STAND FIRM: April 8 Eclipse - How Should It Be Interpreted (Part 2)

      The April 8 Eclipse is coming in a few days, and social media and watercooler conversations at work have been hopping with discussion of how, when this eclipse is combined with the one seven years ago, they make an “X” over the United States meaning that judgment is coming. Then there are others saying the eclipse means nothing. Which is it? How should we interpret the eclipse?

      I began addressing this question in my previous article. (See the March 27 issue.) I hope you have read that article because this one may not make much sense if you haven’t. In that article, I gave a 12.7% chance that the eclipse was prophetic for the US. I also said that the number was given in jest, but though most of the (if not all) arguments used to prove the eclipse is a sign of judgment are faulty, we must still consider some things before throwing the possibility out.

      I shared that the arguments based on town names, the eclipse will pass, the shapes the eclipses make, or the number calculations of those towns aren’t how prophecy should be handled correctly. There is a darkening of the sun talked about in many Bible passages, but that speaks of a specific event, and in every case, other events will take place at that time. None of those other events are happening. For the record, I have not watched a video or heard a podcast that gave true biblical support for this eclipse being prophetic. Instead, what I have seen looks like a mad scientist making projections.

      As much as those videos have turned me off on the subject, we must realize that in Gen. 1:14, God speaks through the sun and moon. Even though we feel like we know the science of eclipses, that doesn’t mean God doesn’t speak through them. For this reason and a couple of others, I can’t throw out conversations like this one of the eclipses. In our interpretation of the Bible and walking with Christ, I am learning that we often take the easy route of assuming extremes when the truth is often in the tension between the two. The truth requires us to truly seek the Lord.

      One of the biblical principles that gives me pause when it comes to dismissing discussions like this about the eclipse is that God warns His people. A passage that expresses this principle is in Amos: “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7 NIV).

      This passage and concept freak a lot of people out, especially us Baptists, but it is a principle throughout the Bible — God warns His people and gives ample warnings. This is important because if we sense we’re near the last days, we should expect God to give warnings. This is scary because it is hard to trust anyone who says God told them something, especially when that involves end times, but we should be looking for that. Yet, when God warns His people, it comes as a “Thus, says the Lord,” not someone who has found clues from adding up the first letter of every town an eclipse is going over. Not only will the Lord warn, but He will do so through multiple witnesses. If you’ve heard any of those videos about the eclipse, no one is saying, “the Lord said,” they’re just concocting ideas from clues they believe they have found. I take the time to share this because we need to be looking for it.

      Along the same lines of God’s warning, Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit will also be warning and guiding us: “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come” (John 16:13).

      Jesus stated that part of the work of the Holy Spirit is to guide us to what is coming in the future. That is important. We might be concerned about God sending people to warn, but we can’t argue with this New Testament work of the Holy Spirit in John. Some might say this work of the Holy Spirit negates the work of God sending someone to warn, but I would argue that the Holy Spirit instead helps us discern warnings God would use others to send.

      I think it is highly likely that the Holy Spirit is guiding believers today in what is to come. I don’t mean just about the eclipse, but I believe the concern of the last days and expectations that things will soon break open is more than us being paranoid. I believe the Holy Spirit may be guiding us.

      That discernment through the Holy Spirit is important in things like this eclipse, because if God speaks through the sun, moon and stars, as well as we should be looking for people to be sent by God to warn, then we need to discern the times. We need to discern the eclipse. Let’s not completely dismiss it. Let’s pray about it.

      We also shouldn’t dismiss anything that talks about judgment coming to America. I think we should expect it. I believe, with what the Bible does give us about the end of the age, we should expect the US will at least diminish in its current status in the world.

      With all that said, I have no idea if the eclipse means anything in particular. Still, I will say, like how rainbows continually remind us of God’s promises, anything that happens in creation should remind us of the Sovereign Creator who will judge this earth.

      I am intrigued by how the eclipse goes over the New Madrid fault, but my curiosity just makes me sound like one of those guys on YouTube or at your work. With the eclipse, please don’t rush to jump on a prophetic bandwagon or dismiss things immediately because someone was wrong before, but take it before the Lord. Some additional seeking God and praying sure isn’t going to hurt!

         — Jake is a state missionary and would love to share about the work in Northwest Arkansas and encourage your church to stand firm. (standfirmministries.com)