Apoc-eclipse

Dear sisters and brothers of the risen Christ, 

Well, you did it. I don't know how but you managed to survive another apoc-eclispse. I probably shouldn't be, but I'm still surprised at how many people, especially Christians, want to associate a full eclipse with some apocalyptic sign of the end of all things. When I surmise why that is, the only reason I can come up with is because a full eclipse is viewed as a rare thing. When in reality they're actually not rare. 

The moon moves in front of the sun quite often, just not where you are. Think about it: if the sun and the moon are two points on a line, all you need to do to see a total eclipse is to be on the same line with the moon between you and the sun. It’s not necessarily easy — you need a spaceship to get there most of the time. But my point is that total eclipses are happening a lot. They're just happen to be rare where you are.

Christians who see the eclipse as a sign will often point to Revelation 6:12, where the sun is black as sackcloth at the world’s end. Instead, I’ll point you to the prophecy of Joel 2:31 that is quoted by Peter in Acts 2:19-20: “I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.” Grabbing onto these texts, many claim that an eclipse signals that the end is imminent.

But is this prophecy even about the end? It could be, but when Peter quotes this passage on Pentecost in Acts 2, he is interpreting it in the light of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and Jesus’ death on the cross.

Let’s look to the cross, then:

Was there blood on Calvary? Yes, the Savior’s own. Shed for you.

Was there fire and vapor of smoke? Remember, God’s presence in the Old Testament was often signified by fire and smoke, so “fire and billows of smoke” in the prophecy can well be understood as a statement of God’s presence.

Was God present at Calvary? Yes, He was the One nailed to the middle cross.

Was the sun turned to darkness? Yes, for three hours (Matthew 27:45). Some have even claimed the darkness on Good Friday to be a natural solar eclipse, except that solar eclipses don’t last for 180 minutes.

Was the moon turned to blood? That’s the part of the prophecy not explicitly described at the time of the crucifixion. We know the moon was full because it was the start of the Passover, but we don’t know how it appeared.

If you’re looking for some spiritual significance to the total eclipse, why speculate? Rather than guess whether or not it’s a sign of things to come of the future apocalypse (a futile guess, says our Lord in Matthew 24:36), look back instead to the cross. Let it remind you of the Lord’s death for you, when even creation shook as the Creator suffered for your sins. When the sky goes dark and light again, think of death and resurrection — and that Christ, the Light of the World, still shines in the darkness (John 1:5). Don’t be disturbed by thoughts of the end of the world: in Christ, the end for you here is only the beginning of eternal life in glory.

So, hopefully, when the moon blotted out the sun’s light for a few minutes earlier this week, you simply enjoyed the spectacle. Hopefully you wore the right glasses. And now, you can get back to your life as one set free in Christ.

In Christ,

Pastor Bater