{"id":9863,"date":"2024-04-05T09:18:42","date_gmt":"2024-04-05T13:18:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/?p=9863"},"modified":"2024-04-05T09:18:42","modified_gmt":"2024-04-05T13:18:42","slug":"solar-eclipse-signals-second-coming-of-jesus-for-some-christians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/2024\/04\/solar-eclipse-signals-second-coming-of-jesus-for-some-christians.html","title":{"rendered":"Solar Eclipse Signals Second Coming of Jesus For Some Christians"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Does the approaching solar eclipse signal the second coming of Jesus? In all likelihood, no, but that hasn\u2019t stopped people from speculating that it does. The New Testament is filled with references to Jesus\u2019 second coming, the time when Christians believe Jesus will return to earth, the wicked will face judgment, and the righteous will be rewarded. The Apostle Paul discusses it in his letters, and the Gospels illustrate Jesus talking about it.<\/p>\n

The upcoming solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, which will be visible over parts of North America, has brought with it several predictions that Jesus might be returning sooner rather than later. Religious theories surrounding this eclipse are part of a larger pattern of attempts to find meaning in astronomical events that go back thousands of years. One of the more famous examples from the ancient world of people finding meaning in the skies occurred in 44 B.C.E. when a comet appeared in the skies over Italy just four short months after the assassination of Julius Caesar. Roman authors Pliny the Elder and Suetonius claimed that the comet was visible for about a week and that it was so bright it could be spotted in the late afternoon.<\/p>\n

Many Romans\u00a0interpreted its appearance and lingering presence<\/a>\u00a0as a sign that Caesar had ascended to the heavens and had taken a seat among the many gods of Rome. Caesar\u2019s deification was made official by a vote of the Roman Senate less than two years later. A few examples from the past 30 years further illustrate this phenomenon. In December 2020, speculation ran wild in some Christian circles that a planetary conjunction of\u00a0Jupiter\u00a0and\u00a0Saturn\u00a0signaled the return of the fabled \u201cStar of Bethlehem\u201d that led the wise men to the newborn Jesus<\/a>. For at least 10 years,\u00a0televangelist John Hagee<\/a>\u00a0has promoted theories linking various \u201cblood moons<\/a>\u201d as signs that\u00a0the apocalypse\u00a0is approaching.<\/p>\n