Eclipse Reflections

(4 Minute Read 17Apr2024)

BibleScienceGuy watching eclipse
with eclipse glasses on April 8, 2024

Did solar eclipses cause the unusual dark periods in the Bible — like the Ninth Plague in Egypt or the Crucifixion Darkness?

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun in its orbit around the Earth. At that time it is in the “new moon” position, the opposite of the “full moon” position. In the “new moon” location, it is the Moon that either totally or partially blocks Earth’s view of the Sun.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon blocks all direct sunlight, turning the day dark. The total eclipse occurs in a narrow path across the surface of the Earth with a partial solar eclipse visible over adjacent bands thousands of miles wide.

Total eclipses are possible because the Moon is both 400 times closer to Earth than the Sun and 400 times smaller than the Sun. This way, when in proper position, it can completely block Earth’s view of the Sun.

A total eclipse lasts less than five minutes in any particular location, but a partial eclipse lasts several hours.

Path of totality for the 4-8-2024 solar eclipse.
115-mile-wide path across 15 US states
(Image by GreatAmericanEclipse.com)

My wife and I watched the recent solar eclipse of Monday, April 8, 2024. We were just outside the total band. For our viewing location, the eclipse of the Sun by the Moon was 98.3%. The partial eclipse lasted from 1:58 pm to 4:27 pm with maximum coverage at 3:14 pm.

We watched through eclipse glasses as the Moon gradually almost covered the Sun and then gradually uncovered it. At maximum coverage, just a very thin crescent sliver of the Sun was visible. At this point, the daylight was noticeably dimmer, and the temperature dropped about 10 degrees Fahrenheit. But there was still plenty of light and warmth, even with only 1.7% of the sun visible.

Solar Eclipse of 2024.04.08
Photo by Michael Zheng

A friend who viewed the total eclipse within the band of totality near Cleveland, Ohio, said the day turned pitch black. Another friend viewed the total eclipse from just north of Lake Erie at Kingsville, Ontario, Canada. His son took this beautiful photograph of the eclipse.

Notice the two little “bumps” on the top and bottom of the sun — enlarge the picture if necessary. Each of these is called a solar prominence. This is an eruption of gas from the surface of the Sun. It is many, many times larger than the Earth.

Prominences usually form in about a day and generally last for several months, looping hundreds of thousands of miles out into space. But they stay connected to the sun and do not explode off into space as solar flares do. The red, glowing material is plasma, a hot gas composed of electrically charged hydrogen and helium.

The Great Creator is a God of precision and order. Because of this, astronomers can predict eclipses hundreds of years in advance. Long before Monday, we knew exactly where, when, and for how long the eclipse would be visible, both for totality and partiality, down to the very second. The mathematical precision of this eclipse was a testament to the Great Creator’s power in upholding all creation by the Word of His power (Hebrews 1:3).

Even many who claim to not believe in the Creator could not help responding with awe at the eclipse spectacle He displayed in the heavens.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. (Psalm 19:1)

Does the Bible Record an Eclipse?

The Bible frequently mentions the key components of an eclipse, namely the Earth, Sun, and Moon. God created one of the components, the Earth, on Creation Day One and the other two components, the Sun and Moon, on Creation Day Four.

BibleScienceGuy viewing eclipse with a
pinhole projection box on Aug 21, 2017.
We used this same box to view
the April 8, 2024 eclipse.

Throughout Scripture all three heavenly bodies are held up as reasons to praise and glorify the Great Creator.
He established the earth upon its foundations,
So that it will not totter forever and ever. . . .
He made the Moon for the seasons;
The Sun knows the place of its setting. . . .
O Lord, how many are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all;
The Earth is full of Your possessions. (Psalm 104:5,19,24)

Eclipses certainly occurred during Bible times. But does the Bible ever mention one?

Some people think the Ninth Plague of Darkness in Egypt under Moses and the Crucifixion Darkness could have been solar eclipses. Is this possible?

The Ninth Plague of Darkness in Egypt (Exodus 10:21-29) could not have been a solar eclipse because the darkness lasted for three days. The darkness of an eclipse only lasts a few minutes.

The Crucifixion Darkness (Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44-45) lasted three full hours so it could not have been a solar eclipse.

Moreover, solar eclipses can only happen at new moon time when the moon passes between the sun and the earth. In this position, the moon reflects none of the sun’s light to the earth.

But Jesus was crucified at the Jewish Passover which is at the full moon, two weeks after the new moon. Jewish months are lunar with every month beginning at the new moon. The Passover Feast was the 15th day of Nisan, the first month of the Jewish year (Numbers 28:16-17).

We don’t know the means by which the Great Creator formed these extended periods of darkness. Both these periods of darkness were supernatural in that they were not natural occurrences. They were miracles by the Great Creator who is Himself the Creator of light and darkness.
I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the LORD, who does all these things. (Isaiah 45:7)

Questions to Ponder

1. Did you see God’s grand eclipse display? What were your impressions?
2. How can you use the recent eclipse to start a conversation about the Great Creator?

Share your thoughts on these questions in the comments below. It could encourage or help another reader.

For Christ and His Kingdom.
Alere Flammam Veritatis.
Soli Deo Gloria.

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©William T. Pelletier, Ph.D.
“contending earnestly for the faith”
“destroying speculations against the knowledge of God”
“for the defense of the gospel”
(Jude 1:3; 2 Cor 10:5; Phil 1:16)
Wednesday, April 17, 2024 A.D.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2)

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