The Eclipsing of Christ

Monday, August 21, 2017 marks an extraordinary moment in United States interstellar history, and thus, in the lives of those living in the U.S. For the first time since 1979, the moon will move between the earth and the sun in a total eclipse.

Dictionary.com defines eclipse as “any obscuration of light.”

Obscuration derives from the root word, “obscure,” which means:

“Not discovered or known about; uncertain.”

To “keep from being seen; conceal.”

How ironic that this total eclipse of the sun in the Western hemisphere takes place at a time when the total eclipsing of Jesus Christ is increasingly occurring.

The obscuration of the light of Christ has been going on since Christ walked the earth. People at that time didn’t want to see Him, just as people today don’t want to see Him. Hence Jesus’ wise counsel to those he spoke to that they have eyes to see (Mark 8:17-21; Matthew 13:13-17).

“I am the light of the world,” Christ plainly tells us in John 8:12, “He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”

But people do not like the light, even when they do see it:

“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God” (John 3:19-21).

“For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools,” (Romans 1:21-22).

Jesus confirms the outworking of that denial of His light:

“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well” (John 15:18-24).

It is on the basis of our seeing God through the Light of Christ, indwelt by His Holy Spirit, that He is no longer obscured:

“This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:5-10).

The beginning, middle and end of the solar eclipse on Monday will last, I am told, approximately three hours.

The eclipsing of Christ by the “moon” of personal choice to live in darkness will last as long as a person lets it.

copyright Barb Harwood