Luke 21:25-26

"And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken" (Luke 21:25-26 RSV).

Question:

I have heard a preacher talk about the red moon and the rapture using this scripture since this eclipse starts on Passover and will be available during other special Bible events.

Comment:

This passage in Luke—as well as corresponding passages concerning the coming of the kingdom in Matthew and Mark—has been controversial for thousands of years. If Jesus really said, and meant, that "this generation will not pass away till all has taken place," as he is quoted in verse 32 of this same chapter, then he must be considered a failed prophet, because it didn't happen. Indeed, many have reached that conclusion and abandoned Jesus' teachings. Metaphysically, however, Jesus is consistently warning us that the spiritual transformation from fear-based consciousness to the new conscious he describes as the kingdom of heaven will not be easy, and it will be met with surprising resistance. He's not predicting a specific external event. He's describing a process in consciousness in which it may seem that everything we thought we knew is suddenly in question, and that chaos and confusion will inevitably express in the world around us.

We experience mild versions of this phenomenon every time we replace an old, fear-based thought with a new thought based on our expanded spiritual awareness. The world around us seems to change, in ways that can be alarming until we move forward, focused on the truth, and find a new dimension of Light and Love.

Blessings!

Rev. Ed