More than 4 million people — including teams of astronomers and researchers — are expected to travel to parts of the U.S. that will see the moon completely block out the sun during the total solar eclipse Monday, April 8.
That path of totality stretches from Texas to New England and includes parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Ohio and New York.
Millions more will watch partial versions of eclipse across the country donning protective glasses at local events and outside their homes, schools and workplaces.
The celestial event will be visible across the continental U.S. It’s the biggest eclipse in America since 1806 — and there won’t be another one until 2044.
But others are looking to the heavens for other reasons.
A quick scan of social media shows a keen and ramped up interest in the eclipse on the spiritual, astrological and metaphysical levels.
That also includes plenty of conjecture and postulation to whether the moon darkening of the sun will bring with it some kind of cosmic event or spiritual upheaval. The curiosities extend to clues or indicators of biblical End Times or other prophecies — including the Rapture, Tribulation and Judgment Day referenced in the Book of Revelation.
Spiritual interests in eclipses are not new, according to theologians.
“Throughout human history people have tried to explain and get a degree of control over things that make us feel very small and out of control,” said Erik Thoennes, a professor of theology at Biola University, a private Evangelical college near Los Angeles.
“Cataclysmic events like an eclipse are awesome and can be scary to people, so all cultures have tried to interpret events like this through religious and spiritual lenses,” he said.
Events like the April 8 eclipse have spiritual significance across cultures and faiths. Chinese folklore recommends banging pots and pans or making other noises to make an eclipse — which symbolizes a dragon eating the sun — go away. “It has never failed,” Thoennes joked.
The focus on events such as a total eclipse and its potential “End of Days” and Armageddon scenarios are especially prevalent among some Christians.
Thoennes said there are nine references in the Bible of the darkening of the sun with ties to “divine judgment.” That includes when Jesus died on the cross on Good Friday. “And the sun was darkened” reads the Gospel of Luke’s account of the crucifixion.
“Unlike some religions that have a cyclical view of time, the biblical view is linear and is heading to a day when God brings his kingdom once and for all and judges people for how we lived our lives, especially in relation to Him,” Thoennes said.
“The end of human history on Judgment Day is described in the Bible with dramatic and apocalyptic imagery which includes awesome effects on the natural order. These events include the sun going dark which is why people think about these end time events when there is an eclipse,” he said, stressing the importance of enjoying the eclipse as a wonder of creation.
Dave Robbins, vice president of content for End Time Ministries (a Texas-based Pentecostal group), does not expect anything spiritual will happen “during or after the eclipse”, pointing to Old Testament scripture saying “be not dismayed at the signs of heaven.”
“The Bible does say there will be signs in the sky, but we are not to use them to predict future events,” Robbins said.
RAPTURE, ROCKETS & WEDDINGS
But that is not stopping plenty of others from trying to read the tea leaves and connect the spiritual or metaphysical dots related to the eclipse.
The war in the Holy Land between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is helping stoke some of that interest in the Second Coming and prophecies across the Abrahamic faiths.
Social media theories focus on the April 8 eclipse and previous Oct. 2023 eclipse both crossing in an area of southern Illinois named Rapture.
There is also plenty of interest in the restarting of the Large Hadron Collider particle accelerator operated by the European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN) on eclipse day.
NASA is also launching three sounding rockets from Wallops Island on Virginia’s Eastern Shore on April 8 “to study how Earth’s upper atmosphere is affected when sunlight momentarily dims over a portion of the planet,” according to the U.S. space agency.
The three rockets will be launched in 45 minute intervals before, during and after the eclipse and follow up on similar launches during an eclipse in October 2023.
Astrologers are also zeroing in on the eclipse along with other planetary events tying them to current and expected world events. A number of astrologers and End Times prognosticators did not respond to requests for comment about what they are expecting for the eclipse.
Others are taking the plunge — literally on eclipse day.
The Total Eclipse of the Heart Music Festival in Russellville, Arkansas is in the path of totality for the eclipse that cuts across North America.
The music fest is hosting a mass wedding on April 8 along with other events including a worship service on Sunday.
Event organizer Rodney Williams said there will be approximately 5,000 people at the three-day festival and 331 couples have signed for the free Elope at the Eclipse event.
“We have a lot going on,” Williams said.
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