Angela Christian
Now, my hope is that you began reading this in wonder at the obvious errors in the title. If not, this article is for you.
Ah, the internet! Exponentially increased knowledge, no? NO! What it has actually accomplished is to expose and expand the general ignorance.
Cats aside, a web favorite right now is the upcoming solar eclipse. Being blessed to live within the path of totality, my radar’s hot on this one. As I’ve started to explore and share on social media, there has been an increasingly concerning trend.
Apparently, the point of the total solar eclipse is entirely missed by such as I.
This is how the basic arguments are running:
- In “Jewish thought” (huh?!?) blood moons are spiritual signs.
- The solar eclipse is a Blood Moon.
- The Holy Bible says the sun, moon and stars were given for signs…
- Therefore, the upcoming eclipse is a spiritual sign of (?) and we’d all better start fearing double-time.
Let’s examine each of those points for validity, shall we?
“Jews believe it, that settles it.”
Hmmm. SO much wrong with that, I must reduce it to a few short points.
- The entirety of any ethnic group, I don’t care who they are, are not in agreement on any one thing ever. (Need I mention the joke about 2 Rabbis, 3 opinions, 4 synagogues?)
- I appreciate the love of most Christians for Israel and understand that’s where our Scriptures come from, however – that doesn’t make “their” majority beliefs correct.
- Collective thought is NOT equivalent to truth.
“The SOLAR eclipse is a Blood Moon.”
That I need to write this both makes my brain hurt and my heart break.
SOLAR = SUN
LUNAR = MOON
A solar eclipse in not considered a blood moon, a lunar eclipse is. As shown in the picture above, the experience of each type of eclipse is radically different.
“The Holy Bible says Heavenly events are signs.”
A key part of the “Biblical” defense of this nonsense is that unusual natural events are, without question, signs from Heaven (G-d) that we ought to heed.
- While a rare event in where we can view it, a total solar eclipse is not actually an unusual occurence. We simply are not usually as graced for viewing opportunities as this one provides. The next one will be in April of 2024.
- What does the alleged sign mean? How are you going to determine the mysterious, hidden message behind an event that is linked in no way to any part of Scripture?
- If the meaning is unclear, it is open to private interpretation. In fact, it would be required.
- How can people heed an unclear warning, one subject to a million different conclusions?
“Therefore, the solar eclipse is a spiritual sign…”
Since we have, quite simply, done away with the wherefore, we have no therefore.
I think a much better way to utilize this event is to show others the glorious diversity and wondrous majesty of our Creator and Saviour Jesus the Messiah.
Psalm 148: 3-5
Praise ye him, sun and moon:
praise him, all ye stars of light.
Praise him, ye heavens of heavens,
and ye waters that be above the heavens.
Let them praise the name of the Lord:
for he commanded, and they were created.
Isaiah 40:26
Lift up your eyes on high,
and behold who hath created these things,
that bringeth out their host by number:
he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might,
for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.
Isaiah 45:12
I have made the earth, and created man upon it:
I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens,
and all their host have I commanded.
Colossians 1:16
For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Revelation 4:11
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
AC, I remarked upon the significance of total solar eclipses in an article here back on July 28th, 2015: https://thecreationclub.com/god-in-your-face/
If I may be permitted to quote myself:
“Have you ever pondered the extreme unlikeliness of a perfect total eclipse of the sun by the moon? The sun is approximately 93 million miles away and 865,000 miles in diameter. The moon is approximately 240 thousand miles away and only 2160 miles in diameter. And yet the apparent diameter of the sun and the moon from the perspective of a viewer on the surface of the earth is virtually identical. What are the odds of that? Well…astronomical. This amazing correlation of distance and size is what makes a perfect solar eclipse possible. On occasion the moon perfectly covers the sun leaving only the corona visible for analysis. If either the sun or the moon were just a little larger or a little smaller, this would not be possible. Phobos and Deimos, the moons of Mars, for example, transit the sun, but they are too small to create a total solar eclipse as viewed from the surface of Mars.
“When I was a young atheist pondering things like this, I had to admit in all honesty that this phenomenon fell squarely on the side of theism. Total solar eclipses are a “God in your face” phenomenon. The likelihood of design here is immensely greater than the likelihood of randomness.”
The SIGNificance here is not one of anything having any thing to do with current events (I despise “newspaper exegesis” of Scripture) but of the raw fact of intelligent creation of the cosmos staring us in the face. The skeptics who are naive enough to buy into the claim of random happenstance here may be interested also in a bridge for sale…
Tom Shipley, well said.
Absolutely fine to quote oneself; great article you wrote! I couldn’t agree with your perspective more.
Thanks for sharing the link.