On April 4th, 2015, I wrote a blog called, Blood Moon Mania which went somewhat viral at the time. As kindly as I knew how, I pointed out the insanity of the blood moon craze sweeping the church.
Now, here we go again. Only this time it’s solar eclipse mania! On April 8th, the sun will be blocked from view for a brief time, causing darkness along an approximately 115 mile wide swath of America from Texas to Maine.
To be clear, I believe the sun, moon and stars have an important function with respect to signs (signals, warnings) and seasons (appointed times, feasts). See Genesis 1:14.
But can we at least be factual when making claims about this coming eclipse? Let’s check out a few of the big claims…
Ninevah…
Just saying that name conjures up thoughts of evil being judged. Apparently the Great American Eclipse of 2017 passed directly over 7 cities or towns named Salem. Now this eclipse we’re told in feverish pitches will pass over 7 cities or towns named Ninevah.
But it doesn’t.
It passes over 2 Ninevah’s. The other 5 are outside the band of totality, some by a substantial distance. But what was Ninevah all about anyway? It’s the story of grace and mercy upon an undeserving, wicked people who couldn’t discern between their right hand and their left hand (Jonah 4:11) but believed God’s warning and repented. The reason Jonah didn’t want to go there is because he knew God would be merciful and Jonah wanted them judged.
He was so disappointed that God was merciful to those 120,000 residents (plus their livestock) that he told God he would rather be dead! The sign of Jonah may well have been an actual eclipse on June 15, 763 B.C. which did pass directly over the famed city of Ninevah, but the big outcome was not judgment. It was mercy.
6666
We’re told that there are 6 years, 6 months, 6 weeks and 6 days between the two eclipses. In reality, it’s 6 years, 7 months, 2 weeks and 4 days, but who’s counting? If you do want to make something ominous out of it, you could change the 7 months to 6 and then simply increase the number of weeks, which would make it 6 years, 6 months, 6 weeks and, oops… just 5 days. Apparently that’s close enough for some folks.
X Marks The Spot
Maybe one of the more interesting facts is where the 2017 eclipse and the upcoming 2024 eclipse cross paths. It’s in an area known as “Little Egypt” and it’s near a lake known as “Devil’s Kitchen”. The crossing point looks like a giant “X” which in the Hebrew alphabet is the letter “Tav”, the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
If you add the path of last year’s annular eclipse (which did not result in darkness), you get what looks like the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, “Aleph”. When put together with the “X”, you get the “Aleph Tav”, which is how Jesus identifies Himself in the Hebrew translation of Revelation 1:8. I think that may well be a significant “sign”.
But what does that portend?
There’s a tendency in human nature to focus on the negative. In the news business, there’s an old adage, “If it bleeds, it leads” meaning that the lead story will be whatever is the bloodiest. When you turn on the news, it seldom features good news.
Or consider the 12 spies sent by Moses to spy out the Promised Land. Ten of them came back with a negative report. But Joshua and Caleb who saw the very same things came back with a glowing report and great expectation.
83% of the team came back with doom and gloom expectations and managed to instill fear in the hearts of the people. Thus, not one adult among them were allowed to enter the Promised Land except the two (Joshua and Caleb) who knew God was with them and for them, and they expected great things!
So, here we are today with a flurry of ominous messages of impending doom or disaster, that are inspiring fear in many and hesitation in many more.
But I am one who is of a different spirit than that. Just like Joshua and Caleb, I am well aware of the giants in the land, but rather than retreat from them, I see phenomenal opportunity ahead.
This is not the demise of America.
When I see the stamp of God (Aleph Tav) laying across our country, I see it as an indication that God has no intention of letting America disintegrate into nothing. People say that America is not in the Bible, but neither is Paraguay, Latvia or China, or 100 other countries I could name. And by the way, perhaps in another blog, I can show you that America is indeed very much in the Bible, but that’s not for today.
When I prayed about the upcoming eclipse, here is what I saw… The hand of God coming down and stamping His insignia, His ownership, indeed His very claim upon the land. The Aleph Tav is His imprimatur if you will. He is the beginning and the end and therefor, the final authority on all things!
Here is what I do expect to see…
There is a battle for the soul of this country. Lady justice is no lady and offers no justice. The system here in America is bankrupt. Corrupt.
No need to detail the blatant abuses of power and the wicked agenda being foisted upon America with anything from having as many as 74 genders (according to medicinenet.com) instead of two, to allowing non-citizens by the millions to enter our country illegally so they can vote for the political party that invited them in.
Consider this: If by chance you had several grown children and were having a family meeting to vote on a big decision, would you allow total strangers to come in and cast their vote on that decision? Of course not! Yet that is what is being perpetrated on America. I could go on, but not today.
I believe in the months remaining in this year, history will be made in a big way. And yes, there will be turmoil, perhaps unprecedented. And as Jesus promised, “there will also be wars and rumors of wars”, but as Jesus added… “See that you BE NOT TROUBLED“ (Matthew 24:6)
When I saw the “stamp” of Jesus impacting America, I saw clearly that victory – not retreat, is the end game. And the thing about victory is that it doesn’t exist without a battle. And that is what we’re headed into. Perhaps of epic proportions, which only means that the victory will also be of epic proportions!
I’m telling you this now so that when it comes, you won’t lose heart or retreat. And although I eagerly await the return of Christ, I do not expect an emergency evacuation (rapture) this year, despite the many voices claiming otherwise.
God has victory in mind. His purposes have never failed, and they never will. And He has not given up on America, nor turned it over to the devil.
Are you going to be numbered among the 83% who shrink back in fear? Or will you be among the likes of Joshua and Caleb who are chomping at the bit to engage the battle and take territory?
And if you’re actively engaged in the marketplace, you will need God’s wisdom, that’s embedded in His creation and carried by the very breath and warmth of His Word.
Are you up for that?
I’m telling you emphatically that God’s wisdom for the marketplace is dripping from the pages of Scripture – if you have eyes to see. For example, the very message God gave Jonah to bring to Ninevah that resulted in a 100% conversion rate, has arguably the three most important elements any marketing piece should have in its headline.
HINT: I used those same three elements in the title of this blog. Can you find them?
If you’d like to see some free teaching demonstrating the power of God’s Word in the marketplace and how you can walk in victory, even in tumultuous times, check out these videos from a recent Selling Among Wolves challenge.
Until next time my friend, EXPECT VICTORY!
P.S. I welcome your comments and ask you to share this by email and social media.
Great explanation & encouragement…like when you compare to Joshua & Caleb and the other spies… plenty of Biblical teachings & principles that we can apply in our days
Thank you Lovely! I appreciate the feedback!
I love this article, Michael! We so often hear the story of Jonah and Nineveh being told as the judgement of God. Yes, He sent the word of warning. But, when you slow down enough to really read it, you see the beauty of God’s mercy and his concern for the city. Jonah was re-routed after being thrown into the deep, and as his life was ebbing away, as he was sinking down to the roots of the mountains to be barred forever into the earth beneath, suddenly he was miraculously saved from being banished from the Lord’s sight by a great fish that the Lord had provided. We hear of the fish being the judgement of God, when, in fact, it was Jonah’s salvation. Inside the fish, he prayed and gave God praise for saving him, and when the fish had taken him to the right location, he delivered him onto dry land. You see the great compassion of God when He says to Jonah, “Nineveh has more than 120,000 people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?” This is old testament Almighty God, who declared of himself , as He passed by Moses, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” Before Jesus became the propitiation for the sins of the whole world, The Lord was always longsuffering and kind. That’s just who He is. He’s always had a purpose to restore and redeem. Whatever the “signs” may be, the greatest one is the sign of the cross. “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him, also, freely give us all things?” That includes victory over the enemy of God, and over those who are doing his bidding. Jesus said in John 12:30, “Now is the time for judgement on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.” There’s our victory! Instead of gazing up into the heavens looking for a sign, try looking up a little further and see the Father on His throne, with Jesus at His right hand and the myriad of saints and angels celebrating His glorious victory! I’m thinking those 120,000 Ninevites are among them! Don’t let your heart be troubled. God loves the nations. God loves America. Give him praise!
So well said Judy! Thank you for adding more context and enriching content. Imagine that… the fish was sent to rescue Jonah and literally deliver him to the shoreline. Then God told the fish to vomit Jonah out and he did.
That reminds me of the time when God asked me if I thought it was too difficult for Him to summons the creatures of the deep? Upon answering Him, 2 whales surfaced and passed in front of my hotel room view. You know the longer story to that, but I know first hand that all creatures great and small obey His command and are loved by Him.
How about you writing the next blog? 😊
Food for my soul! Awesome, awesome, awesome!
Thank you Bea. You are such an inspiration to Judy and me!
Thank you Michael for sharing this wisdom with parallels in biblical history. Jesus said, occupy until I come, right like you said, like a horse munching the bit ready for battle.
Thanks for commenting Daniel… YES… “Occupy (trade and do business) until I come” is a great reminder. Bless you my brother!
Good Word , Love it . Encourage and not in Fear . Thanks
Thank you! So glad to hear that we will be saved! I’m dissappointed to hear that some stretched truth. Now, wake up! If there is a movie that says you can tame the dragon, it’s a lie too. Believe in the Lord Jesus, and be saved today! Jesus was saved from the Dragon at His birth, and will give you peace when you believe Him. Jesus is the Light of men! …and remember to watch the video Michael offered to you freely!
I get the challenge to discover the marketing ideas. When are you going to explain the 14 days until the lights go out?
Hi Scott… I’m not sure I understand your question, but I will try to answer what I think you are asking… First of all, the 14 days was of course, just the number of days at that time until April 8th. Secondly, I was careful not to say “until the LIGHTS go out”. Rather I said, “14 days until the LIGHT” (singular) goes out. That was simply referring to the fact that for those in the path of totality, the light (sun) will appear to go dark.
Solar eclipses don’t cause power outages or even trigger a seismic event. That doesn’t mean those things can’t happen during a solar eclipse, but they are not related in a cause and effect sort of way. As a result, I don’t expect anything of significance to happen on April 8th. But then, when I went to the airport on the morning of 9/11 to catch a flight home, I wasn’t expecting what happened that day either.
However Scott… I will say that I do expect some serious upheaval this year as there is for the first time in my life a serious battle for the control of this nation and the world, unlike anything we’ve seen. It is hard to imagine just how far the dark side will go to secure its agenda.
This upheaval in whatever form it takes, (probably something unexpected), will put fear (and submission) into many. But this is no time to shrink back in fear. If I am not addressing your question adequately, please provide more clarity.
Blessings, Michael
So glad to hear something positive!
Thank you.
Thank you Sandra… SO glad to share something positive!
Thank you for the encouraging Word!
You are most welcome Virginia!