The Master of the House

Isaiah 8:11-13
For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”

Did you guys know there is a solar eclipse happening in April? Of course you did, because people are making ridiculous predictions about it.

Every instance of something supernatural happening in the Scriptures is by nature unpredictable. God sovereignly administered a supernatural event which either no one predicted or he spoke of through a prophet. And most importantly, not only does the supernatural event happen, but there is a revelatory explanation that goes along with it. By that I mean, for example, that when the sun stopped in the sky so the Israelites have more time in battle, the prophetic meaning of the event was given, as well (Joshua 10:12-15). It was not left up for interpretation. 

There are several passages that speak of signs in the sky, such as the sun and moon going dark and the heavens shaking. Before we make any claims about the end of the world, read those passages in context! They are plainly speaking of God's judgment on a specific place at a specific time. But some teachers or influencers think they sound smart or insightful when they rip passages from their context. These same people who claim they speak for God are more than happy to insert their own meanings into His word.

Here are the passages where these things are mentioned.

Ezekiel 32:7-8, God is judging Egypt, not America
When I blot you out, I will cover the heavens and make their stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give its light. All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over you, and put darkness on your land, declares the Lord God.


Amos 8:9, God is judging Israel, not America
“And on that day,” declares the Lord God, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight.


Joel 2:10, God is judging Zion/Jerusalem, not America
The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.


Joel 2:30-31, Peter says this was fulfilled (at least initially) at Pentecost, not April 8, 2024
“And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.


Joel 3:15, God is taunting the nations to come fight him while he protects Jerusalem
The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.

Matthew 24:29-31 (Mark 13:24-27, Luke 21:25-28), Jesus has been describing the judgment on Jerusalem, which culminates with this.
Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

What exactly does a natural event such as an eclipse have to do with God’s judgment? What do the cicadas have to do with God’s judgment? 

The locusts of Revelation are not Apache helicopters, and the fact that the eclipse will be visible in a town with a biblical name carries no revelatory significance. If a so-called teacher can explain the eclipse passing through Nineveh, Kentucky, then they are also responsible for explaining why it passes through Shelbyville, Indiana. Or might you think that they're only satisfied by cherry-picking biblical-sounding names that support their conspiracy? Might they be tickling ears? There are no prophets (at least, true prophets) with a new revelation about the meaning of the eclipse or migration habits of animals which are entirely predictable. 

Making non-existent connections is more dangerous than we might think at first. We must test the spirits. We must go to the law and the testimony, not our imaginations. Just because we want a connection does not mean there is one. It is dangerous. It is enough that God's Word tells us not to do so. Do not call conspiracy what the world calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear.

I have heard of people not making plans after April 8 because of their fear that the world is ending. People that I know, people that you know, people that we both think are too sensible to do so. Scripture plainly tells us not to make such conspiratorial claims. 

​Does Jesus not give us three teachings in Matthew 25 that are explicitly about the surprising nature of his return and the commencement of God's judgement? The parable of the 10 virgins teaches that the five wise virgins had their lamps full of oil so that when the groom arrived, they could go immediately to the wedding feast, leaving the five unwise virgins in darkness. The parable of the talents teaches us to use our time wisely because we do not know when our master will arrive back home. The third section is not exactly a parable, but it does teach us that we are to be faithful during the first and second comings of Christ, because it is actually Him that we are serving.

​Stop it. Stop the conspiracies. Honor the Lord as holy.