Twenty-five years later the next sign mentioned in the prophecy took place --
the darkening of the sun and moon. Christ had pointed out the time of the
fulfillment of this sign, noting that it was to follow the great tribulation,
the 1260 years of papal persecution spoken of elsewhere in Scripture.
[ MAT 24:29 ] But Christ said that the tribulation that was precede these
signs would be shortened. [ MAT 24:21,22 ] Through the influence of the
Reformation and the movements that grew out of it, the papal persecution was
indeed shortened, so that by the middle of the eighteenth century it had
almost wholly ceased.
In fulfillment of this prophecy, on May 19, 1780 an extraordinary darkness
descended upon the northeastern part of the North American continent.
Recalling this event, Timothy Dwight, president of Yale University, said,
"The 19th of May, 1780, was a remarkable day. Candles were lighted in many
houses; the birds were silent and disappeared, and the fowls retired to roost.
... A very general opinion prevailed, that the day of judgement was at hand."
Samuel Williams of Harvard reported that the darkness "approached with the
clouds from the southwest 'between the hours of 10:00 and 11:00 A.M., and
continued until the middle of the next night,' varying in degree and duration
in different localities. In some places 'persons could not see to read common
print in the open air.'" In Samuel Tenny's opinion "the darkness of the
following evening was probably as gross as ever has been observed since the
Almighty fiat gave birth to light. ... If every luminous body in the universe
had been shrouded in impenetrable shades, or struck out of existence, the
darkness could not have been more complete."
At 9:00 that night a full moon rose but the darkness persisted until after
midnight. When the moon became visible it had the appearance of blood.
John the revelator had prophecized the extraordinary events of that day.
After the earthquake, he wrote, the sun would become "black as sackcloth of
hair, and the moon... like blood." [ REV 6:12 ]