|
Even as late as 1891, the Christian commentator D.T. Taylor cited numerous accounts of the 1833 and 1866 meteor showers and interpreted them as fulfilments of prophecy. He prefaced these accounts with the statement: (108:1) [This] array of evidence, gathered from authentic sources in every quarter of our world, sufficiently demonstrate that in each and all particulars the great star-showers of the present century do most perfectly answer to the sacred prophecy concerning them. There can be, therefore, no question but that this celestial sign has occurred, and our Lord's words are fulfilled. (The Great Consummation 270) (108:2) The Darkening of the Sun-- Like meteor showers, this phenomenon has occurred on many occasions throughout history. Today we understand this event to be the result of an eclipse, that is, it occurs when the moon passes directly between the sun and our planet. In ancient times, people often regarded such an event as a portent of doom. The people witnessing it generally did not realize that they were simply in a shadow that was quickly moving across the earth and that people in other regions were unaffected and probably unaware of its occurrence. Naturally, with our present knowledge, we know that such eclipses have occurred many times since Matthew recorded the prophecies of Jesus; and even though eclipses are sufficiently infrequent to be regarded as special, they have, nevertheless, heralded many rather in auspicious occasions. Therefore, if we interpret Jesus' prophecy literally as a reference to an eclipse, we are left with no real way to determine which particular eclipse had, or will have, any special importance. Apart from its symbolic significance, it is hard to see how an eclipse could be thought to have an effect on human affairs.
(108:4)
|