The solar eclipse
Posted on July 20, 2024 by Patrick Shabi Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Last updated on August 23, 2024
On April 8, 2024, something occurred that is truly rare and significant within our universe – a solar eclipse.
Depending on where you live you may experienced a total solar eclipse, a partial eclipse, or nothing at all. If you were fortunate to find yourself in the path of totality (where a total solar eclipse can be seen) then you would have witnessed something many people say is an inspiring and life-changing experience. Science says what you saw is totally unique within the known universe. Today, we are able to calculate precisely where a solar eclipse will occur, for how long, and when it will happen far in advance of its occurrence. This allowed an estimated 7 million people to travel to the path of totality to view it, if they chose. Due to the predictability of the Earth, Moon, and Sun’s orbit ancient civilizations such as the Greeks, Aztecs, and Mesopotamians understood this, too. They were able to calculate when a solar eclipse would occur and for how long, but not exactly where it could be seen. Even if they could calculate where a solar eclipse could be seen it’s doubtful that they would travel there.
We may think of solar eclipses as a cool, natural phenomenon to watch, but practically every ancient civilization saw solar eclipses as a negative and ominous sign by their gods. History indicates that the Mayan and Aztec civilizations feared solar eclipses the most. They saw this event as a battle between light and darkness, where demons were attempting to cast out the light and plunge the Earth into darkness. The Greeks viewed solar eclipses as unhappiness by their gods and an impending punishment or doom. Even one of the most ancient civilizations we have record of, the Mesopotamians, viewed solar eclipses as an omen or a sign of negative things to come. For the majority of civilizations throughout human history, solar eclipses carried with them a warning. The solar eclipse that occurred on April 8, 2024 should be viewed no different, especially with the current state of affairs of the world. There is a lot of information available on why the April 8 solar eclipse was unique in this aspect, but that is not the scope of this article.
I would like to look at the solar eclipse from a different perspective – the uniqueness of it to our planet and it as a sign by God to humanity. Solar eclipses are seen on Earth due to the ratio of size and distance between the Earth, Moon, and Sun. The Sun is 400 times larger than the Moon, but the Moon is 400 times closer to the Earth than to the Sun on average. This ratio is referred to as “the perfect ratio” since it allows the Sun and Moon to appear about the same size in the sky.
This “perfect ratio” is what actually allows the Moon to ‘cover’ the Sun, giving us on Earth the opportunity to witness a solar eclipse. In addition to the size and distance ratios, the Earth and Moon orbit the Sun in elliptical paths. This comic dance between the three celestial bodies complicates things further since the irregular paths of all three objects must perfectly align, along with the tilt of the Earth and Moon, to give us a solar eclipse. In a perfect situation where all three bodies had the same perfectly circular path, we would see a solar eclipse each month. However, due to the irregular paths present solar eclipses occur only twice every three years, and any location on Earth’s surface gets darkened by the Moon only once roughly every 400 years. All of these things working together make a solar eclipse a truly rare and unique cosmic event within the universe. That cosmic event of a solar eclipse also happens to occur on the only known planet with intelligent beings.
Ask yourself, what are the chances of that occurring?
Of all of the planets in our solar system, Earth is the only planet that has all of the required conditions. No other planet comes even close. In other solar systems where we see Earth like planets, most of those planets have multiple moons or they are located in a solar system with two or more stars making a solar eclipse impossible. Yet all of the characteristics needed to witness a solar eclipse are present in our solar system and planet. Even the American Astronomical Society acknowledges how bizarre this is and refers to a solar eclipse as the “cosmic coincidence.” They further state on their website, “Given all the variables, it’s almost surprising that we see eclipses at all.”
The chances of any planet experiencing a solar eclipse are exceedingly rare and the probability being incalculable. Include that this event happens on a planet where humanity is present and we are looking at a truly incomprehensible number. Is this truly just a “cosmic coincidence” as the American Astronomical Society says?
Or perhaps there’s something more to the solar eclipse as all ancient civilizations recognized?
The Bible expounds on this and gives us the answer in Genesis,
“And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years (Genesis 1:14).”
God tells us in the first book of the Bible that the lights we see in the expanse of the heavens (the Sun and Moon) were not only created for light and to separate the night from the day. They were also created for humanity as signs. In other verses this Hebrew word “oth”, translated as signs, is translated as “token”, “mark”, or even as God’s “miracles” (We should take note of this last translation of “miracle” since that is exactly what an eclipse is). Just like how God created the moon to go through its many phases to mark the seasons for His appointed Feast times, God also created signs in the heaven like the solar eclipse. The Bible doesn’t mention a solar eclipse by name, but does describe certain events with the description “the sun darkening.” There are many references throughout the Bible of the sun darkening, but these are all prophetic warnings of God’s judgement. In the Old Testament, Joel refers to a solar eclipse,
“The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes (Joel 2:31).”
In the New Testament, Jesus Christ Himself refers to this sign as the impending judgement on humanity when He says,
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken (Matthew 24:29).”
This imagery of a solar eclipse or “the sun darkening” preceding God’s judgement on humanity is repeated throughout the Old and New Testament. The events depicted by Jesus Christ and Revelation indicate something beyond a typical solar eclipse. However, it’s not a coincidence that God created the Earth, Sun, and Moon to experience this phenomenon to remind of His eventual judgement on humanity just as He created the rainbow to remind us of the covenant He made with us as stated in Genesis 9:12.
Today, many people view the solar eclipse as a cosmic event. The millions that witnessed the April 8 solar eclipse were mesmerized and fascinated by it, as they should have been. Within the entire universe, this is truly a rare cosmic event that has been given to us by the Creator of the Universe. Hopefully, everyone enjoyed the April 8 solar eclipse and was inspired by this event. However, we should keep in mind what’s been understood throughout human history and what all ancient civilizations recognized. We should enjoy the spectacle of these events as it’s something totally unique and special that God has given to us, but keep in mind the warning God is telling us with the solar eclipse as well.