What Does the Solar Eclipse Mean?

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands. Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge (Psalm 119:1-2). There will be a total solar eclipse visible in parts of the United States today. As it happens, I am fortunate enough to be in the eclipse’s path. It will take another 366 years for it to happen in the same spot, making it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Partial eclipses happen several times a year, and total solar eclipses happen every eighteen months.

Prophetic Speculation vs. Scriptural Truth

Unfortunately, social media has been filled with nonsensical prophetic speculation about what this total solar eclipse means. It is supposed to be a sign from God, calling America to repent or warning that the Tribulation is near, that the rapture will happen today, or that the Second Coming is nigh. Prophecy hucksters have been giving sensationalistic warnings and raising money from gullible and fearful supporters. I know that because people in my social media circles have shared those articles and memes and have asked, “Could this be true?” Friends and pastors, we need to teach our people better. Today’s eclipse does have something to tell us, but not about prophecy.

The Divine Design of the Heavens

As the Psalmists said, the heavens declare the glory of God. They proclaim the work of His hands. They pour out speech. They communicate knowledge. What knowledge? As one astronomer explained, total solar eclipses are made possible by a weird coincidence: “The fact that solar eclipses happen at all is a bit of a numerical coincidence. It just so happens that the Sun is approximately 400 times larger than the Moon and also 400 times more distant from the Earth.”

Of course, you and I know it is not a coincidence at all, but another feature of how this universe has been designed by God. I’ve always thought of a total eclipse as one of God’s signatures declaring His handiwork as if to say, “This didn’t not happen by accident!”

The Symbolism of Stars in Scripture

Biblically speaking, stars tell us other things as well. There are nearly seventy references to stars in the Bible, and their usage highlights different ways that stars “mean” things:

The passage of time: Along with the sun and the moon, stars help rule the night (Gen 1:18), showing us the passage of time. Nehemiah’s workers built the wall from daylight “until the stars came out (Neh 4:1).
God’s artistry: Stars are the work of God’s fingers (Ps 8:3).
God’s providential control: “He counts the number of the stars; he gives names to all of them” (Ps 147:4).
Angels: Stars represent angels, some of whom fell (Job 38:7; Isa 14:13; Rev 8:12; 12:4).
Israel: The multitude of stars are like the people and patriarchs of Israel (Gen 22:17; 26:4; 37:9; Gen 42:6; Rev 12:1).
Wars and battles: Stars can represent earthly wars and battles (Judg 5:19-20).
Judgment: Darkened stars represent nations under judgment, such as Babylon (Isa 13:1, 10) or Egypt (Ezek 32:1-10).
Fall of governments: The fall of armies and governments are represented as falling stars (Daniel 8:9-10).
Jesus Christ: He is the morning star (2 Pet 1:19; Rev 22:16).
Resurrection: The glory of the stars is like the glory of the resurrection (Dan 12:3; 1 Cor 15:41).
Ruling with Christ: A star can even represent the reward of ruling with Christ (Rev 2:28).

Worldview and the Heavens

That is just a small sample of the wonderful symbolism of stars in Scripture. That is a lot of heavenly “speech”! Given all that meaning, I’m reminded of a conversation between Eustace and a retired star named Ramandu in C. S. Lewis’s The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which helpfully contrasts a reductionistic materialist worldview with a Biblical one: “In our world,” said Eustace, “a star is a huge ball of flaming gas.” “Even in your world, my son, that is not what a star is but only what it is made of” (chap. 14).