Keep reading this because I am giving you a new view of the Solar eclipse of April 8, 2024.
Let me start by giving you scripture.
Genesis 1:14
God said, ‘Let there be luminaries in the firmament of the heaven to separate between the day and the night; and they shall serve as signs…’”
The Prophet Isaiah wrote
Isaiah 13:10 “The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light.”
This passage reflects on the darkening of celestial bodies, perhaps reflecting the awe and fear that an eclipse can inspire.
1 to 4 million people are predicted to travel to the Solar Eclipse events; the market for eclipse glasses sales has risen 50% already while creating the biggest traveling event of the year to specifically designated destinations wearing solar eclipse glasses, and gathering across the nation to view the eclipse all in one accord – all looking up.
“Looking up” it reminds me of this scripture
Luke 21:28
28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
In the hours leading up to the eclipse, as the light will decrease upon the land, The air temperature will noticeably drop, and the wind will seem still. Creation will think it’s night as birds stop singing and crickets begin to chirp. If anyone at that time is unaware, they will also look up to see what happened to the Sun.
Isaiah 60:2-3
For look, darkness covers the earth, and total darkness the peoples; but the LORD will shine over you, and His glory will appear over you
Isaiah 60:1-3
Arise, shine,
For your light has come!
And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the LORD will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.
The Gentiles shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.
Arise, shine; for your light has come: After the thick and desperate darkness described in Isaiah 59:9-10, this is the glorious rescue from the Redeemer. Light has come — so God tells His people to respond to it and to arise and shine.
Darkness is for lying down; light is for rising. Darkness is for gloom and sleep; light is for shining. When the light has come, we must respond and arise, shine.
The Earth’s moon is about 400 times smaller than the Sun, but it is also about 400 times closer, so they both appear to be about the same size in the sky. This aligns with the Scripture, “And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night” (Gen. 1:16).
Psalm 104:19
He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows it’s time for setting.
To understand that our calendar the Georgian calendar is solar based on the sun calendar, Pope Gregory XIII, who issued it in 1582, announced calendar reforms for all of Catholic Christendom. The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world.
Hebrew calendar Is the Lunar cycle of the moon. The Jewish calendar is based primarily on the moon (lunar),
The Hebrew calendar gives us a glimpse of the wondrous nature of God; as King David wrote in Psalms, the “heavens speak of the honor of God.”
The very first commandment given to the children of Israel after being delivered from Egypt was to sanctify the new moon (Exodus 12:1-2), thereby causing the fledgling nation to depart from the solar tradition of the Egyptians (Ra worship) sun god worship and that they were to look to the moon for a new means of reckoning time and seasons.
The emergence of the moon – from darkness to light – is a picture of God’s salvation for the Jewish people and our deliverance from darkness to light. Note that the word for month is chodesh, etymologically related to chadash, meaning new.
God created the Sun and the Moon for signs and for “appointed times” (Gen. 1:14). As it is also written: “He made the moon to mark the appointed times (לְמוֹעֲדִים); the sun knows its time for setting” (Psalm 104:19).
Isaiah 66:23
23 From new moon to new moon,
and from Sabbath to Sabbath,
all flesh shall come to worship before me,
declares the Lord.
Eclipse
A Woman Will Encompass (Eclipse) a Man
H5437 – sāḇaḇ surround, encompass, circle about
Also, the word ‘tesovav ‘ means turning or going around, encircling or Surrounding closely, to encircle, to enclose, as a wedding ring encompasses the finger.
In the Jewish wedding, the Bride circles or encompasses the Groom 7 times for a purpose.
- Circling “seven times” corresponds with the seven wedding blessings and demonstrates that the groom is the center of the bride’s life. (This also symbolizes her protective care of her husband. That’s why she steps under the wedding chuppah first)
- The seven circles recall the seven times Joshua had to walk around the ancient city of Jericho before the walls fell, and the Israelites were able to capture it. So, too, after the bride walks around the groom seven times, the walls that try to separate them will fall, and their souls will always be united.
- They represent a seven-fold bond that marriage will establish between the bride and groom.
- The number seven represents the completion of the seven-day process in which Earth was created. During these seven days, the earth revolved on its axis seven times. Since marriage reenacts the creative process, the encirclement symbolizes the repetition of these seven earthly rotations.
Jeremiah 31:21
Set up for yourself roadmarks, Place for yourself guideposts; Direct your mind to the highway, The way by which you went. Return, O virgin of Israel, Return to these your cities. “How long will you go here and there, O faithless daughter? For the LORD has created a new thing in the earth—A woman will encompass a man.”
(Jer. 31:21-22 NASB)
7 “Full Life”
8 “New Beginning”
When God desired a home for Himself, He created the world in six days, and on the seventh day, He designated it as a holy day of rest. The number seven thus symbolizes completion and holiness within time and space. So when a couple is about to set up a home and begin a “full life,” it is fitting to reflect this symbolism in the marriage ceremony after that the number 8 means “a new beginning” the two shall have together.
Circling (eclipse) is also the first Jewish part of the ceremony; the bride circles the groom seven times then they look to be as one.
As she steps inside, she signals the beginning of the ceremony “and he shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh.” It is a new family circle now.
And under the Chuppah (bridal canopy, God’s presence, His covering), God’s protection throughout their marriage.
The renewed thing (chadash) or a woman encompassing a man is the bridegroom’s covenantal language. The woman encircles her groom seven times in the fullness of the Holy Spirit to create a new House and to tear down any walls (like Jericho) that may remain between them. The woman surrounds the man with (spiritual) protection as the gatekeeper of their home.
So, the theme in Jeremiah 31 is the relationship between God and his people. This relationship is often depicted in Scripture as the relationship between man and wife Bride and Groom(Hos 2:19, Is 54:5), and verse 22 is understood in this light.
The diamond ring effect during a solar eclipse
Its striking resemblance to a diamond engagement ring is unmistakable.
The diamond ring effect is one of the most distinctive features of a total eclipse of the Sun. It appears immediately before and after totality when the Moon completely obscures the Sun.
It is the first and last moments of the eclipse and will be marked by two brief, spectacular phenomena. This “diamond ring” first appears ten or more seconds before totality: a dazzling burst of light that clings to one edge of the Moon as the soft glow of the corona emerges from the background sky and silhouettes the opposite edge. Its resemblance to a diamond wedding ring is unmistakable. Dazzling starburst that will appear and quickly grow along one edge of the Moon as the diamond ring forms.
Like the moon, she is rarely the visible one in their union (one /echad), but there is one day that she is the star for all to see — her wedding day!
Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
Abba Father desires a chaste bride, and what an adornment He has for her!
Song of Solomen 6:3
I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine:
“Ani l’dodi v’dodi li” I am to my beloved, and He is to me.
The Bridegroom and His Bride.
Send out the invitations.
The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.”
David compares the sun to a bridegroom coming out joyful and strong from his wedding canopy.
In Psalm 19, David continues by comparing the glory of the heavenly bodies to the Torah. Hopefully, we have His Law written on our hearts.
The sun is the celestial object that is sacred to the Hebrews. But it is not only the sun that is sacred to them. The stars and the moons’ reflections. The light from the moon is the most potent source of illumination in the Bible. A dark sky without the moon is a sign of darkness & evil and the world’s darkness.
A little boy told me after a Wednesday evening service, we were all walking to our cars. He said, “Ya know what? I said what he said: the moon is God’s flashlight. He’s helping us see our way tonight”.
Jesus said;
Luke 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws near.
Acts 1:9-10
Jesus Goes to Be with the Father
9 When Jesus had said this, and while they were still looking at Him, He was taken up. A cloud carried Him away so they could not see Him. 10 They were still looking up to heaven, watching Him go. All at once two men dressed in white stood beside them.