NASA"/>On Monday, the Great American Eclipse will span the country - and it's a big deal; no eclipse of this kind has occurred in the continental U.S. observable from coast to coast since 1918.
A number of prominent faith leaders have weighed in on the upcoming solar eclipse, with some suggesting it's a sign of God's impending judgment on the country.
When asked to share his thoughts on the issue, evangelist and author Ray Comfort recently told The Gospel Herald that while there have always been eclipses throughout history, there's undeniably something "special" about this one.
"The Bible does speak of the sun being darkened in the last days, and different signs that Jesus gave included the sun and stars," he said. "The upcoming solar eclipse could be be a sign from God, but I've learned to never say that things are definitely a sign."
Instead of speculating about what the Great American Eclipse means, Comfort encouraged Christians to use it as an opportunity to point people to the God of the Bible.
"If people are thinking it's a sign of the end of the world, last year, the end of the world came for 54 million people," Comfort said. "I challenge people to ask themselves, 'What's going to happen when my world ends?' They need to get right with God."
The New Zealand-born evangelist added that the sun proves God's power and ingenuity - yet we so often take it for granted.
"The sun is so glorious, so magnificent, we can't look at it for 3 or 4 seconds without permanently damaging our eyes," he said. "It's 93 million miles away, and yet it's just warm enough to sustain life. Everywhere we look we see order and creation, which tells us there's an Intelligent Designer. It couldn't happen by chance. And then, we think of how great God must be to actually create the sun, those bursts and solar flares go up 80,000 miles at a time - just massive."
He added, "How incredible God must be, and we all have to face Him - that's why we all need a Savior."
Still, are there signs of the End of the Age occurring around us? Comfort says "absolutely."
"The Scriptures tell us that at the End of the Age, just before the Second Coming of Jesus, certain things would be happening," he said. "There are so many signs today; nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom, wars - 100 million people were killed in the 20th century due to war. We've never seen signs like this before."
Such signs can be clearly seen in Jerusalem, Comfort contended. He pointed out that in Isaiah 11:10-12, God promised that He would gather the Jewish people from the "four corners of the earth" in the end times.
"The Jews were scattered throughout the earth in 70 AD when Jerusalem was first destroyed," he said. "In 1948, for the first time in nearly 2,000 years, they finally obtained their own homeland."
The evangelist also referenced Zechariah 12:3, which reads: "On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves."
"There are signs all throughout Jerusalem," he said. "We know that the Jerusalem situation is a headache; the United Nations don't know how to handle that conflict. It's so volatile between the Jews and Palestinians and Arabs right now, because they all want Jerusalem. There's no way to solve it."
He added, "This is a sign of the End of the Age - when we look forward to the coming of Christ, and God's will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven."
In light of the unrest and turmoil seen around the world, Comfort urged Christians to "pray for the leaders of the nations to rule righteousness; pray that we can live peaceful and godly lives; pray for the peace of Jerusalem; pray for the coming of Christ; pray that the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth, and pray for wisdom."
Comfort told GH he will further share his thoughts on the Great American Eclipse in an upcoming video set to be published later this week on his YouTube channel.
His work also includes the miniseries "The Way of the Master" and films "180: Changing the Heart of a Nation," and "Noah and the Last Days." Comfort's latest book, Think on These Things: Wisdom for Life from Proverbs, hits shelves September 1.
