This lesson was originally written five years ago. I was reluctant to write it then, but I must now update it even though it is worrisome. The Lord told us in Genesis 1:14 that the heavenly bodies are there for signs. The Lord Jesus, in speaking of the Last Days, said, “fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.” (Luke 21:11)

The “Great American Eclipse of 2017” caused a lot of excitement. For many, including myself, this was the first opportunity to witness a total solar eclipse within a reasonable distance from my home. But, there will again be another total solar eclipse crossing the United States April 8, 2024. In 2017 I published an article showing how the two solar eclipses form an “X” over the United States. Please click HERE.

Part of the excitement of 2017 was a posting that stated that seven towns or cities in the U.S. named Salem would be eclipsed, or darkened. Salem means “peace.” The rabbis have traditionally believed that lunar eclipses are signs to Israel, while solar eclipses are signs to the world. The 2017 solar eclipse could easily be symbolic of “peace” in the U.S. being overshadowed. I have studied the maps and found that the claim of seven towns named Salem is stretched a little bit. One of the towns named Salem is outside the boundary of eclipse totality. One is so obscure that I could not find it.

That leaves five towns named Salem that were overshadowed by the 2017 solar eclipse. In the Bible, five is the number of “grace.” The concept of grace being darkened, or overshadowed, is worrisome. Further, during the forthcoming 2024 solar eclipse, there will be an additional five towns or cities in the United States named “Salem” that will be “eclipsed.” This second heavenly portent is frightening. When the Lord repeats something, it is a certainty. (Genesis 41:32)

Taken together, the total number of U.S. towns or cities named Salem, or “peace,” that are covered by the eclipses is ten. Ten is the number of “testimony.” After His resurrection, the Lord Jesus appeared to people ten different times as a testimony of the fact that He was alive. In testimony of the rebellion of the Children of Israel, the Lord told Moses that they would not see the Promised Land because of the ten times they tried Him. (Numbers 14:11-23)

The paths of the two solar eclipses form an “X”, and they cross the United States within a few miles of the geographic center of population of our nation, a further frightening sign. In the ancient paleo-Hebrew alphabet, the Tav looks like an “X.” There are meanings attached to Hebrew letters. These meanings are confirmed in Psalm 119. Please click HERE. The meaning of the Tav, the final letter of the Hebrew alphabet, is truth, perfection and judgment.

These heavenly signs are not positive, and I do not claim to know what they mean. As any perceptive person can, I see the trend of our society and our nation, and that trend is not positive. I do not lightly present this information, but out of a sense of responsibility. If the “watchman on the wall” sees something and does not warn the people, the Lord makes him responsible. (Ezekiel 33:6)

The Apostle Paul wrote that though we may not know the Day or the Hour, we are not children of darkness that that Day would catch us unawares (I Thessalonians 5:4-5). Pray for the lost! The Lord does hear and answer our prayers.

May the Lord bless us in the coming days to the glory of His name. Praise His name for His mercy and grace!