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 The moon is set to turn blood red this weekend in an event some pastors are claiming was predicted by the Bible as a sign of Christ's return. 
 
 The 'Blood Moon' is a rare celestial event which will see the skies over North America, Asia and Australia be transformed into a deep, red colour. 
 
 It is set to be the third of four 'Blood Moon' events since 2014 which experts believe will be completed by the end of the year. 
 
 The lunar eclipses occur when the moon passes directly behind the earth into its shadow but the rare 'Tetrad' of four alignments in close proximity is said by NASA to have happened just a handful of times in the last 2,000 years. 
 
 (Photo: Getty) 
 
 One US Pastor has said the phenomenon shows a 'great worldwide event' is set to take place and was predicted in the Bible. 
 
 The King James Bible says: "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD comes." 
 
 And pastor John Hagee claims the Blood Moon falling on an Easter weekend is a sign 'something dramatic will happen which will change the whole world'. 
 
 He said: ""I believe we're going to see something dramatic happen in the Middle East involving Israel that will change the course of history in the Middle East and impact the whole world. 
 
 (Photo: Getty) 
 
 What is so remarkable about this blood moon is that it specifically fulfills prophecies set out in the Bible. 
 
 
 
 "Joel Chapter Two also says the 'Day of the Lord will be as when the sun refuses to shine'. 
 
 
 
 "Even Jesus himself, in the Book of Luke, states there 'will be signs in the sun, moon and stars' and to 'lift up your heads for redemption draws nigh'. 
 
 
 
 "There's a sequence of prophetic events that the Bible says will happen. It does not, ever, give a timeline. 
 
 
 
 "It just says 'when you see these signs' - and four blood moons is a very significant one - 'the end of this age is coming." ||||| Story highlights The total eclipse will only last 4 minutes and 43 seconds 
 
 People west of the Mississippi River will have the best view 
 
 Parts of South America, India, China and Russia also will see the eclipse 
 
 (CNN) Sky watchers in western North America are in for a treat: a nearly five-minute total lunar eclipse this morning. 
 
 Here's how it's unfolding: 
 
 It started at 3:16 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time, when the moon began moving into Earth's shadow. For the next hour and 45 minutes, that shadow will move across the moon and engulf it at 4:58 a.m. Pacific Time. 
 
 The total eclipse will only last four minutes and 43 seconds, and NASA says that makes it the shortest one of the century. 
 
 Watch it live on NASA TV
– Early risers in western North America on Saturday may be rewarded with a sight of the century's shortest total eclipse. While some total eclipses can last up to an hour, sky watchers will have just four minutes and 43 seconds to take in the sight of the blood moon as it just skims Earth's shadow, reports CBS San Francisco. Those west of the Mississippi River will have an ideal view as the moon begins its trek into Earth's shadow at 3:16am PDT, CNN reports. The total lunar eclipse—the third of four in a "tetrad" occurring in 18 months—will be visible beginning at 4:58am. A partial eclipse may be seen across the country, as well as in South America, India, China, and Russia. NASA says that four blood moons within 18 months is rare, occurring only a few times in the last 2,000 years. The next one will occur on Sept. 28. It's not all oohs and aahs, though: CBS notes the timing of the blood moon just ahead of Easter and this passage in the King James Bible: "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord comes." One American pastor says that means a "great worldwide event" is to come, the Daily Mirror adds. John Hagee predicts "we're going to see something dramatic happen in the Middle East involving Israel that will change the course of history in the Middle East and impact the whole world." (Here are the first and second blood moons in the tetrad.)