What if it’s more than just an “eclipse”?

We go about our day to day business. Working. Living. Working. We have our diversions. Fishing, sports, exercise.

You hear in the news of a significant event taking place in the galaxy. For some it’s worth changing plans and making adjustments. For others it’s, “oh that’s interesting”? But what if…..

ON APRIL 8, the moon will pass in front of the sun, turning daylight into darkness across a large swath of the US.

With around 180 million people living in or near the path of totality, it will be the most watched eclipse in the nation’s history—and likely all of history.

But the “Great North American Eclipse” of 2024 is more than just an historic astronomical event. For a variety of reasons, it is considered a prophetic event:

• It occurs on the eve of the biblical New Year, Nisan 1.

• Its path runs diagonally opposite of an eclipse seven years ago, to form a giant ‘X’ across the continental US.

• Its path crosses over a large number of cities with biblical names.

• Its path crosses through an area that will see a plague-like explosion of insects that has not occurred in two centuries.

• Visible next to the eclipse will be an unusually bright comet that last appeared 70 years ago.

And more.

To appreciate the prophetic significance of the eclipse, a review of America’s history and role in God’s redemptive plan for Israel is in order.

Let’s start at the beginning.

COLUMBUS’S DIVINE MISSION

According to the history books, Columbus discovered the Americas by accident, while seeking a new sea route to Asia. But facts not typically found in the books suggest that it was Providence:

• Columbus, a devout follower of Jesus Christ, believed that his voyage was ordained by God to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth before the Lord’s return. The explorer was so convinced of his role in end-times prophecy that he wrote a work entitled “Book of Prophecies” in which he cited Scripture to show how God had planned his expedition to the new world, and would be doing great things for the Church through his discovery.

• Scholars believe that the Spanish explorer was actually of Jewish descent, and that his voyage was in part a quest to find a new ‘promised land’ at a time when his people were being expelled from Spain. Supporting this view, Columbus’s journey was largely financed and supported by Jews. Some also cite the date that Columbus set sail as evidence of his Jewish background: it was Av 10, the day after Jews traditionally mourn both exiles from the Land, that he departed Spain.

• The duration of Columbus’s expedition to parts unknown, which no man could have orchestrated, has a profound typological significance. After a series of mishaps at sea—including a broken rudder, a faulty compass, and a near mutiny of the crew who feared they would never make it back to Spain—Columbus sighted land and went ashore at the Americas on the 70th day of the voyage, which happened to mark the final day of the Feast of Tabernacles. Thus, the journey to the new promised land began on the day associated with Jewish exile, Av 10; it lasted for exactly 70 days, denoting a period of exile (Jer. 29:10), and ended at the festival associated with God’s provision and a temporary dwelling place (Lev. 23:42, 43).

America would indeed turn out to be a new promised land, a nation rooted in and accommodative of Hebrew values and aspirations:

• The Puritans living in America saw themselves as a new ‘chosen people’ dwelling in a ‘new Israel.’ Their fast and feast days, including Thanksgiving, were based on Jewish observances such as Yom Kippur and Tabernacles.

• One of the original designs for the US Seal depicted the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, with Pharaoh in pursuit.

• The Hebrew language was a prerequisite for early American scholars. Many universities even required it in their curriculum.

• From the late 1800s to early 1900s, millions of Jews fleeing antisemitism in Europe immigrated to the US, making America home of the largest Jewish diaspora population. Around the same time, Zionism, the movement to create a Jewish state in the Land of Israel, gained momentum in the US.

Later, the US would become a vital ally to the Jews in Europe and Israel:

• America’s defeat of Nazi Germany in World War Two thwarted Hitler’s plan to exterminate the Jews.

• After the Holocaust, the US played a key role in securing support for the UN resolution to create the modern State of Israel.

• When Israel declared itself a nation on May 14, 1948, the US was the first country to grant recognition.

• From 1948 to the present, the US has provided more financial, political, and military support to Israel than to any other nation.

With our summary in view, two things are clear: the US has been uniquely supportive of the Jews, and was instrumental in the prophetic replanting of the “fig tree” in the Land of Israel (Isa. 11:11, 12; Matt. 24:32–34). One could even argue that without the US, there would be no modern State of Israel.

JUBILEE NATION

Another clue as to America’s prophetic destiny is the fact that she was founded on the Jubilee principle of “liberty” (Lev. 25:10). From the original ideologies and charters, to the nation’s iconic symbols and currency, the theme of liberty, or Jubilee, is ever-present:

• Patrick Henry’s battle-cry in the run-up to the Revolutionary War was, “Give me liberty, or give me death!”

• The US Declaration of Independence cites “liberty” as the first God-given right, next to the fundamental right to life.

• The US Constitution states that no person shall be deprived of “liberty” without due process of law.

• The US Pledge of Allegiance concludes with the words, “with liberty and justice for all.”

• The Statue of “Liberty” greets immigrants arriving in New York Harbor.

• The iconic symbol of American independence is the “Liberty” Bell, which is engraved with the Jubilee pronouncement, “Proclaim Liberty Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof” (Lev. 25:10).

• The one-word motto stamped on US coins is “Liberty.”

Seeing how the US is the nation founded on the biblical principle of Liberty, or Jubilee, it is striking that it is also the nation comprised of 50 states, the number of Jubilee.

But America’s Jubilee connection goes deeper still. According to the Sabbatical chronology favored by scholars, the US’s first full year as a nation, 1777, was a Sabbatical year. The next year, 1778, was a Jubilee. (See notes for calculation).

Significantly, during America’s first Jubilee, on June 24, 1778, the first total solar eclipse recorded in the US darkened a path from the lower Carolinas to New England, the area of the original colonies. Thus, America’s first total solar eclipse was a Jubilee eclipse.

It gets more interesting. Counting forward Jubilee periods from 1778, we find that 2024, the year of the current American eclipse, marks the nation’s fifth Jubilee. This is significant because the number five signifies God’s favor and grace toward man.

While God has certainly “shed his grace” on the US during its five Jubilees, the symbolism around the 2024 eclipse suggests that the grace period is ending.

‘X’ MARKS THE SPOT

As noted earlier, the 2024 eclipse completes a giant ‘X’ across America on the eve of Nisan. Besides marking the turn of the biblical year, Nisan is called the “month of redemption,” as it is when the Hebrews’ departure from Egypt, or Exodus, occurred.

What is interesting is that there are 17 locations in the US named “Egypt,” and all are found in or near the ‘X’ formed by the eclipse paths. What’s more, at the center of the ‘X’ is the lower part of Southern Illinois, an area just south of I-70 called “Little Egypt.”

Images:

Thus, the ‘X’ formed by the eclipse paths literally has “Egypt” written all over it.

That there are 17 US locations named Egypt is significant because in Scripture the number 17 denotes a period of dwelling in Egypt:

• The first Hebrew to reside in Egypt, Joseph, was age 17 when he was sold into slavery there (Gen. 37:2).

• Nisan 17 is when the Hebrews departed Egypt, by crossing the Red Sea (Ex. 3:18; 5:3).

• Nisan 17 is when the Hebrews (freed from Egypt) first ate the fruits of the Promised Land (Josh. 5:10–12).

With the Exodus, or ‘X’-odus, theme in view, it is noteworthy that the eclipse ‘X’ also marks ground zero of what is predicted to be a plague-like explosion of cicada insects across 17 states this April, a rare double brood that has not occurred in 221 years.

Image: https://tinyurl.com/2t5vb3jz

It is a remarkable coincidence that a once-in-two-century irruption of cicadas—which has been compared to the insect plagues in the Book of Exodus—occurs across 17 states, and in the same month and year as our Exodus-themed eclipse.

But there is more.

Another feature of the ‘X’ drawn by the eclipse paths is that it corresponds to the Hebrew letter Tav, which is a picture of two crossed sticks. This is significant because, speaking of Israel’s redemption in the last days, God says He will join the “stick” of Ephraim, representing the scattered tribes of Israel, with the “stick” of Judah, the tribes who dwell in the Land of Israel, where they will be cleansed of all their idolatry and worship Him as one:

“I am going to take the stick of Joseph—which is in Ephraim’s hand—and of the Israelite tribes associated with him, and join it to Judah’s stick. I will make them into a single stick of wood, and they will become one in my hand …. I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel” …. [There] I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God” (Ezek. 37:19, 21–23).

How does the prophecy about the return of scattered Ephraimites relate to America as a type of Egypt?

For starters, in contrast to the other heads of Israel’s tribes who were born in Canaan, Ephraim was born in Egypt. Furthermore, Ephraim was born during the seven years of forewarning that preceded the seven years of famine in Egypt (Gen. 41:50). The seven years of forewarning parallel the seven years between the eclipses that form the ‘X.’

In addition to the Egypt connection, there is a presumed genealogical link between Ephraim and the US. A popular view is that the US, home to nearly half the world’s Jews, is where many descendants of Ephraim today reside. This view is based on the fact that when the Assyrians conquered and deported the 10 tribes of the Northern Kingdom, including Ephraim, in 722BC, many never returned but were assimilated into other groups. These “lost” tribe members migrated to Europe; and when antisemitism flared up there, they fled to America.

Seeing America as home to the scattered Ephraimites, it is fascinating to consider another feature of the eclipse paths. When we combine the ‘X,’ or Tav, paths with a third (annular) eclipse path in 2023, they form the Hebrew letter Aleph, which is a picture of a bull.

Image: https://tinyurl.com/47eevfpx

This is striking because the bull is the animal associated with the tribe of Ephraim (Deut. 33:17).

Another uncanny bull correlation relates to the comet that will be visible during the 2024 eclipse: Comet 12P/Pons–Brooks, which passes by Earth every 70 years, is known for its distinctive bull-like “horns.” Furthermore, the horned comet reaches perihelion, or maximum brightness, as it enters the constellation Taurus—the bull. Thus, we have a bull comet, appearing above the bull nation, which is marked with the Hebrew letter that depicts a bull!

Finally, if the Exodus theme of the 2024 eclipse is not comprehensive enough, the Sun is eclipsed by the Moon in the constellation Pisces, the sign that depicts God’s people in bondage. More precisely, the eclipse occurs on the Band that binds the fish, thus signifying a severing of the Band, or a release from bondage.

Image: https://tinyurl.com/bdzfnw3e

To appreciate the unlikelihood of a solar eclipse occurring on the Band of Pisces, consider that the Sun is found at this location only one day each year. In 2024, this day happens to coincide with the new moon that marks the beginning of Nisan, the month of the Exodus.

With the above correlations in view, the question is begged: could the impending solar eclipse be a sign pointing to the ultimate exodus and homecoming of scattered Jews, as foretold in Ezekiel?

SUMMARY AND FINAL THOUGHTS

From Columbus’s discovery in 1492, to the prophetic eclipse of 2024, God’s fingerprints are all over the US:

• The voyage to America lasted 70 days, and ended at the biblical festival associated with a temporary dwelling place.

• The US, the nation comprised of 50 states, was founded on the biblical principle of Liberty, or Jubilee.

• The US’s first full year as a nation, 1777, was a Sabbatical year preceding a Jubilee.

• America’s first Jubilee, 1778, saw a total solar eclipse darken the area of the original colonies.

• As of 2024, the US has existed for five Jubilees, denoting a period of God’s favor or grace.

• America’s 17 Egypts are clustered around the ‘X’ formed by the eclipses. The number 17 denotes a period of dwelling in Egypt.

• The plague-like explosion of cicadas across 17 states occurs in the same ‘X’ location as America’s 17 Egypts.

• The US is home to nearly half the world’s Jews, and presumably many descendants of Ephraim.

• The seven years of forewarning in Egypt, during which Ephraim was born, parallel the seven years between the American eclipses.

• The 2024 eclipse occurs on the Band that binds the fish of Pisces, denoting a release from bondage.

Understanding that history repeats (Ecc. 1:9), it is fascinating to consider how America, like ancient Egypt, began as a safe haven for God’s people, a place of flourishing. Over time, however, the US has, like ancient Egypt, devolved into a place of mounting oppression. The growing disregard for God and His word, as evidenced by waning US support for Israel, does not bode well for the nation previously blessed:

“[God said to Abraham] … I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who treats you with contempt” (Gen. 12:3).

If we are reading the signs correctly, America’s prophetic destiny is nearly fulfilled. She has been a place of refuge for Jews. She has facilitated the replanting of the “fig tree” as a prerequisite for Jesus’ return. And now, five Jubilees after her founding, an ‘X’ drawn across the US on the eve of Nisan suggests that God is about to call His people out of spiritual Egypt, presumably by some calamitous event, and bring them home.

Could the calamitous event be the collapse of the US, triggered by the sudden ‘exodus’ of Christians at the Rapture?

It is an awesome possibility to consider.

. . .

NOTES:

1. About the 2024 solar eclipse:

2. Of all the signs of Judgment Day in Scripture, the most frequently mentioned is a darkened sun, or total solar eclipse (Rev. 6:12; Joel 2:31; 3:14, 15; Isa. 13:9-10; Matt. 24:29; Mark 13:24; Luke 21:25-27;

Acts 2:20, 21; Ezek. 32:8).

3. In addition to its ‘X’ connection to the 2024 eclipse, the solar eclipse of 2017 was considered a biblical sign because:

• It occurred on Elul 1, a date that in Judaism marks the start of a period of warning and repentance.

• It traced a path exclusively across the US, which had not occurred since before the nation’s founding in 1776.

• Its 70-mile-wide path crossed over seven US cities named Salem, an alternate name for Jerusalem.

• Its path crossed through the center of three of America’s most notorious seismic hotspots: The Cascadia Subduction Zone on the West Coast, the Yellowstone Caldera in Wyoming, and the heart of the New Madrid Seismic Zone centered around Southern Illinois’ Little Egypt.

• It occurred on the same day that President Trump’s peace team flew to the Middle East to begin work on a plan that divides Jerusalem.

• It occurred 33 days before the Revelation 12 alignment of September 23, 2017.

4. Columbus’s Christian–Jewish background:

5. 2024 marks, simultaneously:

• 76 Sabbatical weeks since Columbus discovered America in 1492.

• 76 years since Israel became a nation in 1948.

Coincidentally, Strong’s #76 (Hebrew) is the word ababuah, referring to the plague of “blisters or boils” in Exodus chapter 9: https://biblehub.com/hebrew/76.htm.

6. The number 70 denotes a period of bondage or a release from bondage:

• There were 70 Hebrews who initially migrated to Egypt (Deut. 10:22).

• After being redeemed from Egypt, the Israelites camped at an oasis of 70 palm trees (Ex. 15:27).

• The Jews were redeemed from Babylon after 70 years (Jer. 29:10).

• God’s plan of redemption encompasses 70 weeks (Dan. 9:24–27).

7. Sabbatical-year chronology (see “WH” for Wacholder): https://www.pickle-publishing.com/…/sabbatical-years…

8. 2024 Jubilee calculation:

There have been exactly 70 Jubilee periods since the Israelites first entered the Promised Land, and began counting the 49-year cycle:

1407 BC + 70 Jubilees (3,430 years) = 2024

The 2024 Jubilee calculation is corroborated by the 70 Weeks Prophecy:

“From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the prince comes, there will be

seven sevens” [one Jubilee period] (Dan. 9:25).

According to the prophecy, a Jubilee period begins after the Jews return to Jerusalem. Since the Jews returned to Jerusalem in June 1967, the count of “seven sevens,” or one Jubilee period, begins at the first Sabbatical week after 1967:

1974 + 49 = 2023 + 1 (Jubilee) = 2024

9. Another indication that 1778 and 2024 are Jubilees is the fact that the preceding Sabbatical years (Hebrew 5537 and 5782) are divisible by 49, a characteristic unique to Sabbatical years preceding Jubilees.

10. America’s first Jubilee eclipse in 1778 occurred in the Constellation Gemini, the sign that depicts the wedding union between God and man.

11. Seeing how the second (2024) eclipse occurs on the Gentile date 4/8, it is interesting that in Exodus 4:8, where God is imparting to Moses the signs to convince pharaoh to release the Hebrews, He says: “If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second.”

12. There are 17 US locations named Egypt:

13. Cicada emergence 2024:

14. Joseph’s two sons born in Egypt were Manasseh and Ephraim.

15. A fascinating connection between Ephraim (America) and the Hebrew letter Tav, or ‘X’ is as follows: Because Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh were born in Egypt, their grandfather Jacob said a special blessing over them to make clear that they were not Egyptians, but were of the family and inheritance of Abraham (Gen. 48). Significantly, when Jacob blessed Ephraim and Manasseh, he crossed his hands (forming the Hebrew letter Tav, or ‘X’), placing his right hand on the head of the younger boy, Ephraim, and his left hand on the head of the older boy, Manasseh, thus bestowing the greater blessing on the younger son, Ephraim, and reserving a lesser blessing for Manasseh, the firstborn. Jacob’s blessing is believed to be prophetic of two major world powers, the British Empire (Manasseh) and the US (Ephraim).

16. More on the 2024 eclipse by T.W. Tramm:

Comet Pons–Brooks: Why the Devil Is Not in the Details

2024 Eclipse and the Sign of Jonah

2024 and 2017 Eclipse Paths: God Is in the Numbers

Solar Eclipse 2024: God’s Final Warning for America?

. . .

*Visit the author’s website: www.theseasonofreturn.com

. . .

IMPORTANT MESSAGE: No one knows the day or hour of Jesus’ return (Matt. 24:36). However, a convergence of biblical signs and timelines suggests it is near. To escape the judgment reserved for a God-rejecting world, one must be in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. If you have not yet done so, call on His name and believe that He is the Son of God who died for your sins and was raised from the dead (Rom. 10:13). Do it today. Time is running out.