Dear Friend of Creation Moments,
One of the many foundational truths of Genesis is this: “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years” (Genesis 1:14).
Famously, the “Magi” of Christmas time – a powerful and respected caste of wise men who studied astronomy, medicine, and natural science – came to Jerusalem “Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east” (Matthew 2:2a). To the Magi, the star signified birth. To the Magi, the star signified kingship. To the Magi, the star had a connection with the Jewish nation. How could some celestial event inform the Magi that a king of the Jews had been born … except that they knew the “lights in the firmament” could be deciphered for prophetic signs!?
Ancient man knew things that modern man does not know. They had technology and understanding which we don’t have today. And recall that the Bible tells us that the great Hebrew prophet Daniel had been appointed chief of all the Magi in Persia by Nebuchadnezzar almost 600 years earlier (Daniel 2:48). Daniel prophesied the coming of the Messiah. “The Son of man” is a phrase recognized from the book of Daniel as referring to the Messiah (Daniel 7:13-14), who will be King of Kings and Lord of Lords in a kingdom with “an everlasting dominion”.
Here is where we get to another heavenly sign, one like that recently experienced by record numbers of people on April 8, 2024, a photograph of which is printed above. And one specially designed by our great Creator to be awe inspiring, since the moon is 400 times smaller than the sun, while being 400 times closer to Earth so as to exactly overlap in a total eclipse! Jesus spoke about signs in relation to the experience of Jonah and His forthcoming experience of death and resurrection – “…the sign of the prophet Jonas [Jonah]”, He said. And He added, “The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.” (Matthew 12:41)
Historical astronomers apply computer models to verify the validity of ancient observations in historical documents, and date them. Thus, we know that the “Assyrian Eclipse” (path of totality pictured at right) occurred over Nineveh on June 15, 763 B.C., supporting ancient Assyrian records.1
This time coincides with the time frame in which the prophet Jonah was active under Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:25), who ruled Israel from 786 to 746 B.C. Biblical scholars have speculated that the eclipse took place around the time when Jonah arrived in Nineveh and urged the people to repent – adding a special “exhibit” to his message. Their empire was in chaos at this time, struggling with revolts, famines, and two separate outbreaks of plagues.
It was a perfect time for a prophet from far away to arrive on the scene and command a response. And the Bible says they did. The ancient city, with up to 1.5 million people, repented! And their king decreed that they fast and cover themselves in sackcloth and “turn every one from his evil way and from the violence that is in their hands” (Jonah 3:8). Hence, Jesus was able to “brag on them” in Matthew 12:41, quoted above.
In the last seven years, America has seen two total eclipses cross the continental United States. The path of the eclipse on August 21, 2017, entered at Salem, Oregon, completely overshadowing seven of the thirty-six towns in the U.S. named Salem (left). That a path so narrow would perfectly connect seven of the towns named Salem is quite remarkable. Could this have been a sign? – per biblical teaching about “the lights in the firmament”?
Well, consider that not only does the Hebrew word “Salem” mean “peace”, but the original Salem is Jerusalem (Psalm 76:2), which is why Melchizedek was called “King of Salem” in Genesis 14:18. Jerusalem will also have 2nd Coming and Millennial significance at the closing of this Age (Acts 1:11-12; Zechariah 14). And it will continue with eternal significance, the “New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven” (Revelation 21:2) – continuing as the holy city for the King of Kings and His bride the church. So, consider that after years of American presidents “talking about it”, President Donald Trump on 12/6/2017 officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and began the process of moving the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem – completing it by May 2018 in spite of strong United Nations disapproval which had to be overridden by a U.S. veto! Seems to me the American eclipse earlier in that same year 2017, delivered a prophetic “sign” connected to this great City of Peace, with eternal significance to the Messiah, the Prince of Peace!
Interestingly, the North American total eclipse of April 8, 2024, in what would be called scientifically a “best-fit-smooth-curve”, passed over all eight hamlets and townships in North America named Nineveh: Nineveh, Texas, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, and Nova Scotia! All of them in one quick pass of the moon moving under the sun at 2,288 mph with the earth rotating simultaneously at 1,000 mph! Is that a coincidence or is that also a sign!? Secular fact checkers kept trying to minimize the significance of this by saying that only two of the seven Nineveh’s in the U.S. were “total” eclipses. But the fact is they were all at least what are called “deep-partial” eclipses of 90% or more, 97, 98, 99%, with the one in Nova Scotia, Canada also a 100% total eclipse. In scientific data-analysis, you don’t expect to hit every single data point with your best-fit curve. But the line is always understood to represent the data! And it’s that way here as well – clearly, to me, another heavenly sign, which the Bible says is a principal purpose for “lights in the firmament” per Genesis 1:14. And it hearkens back to the Ninevites!
Many have been pointing out the increasing wickedness and falling-away from biblical truth that has taken place in this country. Will we as a nation repent of the myriad sins and corruptions at the highest to the lowest levels of society? Let me just say that repentance begins with the church; it begins with the individual; it begins with prayer and intercession. Please join me in making the rest of this great eclipse year, 2024, a special time of prayer and repentance and outreach on behalf of our communities! Thank you and God bless you!
Yours in Christ,
Mark Cadwallader, Board Chairman
P.S. With all the excitement over what’s being called “The Great American Eclipse”, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this month’s selected resource: The Created Cosmos: What the Bible Reveals About Astronomy. This 350-page hardcover, written by AIG’s Danny Falkner, provides a wealth of detailed information about the cosmos and what the Bible plainly teaches about astronomy.
I’m also excited to bring you A Closer Look at Prophecy. This softcover draws from 70 expert sources to provide – in easy-to-read devotional format – a large sampling of the many prophecies contained within God’s Word. It answers such questions as: Why is Israel such a focal point within God’s Word? Does the Bible tell us how close we are to the end of times? And so much more!
And since prayer is so important in our world right now, I can’t think of a better time to offer you the book Keys to Powerful Prayer by bestselling author and prayer warrior Stormie Omartian. Let these powerful insights on prayer have a life-changing impact on all of your prayer times!
To order these books or other previously offered resources please click here to go to the “Newsletter Resource Page”. After selecting your items, the check-out page will also provide an opportunity for you to partner with us by adding a donation of any amount to support our Biblical World Wide Gospel Outreach or call us toll-free at 1-800-422-4253 during regular office hours (Mon – Th 8:30 am-4:30 pm CST).
1en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assyrian_eclipse.
Graphics used in this letter: Fair Use
