I have had a number of friends, leading up to the event, either mention or talk to me about the blood moon that occurred last night. To make my own stance clear, let us find out what the Seventh-day Adventist Church as a whole says about the event.

In the late hours of March 13 and early hours of March 14, 2025, a total lunar eclipse (a “blood moon”) coincided with the Jewish festival of Purim. Some Christian commentators outside the Adventist Church have speculated that a blood moon during Purim carries prophetic significance. This has prompted questions about how Seventh-day Adventists interpret such events. Below we explore Adventist views on blood moons in prophecy and the role (if any) of Purim in Adventist theology according to official perspectives and Adventist scholars.

Blood Moons in Adventist Prophecy Interpretation and Its Biblical Basis

The Bible mentions the moon turning to blood as a sign of the last days (e.g. Joel 2:31, Revelation 6:12, Matthew 24:29). Seventh-day Adventists, who follow a historicist approach to prophecy, have long taught that many of these cosmic signs were fulfilled by real historical events. For example, Adventists point to the “Dark Day” of May 19, 1780, when an unexplained daytime darkness fell over New England and that night the moon appeared blood-red. Adventist pioneers identified this as a fulfillment of the prophecy “the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord” (Joel 2:31). This event, along with the Lisbon earthquake of 1755 and a spectacular meteor shower in 1833, was seen as a series of signs awakening people to Christ’s soon return. As one Adventist pastor explains, “Seventh-day Adventists recognize that these prophecies of the moon turning to blood have already taken place”, and was used by God to draw attention to the Second Advent message in the 18th–19th centuries.

Historic Fulfillment and Future Expectation of the Blood Moon

In Adventist eschatology, the darkened sun and blood moon in 1780 occurred immediately after the prophetic Dark Ages period (538–1798 A.D.) as Jesus predicted. The sequence of events in Matthew 24:29 – sun darkened, moon not giving light (or “turned to blood”), and stars falling – is believed to have been fulfilled in 1755–1833. Adventist author Ellen G. White in The Great Controversy cites eyewitness accounts of 1780: “after midnight the darkness disappeared, and the moon, when first visible, had the appearance of blood.” She and other early Adventists saw this as an echo of Joel’s prophecy, a sign that the last days had begun . While these historic signs confirmed the prophetic timeline, Adventists also expect that similar signs may recur in a final crisis. The Adventist magazine Signs of the Times notes that, after the long era of persecution (the 1260 prophetic years), those 18th–19th century signs fulfilled prophecy, “Theologians believe these signs…will occur again just before Jesus’ return, but on a greater scale and once again, not in isolation.” In other words, any future “blood moon” of true prophetic import would be part of a divinely caused series of end-time events, not just a routine eclipse.

Modern Blood Moon Hype

Given this background, Adventists are cautious about attributing special prophetic meaning to today’s scheduled lunar eclipses. When a wave of “Four Blood Moons” happened, speculation arose in 2014–2015 after pastors like John Hagee claimed a tetrad of eclipses on Jewish feasts signaled end-times events. Adventist leaders responded with clarification. The Adventist Review and local pastors stressed that the moon turning to blood in prophecy “doesn’t happen in isolation” or on a predictable schedule. The Signs of the Times article pointed out that lunar tetrads on Jewish festivals have occurred before as natural cycles, usually “without any world-shaking event” attached. It concluded: "Like the four blood moons, they won’t amount to much. When the real signs happen, you’ll know it." In short, Adventists do not see the 2025 eclipse on Purim as a fulfillment of prophecy in and of itself. It is viewed as an interesting coincidence but not a divinely orchestrated omen of specific events – unless accompanied by the dramatic context the Bible describes (widespread distress, other cosmic disturbances, etc.). Adventist scholars emphasize focusing on Christ’s actual second coming and the gospel mission rather than date-specific celestial signs.

What is Purim?

Purim is a Jewish holiday commemorating the events in the biblical Book of Esther. It celebrates how Queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai, by God’s providence, saved the Jewish people from Haman’s plot to annihilate them in ancient Persia. The name “Purim” (meaning “lots”) comes from the lots Haman cast to choose the date for the planned genocide (Esther 9:24-26). When the Jews triumphed instead, they established Purim as an annual festival of thanksgiving and rejoicing. The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary notes that the book of Esther provides the origin of this important Jewish national festival, “the Feast of Purim, which is still observed with rejoicing each year.” Adventists fully affirm the historical and spiritual importance of the Esther story. They see in it a message of God’s providence – notably, “though God’s name does not appear” in Esther, His guiding hand is evident throughout.

Do Adventists Celebrate Purim?

Generally, no – at least, not as a religious observance. Unlike the Seventh-day Sabbath (which Adventists keep weekly) or even Communion, Purim is not a part of Adventist practice. The Adventist Church, by and large, does not keep the Jewish festivals as obligatory feasts, teaching that the ceremonial laws and feasts of the Old Testament found their fulfillment in Christ. Adventist leaders often caution against elevating yearly Jewish festivals for Christian prophetic significance. Purim, as a post-Mosaic Jewish celebration, is viewed as optional cultural remembrance rather than a divine mandate. Adventist do sometimes commemorate the story in educational or spiritual contexts. For instance, Adventist schools or youth groups might recount Esther’s story around Purim to teach lessons about faith. The focus is on the principles behind Purim – God’s faithfulness and deliverance – rather than on ritual observance of the day itself. Adventists, such as Stephen Bohr, Ivor Meyers, Doug Batchelor, and many more draw many prophetic messages from the story of Esther as the story includes a death decree. This death decree, Adventists teach, will be very similar to the death decree issued toward the close of time and also coincide with the prophetic Sunday Law and close of probation which is found in the Biblical books of Revelation and Daniel, as well as in The Great Controversy by Ellen G. White.

Theological Lessons from Purim

Even if not kept as a festival, Purim’s themes resonate with Adventist theology. The story of Esther is often seen as an example of God’s people remaining faithful under persecution and God intervening at the crucial moment – themes central to Adventist eschatology. Ellen G. White, a foundational Adventist author, explicitly draws a parallel between the “trying experiences” of Esther’s time and the end-times trials of God’s people. In her book Prophets and Kings, she writes: “The experiences that came to God’s people in the days of Esther were not peculiar to that age alone. The revelator (John), looking down the ages to the close of time, has declared, ‘The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant…’ (Revelation 12:17). … The same spirit that in ages past led men to persecute the true church, will in the future lead to a similar course toward those who maintain their loyalty to God.” In other words, Adventists see Haman’s death decree against the Jews as a foreshadowing of the final persecution against God’s faithful. Just as in Esther’s day where a royal decree threatened God’s people with extinction, so Revelation predicts a death decree against God’s end-time believers (Revelation 13:15-17). And, just as God delivered the Jews on Purim, Adventists believe God will dramatically deliver His remnant people when Jesus returns.

Adventist pastors and evangelists often highlight these parallels. For example, in a study on Esther, Pastor Doug Batchelor describes Haman in the story as "the epitome of evil" and "representing the devil or Satan." He notes how Haman’s law set a date to destroy all who refused to bow to him and connects this with Revelation 13: “Doesn’t that sound a little bit like, ‘as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed?’” The forced worship and death decree in Esther is seen as a type of the end-time conflict over worship (the Mark of the Beast crisis). God protected His people in Esther’s time and “what happened then is a harbinger of what is coming in the future,” where, again, God will intervene for His faithful which is an encouragement to all Adventists.

Official Statements and Scholar Insights

The Seventh-day Adventist denomination has not issued any formal statement specifically about the March 2025 blood moon or Purim. However, official publications and church theologians have addressed the broader topics. The consensus is that routine lunar eclipses are part of natural cycles and should not be automatically viewed as prophetic omens. Adventist evangelist Mark Finley summarized this caution in an interview by saying that, while Jesus listed cosmic signs among end-time events, we must avoid “new prophetic theories” that latch onto every eclipse or disaster. Instead, prophecy must be studied in context of Scripture’s grand narrative (Adventist Review, Oct. 2014, p. 18). The Biblical Research Institute of the church has also published papers on annual festivals, emphasizing that Christians are not required to observe the Jewish feast days for salvation – rather, they can appreciate their historical meaning. This would apply to Purim as well.

When blood-moon prophecies became popular a few years ago, Adventist Biblical scholars responded by pointing back to the historic fulfillments and Christ’s counsel “no one knows the day or hour” (Matthew 24:36) to discourage date-setting. An Adventist pastor in Texas wrote, “What are we as Seventh-day Adventists to make of all this?” regarding the 2014–2015 lunar eclipses, and answered that the Biblical “moon to blood” prophecies had a preliminary fulfillment long ago and “were used by God to gain the attention of the world” to the Second Coming hope. He and others warned that speculative theories about Israel’s festivals and blood moons can distract from the Adventist mission of preaching the gospel and preparing for Jesus’ return. Instead of looking for meaning in each eclipse, Adventist theologians advise believers to watch for the larger sequence of end-time events outlined in prophecy.

On Purim, Adventist Bible teachers underscore the providence of God. The Adult Sabbath School lessons (the church’s official Bible study guides) recently covered Esther, highlighting how “the miracle of Purim” was hidden in natural events and how Esther’s courageous faith saved her people. The lesson encouraged Adventists to discern God’s presence in our lives just as the Jews did in Esther’s story. This was an invitation to see Purim not as a ritual to keep, but as an inspiration for faith. Adventist scholars like Dr. Jacques Doukhan (an Adventist expert in Hebrew Scripture) have written about the Jewish heritage of Christianity, explaining feasts like Purim as opportunities to remember God’s past deliverances and even to build bridges with Jewish friends, not as prophetic requirements. In practice, some Adventist congregations with Jewish outreach ministries may host a Purim event or discussion and treat it as a cultural or Biblical celebration of God’s deliverance rather than a doctrinal observance.

Purim itself holds historical and devotional significance for Adventists as the memorial of Esther’s story. It powerfully illustrates God’s care for His people and foreshadows the final deliverance Adventists anticipate in the last days. However, it is not a festival the Adventist Church officially observes, nor does it carry a distinct prophetic role in Adventist doctrine. Official Adventist publications focus on the principles from Purim – faith, courage, providence, and deliverance – rather than the date. In the words of the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, “God humbles the proud and exalts those who trust in Him”, which is the enduring lesson of Purim for Adventists and all believers.

Personal Takeaway of the Blood Moon

Above is the official Adventist belief based on sound doctrine of which I believe. My personal belief is that this Purim coinciding with a blood moon over the Sabbath has significance to serve as a warning. My personal belief is that God is a God of order as in 1 Corinthians 14:40. “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬.

I personally believe that God will maintain the order that He set up and that important prophesies and dates may happen according to His will and His ordered time. However, this particular blood moon does NOT fulfill any prophetic time periods because these have already taken place. This should cause God’s servants to wake up because He is at the door and we should get ready! I believe that a more broad prophetic fulfillment is taking place not because of the blood moon but because of Matthew 24 and what is taking place on the blood moon.

As Adventists, we are to look to the Second Coming of Christ as a soon coming event. There are rumblings all around us that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ may be happening sooner than we think. Although leery of date setting, I believe that the political climate and the religious climate are perfect for a Sunday Law. An ailing Pope who may not live much longer is pumped and primed for a more conservative Pope to be put into place to match the tide turning toward a more conservative world.

However, overall we must remember that it is the people, as the Great Controversy states, that call for a Sunday Law. All around us the world is coming into alignment to pose this demand!

Modern Day Events

Thursday night/Friday morning was the blood moon on Purim and, as I write this, I am getting storm warnings and news of tornado outbreaks. Today, the news shows that flooding, dust storms, fires, and tornadoes have killed many. Thus, I personally believe that we are seeing a more broad fulfillment of prophecy detailed in Matthew 24. As we are witnessing an uptick of natural disasters and God removing His protection from the earth as His ways and His will are rejected, will God find faith upon the earth in a people who are willing to stand for Him? I pray that He will find us all having the testimony and the faith of Jesus!

“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” Matthew‬ ‭24‬:‭32‬-‭35‬ ‭NKJV‬‬.

I pulled from the following resources for information for this article.

Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary on Esther
The Great Controversy, E.G. White – “Dark Day” and blood moon of 1780 fulfill prophecy.
Prophets and Kings, E.G. White – Purim events as a type of last-day events.
Dan Serns, Adventist pastor, “Are the Four ‘Blood Moons’ a Fulfillment of Bible Prophecy?” (2014)
Signs of the Times magazine, “The Blood Moon Tetrad.” (March 2016)
Sabbath School Lesson, Q4 2023, on Esther and Purim.
The Great Controversy, “In order to secure public favor.” (1911)
Natural Disasters Map, Emergency and Disaster Information Services, RSOE-EDIS.ORG.