Was the Darkness that came upon the land at the cross localised or worldwide?

[Blain]

Heh, that is the question, isn't it? And I do believe God had Passover fall on a full moon always so nobody could say the darkness was caused by a solar eclipse. The sun simply went dark. Brings to mind the occasion when the sun and moon stood still in Joshua 10~

On the day that the LORD gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the LORD in the presence of Israel: “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still and the moon stopped until the nation took vengeance upon its enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? “So the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.” There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man, because the LORD fought for Israel.

it makes me wonder about how the moon will turn to blood and the sun into darkness before the day of the Lord in revelation it might happen only by God's power amd mot natural means

 

[GWH]

Good for you. There is no "filler" in the Bible. Everything is there for a reason.

Well, there is a reason MK 16:9-20 should be regarded as filler.

 

[Adstar]

Mathew 27 49 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

It is assumed that it was a local phenomenon.. Otherwise it would have been recorded my multiple civilizations all over the earth..

 

[Adstar]

it makes me wonder about how the moon will turn to blood and the sun into darkness before the day of the Lord in revelation it might happen only by God's power amd mot natural means

I think it will be the after effects of a meteor strike on the earth.. The huge amount of dust in the atmosphere will darken the sun and make the moon appear Blood Red.. I believe when the book of Revelations talks of a mountain burning with fire being cast into the sea it is taking of a meteor striking the earth in a sea during the last days..

(Revelation 8:8-9) "And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; {9} And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed."

 

[GWH]

it makes me wonder about how the moon will turn to blood and the sun into darkness before the day of the Lord in revelation it might happen only by God's power amd mot natural means

Instead of engaging in speculation about how the darkness in MT 27:49 occurred,
we might want to focus on the spiritual significance by realizing that the darkness in MT 27:49
may reflect or be connected with the darkness mentioned in JN 1:4-9 and in
TOJ #171: Evil-doers hate/avoid the light of GW. [JN 3:19-20]
Jesus is that light personified {JN 7:7}. (See TOJ #186.)

TOJ #186: Jesus is the light or God/GW incarnate. [JN 8:12, 9:5, 14:6]
John’s gospel stated this in the opening section (JN 1:1&4-9).
Several OT verses spoke of light as representing God (PS 27:1, IS 60:19 MIC 7:8) or GW (PS 119:105).
Jesus spoke GW {JN 8:26, 12:49-50, 15:15} or truth {JN 18:37b}, and so He illuminates
the right way to live {JN 12:35-36, 46}. (See TOJ #19, #38, #178 & #203.)

 

[birdie]

it makes me wonder about how the moon will turn to blood and the sun into darkness before the day of the Lord in revelation it might happen only by God's power amd mot natural means

Thanks Blain, for being interested in this scenario of the moon as blood and the sun being dark. The sun is a picture of Christ in the Bible. We read about that in Psalm 19: "In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof." Jesus, of course, is the bridegroom and here we seen the sun a picture of him. Jesus is the greater light to rule the day, as it were. And the Bible tells us that as long as Christ is with us, it is called day. We read, "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. "

Just as Jesus is pictured as the sun in the Bible, so the law of God is pictured by the moon. We read about the moon as being the lesser light to rule the night. But we also find the Bible talking about the moon and her ordinances. In Jeremiah: "Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night " Notice that the moon is spoken of as being 'ordinances'. Ordinances is a term for the law of God, as can be seen in Psalm 119.

When the Bible calls the sun dark and the moon blood, it would seem that the Bible is addressing a time when the light of Christ is not available (since the sun is a picture of Christ), and when the law finds people guilty rather than forgiven (since the moon is a picture of the law). This scenario could be said to be characteristic of the unsaved state of being. It might also refer to Jesus on the cross or possible to an end time scenario for the unsaved.

 

[Blain]

Thanks Blain, for being interested in this scenario of the moon as blood and the sun being dark. The sun is a picture of Christ in the Bible. We read about that in Psalm 19: "In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof." Jesus, of course, is the bridegroom and here we seen the sun a picture of him. Jesus is the greater light to rule the day, as it were. And the Bible tells us that as long as Christ is with us, it is called day. We read, "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. "

Just as Jesus is pictured as the sun in the Bible, so the law of God is pictured by the moon. We read about the moon as being the lesser light to rule the night. But we also find the Bible talking about the moon and her ordinances. In Jeremiah: "Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night " Notice that the moon is spoken of as being 'ordinances'. Ordinances is a term for the law of God, as can be seen in Psalm 119.

When the Bible calls the sun dark and the moon blood, it would seem that the Bible is addressing a time when the light of Christ is not available (since the sun is a picture of Christ), and when the law finds people guilty rather than forgiven (since the moon is a picture of the law). This scenario could be said to be characteristic of the unsaved state of being. It might also refer to Jesus on the cross or possible to an end time scenario for the unsaved.

that is pretty interesting I never considered that. so maybe when the church is taken away that is when the sun goes dark and the moon to blood because it is judgement for the world

 

[Blain]

Also @birdie I was wondering do you think that the symbolism in the sun and moon could also explain more of the end times because I have a hunch it is something to look into

 

[donnyscot]

Judgment came upon the,
Holy land
Holy city
And the Holy one

Also @birdie I was wondering do you think that the symbolism in the sun and moon could also explain more of the end times because I have a hunch it is something to look into

there was judgment on the the
Holy city
Holy Land
And the Holy One
a trinity of judgement

 

[Blain]

Judgment came upon the,
Holy land
Holy city
And the Holy one

there was judgment on the the
Holy city
Holy Land
And the Holy One
a trinity of judgement

true but about the judgement concerning the end times I am wondering exactly how deep the meaning of the moon turning to blood and the sun to darkness is concerning the judgement to come.

plus lots of blood moons and solar eclipses have come and gone so this must be something different

 

[donnyscot]

that is pretty interesting I never considered that. so maybe when the church is taken away that is when the sun goes dark and the moon to blood because it is judgement for the world

Thanks Blain, for being interested in this scenario of the moon as blood and the sun being dark. The sun is a picture of Christ in the Bible. We read about that in Psalm 19: "In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof." Jesus, of course, is the bridegroom and here we seen the sun a picture of him. Jesus is the greater light to rule the day, as it were. And the Bible tells us that as long as Christ is with us, it is called day. We read, "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. "

Just as Jesus is pictured as the sun in the Bible, so the law of God is pictured by the moon. We read about the moon as being the lesser light to rule the night. But we also find the Bible talking about the moon and her ordinances. In Jeremiah: "Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night " Notice that the moon is spoken of as being 'ordinances'. Ordinances is a term for the law of God, as can be seen in Psalm 119.

When the Bible calls the sun dark and the moon blood, it would seem that the Bible is addressing a time when the light of Christ is not available (since the sun is a picture of Christ), and when the law finds people guilty rather than forgiven (since the moon is a picture of the law). This scenario could be said to be characteristic of the unsaved state of being. It might also refer to Jesus on the cross or possible to an end time scenario for the unsaved.

That’s very interesting

 

[birdie]

Also @birdie I was wondering do you think that the symbolism in the sun and moon could also explain more of the end times because I have a hunch it is something to look into

Thanks for being interested in the things of God, Blain. Sure, for example, the woman who is clothed with the sun in Revelation 12 is a picture of believers. We know this because she is clothed with Christ (the sun - that is, Christ's righteousness and not her own). Further, the moon is under her feet, which means she has gotten victory over the penalty of the law for sin.

 

[Blain]

Thanks for being interested in the things of God, Blain. Sure, for example, the woman who is clothed with the sun in Revelation 12 is a picture of believers. We know this because she is clothed with Christ (the sun - that is, Christ's righteousness and not her own). Further, the moon is under her feet, which means she has gotten victory over the penalty of the law for sin.

I see I did wonder about that part but now it makes sense. I have always heard that the sun represents Christ and the moon represents his bride/church because the moon does not give it's own light it reflects it off of the sun

is there any truth to that do you think? and if so why was the moon under her feet to begin with

 

[birdie]

I see I did wonder about that part but now it makes sense. I have always heard that the sun represents Christ and the moon represents his bride/church because the moon does not give it's own light it reflects it off of the sun

is there any truth to that do you think? and if so why was the moon under her feet to begin with

Hi. Thanks Blain, for your question about whether the moon is a picture of the bride of Christ. To think of the moon as the bride of Christ might be a good guess, but I can think of some reasons why it might not be. For example, the moon is the lesser light to rule the night (in Genesis). The bride of Christ (the believers) are of the day. The Bible tells us that those who get drunk get drunk at night, but it says that believers are not of the night.

The notion of the law is interesting actually. The law is written on tablets, but there is another law (a new law) which is written on the hearts of believers, by God. New moon festivals, for example, in the Bible might be alluding to this. In that case, the law written on the hearts of believers would apply to the church.

The moon would be under the feet of the true believers in the sense that we have gotten victory over the law. The law proclaims men guilty. Without Christ to atone, we would not have victory over this guilt deserving of death. Thanks be to God for Jesus to save us. We read about how those who are not in Christ are under, so to speak: "And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts "

 

[Blain]

Hi. Thanks Blain, for your question about whether the moon is a picture of the bride of Christ. To think of the moon as the bride of Christ might be a good guess, but I can think of some reasons why it might not be. For example, the moon is the lesser light to rule the night (in Genesis). The bride of Christ (the believers) are of the day. The Bible tells us that those who get drunk get drunk at night, but it says that believers are not of the night.

The notion of the law is interesting actually. The law is written on tablets, but there is another law (a new law) which is written on the hearts of believers, by God. New moon festivals, for example, in the Bible might be alluding to this. In that case, the law written on the hearts of believers would apply to the church.

The moon would be under the feet of the true believers in the sense that we have gotten victory over the law. The law proclaims men guilty. Without Christ to atone, we would not have victory over this guilt deserving of death. Thanks be to God for Jesus to save us. We read about how those who are not in Christ are under, so to speak: "And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts "

ok that makes sense so what would you say a solar eclipse represents?

 

[Komentaja]

Mathew 27 49 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

I would argue local because we find no record of this ever happening elsewhere.

 

[Komentaja]

The sun was darkened but it was not by an eclipse. Passover is always on a full moon and a solar eclipse
on a full moon is impossible. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun,
blocking some or all of the Sun's light. This can only happen during a new moon. Full and new are 2weeks apart.

The plot thickens: The earth is flat.

 

[birdie]

ok that makes sense so what would you say a solar eclipse represents?

Thanks Blain. Can you give an example of a solar eclipse in the Bible that you wish me to comment on? Natural phenomenon are important, in their own way, because God created the universe in the way that he sees fit. A rock, a tree, a planet, might all be significant, and show something about God, but I prefer to stick to Bible verses for this discussion.

 

[Blain]

Thanks Blain. Can you give an example of a solar eclipse in the Bible that you wish me to comment on? Natural phenomenon are important, in their own way, because God created the universe in the way that he sees fit. A rock, a tree, a planet, might all be significant, and show something about God, but I prefer to stick to Bible verses for this discussion.

Well in particular I am interested in these verses that I think could very well be a solar eclipse or at least some of them

• Matthew 24:29: "The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light"
  
  
• Isaiah 13:10: "The sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine"
  
  
• Luke 21:25-26: "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars"
  
  
• Mark 15:33: "And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour"

 

[birdie]

Well in particular I am interested in these verses that I think could very well be a solar eclipse or at least some of them

• Matthew 24:29: "The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light"
  
  
• Isaiah 13:10: "The sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine"
  
  
• Luke 21:25-26: "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars"
  
  
• Mark 15:33: "And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour"

Thanks Blain, for posting the verses of interest to you. It seems that you are looking for physical signs or physical phenomenon, and that you are wondering if they will happen and if they will be what is seen physically in an end-times scenario.

I tend to read the Bible in a different way generally. Just as the parable of the sower gave a physical story of a person sowing seed to illustrate what was the real meaning, a spiritual meaning of God sending forth his word. In the same way, I tend to look at the Bible as physical stories that have a spiritual meaning. For example, to me the city of Jerusalem is a picture of all true believers and would not be something that you could point to on a map, once interpreted. In similar sense, when the great city Ninevah repented of sin, and God did not destroy them, I see this as a picture of all believers who repent, and I am not that interested in the ancient city on a map. Owing to the fact that Revelation and other seeming end-time Bible verses have plenty of physical phenomenon associated with them, I spend my time trying to understand what the picture is pointing to as the spiritual reality. An earthquake, for example, might be talking about the shaking of those spirits and ideas which are not aligned with the gospel. When a city falls, it might be describing the spiritual collapse rather than the physical collapse.

I see the above verses that you have given, and see them relating to the absence of Christ's atoning sacrifice, or relating to the time when Christ became sin for our sakes, or relating to the end time scenario of salvation being absent in some form or for some people. Whether a physical solar eclipse is really what is being described I could not say. But, the Jews of Jesus' day certainly seemed to be looking for a physical king and a physical kingdom and even tried to make Jesus a physical king by force. Surprisingly, he came as a spiritual king whose kingdom was not of this world.

The Bible encourages us to keep our faith in Christ, and those who are in Christ's hands of salvation will be saved.