On December 26, in the midst of Hanukkah, there will be an Annular Solar Eclipse running from Saudi Arabia across the Gulf oil kingdoms, Oman, the tip of India, Indonesia, and Singapore.
An Annular Eclipse is also known as a Ring Eclipse because the Moon does not fully cover the Sun, creating a ring of fire instead of the total darkness of a normal Solar Eclipse. It happens because the Moon is farthest away from Earth, making it smaller in the sky. This time of year the Sun is also closest to the earth, magnifying the effect. As a result only 97% of the Sun is covered, but the 3% which is visible is still bright enough to require protective eyewear.
The Apostle Peter, speaking on the Day of Pentecost, quoted from the Prophet Joel saying that the Dark Sun, i.e., Solar Eclipse, was a sign in the Heavens of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit during the Church Age (Acts 2:17-21). Solar Eclipses are tied to the Hebrew Lunar calendar because they occur at the beginning of the month, when the Hebrews celebrated the New Moon with Feast of the Born Again. Indeed, the Moon is representative of the Believers as the “Faithful witness in the sky” (Psalms 89:37) while the Sun is a picture of Jesus, the Champion and Bridegroom (Psalm 19:4-5), and the unity of Sun and Moon during a Solar Eclipse symbolizes our unity with Christ.
The symbolism of the Dark Sun is enhanced on the Hebrew feast days. On the Feast of Trumpets, the first day of the seventh month, an eclipse points to the darkness of the Day of the Lord (Amos 5:20). On the first day of the sixth month the 40 day Teshuvah season of repentance and return to God begins. The 2017 Great American eclipse was Teshuvah Eclipse, a call to repentance and return to God and a warning of Judgment to come. For more information about this call to America take a free download of our book Teshuvah Eclipses at http://bit.ly/TeshuvahEclipses .
For Believers the Hanukkah Eclipse holds a very special meaning. The event celebrated was the rededication of the Temple in 165BC after Antiochus IV Epiphanes had tried and failed to eradicate the worship of God. Because of the faithfulness of those believers to stand in the face of persecution the nation of Israel was reborn and made ready to receive the Messiah. To the persecuted Christians in South Asia, from Saudi Arabia to Indonesia, the Lord is telling you that the Lord sees your faithfulness and your Messiah is coming.
The ring of fire of the Annular Eclipse also points to Hanukkah, when a day’s supply of the holy oil lasted eight days. The oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit which is the light of our lives, like the oil makes the light of the Menorah of Hanukkah. The ring of fire tells us that God Himself will supply us with His Holy Spirit in times of darkness. The Dark Sun of Hanukkah is a sign that the Lord wants to pour out His Holy Spirit and bring people to salvation as Peter prophesied on the Day of Pentecost.
This Christmas, let the Christians in the West remember their persecuted brothers in Asia and pray that they will be encouraged by the sign from Heaven of the Hanukkah Eclipse.
