What is the biblical meaning of a Lunar eclipse?
Introduction
When God created the universe in Genesis, He created two great lights.
He created the sun to rule over the day and the moon over the night. However, these two lights do not only provide light but also show signs and mark times. One way the moon passes spiritual messages is through the lunar eclipse.
A lunar eclipse happens when the earth comes between the sun and the moon.
So, instead of the moon absolving and reflecting light from the sun, the earth overshadows it and casts its shadow on the moon, leading to partial or total darkness.
Scientists see the lunar eclipse as a natural phenomenon, but it has profound spiritual meanings in the Bible.
Have you experienced a lunar eclipse and wondered what message God is passing to you?
This article will discuss the Bible’s position on lunar eclipses.
Keep reading to know if you should be worried or excited when next you see the moon turn black.
Spiritual meanings of the Lunar eclipse in the Bible:
A sign of the coming of Christ
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light.” (Matthew 24:29)
Jesus told His disciples the sign to watch out for that will signal His second coming.
One of them is the lunar eclipse. Jesus said that there will first be an era of tribulation on earth.
The tribulation period is full of troubles and wickedness on earth. God’s elect would have raptured, and those remaining would live in a dispensation marked with great wickedness.
The tribulation period is a second chance for sinners to turn to God after the rapture. However, those who accept Christ will face great persecution and trials.
They will be killed and maimed.
They will not be allowed to live freely until they receive the mark of the beast.
Jesus said the end of this tribulation would be marked by solar and lunar eclipses.
The night will be darker than usual, and the day will be as dark as the night.
The Jesus will appear in the sky.
“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30).
Jesus Christ will gather His elect.
Those who remained faithful to Him even during untold hardships and took them with Him into heaven.
Therefore, when next you see the lunar eclipse, remember that Jesus will appear in the sky one day to take His people home. Will you be one of them?
A reminder of the end times
The lunar eclipse should be greeted with wonder and amazement because it is an unusual natural occurrence.
However, it should always sound an alarm in your mind whenever you experience it or watch it on the news that we are at the end of the times, and any moment might be the last.
The eclipse of the moon should make us observe the world around us and what is happening.
We are living in times not entirely different from the days of tribulation the Bible says will herald Jesus appearance in the sky.
Great wickedness is unleashed against believers because of their proclaimed faith in Jesus, believers are killed because of Jesus, etc.
Therefore, we must be intentional about our lives.
We must preach the gospel like never before to save souls from the claws of death.
We must also draw nearer to God and ask His grace to trust and serve Him until the end.
A call to repentance
One of the wicked lies the enemy has planted in people’s subconscious, including Christians, is that the idea of Jesus’ second coming is a lie.
One Bible reference he uses to deceive people or make them form the basis of their arguments is Matthew 3:1-2: “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
The scheme of the lie of the enemy is that the sermon of Jesus’ coming or the end of the world has been on for ages, but nothing has happened.
Even though it is true that no one knows the exact moment rapture will happen, everyone knows that they will die someday.
The moment one dies, their rapture has taken place. Because after death, then judgment.
In other words, no more opportunity for repentance.
The rich man in Luke 16:19-31 was hit by this reality after he got to hell and experienced great suffering.
The rich man knew that it was over and accepted his fate. However, he requested that Abraham send Lazarus to his father’s house to warn his five brothers to not come to hell, the place of torment (Luke 16:27).
Death comes for all.
So, the appearance of the lunar eclipse is a moment of retrospection.
It is time to accept that this life is fleeting.
It should let you know that God’s Word must come to pass, and the signs that the end is near are clear as day.
Therefore, do yourself a favor by asking God for mercy.
Seek His face in repentance, and He will embrace you with His love. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Evidence that God’s Word never fails
After Jesus told His disciples that one of the signs of the end time is the lunar eclipse, He told them, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Matthew 24:35).
God is not a man who uses words carelessly.
He does not exaggerate or flatter.
His Words have life. And once they go out of His mouth, they begin to operate. It may take time, but it will surely come to pass.
God’s timing is different from ours.
He is an everlasting God who had been around even before the foundations of the earth were formed or time began.
So, He is not in a hurry. 2 Peter 3:8 says, “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.”
It took seven hundred years for Isaiah’s prophecy about the birth of the Savior to come to pass (Isaiah 52:13-53:12).
Therefore, even if it will take a million years, God’s Word about the second coming of Jesus Christ will come to pass. However, it might happen sooner than you expected.
It might happen tomorrow or even the next minute.
A sign of God’s anger and judgment
“When I blot you out, I will cover the heavens and make their stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give its light.” (Ezekiel 32:7)
God’s love is great. But His wrath is dreadful.
God can manipulate nature to work against His enemies.
He can use nature to fight. He used water to flood the earth when wickedness reached an all-time high in the days of Noah.
He rained sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah when perversion took over the nations.
He used frogs, lice, flies, and locusts to punish Egypt for their wickedness against Israel and to show Pharaoh that He was the King of kings.
One of the ten plagues of Egypt was total darkness.
According to Exodus 10:21-23, God commanded Moses to stretch his hand toward heaven, and darkness fell upon Egypt, so thick that it could be felt. For three days, there were solar and lunar eclipses combined.
Therefore, a lunar eclipse could signify God’s judgment upon the world or nation.
Darkness is good, but when it’s not needed, it causes confusion and problems. As such, a lunar eclipse might be a pointer toward the sins of a nation. In this case, mass repentance is needed.
General prayer and fasting should be declared by believers to avert God’s wrath upon the world or country.
Other signs of the end time
According to Matthew 24:29-31, the lunar eclipse is not the only sign that will signal the coming of Christ. Other series of events will accompany the blackening of the moon.
Other signs include solar eclipse, falling stars from the sky, and great vibrations or shaking in heaven.
John also saw these same signs in his revelation. “I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.” (Revelation 6:12)
So, even as we wait patiently for the lunar eclipse, we must not lose sight of other signs reminding us of the passing away of this world, the coming of Christ and heaven.
READ THIS NEXT:
Meaning of Richard in the Bible
What does the Bible say about other religions and the people practicing them?
David Akeju is a Christian writer who believes in the transformational power of God’s Word. His articles and books have been published on global platforms, and thousands of lives have been touched. He works with pastors and ministers, churches and ministries, and brands.