Part Two

The Solar Eclipse of August 21, 2017

In the previous post, we discussed that lunar eclipses indicate God’s judgment on Israel. In the prophetic sense, solar eclipses also wield judgment, except these aim at Gentile nations. August 21st hosted the first total solar eclipse to cross the entire width of the United States in 99 years. The last time this happened, the date was 1918 during World War I, a time when 675,000 Americans died in a flu pandemic.

Nothing unusual happened for two days following the eclipse. On the third day, Hurricane Harvey (meaning Battle-ready) hit Houston, followed on its heels by Irma (meaning Goddess of War), striking Florida. Corpus Christi (Meaning Body of Christ) was Harvey’s Bulls-eye, and that town was evacuated before the storm hit. Never before have two Category 4 hurricanes struck the US back-to-back. These storms set first-time records of never-before-seen destruction.

Sounds like that would have been enough, but the natural disasters continued to roll on. Among them, Hurricane Maria was the second storm to bend Puerto Rico to its knees, and its effects have been described as apocalyptic, setting this island back for decades. Pictures show total devastation, much like the after-effects of a bomb.

That’s not all. Recently at least two strong earthquakes have torn apart Mexico, killing over three hundred people to date. The first registered 7.1 and the second 6.1 on the Richter Scale and have destroyed most the central region of that country, including Mexico City. Devastation, death, and suffering have racked up to epic proportions.

What is this judgment about?

If you agree that God judges rebellion, then let me skim the surface of what has been happening in the United States. Former administrations have legalized laws through our Supreme Court that directly violate God’s laws, such as the shedding of innocent blood (abortion) and legalizing marriage between partners of the same sex. Drug use is rampant, and laws are ignored or defiantly challenged. Americans have watched in horror in real-time on their screens as violent protesters burned, looted, and killed, with  few or no arrests. A war on the American flag has recently exploded. Our government reportedly has become a cesspool of nothing but lies and corruption.

Years ago, the Lord showed me scriptures from the Old Testament book of Micah that have held deep meaning. Since they describe the end-times, I feel they may pinpoint how many of us may feel today in our growing anti-Christian culture:

Woe is me! For I am

Like the fruit pickers, like the grape gatherers.

There is not a cluster of grapes to eat,

Or a first-ripe fig which I crave.

The godly person has perished from the land,

And there is no upright person among men.

All of them lie in wait for bloodshed;

Each of them hunts the other with a net.

Concerning evil, both hands do it well.

The prince asks, also the judge, for a bribe,

And a great man speaks the desire of his soul;

So they weave it together.

The best of them is like a briar,

The most upright like a thorn hedge ~ Micah 7: 1-4

Today’s depth of rebellion and lawlessness is stunning by any measure, as justice is perverted, favoring the guilty instead of the innocent.

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived ~ I Corinthians 6:9, NASB.

What is God’s condition of forgiveness and national restoration?

If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land ~ II Chronicles 7: 13-14, NASB.

Some voices criticize the idea that a loving God would ever punish an entire nation for its sins. However, undeniable historical proof exists that God punished Israel for turning their hearts away from Him. Our nation, founded on the Bible and belief in God, must also answer for its harlotry. God is patient to withhold judgment, as He doesn’t wish anyone to perish, but at some point, the sand in the hourglass empties. God will not be mocked by allowing a sinful people who belong to Him to continue indefinitely in their rebellion.

Punishment falls–not to harm us, but to turn us back to Him, His truths and His salvation.

LORD, I have heard the report about You and I fear. O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years, In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy ~ Habakkuk 3:2, NASB.

Perhaps the sand emptied out of our hourglass on August 21st? We have had two major warnings. Will we listen? Will we, the church, repent?

Yes, there is hope. In His judgment, God remembers mercy.

Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord ~ Acts 3:19, NASB.

‘FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR INIQUITIES, AND I WILL REMEMBER THEIR SINS NO MORE’ ~ Hebrews 8:12, NASB.

What’s next? A post that explores the recent September 23rd sign and what it may mean for the future of the Church…