Too
many “coincidences” surround the “Mystery Man” from Nazareth for Him to not be
the promised Messiah. His story is written in the heavens, and the secret code
to revealing its prophecies and images is to view them Christologically—to see
that they are showing the timeline of Messiah’s coming, His sacrifice, His resurrection,
and His return to establish the
Kingdom of God. The record of
His
star in Matthew 2, along with other Old Testament prophecies that were
fulfilled at that time, should be enough to validate this claim. Additionally,
the book of Revelation reveals heavenly signs that point to His second coming, the
coming of the Son of Man.
Although
there are theologians and scholars who have acknowledged these truths, the
celestial phenomenon that remains basically unnoticed and overlooked is the one
that occurred at the time of His death upon the cross.
As
we look at this celestial occurrence during the crucifixion, we will see that it
should be incredibly interesting to those who study God’s celestial Word because
it is an astronomical phenomenon that defies normal scientific explanation. On
Passover at the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, a three-hour solar eclipse
occurred over all the face of the earth. That should have been enough to
testify to the world that the Messiah had been killed.
The celestial phenomenon of the crucifixion of Jesus
Christ was a three-hour solar eclipse.
There
are some serious questions to consider upon a closer examination of this
celestial event—a solar eclipse of the ages—a very significant event indeed.
First, solar eclipses
happen only on new moons. Passover is always on a full moon (14th
day of the first month, Leviticus 23:5).
On this day, which fell perhaps on the 28th of April ad 28, there was a full moon. This scenario defies description from
modern-day astronomy because solar eclipses are caused by the moon passing
between the Sun and Earth and casting a shadow on the earth. On this day, the
moon was exactly on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun and could in NO
way have eclipsed the Sun.
Second, solar
eclipses are normally a maximum of 7½ minutes long.
Three Bible records, along with other secular records, agree that this particular solar eclipse lasted for
three hours, which is impossible according to modern-day astronomical laws
and understanding. Regardless, the biblical record states that it remained dark
upon the whole earth for three hours.
Third, a
conventional solar eclipse only sweeps across a small swath of the Earth,
moving in a west-to-east direction. These same three biblical accounts report
that the eclipse covered all the face of the Earth.
Therefore,
this is a phenomenon—something that is way outside of the ordinary. Isn’t it
amazing that God Almighty had this date and event in His mind before the
creation of the world when He plotted out the courses of the planets, the Sun,
and the Moon. He knew who the Messiah would be and marked Him by celestial signs
at His birth and at His crucifixion.
Another
issue at stake here is that in many people’s belief systems the Bible is
infallible. So, if there is no plausible explanation, then science will fault
the Bible. In this case, we have three different gospel accounts verified by three
different sources. I’ve heard Bible teachers rant about three days and three
nights; well, here is another rant: a three-hour solar eclipse happening on a
full moon. Hello Houston, now we
really have a problem. Call out the astronomers, astrophysicists, NASA
scientists, including Dr. Folkner, and Pat
Gleason (the mathematician, cyber engineer, and astronomer who designed our
computer program). This is not possible! We are looking for answers.
In
the mouth of two or three witnesses, truth is established (2 Corinthians 13:1);
and in this case, three separate people describe this phenomenon and its
impact.
Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was
darkness over all the land. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two
from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split. Now when
the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake
and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was
the Son of God!” ~Matthew 27:45, 51, and 54
Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness
over the whole land until the ninth hour. Then the veil of the temple was torn
in two from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw
that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was
the Son of God!” ~Mark 15:33 and 38–39
And it was about the sixth hour, and there was
darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. Then the sun was darkened,
and the veil of the temple was torn in two. Now when the centurion saw what had
happened, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous Man!” ~Luke
23:44–45 and 47
The
sixth hour is 12 noon, and the ninth hour is 3 pm. So, the eclipse started at noon and ended at
3 pm. Notice also that in each
account, there is seismic activity and a Roman centurion confessing Jesus as
Messiah. Jesus died at 3 pm,
precisely when the eclipse ended. This was an amazing event.
What Caused the Eclipse?
So,
what caused this eclipse if it wasn’t
the Moon? We have seen that all three biblical accounts record that there were
earthquakes so powerful that the veil of the temple, which was about three feet
thick, was torn from top to bottom.
In
ratiocination (the practice of deductive logic), if you rule out all the
possible causes, then there must exist other seemingly impossible reasons to
explain the phenomenon. There appears to be no “normal” answer in our
contemporary wisdom and knowledge of astronomy. We can rule out the moon
causing the eclipse, because it was on the other side of the Earth and could
not have caused it. Also, the time lapse of the eclipse was way too long for it
to be caused by the Moon. Additionally, all three biblical testimonies declare
that it covered “all the land” (one even states, “all the earth”). This was no
ordinary eclipse, and there is an indication from this description that the
Earth was in the shadow of something that passed between it and the Sun.
The only
explainable premise is that this shadow, or eclipse, had to be caused by an
unidentified celestial object (UCO) that passed between the Sun and the Earth. The object would
obviously be larger than the Earth since its shadow covered the whole Earth for
three hours. Deductively, an object that large and that close to the Earth
could certainly have caused a gravitational pull that was the impetus for the seismic
activity.
Science
does not provide an answer to this event, so either the Bible is wrong or we
must look to the “impossible” solution—this was caused by a UCO. We could just
explain it away by stating, “God put His hand over the Earth when this
happened.” However, this is not Vacation Bible School—something caused it, just as something caused the parting of the
Red Sea, the hail fire and brimstone of Sodom and Gomorrah, Joshua’s long day,
and Hezekiah’s sundial moving backwards. Perhaps this was the personification
of God’s hand over the Earth, but He caused it by natural phenomenon. Israel
was almost immediately devastated and even now is struggling to recover the
blow dealt them for killing His Son. There is a greater explanation to this
than God putting His hand over the earth.
It
is both—the UCO and the hand of God—sending
a foreboding message, as the eclipse covered the whole earth, that His Son had
been killed. In all likelihood, this UCO was a mysterious asteroid or planetoid
system passing by.
This
is of interest to us for three reasons.
First, this was
the crucifixion of Yeshua of Nazareth, the Lord of Glory. God Almighty marked His
death with a major celestial sign
just as Messiah’s first birth was marked. These are indicators to help us
accept the person who is the chosen Messiah and Redeemer of mankind. This
should not be swept under the rug simply because we cannot explain it. It is another major sign marking the
identity of the Messiah.
Second, I know
that within the Great Tribulation and the second coming of Messiah many
celestial phenomena will occur too, and I am looking for His coming. The Bible
reveals celestial, cosmic phenomena like the sky receding and every mountain
and island being moved out of its place (Revelation 6:14), something that resembles
a great flaming mountain being thrown into the sea, a third of the sea becoming
blood, a third of the sea creatures dying, and a third of the ships being
destroyed (Revelation 8:8), and a great burning star falling from heaven into a
third of the rivers, affecting the springs of water (Revelation 8:10). This three-hour solar eclipse plausibly occurred
at the death of Yeshua, and perhaps a similar signal will show us his second
coming.
Third, I would be
remiss if I did not at least mention the existence of another planet or system
in our solar system. I have taught this in my Christological astronomy class for
almost eight years. I know that there is activity happening in our solar system
that is not confined to the Sun and Moon and our nine planets. I learned it
from the Bible in questing for the Christology of the planets. Secular sources
refer to this celestial phenomenon as Niburu or Planet X. I am greatly
interested in it perhaps fulfilling Revelation 12 in the coming fall feasts, as
the heavens move through their cycles and circles. This could be the answer to the three-hour solar eclipse and the
celestial events of the Great Tribulation.
Deductively,
the crucifixion of Yeshua of Nazareth was marked by a celestial sphere
eclipsing the whole Earth for three hours. In other words, something came
between the Earth and the Sun. These kind of rare happenings offer some other
explanation for certain incidents in the Bible that science can’t explain—like
hail fire and brimstone at Sodom and Gomorrah, or the parting of the Red Sea,
or the Sun and Moon standing still for Joshua, or Hezekiah’s sundial going
backward. And there are more. This account in Amos will take your breath away
because it sounds exactly like what happened on the day of the crucifixion.
“And it shall come to pass in that day,” says the Lord
God, “That I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in
broad daylight.” ~Amos 8:9
When
I saw this verse recently, it stunned me because it typifies exactly what
happened at the time of the crucifixion. Amos prophesied that the Sun would go
dark at noon and the Earth would be darkened. Even in a total solar eclipse,
which lasts at the most 7½ minutes, the Earth
does not get fully darkened. Some believe that this prophecy was fulfilled at
the earthquake that occurred during King Uzziah’s reign over Judah (Zechariah
14:5–6). If that were so, then there were two
days when this occurred, making Yeshua’s crucifixion event a double fulfillment
of this prophecy. I believe that Amos 8:9 is significant within the pattern of what
long eclipses and earthquakes portend for Israel. It is not good news for them,
but God brings judgment for the purpose of repentance and, ultimately, for reconciliation.
Sun and Moon Eclipsed Simultaneously
On
the occasion of a three-hour solar eclipse, the Moon would not appear as having
light, since it would not be able to reflect the Sun (regardless of its
location). These incidents where neither the Sun nor the Moon have light are prophesied
by Joel in 2:10, 31, and 3:15.
I
was deeply interested in the tetrad eclipses of 2014 and 2015, and they were
significant signs of the coming kingdom of Messiah on Earth, just as the signs
in the fall of 2017 will be. Yet they did not fulfill the prophecies of Joel
because the eclipses and darkenings of the Sun and Moon that Joel spoke of are
simultaneous—just as what happened on the day of the crucifixion. So there was
both a solar and a lunar eclipse on
that day.
If
the Sun goes dark, and covers all the face of the Earth for three hours, at
night time on the other side of the earth, the Moon will be eclipsed and appear
blood-red because of the shadow of Earth’s atmosphere. Look at what Joel says
about this.
The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble; the
sun and moon grow dark, and the stars diminish their brightness. ~Joel 2:10
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into
blood, before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. ~Joel 2:31
A
solar and lunar eclipse happened simultaneously at the crucifixion. You would
think that a three-hour solar eclipse would have been enough of a sign, but
Yahweh made sure that the people on the other side of Earth would see it too
through the eclipsing of the Moon. These simultaneous solar and lunar eclipse
have happened before, and they will happen again.
I
am deducing that the sign of the
coming of the Son of Man (Luke 21:25–27) will be another simultaneous eclipse
of the Sun and Moon. Furthermore, the prophecies of Revelation 12:1-4 indicate
that this sign may occur in the fall of 2017.
What Did the
Eclipse Say When He Was Crucified?
An
eclipse was visible around the world, either solar or lunar—sending out a
message for all to see. It was a sad day. The world had rejected and killed the
Redeemer, the promised Messiah, and God’s Son. Earthquakes shook the ground and
events of such a degree that the Roman centurion accepted Yeshua as the Son of
God.
This
is how the heavens would have appeared that day of Passover ad 28.
On
Passover, in April of the supposed year of ad
28, the Sun was located firmly in the very heart of Taurus, the sacrificial
bull. (This occurred before the precession of the equinox took place and moved
the placement of the constellations. Within the last 2,000 years, the Sun has
been positioned in Aries during April.) This was a strong message for those with
eyes to see. From Jerusalem, the site of the crucifixion, the eclipse began at
12 noon and ended at 3 pm.
With the darkness
from the solar eclipse, the heavens would have been visible. The whole show was
in Taurus, the sacrificial bull who was being slain—simultaneously.
When
an eclipse occurs, what is being covered up in the heavens is significant and
should be noted. In this instance, not only was the Sun located in the
constellation of Taurus, the sacrificial bull, it was also eclipsing the
Pleiades cluster of stars, often call the Seven Sisters. These are huge
Christological messages.
In
Christological astronomy, the Pleiades means the accumulation or congregation
of the saints. It is commonly known as the
Seven Sisters located in the shoulder of Taurus but symbolically means the
place of the accumulated, departed, righteous dead. At the time that Yeshua was
being crucified, the saints in Abraham’s bosom were about to get transported to
paradise and this is what the eclipse was saying. The blood of the bull was
shed for the forgiveness of sins of the priesthood (Exodus 29:10) and his
sacrifice was being announced to the whole world by the eclipsing residing in
the constellation of Taurus. And it
was a sign of the redemption being paid to release all the souls in hell in
Abraham’s bosom that were being taken out of hell, which is where Abraham’s
bosom was, and being transported into paradise.
For
years, I’ve wondered about the verses in Matthew 27 about many getting out of
their graves. Now I know—it was the validation of the solar eclipse’s message
to righteous Israel: they would be saved
if they embraced the Messiah. The raising of the dead out of Abraham’s
bosom was a great accomplishment for the Lord and one of the main reasons He
came to Earth.
And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the
saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after
His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. ~Matthew
27:52–53
As
the Sun was also eclipsing the Pleiades, the message was being broadcast around
the world that Jesus was going into hell to rescues His brethren. Ephesians 4:8–10
tells us what Jesus did.
Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led
captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.” (Now this, “He ascended” -- what does it mean but that He also first
descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One
who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) ~Ephesians
4:8–10
So,
the three-hour simultaneous solar/lunar eclipse signified Messiah’s death and
also told the story of redemption. Jesus did not die only to save those of us who
would come in the future—He also came to rescue those who were in Abraham’s
bosom and take them to Paradise.
This
is the beautiful, redemptive message of the three-hour solar eclipse.
Conclusion
This
amazing truth has been in the Bible waiting to be discovered. The fact remains,
according to biblical and historical dating of earthquakes and other
geophysical happenings at that time, that there was a celestial phenomenon that
caused the solar eclipse on the Passover of the crucifixion. Even though this
blog has focused on the cause of that eclipse, the greater significance lies
within the message that it communicated to the whole world.
God
Almighty marked Jesus of Nazareth as the promised Messiah by signs in the
heavens—in His birth and in His death; and He will do the same in His second
coming. What an amazing truth to realize
that God so publicly identified the Messiah within His celestial cathedral.
Now that an additional sign of the solar eclipse has been added, we should all
conclude that Yeshua of Nazareth is the Messiah and Savior of the world. He is the light of the world and we are
looking for His coming and the sign of the coming of the Son of Man.
Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud
with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and
lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near. ~Luke 21:27–28
