Coming eclipse

[carlimac]

Hi again. It’s been awhile. Lots of life changes over the past few years. My questions for this forum have been piling up. I’ll start with this one- 

Do you believe the coming eclipse on April 8th is a sign from the heavens that correlates with end times? Why or why not? 
 
And if you do believe it is, and the really intense parts of the 2nd coming are on our doorstep what does your SPIRITUAL preparation consist of? 

[LDSGator]

21 minutes ago, carlimac said:

Do you believe the coming eclipse on April 8th is a sign from the heavens that correlates with end times? Why or why not? 

No. 
 

I think the Prophets and Apostles will tell us directly. I trust them. They haven’t said it is, so I don’t worry about it. 

22 minutes ago, carlimac said:

Lots of life changes over the past few years.

Hope you are okay, and welcome back! 

[laronius]

18 minutes ago, carlimac said:

Hi again. It’s been awhile. Lots of life changes over the past few years. My questions for this forum have been piling up. I’ll start with this one- 

Do you believe the coming eclipse on April 8th is a sign from the heavens that correlates with end times? Why or why not? 
 
And if you do believe it is, and the really intense parts of the 2nd coming are on our doorstep what does your SPIRITUAL preparation consist of? 

A lot of people are saying it's one of the signs but I have yet to see one who can say what it means. If you don't know what a sign means then it's not much of a sign. And to say it's a sign of the last days isn't telling us anything we didn't already know. 

But even if it's not a sign it doesn't mean the really intense parts of the last days are necessarily that far away. They could happen at any point. Though I'm guessing the really bad ones (meaning not just regional in scope) won't happen while we have missionaries spread out around the world. In D&C 88 it's after the missionaries are called home that the other forms of "testimony" will happen. That might be the first domino to fall.

[carlimac]

17 minutes ago, LDSGator said:

No. 
 

I think the Prophets and Apostles will tell us directly. I trust them. They haven’t said it is, so I don’t worry about it. 

Hope you are okay, and welcome back! 

 

[mikbone]

Nah.

A total eclipse is a sight to see though.   If you can make it happen do so.

[carlimac]

Yes I’m fine. Just getting older. We moved back to “Zion” from the east coast 21 months ago. My husband started working from home in 2020 and that allowed us to make the move. We’re up to almost 11 grandkids and all but two kids married now. Empty nesting is a bit dull but we have trips in the works. Youngest just left for her mission 5 weeks ago. 
 

And obviously I need a refresher on how to respond to posts. SMH!! 😆

 

Edited February 29 by carlimac

[LDSGator]

6 minutes ago, carlimac said:

Yes I’m fine. Just getting older. We moved back to “Zion” from the east coast 21 months ago. My husband started working from home in 2020 and that allowed us to make the move. We’re up to almost 11 grandkids and all but two kids married now. Empty nesting is a bit dull but we have trips in the works. Youngest just left for her mission 5 weeks ago. 
 

And obviously I need a refresher on how to respond to posts. SMH!! 😆

 

Welcome back to the forums! 

[zil2]

Welcome back, @carlimac!

You could check out the graphic by @NeuroTypical's  buddy, who basically has that event as the beginning of the end...

 

[carlimac]

I took a look at the chart. Impressive that someone has researched it so thoroughly. But all those terms and number of days are completely foreign to me. 
 

I really haven’t paid attention to the intricacies of the Second Coming because it’s too overwhelming to me. I figure I’ll just be as good as I can be, get my food storage and hope for the best. 
With the uptick of podcasts and You Tube videos on the subject I’m hearing terms and ideas tossed around that I’ve never heard in my life. The 144,000, the End of Teaching the Gentiles, the Times of Judgement associated with eclipses. Huh? Is this stuff we’re supposed to know or just obscure facts 2nd Coming hobbyists like to throw out there? 
 

Here is a video that threw me for a loop.

 

[Ironhold]

15 hours ago, mikbone said:

Nah.

A total eclipse is a sight to see though.   If you can make it happen do so.

Wouldn't recommend it. 

Even the "we rent rooms by the hour" types of hotels are fully booked up, pretty much every civic leader is warning that people need to visit the store and refuel their car well before the event as the crush of visitors is expected to cause a run on everything, and the county leaders in Bell County have preemptively declared a state of emergency because they fear that many people coming in will jam the telephone systems and make it difficult to call for emergency services. 

[NeuroTypical]

1 hour ago, Ironhold said:

pretty much every civic leader is warning that people need to visit the store and refuel their car well before the event as the crush of visitors is expected to cause a run on everything, and the county leaders in Bell County have preemptively declared a state of emergency because they fear that many people coming in will jam the telephone systems and make it difficult to call for emergency services. 

Are you talking about the solar eclipse, or the crush of illegal immigrants Denver is experiencing?

https://www.benefitspro.com/2024/01/19/denver-hospital-system-in-critical-condition-due-to-migrant-crisis-we-are-turning-down-patients/?slreturn=20240229155801

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/denver-weighs-cutting-some-public-employees-hours-to-zero-to-tackle-migrant-crisis/

[Ironhold]

37 minutes ago, NeuroTypical said:

Are you talking about the solar eclipse, or the crush of illegal immigrants Denver is experiencing?

https://www.benefitspro.com/2024/01/19/denver-hospital-system-in-critical-condition-due-to-migrant-crisis-we-are-turning-down-patients/?slreturn=20240229155801

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/denver-weighs-cutting-some-public-employees-hours-to-zero-to-tackle-migrant-crisis/

The solar eclipse here in Texas. 

Hotel rooms were being booked in the middle of last year. 

[mikbone]

3 hours ago, Ironhold said:

Wouldn't recommend it. 

Even the "we rent rooms by the hour" types of hotels are fully booked up, pretty much every civic leader is warning that people need to visit the store and refuel their car well before the event as the crush of visitors is expected to cause a run on everything, and the county leaders in Bell County have preemptively declared a state of emergency because they fear that many people coming in will jam the telephone systems and make it difficult to call for emergency services. 

Yup.  

Be prepared.  We drove into a little town in Oregon in 2017.  It took us 3-4 hours to get there, seeing sights along the way.  We hoped to hang out in a local church parking lot but it was blocked off.  Nothing was avilable, no vacancies.  Farmers were selling parking spots of their farmland for $100 just to park your car or RV there.  Resturants were overflowing, even the bad ones.

And it was 18 hours of bumper to bumper traffic all the way home. 

But the show was worth it!  There is nothing like it.  When the sun went from diamond ring to full eclipse the town errupted.  It was like the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl and the winning run in the World Serries at the same time.  And the experience is indescribable.   The temperature drops.  It gets quiet, the animals all bed down and then it looks like a hole is ripped into the night sky and you can see a unbelievable halo and stars!  Bring binoculars as you can see the solar prominances with them.  They are purple and beautiful.

If you miss this one, the next one in the USA isn't till Aug 23, 2044.  You have been warned. 

Edited February 29 by mikbone

[NeuroTypical]

Colorado had a partial eclipse some years ago, I dj'd the event, with a custom selection including:

Leading up to the eclipse:
Eclipse - Pink Floyd
Bark at the Moon - Ozzy Ozborne
The Killing Moon - Echo and the Bunnymen
When The Bright Lights Grow Dim - Eddie Noack
I put a spell on you - Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers
Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival
Blue Moon - Frank Sinatra
The Moon Rises - EileMonty

During the eclipse:
Total eclipse of the heart - Bonnie Tyler
Ring of Fire -Johnny Cash
Dancing In the Dark - Bruce Springsteen
Paint It, Black - The Rolling Stones
The Sound of Silence - Simon and Garfunkel
Pink Floyd - Time

As the eclipse receeds:
Here Comes the Sun - Album "Abbey Road"
Blinded by the Light - Manfred Mann
King Of Pain - The Police
Why Does The Sun Shine - They Might Be Giants
A Sky Full Of Stars - Coldplay
You are my sunshine - Johnny Cash

Also, here's a totaled Mitsubishi Eclipse for you:

[mikbone]

13 minutes ago, NeuroTypical said:

During the eclipse:

You forgot

Black Hole Sun - Soundgarden

[LDSGator]

5 minutes ago, mikbone said:

You forgot

Black Hole Sun - Soundgarden

Great song. 

[mirkwood]

@carlimac the problem with that video is the individuals have a heavy reliance on the book Visions of Glory.  It is filled with doctrinal problems and that renders it a spurious and therefore useless source of information.

 

Is the eclipse a sign?  Maybe.  Preparedness has always been a part of our beliefs and you should continue working on it whether this is a sign or not.

 

@LDSGator the Brethren are not likely to speak of end times signs.  In my lifetime only one time has a sign of the times been pointed out by our leaders.

[laronius]

3 hours ago, mirkwood said:

 

@LDSGator the Brethren are not likely to speak of end times signs.  In my lifetime only one time has a sign of the times been pointed out by our leaders.

And even then it wasn't one of the common ones people talk about.

[The Folk Prophet]

On 2/28/2024 at 7:17 PM, carlimac said:

Do you believe the coming eclipse on April 8th is a sign from the heavens that correlates with end times? Why or why not? 

How can an eclipse be a sign of the end of times when eclipses have always occurred throughout history?

Hear ye, hear ye, in the end of days something will happen that......has happened since the earth, sun and moon were created and put in their orbits. But....you know...THIS time it's a sign....

[mikbone]

22 minutes ago, The Folk Prophet said:

How can an eclipse be a sign of the end of times when eclipses have always occurred throughout history?

Eclipses, including total solar eclipses, have occasionally been associated with the end of an era or considered as significant omens in various cultures throughout history. One notable example is the total solar eclipse of May 28, 585 BCE, often linked to the end of the Battle of Halys between the Lydians and the Medes. The sudden darkness during the battle reportedly led to a truce and the establishment of a peace treaty, marking the end of an era of conflict.

October 22, 2137 BCE 

March 5, 1223 BCE

October 2, 718 BCE

The above dates were total eclipses that passed through Ancient Israel.

This eclipse will pass through Mexico, Texas, and up across Maine.

Maybe the border crisis will be solved….

ChatGPT helped some.

Edited March 1 by mikbone

[The Folk Prophet]

47 minutes ago, mikbone said:

have occasionally been associated with

The fact that there has been superstitious association with anything at any given time is irrelevant to the signs of God.

[NeuroTypical]

1 hour ago, The Folk Prophet said:

How can an eclipse be a sign of the end of times when eclipses have always occurred throughout history?

Ask the 3 wise men.  There have always been stars going supernova.

Ask Noah.  There has always been extreme weather killing lots of people.

Ask Pharaoh.  Plagues and locusts are endemic to the human experience.

Kind of a flip answer, I know, but consider: Whether God caused those things to happen, or whether He simply saw them coming and used the events as a way to prepare and shape His children, you have to admit the historical record is full of folks in awe and wonder that a supreme being not only knew it was coming and told humans about it.  

I'm not a huge fan of speculation, but if I were to speculate, it would be along the lines of "God will tell His prophets of unexpected things in advance.  That way, faith gets rewarded, and faithlessness gets a consequence too."   In other words, I'd guess this predicted solar eclipse isn't going to be a sign.  Especially since we're not hearing a bunch of "The Lord cometh soon and will show a sign by turning the day sky to black" and whatnot coming out of General Conference. 

You'd think if there was going to be any of it, it would have shown up in Oct, to give folks a little time to prepare.  With the next GC happening on April 6-7, and the eclipse happening the 8th, one wonders how much preparation folks could do with 24 hours notice.

[mikbone]

1 hour ago, The Folk Prophet said:

The fact that there has been superstitious association with anything at any given time is irrelevant to the signs of God.

What about all the signs in the heavens discussed in the scriptures?  Are those irrelevant too?

[The Folk Prophet]

1 hour ago, mikbone said:

3 hours ago, The Folk Prophet said:

The fact that there has been superstitious association with anything at any given time is irrelevant to the signs of God.

What about all the signs in the heavens discussed in the scriptures?  Are those irrelevant too?

 

Edited March 1 by The Folk Prophet

[The Folk Prophet]

3 hours ago, NeuroTypical said:

Ask the 3 wise men.  There have always been stars going supernova.

Ask Noah.  There has always been extreme weather killing lots of people.

Ask Pharaoh.  Plagues and locusts are endemic to the human experience.

The logic behind these examples kind of baffles me and isn't related to my thoughts. But I'm not interested in arguing. If people want to think the next low tide is a sign of the end of times, go for it.

Someone could try and argue that an eclipse was a fulfillment of "the sun will be darkened" and it would at least make sense. I think that's a pretty serious stretch. But maybe at least.

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:"

That would be a reasonable (though flawed to me) argument to make.

Lest we forget however, here's the discussion:

me: Eclipses are common enough that it's a stretch to call them a sign.

mikbone: People have often associated eclipses with eras ending.

me: So what? People are superstitious and historically make all sorts of crazy stuff up.

mikbone: what about scriptures. Are they irrelevant?

me: ?????? Wha......????

3 hours ago, NeuroTypical said:

Whether God caused those things to happen, or whether He simply saw them coming and used the events as a way to prepare and shape His children, you have to admit the historical record is full of folks in awe and wonder that a supreme being not only knew it was coming and told humans about it.  

I'm not a huge fan of speculation, but if I were to speculate, it would be along the lines of "God will tell His prophets of unexpected things in advance.  That way, faith gets rewarded, and faithlessness gets a consequence too."   In other words, I'd guess this predicted solar eclipse isn't going to be a sign.  Especially since we're not hearing a bunch of "The Lord cometh soon and will show a sign by turning the day sky to black" and whatnot coming out of General Conference. 

You'd think if there was going to be any of it, it would have shown up in Oct, to give folks a little time to prepare.  With the next GC happening on April 6-7, and the eclipse happening the 8th, one wonders how much preparation folks could do with 24 hours notice.

This reply isn't really related to what I said. I don't disagree with any of it. God certainly could use an eclipse as a sign. I just don't think it's useful to apply "sign" to an event in reverse. The prophesy of the sign generally comes first, like you said. An event happening without the prophesy, particularly, when it's a natural common event... I don't find a lot of use in calling that a sign.

Anyhow, I've said my peace (piece? My piece of peace?). I'll step out now.

Edited March 1 by The Folk Prophet