The Closet Professor

The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.

— Acts 2:20

A total eclipse of the sun, which will be visible in the skies from Texas to Maine tomorrow afternoon (April 8). Because most of Vermont will be in the “path of totality” (the area where a full eclipse can be viewed), people have been talking about this even for the past several years. Millions of people are expected to travel to see the spectacle, which also will attract scientists from across the country to study its unique effects. On a more spiritual side, many people are preparing to use the eclipse as a time of reflection and prayer, though many also see the celestial events as bad omens. Eclipses have inspired fear and awe among civilizations throughout history, from the Aztecs to the ancient Hindus. They’re also associated with some major religious events, including the darkness that accompanied Jesus’ crucifixion in Christianity and, in Islam, the passing of the Prophet Muhammad’s son, Ibrahim.

Today, I thought I’d reflect on what the Bible says about eclipses. Celestial darkness is mentioned in sections of the Bible depicting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ — Matthew 27, Mark 15 and Luke 23. Mark 15:33 reads: ” Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.” People have used astronomical events such as eclipses to emphasize the power of God over the cosmos. What we today see as an astronomical event, people previously interpreted as having life-and-death significance. 

In the Old Testament, prophets often describe eclipses or celestial phenomena as illustrations of a higher power at work when prophesizing. Isaiah 13:10 says, “For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be darkened in its going forth, and the moon will not cause its light to shine.” This verse is part of a prophesy that tells that Babylon will fall to the Medes (ancient Iranians). Ezekiel 32:7 says, “When I put out your light, I will cover the heavens, and make its stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.” This verse is a part of Ezekiel’s prophecies against Egypt and include two revelations from God regarding Egypt and its Pharaoh. In the book of Joel, a Jewish prophetic text, Joel 2:10; 2:31states, “The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble; the sun and moon grow dark, and the stars diminish their brightness…The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.” Also, Joel 3:15 says “The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will diminish their brightness.” These verses come from passages about a call to national repentance in the face of God’s judgment and the coming judgment on the Kingdom of Judah’s enemies.

Do you see a theme in these verses that could be interpreted as an eclipse? Each one is spelling doom for one group or another as part of a judgement. They are used to illustrate the power of God. While I do not believe any rational person today would see the eclipse as a judgment from God for our “wicked ways.” Perspectives on eclipses vary widely, but some see celestial happenings as a warning of God’s imminent wrath; some have even claimed they bear political significance. In November 2022, some ultraconservative Christian pastors said the approaching blood moon lunar eclipse portended a surge of Republican midterm wins. That did not go quite as they planned, because I would not call the small Republican gains a “surge.” More recently, Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of iconic evangelist Billy Graham, has seen speculation among some that the combined paths over the United States of this year’s eclipse and the previous two solar eclipses appear to mimic the shapes of the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet — in other words, the beginning and the end. These views “eclipse” not only the meaning of God’s Word, but also ignores the scientific phenomenon that causes celestial events such as this.

Some people are equating the New Jersey earthquake on Friday to be related to the eclipse tomorrow. People always seem to try to interpret things as signs, but you probably know me well enough by now to know that I don’t approve of people using the Bible for their own agenda or by reading things into the Bible that are not there.  People always look for signs of something, and with the sky going completely dark, that something often spells doom for some people.

I believe that the only “message” the eclipse is giving us is that God created a beautiful, wonderful, and sometimes weird universe. There is a certain “cool factor” about a total solar eclipse, and I am hoping tomorrow will not be a cloudy day but a beautiful clear one in which we can see the Great Eclipse, with our eclipse glasses on, of course. If you are in the path of totality, I hope you will be able to witness this once in a century celestial phenomenon.