Rare Solar Eclipse In 2017 And Another One In 2024 Will Mark Giant 'x' Across U.s.

Laela

Sidestepping the "lynch mob"
10:30AM EDT 3/16/2017 Michael Snyder
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On Aug. 21, 2017, something is going to happen in the United States that has not happened since 1918.

On that date, a total solar eclipse will be visible all the way from the east coast to the west coast. Incredibly, another rare solar eclipse of this nature will move across the country just seven years later in 2024. If you plot the projected courses of these two solar eclipses on a map, you will find that they form a giant "X" across the continental United States. In the Scriptures, Jesus told us that "there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon and in the stars" just prior to His return, and many are speculating about what this giant "X" might mean.

Astronomers have been buzzing about the upcoming solar eclipse on Aug. 21 because it is so very rare. In fact, many are already making plans to travel to specific locations in order to have an optimal viewing experience. The following description of what will happen on that day comes from Fox News:

Day will turn into night across the United States on Aug. 21, as the country experiences its first total solar eclipse in decades.

On this day, the moon will pass directly between the earth and the sun, casting a shadow on the United States that will track from Oregon to South Carolina.

This will be the first time since 1918 that a total solar eclipse will be visible from the west coast to the east coast of the United States. The most recent total solar eclipse visible in the United States occurred in 1979; however, it was only visible across the Pacific Northwest.

This is something that does not happen very often, and that is why it is so extraordinary that another solar eclipse will be visible in large portions of the nation just seven years later in 2024. When you chart the courses of both eclipses on a map, you see that they form a giant "X" right over the center of the country.

Could this giant "X" have some sort of meaning?

According to The Washington Post, some believe that "the two eclipses that are slated to travel across the United States in 2017 and 2024, together marking an X across the nation, could be the starting and ending signs bookmarking a seven-year period of awful tribulations that Revelations [sic] says waits in store for nonbelievers who are left behind on Earth when the rapture occurs."

Obviously I do not agree with that. If you have read The Rapture Verdict, you already know that the Bible says that a whole bunch of things must still happen before we get to the rapture. So this giant "X" definitely does not mean that the rapture is going to happen in 2017.

But could it have some other sort of significance?

The truth is that I don't know, and I want to make that very clear, but I do find it interesting that the heart of the "X" falls in portions of Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri.

An area spanning parts of Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky will be the nexus of the next two total solar eclipses to occur in the U.S., on Aug. 21, 2017, and April 8, 2024. Because the 2017 eclipse travels across the country from northwest to southeast and the 2024 eclipse makes its way through the nation from southwest to northeast, the two paths cross each other and create a zone of overlapping totality of almost 9,000 square miles, or roughly the size of New Jersey.

If you follow my work closely, you know that I have been warning for years about the catastrophic earthquake that will someday strike the New Madrid fault zone. The heart of this "X" falls precisely in the area where we would expect such an earthquake, and when I first saw this map that is what immediately got my attention.

That certainly does not mean that the coming New Madrid earthquake will happen on any particular date, but it is definitely a very interesting "coincidence."

This has also caused me to reflect on something that John Paul Jackson once said. Back in 2008, he made a DVD called "The Perfect Storm" in which he detailed a whole host of disasters that God showed him are coming to America.

At the very beginning of the DVD, John Paul explained that the majority of the things that he was going to talk about on the DVD would not happen for about a decade.

Well, when you add 10 years to 2008, that brings us to 2018.

In other words, the time frame that John Paul Jackson warned us about nearly a decade ago also lines up with the time frame of these upcoming solar eclipses.

Is that just another "coincidence"?

I don't have any definitive answers for you all. Today, I am just asking some questions.

In recent weeks, I have been writing much about the upcoming judgment on America. I know a lot of people don't like to hear these kinds of warnings, but we shouldn't ignore the fact that God is speaking to large numbers of individuals all over the globe about these things.

Another very unusual celestial event will happen on September 23rd. It is being referred to as "the Revelation 12 sign," and apparently, this will be the very first time that the scene described in Revelation chapter 12 will be depicted in the stars in about 7000 years. Here is more from The Washington Post:

The Book of Revelation, which is full of extraordinary imagery, describes a woman "clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head" who gives birth to a boy who will "rule all the nations with an iron scepter" while she is threatened by a red, seven-headed dragon.

On Sept. 23, we will be able to see this scene in the heavens, and you can find out more about this very unusual celestial event on YouTube right here.

Once again, I don't know what that sign might mean, but it is interesting that it also happens this year.

So will 2017 turn out to be one of the most meaningful years for Bible prophecy that we have ever seen?

I don't know, but Jesus did repeatedly tell us to watch for signs of His return, so I am watching.
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Michael Snyder is the founder and publisher of End Of The American Dream. Michael's controversial new book about Bible prophecy entitled "The Rapture Verdict" is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.

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10 Places To Watch The Solar Eclipse In Georgia
By Kaitlyn Lewis Aug 1, 2017
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  • A solar eclipse will be visible (totally and partially) throughout Georgia on August 21.
    Associated Press
On Aug. 21, we will be able to witness a historical event — the first solar eclipse visible to the continental United States in the past 38 years, according to NASA.

The eclipse’s totality — the path of the moon’s shadow cast upon the Earth — will cross straight through the country and even clip the northeast corner of Georgia.

Here in metro Atlanta area, we will only see a partial solar eclipse. But, if you're ready to travel (and, in some cases, have planned way ahead) Union and Rabun counties are in the path of totality.

With the proper gear, you can simply step outside your home to watch the eclipse or join a viewing party at a local science center or university.

Just a warning, though, do not look directly at the eclipse without special-purpose solar filters (eclipse glasses). You can find more info on the glasses and the five verified manufacturers here. You can also pick up free glasses at some of the venues listed below while supplies last.

Metro Atlanta/Atlanta area:

Georgia Institute of Technology

Time: 1-4 p.m.

Visibility: 97 percent

Peak darkness: 2:36 p.m.

Starting at noon, eclipse glasses will be distributed on campus, but supplies are limited. The college suggests that viewers share their glasses with their friends, so everyone can enjoy the experience.

In addition to the viewing, which will be held at the Kessler Campanile, the Georgia Tech observatory will be live-streaming a video of the eclipse. Astronomy-themed snacks and activities will also be available.

Georgia State University

Time: 1–4 p.m.

Visibility: 97 percent

Peak darkness: 2:36 p.m.

Free eclipse glasses are available while supplies last.

Visitors can come to 25 Park Plaza to see close-up views of the sun before, during and after the eclipse using telescopes.

In the conference room above 25 Park Place, Room 223, you can watch live video streams from NASA and Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School, where the totality can be seen. You’ll be able to see the eclipse regardless of Atlanta’s weather.

Fernbank Science Center

Time: Noon-4 pm.

Visibility: 97 percent

Peak darkness: 2:36 p.m.

The Fernbank Science Center will set up filtered telescopes outside and pass around eclipse glasses for safe viewing. The planetarium will also host programs throughout the day. Admission is free, and astronomers will be on site to explain the science behind the phenomenon, the Facebook event says.

Outside Metro Atlanta:

Chattahoochee Nature Center

Time: Viewing starts at 2 p.m.

Visibility: 98 percent

Peak darkness: 2:36 p.m.

Chattahoochee Nature Center will be providing eclipse glasses while supplies last.

Tellus Science Museum

Time: 1-4 pm.

Visibility: 97.7 percent

Peak darkness: 2:35 p.m.

Inside the Tellus theater, you can watch a live video of the eclipse with Tellus astronomer David Dundee and WSB-TV meteorologist Glenn Burns. Outside, you can safely see the eclipse in the observatory and on the museum lawn using smaller telescopes. This event is free for museum members, but non-members will have to pay regular admission. You can also purchase eclipse glasses from the Tellus store.

University of West Georgia

Time: 1-4:30 p.m.

Visibility: 95 percent

Peak Darkness: 2:35 p.m.

You can observe the eclipse from inside the university’s observatory. According to a press release, UWG is providing 10,000 eclipse glasses to its students and 20,000 glasses to Carrollton and Carroll public school students.

University of Georgia

Time: 1-4 p.m.

Visibility: 99 percent

Peak darkness: 2:38 p.m.

UGA is opening the Sanford Stadium for the public eclipse viewing. There will also be learning activities, special guests and giveaways. The first 5,000 guests will receive free, UGA-themed eclipse glasses.

In the Path of Totality

Rabun County

Time: 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School is providing a venue to watch the totality as it crosses over Georgia. Activities, music and food will also be available to guests. Tickets are $5 per person and can be purchased online. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets.

Union County

Union County is full of eclipse-viewing parties and festivals that are listed on the Chamber of Commerce’s website. Eclipse glasses and T-shirts can be purchased from the Chamber’s welcome center.

State Parks

There is still time to enjoy the eclipse at a state park. Although cabins and campsites have been booked for months, there is still room available for last-minute planners. Georgia Department of Natural Resources has posted available locations and times on its website.

NASA and The United States Naval Observatory contributed to this report.
 
Darkness at the crucifixion: metaphor or real history?
After creationism.org
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by Daniel Anderson

The preternatural darkness reported at Jesus’ crucifixion was no metaphor. It was a real historical event based on eyewitness accounts and independently corroborated by a number of highly qualified ancient historians. And just as the darkness recorded in the gospels was based on real history, the reason for Jesus’s death is rooted in the real history recorded in the Book of Genesis.

According to a straightforward interpretation of Genesis as written and intended, there was a real Adam and a real Eve, a real Garden of Eden, a real fall into sin, and real consequences to wilful rebellion against the Creator. Death, suffering, disease, natural disasters, and sin were the real outcomes of the historical Fall in the garden (see also The Fall: a cosmic catastrophe). We live with the indisputable evidence of these historical events on a daily basis.

With its very foundation built upon the historical events of Genesis, Jesus’ atoning death was God’s historical antidote to mankind’s grievous sin. The God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ willingly died a brutal and humiliating death on the cross in order to atone for the sins of Adam and Eve, for our sins, and for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2)—available by grace, through faith in God’s promised sacrificial Lamb (Ephesians 2:8–9).

During the last three hours of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross, an eerie darkness struck the land. This darkness is documented by the Gospel writers Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It is also confirmed by three extra-biblical historians: Thallus, Phlegon, and Africanus. A closer look will reveal strong historical evidence for this unparalleled event.

The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke
Each of these authors briefly records the three-hour darkness during Christ’s crucifixion (Matthew 27:45,
Mark 15:33, Luke 23:44–45). Matthew was one of Jesus’ apostles and an eyewitness to the event. Mark was a close companion of Peter, one of Christ’s three innermost apostles. Mark also travelled with Paul, Luke, and many of the earliest Christians in the Book of Acts. Luke was a Greek physician and historian who carefully investigated the events of Christ’s life. His historical investigation was based on direct and indirect eyewitness accounts from Paul, Peter, James, Mark, Mary (the mother of Jesus), and many of Jesus’ first female followers.1 Luke is considered to be one of the most reliable historians of all time.1

J.A.T. Robinson, a liberal New Testament scholar, conducted an in-depth study in which he discovered strong historical, textual, and logical evidence for dating all of the gospels between AD 40–65.2 And Robinson was no friend of conservative biblical Christianity. Based on these dates, Matthew, Mark, and Luke would have written about the darkness a mere 7 to 32 years after the actual event.3 Compared to other ancient historical accounts, this is like a news flash. Suetonius, a Roman historian, wrote his account of Caesar crossing the Rubicon at least 110 years after the event, and it is considered to be generally reliable.4 The earliest biographies of Alexander the Great, by Arrian and Plutarch, were written over 400 years after his death, and they are considered trustworthy accounts.1 (Compare also Who was Luke and what did he write?)

Even more compelling is the fact that Rudolph Pesch, the German New Testament scholar, dates the source for Mark’s passion narrative no later than AD 37 based on language, style, grammar, and personal references.5 This is a maximum of four years after the actual event! It can be conclusively stated that the Gospel accounts of the darkness at the crucifixion are extremely early, reliable, and based on eyewitnesses.

Thallus, Phlegon, and Africanus
Thallus wrote a history of the eastern Mediterranean world since the Trojan War. Thallus wrote his regional history in about AD 52.6 Although his original writings have been lost, he is specifically quoted by Julius Africanus, a renowned third century historian. Africanus states, ‘Thallus, in the third book of his histories, explains away the darkness as an eclipse of the sun—unreasonably as it seems to me.’ Apparently, Thallus attempted to ascribe a naturalistic explanation to the darkness during the crucifixion.

Phlegon was a Greek historian who wrote an extensive chronology around AD 137:

In the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad (i.e., AD 33) there was ‘the greatest eclipse of the sun’ and that ‘it became night in the sixth hour of the day [i.e., noon] so that stars even appeared in the heavens. There was a great earthquake in Bithynia, and many things were overturned in Nicaea.’7
Image Locutus Borg
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Annular (ring) eclipse. An eclipse could NOT have caused darkness at the crucifixion because they don’t occur during the full moon.
Phlegon provides powerful confirmation of the Gospel accounts. He identifies the year and the exact time of day. In addition, he writes of an earthquake accompanying the darkness, which is specifically recorded in Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 27:51). However, like Thallus, he fallaciously attempts to interpret the darkness as a direct effect of a solar eclipse.

Africanus composed a five volume History of the World around AD 221. He was also a pagan convert to Christianity. His historical scholarship so impressed Roman Emperor Alexander Severus that Africanus was entrusted with the official responsibility of building the Emperor’s library at the Pantheon in Rome. Africanus writes:

On the whole world there pressed a most fearful darkness; and the rocks were rent by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other districts were thrown down. This darkness Thallus, in the third book of his History, calls, as appears to me without reason, an eclipse of the sun. For the Hebrews celebrate the passover on the 14th day according to the moon, and the passion of our Savior falls on the day before the passover; but an eclipse of the sun takes place only when the moon comes under the sun. And it cannot happen at any other time but in the interval between the first day of the new moon and the last of the old, that is, at their junction: how then should an eclipse be supposed to happen when the moon is almost diametrically opposite the sun? Let opinion pass however; let it carry the majority with it; and let this portent of the world be deemed an eclipse of the sun, like others a portent only to the eye. Phlegon records that, in the time of Tiberius Caesar, at full moon, there was a full eclipse of the sun from the sixth hour to the ninth—manifestly that one of which we speak. But what has an eclipse in common with an earthquake, the rending rocks, and the resurrection of the dead, and so great a perturbation throughout the universe? Surely no such event as this is recorded for a long period.8


Africanus rightly argues that a solar eclipse could not have occurred during the lunar cycle of the Passover, as this diagram shows. He also questions the link between an eclipse, an earthquake, and the miraculous events recorded in Matthew’s Gospel. Eclipses do not set off earthquakes and bodily resurrections. We also know that eclipses only last for several minutes, not three hours. For Africanus, naturalistic explanations for the darkness at the crucifixion were grossly insufficient, as he showed by applying real science.


Local or global?
Many have pondered whether or not the darkness was a regional or global phenomenon. A vast majority of biblical translations records that the darkness was ‘over the land’, ‘over all the land’, or ‘over the whole land’. However, some translations of Luke’s account state the darkness was ‘over all the earth’ or ‘over the whole earth’.

What we do have is a plethora of extremely early, historically reliable, and highly respected sources for the darkness during the crucifixion.
The Greek has the usual word for earth, ,9 here, from which we derive ‘geology’. The language of most translations appears to strongly suggest that the darkness was a local or regional phenomenon, which is a possible rendition in some contexts. All the same, if it was regional, it was over an extensive region. Dr Paul Maier, professor of ancient history at Western Michigan University, notes ‘This phenomenon, evidently, was visible in Rome, Athens, and other Mediterranean cities.’7

On the other hand, Africanus writes of the darkness as a global event. Tertullian, the famous second century apologist, also hails the darkness as a ‘cosmic’ or ‘world event’. Appealing to skeptics, he wrote:

At the moment of Christ’s death, the light departed from the sun, and the land was darkened at noonday, which wonder is related in your own annals, and is preserved in your archives to this day.10
Apparently, Tertullian could state with confidence that documentation of the darkness could be found in legitimate historical archives.

It is plausible that future archaeological discoveries could lend stronger support to the notion that the darkness was indeed witnessed throughout the entire world.

Why aren’t there more sources?
Many skeptics ask why John’s Gospel does not mention the darkness at the crucifixion. Simon Greenleaf, of Harvard Law School, said it best about the gospels:

There is enough of a discrepancy to show that there could have been no previous concert among them; and at the same time such substantial agreement as to show that they were all independent narrators of the same great transaction.11
In other words, independent narrators will sometimes record different secondary details about the same exact event.

Many skeptics also ask why other early historians such as Josephus, Tacitus, Suetonius, and Pliny the Younger fail to mention the darkness. But the skeptics are committing the fallacy of arguing from silence. It is unreasonable to expect every contemporary writer to include every event that happened—and there are good reasons not to expect these specific authors to mention the darkess (see Thallus: Darkness Rules). What we do have is a plethora of extremely early, historically reliable, and highly respected sources for the darkness during the crucifixion. The list of Matthew, Mark, Luke, Thallus, Phlegon, Africanus, and Tertullian is impressive indeed!

Conclusion
There is powerful evidence for the historicity of the darkness at Christ’s crucifixion. It was a real historical event, and its very existence was rooted in the real historical events in Genesis. As the last Adam
(1 Corinthians 15:45), Christ came to suffer the horrible and ignominious death of crucifixion in order to die for the sins of the world. ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).’

References
  1. The Evidence for Jesus, 2005; see also Luke: A consideration of Gospel authorship and publication date. Return to text.
  2. Robinson, John A.T., Redating the New Testament, Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2000. Return to text.
  3. Cf. Wenham, John, Redating Matthew, Mark and Luke, IVP, 1992; see review. The Lives of the Twelve Caesars 1:31–33, AD 121. Return to text.
  4. Strobel, L. The Case for Christ, p. 220, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 1998. Return to text.
  5. Habermas, Gary. The Historical Jesus, pp. 196-7, College Press Publishing Company, 1996. Return to text.
  6. Maier, Paul. Pontius Pilate (Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House, 1968), p. 366. Phlegon’s citation is a fragment from Olympiades he Chronika 13, ed. Otto Keller, Rerum Naturalium Scriptores Graeci Minores, 1 (Leipzig Teurber, 1877), p. 101.
    http://www.christian-thinktank.com/jrthal.html Luke 23:44 is καί σκότος εγένετο έφ ‘όλην τήν γήν (kai skotos egeneto eph holēn tēn gēn), ‘and darkness came upon the whole earth’. Return to text.
  7. Sanders, Oswald. The Incomparable Christ, p. 203, Moody Publishers, 1982. Return to text.
  8. Greenleaf, Simon. The Testimony of the Evangelists, vii, Baker, Grand Rapids, MI, 1984. Return to text.
source: http://creation.com/darkness-at-the-crucifixion-metaphor-or-real-history
 
Hi there, Shimmie, Shim-Shims... Good to "see" you; The Lord continue to shine His face upon you and keep you.
 
Hi there, Shimmie, Shim-Shims... Good to "see" you; The Lord continue to shine His face upon you and keep you.
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God's Loving Blessings upon you and Hubby, always in health and healing. ❤❤❤
 
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