The 2023 Annular Solar Eclipse, Part 2

NOVA CRUZ

When I saw the South American exit point at Nova Cruz (New Cross in Portuguese), things finally started to make sense. 

Corpus Christi (Body of Christ)  -> Nova Cruz (New Cross)

What could that possibly represent? We are all familiar with the cross of Jesus. On that cross, the sins of mankind were fully dealt with; past, present and future. 

What need is there of a new cross? 

I believe that the ultimate meaning of these heavenly signs hinges on this very important question. 

CYCLES & TYPES

In the Bible, we see that in certain very important ways, history does, in fact, repeat itself. God loves us, but He requires our obedience. He cannot and will not tolerate sin and wickedness. When His people engage in such behavior, He gives them time, warnings and repeated opportunities to repent. If they respond and return to Him, He receives them back as a loving father would welcome his contrite, wayward son. 

As an example, consider the biblical book of Jonah. God sent his prophet to the city of Nineveh to warn them of His impending judgment. The inhabitants heeded Jonah's call to repentance, and God spared the city. 

But to those who refuse to heed His call, judgment eventually comes. Throughout history, we see the same cycle repeating itself: blessing -> sin -> judgment -> repentance -> restoration. Rinse and repeat. The book of Judges is a compendium of such stories.

In addition to cycles, we also see types. In the Bible, a type is anything that foreshadows something similar yet to come; in a sense, a prophetic pattern of a future reality. For example, the Jews were told to sacrifice an unblemished lamb on the evening that the Angel of Death came to kill the firstborn throughout Egypt. The blood of the lamb was to be applied to the door frames of their homes so that when the angel saw it, he would "pass over" that house, thus saving the firstborn from physical death. The lamb was a type of Christ who, as the perfect Lamb of God, would one day come to pay for the sins of the entire world, that those who trust in Him would never experience spiritual death.

PERSECUTION & CRUCIFIXION

In meditating on Christ’s ministry, crucifixion and resurrection, I wondered if the things He went through might be a biblical type of things yet to come. So I looked to see if the track of Jesus’ life could be mapped on top of end-time (eschatological) prophecy. It turns out that it can. 

The key to this type is the phrase we just looked at: the Body of Christ. As a former Catholic, the words Corpus Christi  always brought to mind Jesus’ body hanging on the cross. But I came to understand that just as Christ's physical body was broken, crucified and raised, so too His spiritual body (the Church) will experience suffering, death and resurrection in the "last days."

Prior to His betrayal at the hands of Judas, Jesus told His disciples about the days leading up to His return; that is, His second coming.

Revelation 5-8 describes a heavenly scroll with seven seals that only the Lamb of God and Lion of Judah is worthy and able to open. Seals one to four are commonly referred to as The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The fifth seal concerns the martyrdom of the saints.

A few chapters later in Revelation 13, the Apostle John was told that authority was given to the beast to make war with the saints and to overcome them.  

I've frequently heard pastors preach that through Christ, Christians are overcomers. This is true, but I don’t ever recall hearing a message teaching that Satan will someday overcome the Church. But there it is! Though the enemy will have his temporal victory and many will be killed in Jesus’ name, once the requisite number of martyred souls has been reached, Jesus will return and the crucified Body of Christ will be resurrected to eternal life.

Getting back to the eclipse, when I saw Corpus Christi  followed by Nova Cruz, I started to see the beginning of a story. One evening as I was telling my sister what I had learned, she asked how Nova Cruz had gotten its name. I didn’t know so I looked it up. I didn't find the answer to her question, but I did find the town seal.

On the seal is a white cross with the Holy Spirit descending in the form of a dove. Behind the cross is a victor's wreath; superimposing the cross is a blue disc with five white stars in the center. An encircling rim contains 42 additional stars. (I counted them five times to be sure!) If this image has anything to say to us, what would the 42 stars represent?

Here follows a complete list of biblical references to the number 42. 

The Levites (the priestly tribe) were given 48 cities as their inheritance in the promised land. Six of those were cities of refuge. If a person committed manslaughter, he would be protected from the avenger if he could make it to one of those six cities. No refuge was to be found in any of the other 42 cities. 

Here are more verses with the number 42.

Those last two verses reference the House of Azmaveth; one of many families included in a long list of exiles returning to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity. That doesn't sound particularly ominous - in fact, that would have been good news indeed. So I looked up the meaning of Azmaveth and discovered that it means "strong unto death!" 

Here are the final "42" verses.

Forty-two months equals 3½ years – in this case, half of the seven year tribulation, considered by many to represent the final week of Daniel’s prophecy of the seventy weeks. In the Bible, numbers often mean things beyond their mathematical value. "42" appears to represent sin, distress, judgment, persecution and/or death. Not exactly a number one would readily choose to be associated with.

I don't know why the designer of Nova Cruz' seal would include 42 stars, but the prophetic meaning in the context of the New Cross and the Body of Christ fits perfectly.

And the five stars in the center? They represent the Southern Cross, the most recognized and culturally significant asterism (a star pattern not generally considered important enough to warrant constellation status) in the Southern Hemisphere. But what might they represent in a prophetic sense? In the Bible, angels are sometimes referred to as stars, and my mind went straight to the seven churches Jesus addressed in the book of Revelation.

Of the seven churches, Jesus had words of commendation for five and strong condemnation for two. Perhaps the five stars are those five good churches. Or perhaps the five stars might represent the five-fold ministry as found in Ephesians chapter 4.

The five offices mentioned in this verse represent the leaders and shepherds of the Body of Christ. As overseers and examples, these individuals are accountable to God for the well-being of those entrusted to their care. A great reckoning is occurring in the Church today, and leaders of all denominations are being called out for sin, immorality and false teaching. This could very well be what the stars represent, because scripture clearly states that judgment begins with the people of God, and that those in leadership positions are held to an even higher standard.

As far as the eclipse is concerned, I don't think Nova Cruz represents a particular point at which the crucifixion of the Church takes place. Rather, it appears to be a signpost explaining to the Church why they are experiencing persecution, and telling them that they can expect this persecution to grow in intensity, ultimately leading to the deaths of many. However, the dove and laurel wreath are signs of God's enduring presence and the saints' eternal reward.

The Ring of Fire eclipse (considered in tandem with the tectonic Ring of Fire) seems to warn of coming catastrophes. But perhaps even more importantly, I believe it speaks of a refining fire sent to cleanse and purify the Church, and of the fire of the Holy Spirit as He fills, sanctifies, strengthens and ministers to us throughout that process.