Page 99 - Heavenly Signs III by Mel Gable

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holiday lasts seven days. This holiday is one of the three biblically mandated festivals. There are two other
festivals Shalosh on which Jews were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem as well as the
solemn holiday of Yom Kippur which is the Day of Atonement. However, the Feast of Tabernacles is unique.

Leviticus 23:34-35 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast
of Booths for seven days to the LORD. On the first day is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious
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work of any kind.”
It is during the first day and eighth day of this feast that the sons of Israel shall not work or labor. It is one of the
periods in which the Jewish people are most vulnerable to attack. The Islamic nations that surround Israel
understand Old Testament Law. Would they use this to their advantage? Let us take a look at past blood moons
and there surrounding events. This will help us understand the significance of the four blood moons.

Spanish Inquisition

The Spanish Inquisition was originally intended to ensure the orthodox beliefs of those who converted from
Judaism and Islam. This regulation of the faith of the newly converted was made worse after the royal decrees
issued in 1492 and 1501 ordered Jews and Muslims to convert or leave the country. As the Spanish Inquisition
picked up it efforts, those involved became increasingly convinced that Spain's Jews were actively seducing the so
called “converses” back into their old faith. It was no more real than other conspiracy theories. Ferdinand and
Isabella were influenced by it. Both of the monarchs had Jewish friends. But, they also felt that it was their duty
to their Christian subjects to take action and remove the danger.

The monarchs decided to introduce the Inquisition to Castile to discover and punish Jews with the concurrence
of the Pope. Ferdinand II of Aragon pressured Pope Sixtus IV to agree to an Inquisition controlled by the
monarchy. It was by suggesting withdrawal of military support at a time when the Turks were threatening Rome.
Therefore, on November 1, 1478, Pope Sixtus IV published the Papal Bull, “Exigit Sinceras Devotionis Affectus.” It
gave the monarchs exclusive authority to name the inquisitors in their lands. In 1483, Ferdinand appointed
Tomas de Torquemada as inquisitor general for most of Spain. It was Torquemada's job to establish rules of
evidence and procedure for the Inquisition as well as to set up branches in major cities. The Inquisition was
extremely active between 1480 and 1530. Different sources give different estimates of the number of trials and
executions in this period. Henry Kamen estimates about 2,000 were executed based on the documentation of the
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“autos-da-fé.” The great majority being executed were of Jewish origin.

Unfortunately, the problem only got worse. This was a direct result of the methods employed by the early
Spanish Inquisition which strayed significantly from church standards. When the inquisitors arrived in a
particular area they would announce an “Edict of Grace.” This was a 30-day period in which secret Jews could
voluntarily come forward to confess their sin and do penance. This was also a time for others with information
about Christians practicing Judaism in secret to make it known to the tribunal. Evidence that was used to identify
a Jew included the absence of chimney smoke on Saturdays. This was considered to be a sign a Jewish family
might secretly be honoring the Sabbath. Another sign might be the buying of many vegetables before Passover
or the purchase of meat from a converted butcher. The court employed physical torture to extract confessions.
Those found guilty after the 30-days grace period elapsed and could be burned at the stake. Opposition in the
Catholic Church to the Spanish Inquisition only increased. Many church members pointed out that it was
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contrary to all accepted practices for heretics to be burned without being instructed in the faith.

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New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. 1995 (Le 23:34–35). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
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Ben-Sasson, H.H., editor. A History of the Jewish People. Harvard University Press, 1976