What does the Bible say about eclipses? Prophecies, power, omens, warnings and signs from God

The Bible contains a number of references that are understood as referring to eclipses, both solar and lunar. While the Holy Book does not explicitly use the word eclipse these references are often symbolically interpreted as referring to these celestial phenomena.

The following passages talk of cosmic events that seem likely to be inspired by eclipses, such as the total solar eclipse that can be seen from parts of the U.S. on Monday, April 8. These passages send messages of prophecies, power, omens, warnings and signs from God, in particular the fall of kingdoms and the end of times.

References to eclipses in the Bible

Joel 2:31 Prophecy and Omens

“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come.”

This passage appears to refer to both a solar eclipse (sun turned into darkness) and a lunar eclipse (moon turned into blood). It is generally understood to be a prophetic statement about signs preceding the Day of the Lord, a day of divine, apocalyptic judgement at the end of the world. Note that there is no lunar eclipse today - the next one is a partial lunar eclipse on 17-18 September which will be visible across much of the world including the U.S.

Acts 2:20 Prophecy and Omens

“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:”

This echoes Joel 2:31. This passage in Acts is part of Peter’s sermon at Pentecost, where he quotes Joel to explain the miraculous events happening and to signify the coming of the Day of the Lord. This is important in biblical terms, indicating the link between the Old and New Testaments.

Matthew 24:29 Warnings and Signs from God

“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:”

In this passage, Jesus describes the signs in the heavens that will follow the tribulation period, which some interpret as references to cosmic disturbances including eclipses. The tribulation period is that time just before the Second Coming when everyone in the world will suffer hardship, persecution, disaster, famine, war and suffering.

Revelation 6:12 Prophecies, Power

“And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;”

John’s vision in Revelation, the final book of the New Testament, includes this description of a cosmic event that mirrors the language of eclipses and is interpreted as a sign of God’s power and the unfolding of end-times prophecy.

Isaiah 13:10 Warnings and Omens

“For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.”

This passage from the Old Testament, is part of a prophecy against Babylon and uses imagery of darkened celestial bodies, which can be interpreted as symbolic of eclipses, to predict the fall of kingdoms.

Luke 21:25-26 (Signs from God)

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.”

Here, Jesus talks about the signs in the heavens that will indicate the end times, potentially including eclipses as celestial signs.

Where in the bible does it talk about three days of darkness

The reference to three days of darkness in the bible appears in Exodus 10:22-23, as one of the plagues that God visited upon Egypt before the Exodus of the Israelites.

“And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.”

This darkness is not referenced as an eclipse and three days of darkness would be far longer than eclipse lasts (they last a few minutes at most).

Darkness at the time of the crucifixion

In Matthew 27:45 and Mark 15:33 the Bible talks of darkness falling over the land during the crucifixion of Jesus, however in both cases it was only for three hours not three days.

Matthew 27:45: “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.”

Mark 15:33: “And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.”

The idea of “three days of darkness” is found in Christian folk traditions and private revelations as an apocalyptic future event tied to the end of times, however these are not found in canonical Bible texts.

See also: Why do my eyes hurt? The effects of looking at the solar eclipse without glasses