The Sun Will Be Darkened & The Moon Will Not Give Its Light

So it says in Matthew 24:29; and so it will be happening tonight and into the morning.

When the sun set this evening, it began the day of the winter solstice, commonly known as "the shortest day of the year." We know this, then, as the "darkest day of the year." But this year it will be doubly dark as there will be a total eclipse of the moon, occuring in about two hours from the time I am writing this post (11:00 pm MST).

For those of us who are looking for the signs that Yahweh is placing in the heavens, it is a night to ponder what He is saying. We know He has told us that He gives the sun, moon and stars to "serve as signs" (Genesis 1:14). In fact, He mentions "signs" as the purpose of these great lights even before He mentions "to mark seasons and days and years." These great lights not only mark off time, but also serve, throughout history (His-Story!) to herald great events and spell out important messages. The stars speak, as we learn in Psalm 19: "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge." Isn't this marvelous? If we dig deep enough into His Word, seeking to learn what He is saying to us, we can discern His messages and His signs.

All day I asked Him, "What are you speaking to us with a lunar eclipse at the winter solstice, Lord? What are we to understand from these two great lights diminishing into total darkness?" I gained some understanding in reading Joseph Herrin's blog today. He explained that each constellation is linked to one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Remarkably, as the moon is eclipsed tonight, it will be moving from the constellation Taurus (linked with Joseph) into the constellation Gemini. What is symbolized by the location of the lunar eclipse tonight as it passes from Taurus to Gemini?

Mr. Herrin writes, "Taurus is an image of the now extinct reem, or aurochs. This was the giant wild ox that no man could tame. It was of this animal that Yahweh spoke to Job. Job 39:9-12: "Will the wild ox consent to serve you? Or will he spend the night at your manger? Can you bind the wild ox in a furrow with ropes? Or will he harrow the valleys after you? Will you trust him because his strength is great and leave your labor to him? Will you have faith in him that he will return your grain, and gather it from your threshing floor?" Jacob, when blessing his son Joseph, speaks of this animal. The horns of the wild ox are compared to Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh. Deuteronomy 33:17: "As the first-born of his ox, majesty is his, and his horns are the horns of the wild ox; With them he shall push the peoples, all at once, to the ends of the earth. And those are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and those are the thousands of Manasseh."

This explanation utterly fascinated me! We who understand that we are a part of Israel, represented by the tribe of Ephraim, believe that we are in the day when Yahweh is regathering all twelve tribes, to reunite both houses of Israel and make us one again, as the two sticks in His hand (Ezekiel 37). Could this lunar eclipse be speaking to us of this regathering as the light moves from Joseph, pushing the ten thousands of Ephraim from their long period of punishment and darkness into the light, the Redeemed Israel? If so, what does it mean that the moon re-emerges in Gemini? My first thought was that since Gemini represents twins, this eclipse must be speaking to us about the TWO - Judah and Ephraim - the two houses, two peoples of Yah's family, becoming one again. And this may well be part of the sign. However, Mr. Herrin had another perspective about the meaning of Gemini. He wrote, "Gemini is figured as twins, but from ancient times they have been symbolized as two joined together in union. This heavenly testimony speaks of the joining of Christ and His Bride. I will quote once more from Joseph Seiss: 'In the Zodiac of Dendera the figure is that of a man walking hand in hand with a woman. The same are sometimes called Adam and Eve. But the male figure is not the literal first Adam, but the mystic second Adam, the same seed of the woman that appears everywhere in these celestial frescoes. The figure in the Egyptian sphere has an appendage which signifies The Coming One - The Messiah Prince. And having identified the masculine figure, there can be no difficulty in identifying the accompanying female figure. The Lamb has a bride, a wife, bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh, and destined for an everlasting union with Him in glory and dominion. Even the word Gemini in the Original Hebrew, Arabic, and Syriac, whence it has come, does not run so much on the idea of two brought forth at the same birth, as upon the idea of something completed, as of a year come to the full, or as of a long betrothal brought to its consummation in perfected marriage. The old Coptic name of this sign, Pi Mahi, signifies the United, the Completely joined.Thus we see in this heavenly sign a proclamation of things to come, but also things which must be passed through to arrive there.' A time of gross darkness is upon the earth. Judgment has been proclaimed, and this judgment must begin at the house of God. What saved Noah and his family in that great judgment when the earth was subjected to a flood? He heard God, and he obeyed. He was a righteous man, perfect in his generation. It is expedient that the people of God also pursue righteousness and humility in this age. Perhaps then they will be hidden in the day of Yahweh’s judgment."

Most certainly we are seeing a great sign this night, and it is a proclamation of the earth in total darkness, which may also be a "snapshot" of the darkness and wickedness that consumes the earth. Yet, the explanations above also give us hope that we who fear Yahweh and call upon the name of Yeshua, our Messiah, will soon be reunited with Him, restored to our Bridegroom as His Bride!