Does the Bible tell about a solar eclipse?

The Total Solar Eclipse that will occur on Monday, Aug. 21, has been described as a “once-in-a-lifetime event.” Some people are calling it “America’s Eclipse” because it’s the first time since June 1918 that a Total Solar Eclipse has been seen from coast to coast in the United States.

A National Geographic article explains, “A total eclipse of the sun happens when the moon completely blocks the visible solar disk, casting a shadow on the Earth.” The article goes on to say, it will be “visible from a 70-mile-wide corridor stretching 2,500 miles diagonally from west to east. Depending where along this pathway you live, the moon will cover the entire sun for up to two minutes and 40 seconds.”

The path will begin in Oregon and end in South Carolina. Parts of the United States will go totally dark during the middle of the afternoon. What will happen in Alabama? According to AL.com, Huntsville will see a 97 percent eclipse, Birmingham 93 percent, and in south Alabama we will see approximately 86 to 87 percent solar eclipse. This partial solar eclipse will begin around noon and end at approximately 3 p.m. with maximum coverage about 1:30 p.m.

While researching “America’s Eclipse,” I learned that a Total Solar Eclipse is only possible on Earth. The diameter of the sun is 400 times larger than the moon, but the sun happens to be 400 times farther away than the moon. Could this happen by mere coincidence? Or, could it be the intelligent design of our Creator God?

Genesis 1:16-19 reads, “Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.  God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.”

Does the Bible tell about a solar eclipse? Some Bible scholars point to that possibility on the day Jesus was crucified. Luke writes, “Now it was about the sixth hour (noon), and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour (3 p.m.).  Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.  And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, ‘Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ Having said this, He breathed His last” (Luke 23:45-46).

Anne Graham Lotz, a Bible teacher who is the daughter of the Reverend Billy Graham, recently stated, “Jewish rabbis have historically viewed solar eclipses as warnings from God to Gentile nations....While no one can know for sure if judgment is coming on America, it does seem that God is signaling us about something. Time will tell what that something is. Regardless of whether or not the conjecture regarding America’s Eclipse is accurate, we know our nation and our world are in turmoil.”

According to news reports, people should wear special glasses to watch the eclipse of the sun to protect our eyes. Spiritually speaking, this can be a good reminder that we should focus our eyes on the Son of God, our Lord, “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

Jan White is a wife, mother, and freelance writer who lives in Andalusia. Her email address is [email protected].