goes wrong. The Kindle version will have a 99cent sale this week, Dec. 24-31. Check it out!