Today’s post is going to be very important! Some of you may read through it all, while others skim over. Still others may disregard it all together. That’s certainly your choice, but if you would, just humor me and read all of this post. I am hoping it will create a deep stirring within you, and open your eyes to the “signs” of the times.
As you may or may not know, a total solar eclipse is coming to ONLY THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA on Monday, August 21, touching land at approximately 10:15. The eclipse’s shadow touches down first in Lincoln City, Oregon, and then streaks across the U.S. at the speed of a jet plane, exiting out of South Carolina. There are thousands or millions who may travel to see this historical eclipse. The advertising for the eclipse has been what I’d call “last minute”, so who knows how many will actually show up! The path of totality covers 14 states: Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina. Small sections of Montana and Iowa will be in the path of totality as well. The states mentioned ARE IN THE FULL SHADOW of the eclipse and will see the SUN COMPLETELY COVERED. However, everyone in the contiguous United States will get some view of the eclipse. This is why it is being called the Great American Eclipse! It will be partial, but it will still be amazing to see. Of course, nothing compares to a FULL, TOTAL VIEW OF THE ECLIPSE. According to Greatamericaneclipse.com, the entire total eclipse stage will last 3 hours and 14 minutes (this includes when the shadow makes contact northwest of Hawaii, all the way to when the shadow leaves the Earth just south of the Cape Verde Islands.)
Keep in mind, SEVEN YEARS after this eclipse, ANOTHER ONE IS ON ITS WAY. On April 8, 2024, we will have yet another eclipse. The eclipse on August 21 will travel WEST TO EAST, while the eclipse on April 8 travels South to North . This second eclipse will enter first through Texas, and travel through Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire. This eclipse will also travel through Mexico and Canada. For this reason it is being called the Great North American Eclipse.
So, the United States will be experiencing two solar eclipses within seven years! Well, we know that now, but what do solar eclipses mean? Let’s see what the Bible has to say about solar eclipses.
“Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand- a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness……. before the earth shakes, the heavens tremble, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine.” Joel 2, verses 1 and 10
“The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And everyone who calls upon the Lord will be saved.” Joel 2:31, 32
“Immediately after the distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and heavenly bodies will be shaken. Then will appear the sign of the son of Man in heaven.” Matthew 24: 29, 30.
“I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red.” Revelation 6:12.
As you read those verses you probably notice the part about the sun becoming dark (solar eclipses) and the moon turning blood red (lunar eclipses). You also probably noticed some scary words like Day of the Lord, day of darkness, trembling, and dreadful.…UGH…. this doesn’t sound good at all does it? Well, hold on a second because my point is not to scare you to death. I’m not saying it is the Day of the Lord, and I am not saying we are all going to die! Let’s put it into perspective.
Firstly, SOLAR eclipses involve the SUN. More specifically, the SUN goes dark and a SHADOW falls upon the land within the eclipse’s path. During a LUNAR eclipse, the moon passes behind the Earth and into Earth’s shadow. The Earth blocks the Sun’s light and that light is refracted by the Earth’s shadow. Thus, the light refracted is a red color when it reaches the moon- that is why total lunar eclipses are sometimes called blood moons.
Lunar eclipses are associated with the nation of Israel. Why? Because Israel follows a lunar calendar. This calendar is different than the calendar the rest of the world follows, including the United States. Israel follows the BIBLICAL CALENDAR, OR God’s calendar. In the Bible, we see the Israelites and early Christians followed a biblical calendar because the Feasts of the Lord such as Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Shavuot, Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah), Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and Sukkoth (Feast of Tabernacles) were observed and celebrated according to the biblical, lunar calendar. And yes, Jesus followed the Hebrew biblical calendar!
Solar eclipses are associated with the nations of the world. Why? Because the nations of the world follow a solar calendar. In fact, if you have studied history you will know that most ancient cultures worshiped the Sun. The Gregorian solar calendar we use today was not heard of until 1580, when Pope Gregory XIII introduced it. Before this, the world was on the Julian calendar, introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 B.C. Both calendars are solar, and neither of them are biblical calendars. The Julian calendar was used for a long time, and then eventually most nations switched over to the Gregorian calendar the world uses today.
Now that we know what each type of eclipse is tied to, what does any of that mean? Firstly, let’s keep in mind that solar and lunar eclipses happen fairly often, though not in the same places, and they are not always the same type. The key to understanding eclipses is their timing. By this I mean, where do the eclipses fall on the biblical calendar? Also, what historical events are tied to these eclipses?
Let’s look at some past eclipses I have mentioned in previous blogs. Back in 2014, 2015 we had a series of four total lunar eclipses (blood moons). The interesting thing about these blood moons is that they occurred on Biblical feasts on the Biblical calendar. April 15, 2014 a blood moon occurred on Passover. Another blood moon happened on October 8, 2014 on the feast of Tabernacles (also known as Sukkoth). In 2015, the pattern repeated itself with a blood moon occurring on April 4- Passover. Then on September 28 a blood moon happened on the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkoth). The timing of these LUNAR eclipses was significant. Again, lunar eclipses are tied to Israel. Since those blood moons, we have seen the rise of ISIS, but most importantly, we have seen Israel being delegitamized and marginalized by UNESCO, the United Nations and unfortunately the United States. The nations around Israel, and the United Nations are asking Israel to give back East Jerusalem, and land they gained during the 1967 War. Consequently, Israel reclaimed Jerusalem on 6-7-67- June 7, 1967- and guess what? There were four blood moons in 1967 and 1968 that fell on Passover and Tabernacles! These blood moons (lunar eclipses) followed the same pattern as the ones in 2014 and 2015. So, in 1967, Israel gained land, but in 2014-2015, they are being asked to give it back. Currently, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is being consumed by violence as angry terrorists attack Israeli soldiers and citizens. This year Israel celebrated 50 years of a unified Jerusalem, yet the land is in jeopardy.
Fast forward to now- 2017! We have TWO SOLAR ECLIPSES COMING TO AMERICA! I described the paths above, but I didn’t tell you something important! If you put both of the paths on a map, you will see A VERY LARGE X! (See featured image) That’s right, an X! Most people will look at the path and say, “That’s cool! How neat! It looks like a treasure map where X marks the spot.” Well, that may seem cool and all but you may want to examine it a bit more closely. What else could an X mean?
Well, we should probably look at the biblical possibilities first. I watched a great video from Mark Biltz of El Shaddai Ministries and he pointed out something interesting. He said the X could represent the Hebrew letter TAW, also called TAV. This is the 22nd and last letter of the Hebrew/Semitic consonant alphabet. The letter itself looks like an X, and the letter means a “mark”, “sign” or “signature.” Now that’s interesting…… so, the X over the U.S., formed by the intersecting solar eclipse paths, could represent a SIGN, OR MARK OR SIGNATURE.
Mark Biltz also points outs something most church going folks don’t know or realize. If you look at Genesis 1:14 it says, “And God said, ‘let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.” Most people take that verse to mean the sun, moon and stars are for day and night, and so we know when it’s summer, fall, spring and summer. Well, that’s not the meaning of seasons in this verse. The word seasons, when translated into the ancient Hebrew, is the word moed. Moed means appointed time, appointed feast and appointed assembly. So, it’s not talking about Spring, summer, etc. It’s talking ABOUT GOD’S BIBLICAL FEASTS! We see now that the sun, moon and stars are for SIGNS– it clearly says that in the verse above- and they are for the BIBLICAL FEASTS. From this we can see the SUN, MOON AND STARS can be used by God to give us signs, especially if they are on his biblical calendar- the calendar of his appointed times and feasts!!! The blood moons in 2014 and 2015 were on biblical feasts.
So, let’s just say God is giving America a TAV, or a SIGN. What is the sign? Is it good, or is it bad. Before I go into this let me just mention one more amazing fact about the Hebrew letter TAV, also written as X. It has a numerical value of 400. Why is that interesting? Because the sun’s diameter is 400 times larger than the moon, and the Sun is 400 times farther away from the moon. I didn’t write that- It’s on all the science websites, and in the textbooks. Things that make you go HMM, right? Blows my mind! A solar eclipse can only happen because of those scientific facts! The X or TAV (sign) equals 400, and solar eclipses happen because of the facts mentioned above related to 400! Solar eclipse= sign.
I want to focus on the 400 for a while longer. Remember above when you read that the numerical value of TAV ( the X) is 400? Well, let me give you some background for the biblical implications of that number. Firstly, in the Bible there are several instances where 400 is mentioned. And keep in mind, GOD ALWAYS USES NUMBERS FOR SPECIFIC REASONS. THEY ARE NEVER RANDOM.
So in Genesis 15:13, it says, “Then the Lord said to him (Abraham), ‘Know for certain that for FOUR HUNDRED years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.”
In this instance we can see that 400 means the full manifestation of God’s testing, but also redemption. The Hebrews would be enslaved, but then free to inherit their Promised Land.
Here’s the next use of 400 and I really like this one! Did you know that the last book of the Old Testament (old covenant) is Malachi? And after Malachi was written there were 400 years of silence from God. After that 400 years of silence, guess what happened? Jesus was born! That’s right- God sent his son to this sinful earth to save it. He died on the cross for our sins. His death brought redemption- not just to Israel, but to the world. So, we see the same theme again with the 400- the full manifestation of testing, and then redemption (I personally like the redemption part).
Speaking of 400 again, did you know when Sarah died, her husband Abraham paid 400 shekels of silver for her burial site? Keep in mind Sarah was the matriarch of Israel, as well as all the spiritual children of God. Christians and Jewish believers are the children! Silver is always tied to redemption – thus the 400 is again tied to redemption.
It’s going to get more fascinating from here. Earlier I said the X (TAV) in Hebrew means mark, or sign. Well, it also means SEAL. What I find amazing about this is that the Bible says as followers of Christ we are SEALED FOR THE DAY OF REDEMPTION! Ephesians 1:13, says, “you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit…. who is given as a pledge of our inheritance.” Here’s something very cool! Remember how I said TAV (X) is the 22nd letter of the alphabet? Well look what Revelation 22 says, “No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and HIS NAME WILL BE ON THEIR FOREHEADS.”
The name on their foreheads is a seal!!! By the way, the title of chapter 22 is EDEN RESTORED. If you read the whole chapter it is about the complete redemption of the Earth. Revelation 22 is THE LAST CHAPTER OF THE ENTIRE BIBLE.
X, in and of itself, even without the Hebrew letter association, can mean a lot. It can mean crossroads. It can also mean Christ because X is the Greek letter Chi, which in English is Christ. If you ask me, I’d say America is at a CROSSROADS right now! The definition of crossroads is: A POINT AT WHICH A CRUCIAL DECISION MUST BE MADE THAT WILL HAVE FAR REACHING CONSEQUENCES! The nation is divided in more ways than I have time to explain. But here’s one thing I wouldn’t be divided about- CHRIST! At a railroad crossing (which has a big ol X on it) you have to stop if a train is coming. If you don’t stop you will be squashed! Perhaps the X formed by the eclipses means to STOP and put your eyes on Christ! We are at a crossroads and he is the only right choice. Truthfully, who knows how long it is until Christ returns. It could be right at the door. Signs are everywhere- WAIT, a big giant X is hitting our land!
Just so you know, not every solar eclipse is a sign. Earlier I mentioned that solar eclipses are signs only if they are tied to God’s calendar in a special way. So, let’s understand something about the August 21, 2017 solar eclipse. It is coming on the the first day of ELUL on God’s biblical (Hebrew) calendar. You are probably scratching your head. What is ELUL? Well, ELUL is the 6th month on the Hebrew calendar. It usually falls in August or September on the Gregorian calendar (the calendar most of us follow). The Hebrew month of ELUL will last for 29 days. These 29 days are to be days of repentance because they lead up to Rosh Hashanah- also called the Feast of Trumpets. The shofar (trumpet) is blown everyday of the month of Elul as a reminder to repent. When Rosh Hashanah comes, believers should be cleansed from sin. Ten days after the start of Rosh Hashanah will be Yom Kippur. In ancient Israel this is when the high priest made atonement for the nation of Israel so it is tied to NATIONAL REPENTANCE. So, this eclipse falling on the first day of ELUL is not a coincidence. From the first of Elul to Yom Kippur there are 40 days. 40, by the way, is the number of testing.
The prophet Jonah went to Nineveh because God told him to preach repentance. Jonah told the nation of Nineveh they had 40 days to repent or they would be destroyed. Interestingly enough, a solar eclipse occurred sometime before Jonah arrived. This total solar eclipse occurred on JUNE 15, 763 BC and is known as the Bur-Sagale Assyrian Eclipse. Keep in mind back in ancient days, pagan cultures worshiped the sun, so the sun being blocked out was BAD. Obviously when Jonah arrived the solar eclipse had done some of the “grunt work”. The nation of Nineveh repented and they were spared. Unfortunately, they turned back to their old ways later on and were destroyed. Some biblical scholars believe the 40 days Jonah spoke of referred to the fact that Yom Kippur was 40 days away when he arrived. Yom Kippur is tied to national judgment/atonement. That means Jonah would have arrived at the first of ELUL! I’d say America may want to do some serious repenting being that a solar eclipse is hitting at the beginning of ELUL. I also think we should be praying fervently for all our leaders.
Remember, God speaks his own language and follows his own calendar. God created the biblical feasts and the biblical calendar. He can also speak through numbers and historical events. Also, in reference to the 400 mentioned earlier (the TAV), keep in mind that 40 times 10 equals 400. 40 always represents testing in the Bible, and 10 represents God’s perfect Law (the Ten Commandments).
Anyway, if this is too long you can stop here and you probably get the picture. America, and individuals, need to get right with God. They need to turn to Jesus. They need to pray for their leaders to receive wisdom from God! I’m going to get into more details about the eclipse below so if you wanna be wowed some more, read on. Yet, remember this….no other planet in the solar system experiences solar eclipses except for Planet Earth!!!
Going back to the X and breaking the eclipses apart……….. We know the first eclipse on August 21, 2017, begins in Oregon. If you don’t know your Oregon history you may not know that Oregon is the LAST state explored by Lewis and Clark on their journey to map the Louisiana Purchase. This land purchase DOUBLED THE SIZE OF THE UNITED STATES. Without this purchase we would not be the superpower we are today! The eclipse’s shadow will actually touch Mount Jefferson, named by Lewis and Clark for President Jefferson.
The eclipse first touches Oregon at Yaquina Head Lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse in Oregon. This lighthouse is located in Lincoln County, near the mouth of the Yaquina River. A few things come to mind as I study this information. The shadow is touching a lighthouse when it first enters our land. A lighthouse’s function is for protection. It serves to warn boats of dangerous areas at sea. It is designed to be a navigational aid for sailors as they journey across the sea. There could be hazardous reefs, rocks, and shoals. The lighthouse marks these dangerous coastlines. IT MARKS THEM. If the sailor ignores this MARKING, he will crash and possibly die.
This eclipse is entering our land at the shores of a lighthouse. It could be a warning for us as a nation. Do we already have rocky shores? Yes. Do we have division in our land? Yes. Do we have unprecedented violence? Yes. Is there something else coming?
The eclipse touches our land at 10:15 a.m.. Abraham Lincoln was shot at 10:15 p.m. That’s a 12 hour time difference. Twelve in the Bible points to divine government and order. I’m not saying someone is going to be shot. But, it’s always a good idea to pray for the protection of our leaders and for our nation, and to look to God for healing in our land. I find it interesting that the two solar eclipse paths form an X, and the Confederate flag has a large X on it. The Civil War was the greatest divide in our nation. The South (Confederates) seceded from the Union, splitting the nation in half. The eclipse exits through South Carolina and this was the first state to secede.
I also want to mention the eclipse travels through Salem, Oregon, two minutes after it leaves Lincoln County. Did you know that Salem is an old biblical name for Jerusalem? Do you see salem at the end of the word? Here is what’s interesting about the name Salem. This word traces back to a Holy man named Melchizedek. Actually he was a priest of God even before Aaron and the Levitical priesthood was established. Melchizekek was king of Salem (Jerusalem), and his name means “king of righteousness”. It is Melchizedek who blesses Abraham on behalf of God in Genesis 14:19-20. In fact, in Genesis 14: 18-20 the account says after Abraham came back from fighting the enemies of Lot, Melchezedek came out to meet him with a gift of bread and wine. Melchezedek has been noted by biblical scholars as a foreshadowing of Christ- he was king of Salem (Jerusalem), a priest, righteous, and he preceded King David. The fact that he blessed Abraham, who is the father of the nation of Israel, as well as believers in Christ, all serve as clues. He also had bread (Jesus is the bread of life) and wine (symbolizes Christ’s blood).
After heading out of Oregon and through several other states, the eclipse makes its way to Illinois. I’m going to focus on Illinois for a minute because Illinois is in the intersection of the two eclipses. Remember how I said the paths form an X? (See picture at top of this article). The intersection of the eclipses is in Makanda, Illinois. A very tiny town will see a very big event twice! Makanda’s nickname is the “Star of Egypt”. They call it this because it was part of the Illinois central railroad, and it was a major shipping hub. A railroad always has an X for railroad crossing, and here we have a big X from the eclipses passing through!!! What does an X mean in the case of a railroad? Well, think about this- when you come to a railroad sign you have to stop if a train is coming. If you don’t stop, you are looking at death or severe damage! Hmm America….. maybe we need to stop and pray!
Some people may not know that Illinois is going bankrupt! This state has been in the news for months and is on the brink of major default. Illinois is also known as America’s most nuclear state. They have more nuclear reactors than any other state. They are also in an earthquake fault zone. In addition, did you know Illinois is called THE LAND OF LINCOLN! Again, keep in mind Lincoln led our nation through a Civil War and he paid for it with his life. He is rated at one of our best Presidents, and is usually rated #1 most years. I could tell you more, but you get the picture.
The eclipse on August 21, 2017 exits through Charleston, not far from Ft. Sumter. That’s where the first shots of the Civil War were fired.
St. Louis, Missouri will have a spectacular view in both the August 21, 2017 eclipse and the April 8, 2024 eclipse. The St. Louis arch stands at the west bank of the Mississippi River and symbolizes Westward Expansion. This goes back to the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of our nation overnight! This arch was open to the public on June 10, 1967. Did you know this is the last day of the Six Day War in Israel? (same exact day) During this war Israel reclaimed east Jerusalem and unified God’s holy capital. If you’ve read any of my previous blogs you know that America has always been tied to Israel. The blessing of our land is tied to how we honor God, and how we treat Israel. Right now there are nations who want Israel to give back East Jerusalem, as well as other land, but is is CRUCIAL THAT THE UNITED STATES DOES NOT ENCOURAGE OR PARTICIPATE IN ANY LAND DEALS. If they do, our land is going to have catastrophic problems. If you haven’t been keeping up with news in Israel, there is serious violence going on at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The world keeps condemning Israel even though terrorists have free reign. We should protect and support Israel in this troubling time.
Well, I could go on and on and on. But there’s only so much a person can take in. That’s why I just finished writing my next book called BLINK: A Story About the Rapture. It will be available on Amazon sometime after the August 21, 2017 solar eclipse.
I’ll leave you with this thought. When a solar eclipse is just about to hit its total phase where the moon completely covers the sun, a DIAMOND RING forms. You will see a beautiful glowing diamond ring shape as the moon begins to cover the last part of the sun. The same thing happens at the end of the total phase. As the moon is moving away from the sun, the diamond ring shape forms again. See link below:
https://sunstopper.wordpress.com/tag/diamond-ring-effect/
The Lord said there would be signs before his return for his BRIDE. The sun, moon and stars are for signs. I’m not saying the rapture is happening on the eclipse!!! I’m saying, LOOK UP…..LOOK AT JESUS. HE IS YOUR REDEMPTION….YOUR RING….YOUR GROOM. He’s coming back someday…….maybe sooner than we think. We must be ready.
You also see the corona of the sun during an eclipse. Corona means CROWN. Your King of Kings- Jesus, is the crowned King. See link below for a picture of the corona
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corona
SOURCES: Mark Biltz- El Shaddai Ministries, http://www.hebrewforchristians.com, GreatAmericaneclipse.com (for scientific solar eclipse facts), Wikipedia for general historical facts, History.com, The Holy Bible (NIV), Christ in the Old Testament by Rose Publishing
copyright: Angela L. Rodriguez
Revelations About Israel and the United States 
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