By Julie Zauzmer August 21 at 7:36 AM
Researched by Pastor Gary Boyd
Conclusion by Pastor Boyd
On April 6, 1917, the U.S. joined its allies--Britain, France, and Russia--to fight in World War I. Under the command of Major General John J. Pershing, more than 2 million U.S. soldiers fought on battlefields in France. The total eclipse 99 years ago was a bad sign for our gentile nation at that time because America joined World War one. Will it be the same this time for America? Will World War Three follow?
Is it a Sign of the Rapture?
In certain religious communities, the talk surrounding the eclipse has to do with a different sort of preparation. Gary Ray isnât worried about just travel plans and adequate eye protection. Heâs focused on the Rapture.
Ray, a writer for the evangelical Christian publication Unsealed, views this eclipse as one of several astronomical signs that the day when Christians will be snatched away from the Earth is fast approaching.
âThe Bible says a number of times that thereâs going to be signs in the heavens before Jesus Christ returns to Earth. We see this as possibly one of those,â Ray said about the eclipse.
He is even more interested in another astronomical event that will occur 33 days after the eclipse, on Sept. 23, 2017.
Revelation 12
The Book of Revelation, which is full of extraordinary imagery, describes a woman âclothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her headâ who gives birth to a boy who will ârule all the nations with an iron scepterâ while she is threatened by a red, seven-headed dragon. The woman then grows the wings of an eagle and is swallowed up by the earth.
Ray says that image will be created in the sky on Sept. 23. The constellation Virgo â representing the woman â will be clothed in sunlight, in a position that is over the moon and under nine stars and three planets. The planet Jupiter, which will have been inside Virgo â in her womb, in Rayâs interpretation â will move out of Virgo, as if she is giving birth. A clear explanation can be found in this video by Scotty Clarke, a rabbi, who also believes the eclipse is a sign from God about the rapture and a bad omen for America. It could mean the start of World War Three like the last one did. See it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzYyZ1jekz4&feature=youtu.be ---Epic Signs in the Heaven---
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVCYKpE-Sfk&feature=youtu.be Astronomers donât see this as a particularly unusual event. But to Ray and others, it could be the sign that the Rapture is ready to happen: âWe think itâs God signaling to us that heâs about to make his next move.â
Ray believes the two total eclipses that are slated to travel across the United States in 2017 and 2024, together marking an X across the nation, could be the starting and ending signs bookmarking a seven-year period of great tribulations that Revelations says waits in store for nonbelievers who are left behind on Earth when the Rapture occurs.
âThat time frame is speculative, 2017 to 2024. But it makes a lot of sense. There are a lot of things that really point us to that,â he said.
Therefore, the eclipse preparation that Ray recommends is a bit different from the scientistsâ associationâs advice.
âMy number one encouragement to people would be to just trust God. More importantly, to trust the right God,â he said, warning that those who do not believe when the day of the Rapture comes will be left behind to face the tribulations. âIf people want to be ready, the one thing you can do is accept what He has offered, which is the gift of grace and forgiveness. Thatâs all we have to do to be ready.â
University of Redlands astronomer Tyler Nordgren, who is advising the National Park Service on handling this eclipse, looked at prior events. Just a partial eclipse, not a total one, set visitor records in 2012 when it crossed through National Park Service sites in the Southwest. For this summer, he told the Park Service, âImagine the biggest event youâve ever had, and double it.â
Conclusion
The rabbi Scotty Clarke and myself Pastor Gary Boyd believe there was an eclipse in Israel a month before baby Jesus was born. An eclipse in Israel is always a good sign. An eclipse a month before the Feast of Trumpets Sept. 23rd portends possibly the rapture of the true Church and our ascent into heaven. A bad sign for the unbelievers because scripture says the great tribulation will start right after the rapture. The dispensation of grace will be over. It is time now to come to God and ask his forgiveness. Be ready. Lookup for our redeemer draws near. Maranathaâ¦.