Eclipse and Path of Totality
My wife and I live in the path of totality. Yes, that’s right. We live in the path where for three or four minutes we will see a total eclipse. For that reason, this rural area with a relatively small population will grow in population over the next few days with people who want to be here too. For those coming into our parking lot, our church will offer eclipse glasses through which to look at the eclipse when it shows itself in the most significant fashion.
Many people think the eclipse is an eschatological sign. Even unbelievers around this area speak in a wary way about what’s happening in the sky and what it means for their future. I’m happy that it has them thinking about their lives.
Signs of the Times Are Everywhere?
I grew up in a small Baptist church in rural Indiana, and I’m not endorsing the song, but I have the words in my mind of one we sang then:
Signs of the times are everywhere,
There’s a brand new feeling in the air,
Keep your eyes upon the eastern sky,
Lift up your eyes, redemption draweth nigh.
For many, that sounds about right. Signs of the times are everywhere. Except they’re not. Signs won’t appear until after the Antichrist reveals himself (2 Thessalonians 2:3-10). On April 8, if you keep your eyes upon the eastern sky, you better at least be wearing your eclipse glasses.
I know people are writing and producing youtube presentations about the eclipse as a sign of the end times. I have not read any of these works but just have heard people asking and talking about it as such. So here goes. The total eclipse on April 8 is not a sign of the end times. It isn’t.
Seeking After Signs
What gets people’s attention, I believe, is the weird or earie astronomical nature of the eclipse. It’s obvious and odd. Jesus’ own birth provided a star, a sign in the sky for that event. People who followed Him around also wanted astronomical signs from Him, but He said He wouldn’t give them. He said in Matthew 16:4:
A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas.
The sign of the prophet Jonas was Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. So He says, besides that, He would give no more signs to that generation. The message of Jesus was that scripture was sufficient. “But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it” (Luke 11:28). Blessing came to those who believe the word of God without having or seeing signs. Signs are not for them who believe, but believe not. Believers don’t need signs. They believe, and faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17), not from signs.
Era of Astronomical Signs
Jesus in Luke 21:25 says that during the Tribulation period on earth, Revelation chapters six through sixteen, God will give astronomical signs:
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring.
Peter references these occurrences in Acts 2:20 on the Day of Pentecost:
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:
This references Joel 2:31, which also also says this is when “the great and terrible day of the LORD come(s).” These signs mark the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ when He opens the seals of His judgment. People on earth will know they have little time for salvation at that point.
None of us need signs, because nothing needs to occur for the rapture of the saints (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Neither do unbelievers need signs for sufficiently knowing they’ll be left behind for God’s judgment. Not just that, but it is already appointed unto man once to die (Hebrews 9:27), and no man knows when that will occur (Proverbs 27:1, James 4:14). In the next second, eclipse or no eclipse coming, the Lord could descend through the clouds to meet true believers in the air.
Signifying Nothing
This total eclipse signifies nothing. Eclipses happen. The fact that we could predict this one indicates that God created astronomical bodies with mathematical precision. Ships navigate by the movements of celestial bodies. This testifies already to the glory of God, eclipse or no eclipse.
Eclipses testify to man’s helplessness and the immensity of God’s creation. The sun is just one star of many, not even the largest. It is a fiery, hot mass that God created just the right distance away for enough heat without burning up men. It’s not always going to be this way though. Everything in the future will burn with a fervent heat (2 Peter 3:10), annihilating everything, and God will create a new heaven and a new earth. Only those who believe in Jesus Christ will make it to the other side and a whole new and eternal and blessed era.
Reminder of Opportunities
Man does not have interminable opportunities for salvation. If the eclipse helps him remember this, the eclipse offers a great blessing to him. No doubt an eclipse gets people’s attention and makes them think. If men continue in their sin, never listening to God’s Word, then the eclipse serves very little purpose for them. Perhaps it just makes men more proud, because they saw it with their special glasses. Now they can say they’ve done another thing that makes them more special.
The total eclipse does provide an opportunity. It parallels with future astronomical events that will be signs. They provoke men to think about the last times. On April 8, 2024 and even before and after that day, let everyone consider what Jesus warned in Matthew 24:44:
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
The eclipse is not a sign, but Jesus said always to be ready. Be ready for His return. Paul says that it will occur in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:52-54). Behold now is the accepted time, behold now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).
Thank you for once again with speaking truth,knowledge and wisdom backed up with Truth From The Word if God…But I do look at it being related to how God told Jonah to go preach repentance to the Ninevites and is a reminder that we all need to repent and do the work our Father has given to us all…preach the gospel and make disciples…oh by the way Kent is very good at preaching and teaching real Bible knowledge…I’ve seen it!!
Steven,
Excellent application of scripture in this paragraph!! Very good! Thanks for the comment.
A few thoughts from the post-trib perspective.
1. The day of the Lord comes after, not before the sun and moon go dark. Jesus also comes after that takes place (Matt 24:29-31). When Jesus said, be ye ready in Matt 24:44 he was speaking in context about the coming after the tribulation of those days, not pre-tribulation. To say that Matt 24:44 is warning of a pre-trib coming is to ignore the context entirely.
2. Jesus clearly taught that there would be signs that preceded his coming. He doesn’t tell us to look for them, but that when we see them “look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.” He literally said that just as you know summer is nigh because of the leaves on the fig tree, we will know his coming is nigh by the signs of which he spoke (pestilences, wars, the antichrist being revealed, great tribulation). That is in the context of the phrase “no man knoweth the day nor the hour.” So we won’t know the day or the hour, but we will know it is soon and when we see the sun and moon go dark, we know that Jesus is coming in any moment.
3. Paul taught that two things must occur before the coming of the Lord. The falling away and revelation of the antichrist. Corroborating Christ’s words. 1 Thessalonians 4 does not teach that “nothing needs to occur” before the rapture of the saints.
4. It is not Christ’s coming that is “in the twinkling of an eye.” It is “we shall all be changed.” The glorification of living saints at is what happens in the twinkling of an eye. Jesus comes in the clouds with power and great glory and every eye shall see him, which is not “in the twinkling of an eye.”
I know you disagree with my rapture position. However, I would ask you to consider that you’ve mishandled Scripture in this post to teach things the Bible does not teach.
Also, I don’t believe the eclipse has anything to do with Christ’s coming and think you’re totally correct on that point.
Bro Thompson,
Sometime I’ll write on the timing of the rapture. I’m pretrib, yes. But I’m not mishandling scripture just because I don’t take your position. It’s true one or both of us are mishandling, but it’s not the way you debate this. The only appropriate comment is this: “I’d love to talk or discuss with you the timing of the rapture sometime. We disagree.” I’ve read the best, most complete books on your position with an open mind. I was willing to change and take that position. They were unconvincing, as are you.
I’ll happily rephrase the comment. Sometimes things in writing may come across in a way not intended and I think this was the case here. For my part, I truly wanted to point out what seems to be easily verifiable wrong interpretations and exegesis in some of the passages you brought up. I’ll rephrase not to debate the timing of the rapture, but to ask about the specific points and verses you made in the post. I am asking these questions sincerely. If you can explain where I am misunderstanding the passages I will be happy to believer the teaching of Scripture.
1. Are you saying that the day of the Lord comes prior to the sun and moon going dark contrary to Joel’s statement that the day of those things happen prior to the arrival of the day of the Lord? It seems quite obvious to me that the day of the Lord cannot begin until after the sixth seal is opened rather than what you seem to imply that all the seals are the day of the Lord. If I’m misunderstanding your point there, forgive my error.
2. Could you point out which exegetical place in 1 Thessalonians 4 teaches that nothing needs to occur before the rapture of the saints? Because you have that passage in parenthesis to make that point, but I do not know where Paul teaches that there.
3. The context of Luke 21:25 goes on to show that the signs in that verse are actually the shaking of the powers of heaven immediately preceding Christ’s return rather than the events taking place during the 7 years of Daniel’s 70th week, right? Comparing with Mark and Matthew this seems to be the case. Again, it seems you’re implying Luke 21:25 speaks of the whole or most of the Tribulation period, but that seems wrong to me in context.
4. Would you say that when Christ says “But of that day and hour knoweth no man” in Matthew 24:36 he is speaking of something other than the “coming of the Son of man” of verses 29-35? If so, is there a contextual reason for that?
5. If “But of that day and hour no man knoweth” is the coming of the Son of man in 29-35, does Jesus not obviously teach that it will be as obvious that He will come soon as it is that summer is nigh when the fig tree begins to sprout leaves? If your answer is that the “fig tree” speaks of Christ’s Second Coming at the end of Daniel’s 70th week which will be able to be determined to the day, why does Christ say “I come as a thief” in Revelation 16:15?
6. Likewise, is “the coming of the Son of man” in Matthew 24:44 different than “the coming of the Son of man” in verse 30? Again, if your answer is yes do you have contextual evidence for believing that?
7. Would you say that Christ’s coming as a thief mentioned in Matthew 24:42-43 and Revelation 3:3 are different than His coming as a thief in Revelation 16:15?
8. Would you not agree that 1 Corinthians 15:51 clearly states that it is not Christ’s coming, but “we shall all be changed” that happens “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye”? If not, can you explain what in those verses makes that plain?
Thank you. I do apologize for using the provocative phrase “you’ve mishandled the Scriptures.”
Bro Thompson,
I’m not going to have this discussion or debate right now. I don’t think it will end until you get every single thing answered and I believe we should wait until I think I can do that with you. I wasn’t writing about the rapture. I was writing about the eclipse not being a sign of the times, but what it is instead. The eclipse is tomorrow, hence writing about it. Did you catch that? It didn’t seem like it. I will write on the timing of the rapture some other time. That’s what I’m saying. I know you want to have this discussion with me. Have a good night.
I thought you might say that. Of course I saw your post was about the eclipse but it was quite full of rapture teaching and teaching that, in my opinion, is opposite of what Christ taught. My questions dealt specifically with things you said in the post not with the rapture in general.
If you won’t take the time to answer them all, would you at least answer this one just so I can be sure that you truly care about rightly dividing God’s Word.
Is it not entirely obvious that 1 Corinthians 15:52-52 does not specifically deal with Christ’s coming but the changing of the saints that happens “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye”? It seems like you should be willing to both admit that and fix that obvious mistake. God’s Word isn’t something to be taken lightly and made to say what it does not say. Even the rapture passage of 1 Thessalonians 4 says Jesus descends from heaven with a shout, which is not “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.”
Bro Thompson,
If I thought you needed the gospel, and it was off topic, I would stop and give it to you, but what I see here, and have seen it already, is that this could go days and weeks once we get started with a tit for tat. I really don’t mind that, but I don’t want to do it until I actually write on that subject. I wouldn’t do it unless I thought I had the time to do it. One reference to “rapture” in this post does not mean I opened that conversation. It seems you gloss by and don’t read this kind of sentence, because you’re not giving up on having the discussion right now anyway. It seems that the following inflammatory type of speech is just part of the allure to answer you, as seen in the statement: “…so I can be sure that you truly care about rightly dividing God’s Word.” You really need to find if I care about rightly dividing God’s Word? Your determining factor in that is that I take your post trib position? Think about that. This is to you THE test to see if I care about rightly dividing the Word.
1 Corinthians 15 is about the bodily resurrection. When does the bodily resurrection of a believer occur? It occurs at the rapture, 1 Thess 4:13-18. Even consider John 14:1-3, what Jesus says there, that corresponds to this event. He will come again and receive you unto myself. That is not at death. The dead shall rise first at the rapture and then we who are alive and remain. Haven’t the dead already been bodily resurrected? No. The timing of this is at the rapture. 1 Corinthians 15 deals with bodily resurrection, that for the dead and the living at the rapture, in a moment in the twinkling of an eye, essentially instantaneous. I don’t know how that Jesus’ coming with a shout contradicts that. The shout followed by instantaneous bodily resurrection of already dead saints.
When do we get our immortal bodies? It’s at this great resurrection described in 1 Thess 4 and 1 Cor 15. The glorified bodies described in 1 Cor 15, when do we get those? Paul explains that. He does that too in 1 Thess 4. They are parallel passages.
1 Corinthians 15 doesn’t mention any kind of judgment on unbelieving sinners here like is happening in the tribulation. This challenges your position among many, many other challenges. This also parallels, as I said, with John 14. Let not your heart be troubled, you will go through a terrible time of tribulation like no other the world has ever faced, and after that I will come again and receive you unto myself.
Paul says it is a mystery, not something revealed in the OT that is revealed in the NT. In John 14, Thomas saw it as a mystery, “Lord, we know not.” This is something new to them, He reveals. Paul says it is a mystery. This idea that we won’t sleep. We won’t die. What is that all about? How could that not be the rapture? People receive glorified bodies without dying at the rapture.
I get your point. You don’t want to talk about it. That’s fine. Last time I spoke about this topic with you you said the same thing and I said I would not bring it up until you wrote on it. The point I read you making about the eclipse specifically was that it has nothing to do with end times because nothing need happen before Jesus comes back for the rapture. I agree with the point on the eclipse but disagree with your premise about nothing needing to occur based on my comments, which I believe make a solid case that Christ clearly taught the opposite of what you’re saying. However, I realize that there are interpretational positions which drive you to make your case, about which I first made statements in the negative and secondarily asked questions, which did apply to the gist of the post, though of course coming from a post-trib perspective. I don’t require you to answer them, but I think it’s unfair to say I missed the point of the post.
Yes, I do care that you rightly divide the word of truth just as I would hope you care the same about me. Is it wrong to care and express such concern? I think you misunderstood my question. I was not trying to say that 1 Corinthians 15:51-54 is not about the rapture, I believe it is about the rapture. It is the rapture which is “in the moment, in the twinkling of an eye.” You said that Paul said Christ’s return is “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.” I was pointing out that is not what Paul said. Christ’s return is called the “glorious appearing,” where he descends in the clouds of heaven. That cannot happen “in the twinkling of an eye.” As Revelation 1:7 says, “every eye shall see him.” The return and rapture are two different things. The rapture/resurrection happen at Christ’s return or coming “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.” 1 Corinthians 15:23 states this.
If you don’t want to publish this that’s fine. Certainly no need for you to respond. I hope you enjoy the eclipse today, we’ve got clear skies in Southern Michigan and have our eclipse glasses ready.
Bro Thompson,
I really don’t mind answering you when I have the time, but it will take a lot of time. You will leave no stone unturned. I’d almost rather write a book on it. You know that your position and mine don’t change anything about the meaning of the eclipse.