© 2023 Halbert Katzen, JD
By Halbert Katzen J.D.
March 2, 2024
With just over five weeks until the full solar eclipse on April 8th, not surprisingly, most everyone publishing anything about prophecy is focused on how the upcoming eclipse relates to the full solar eclipse on August 21, 20217. Because all full solar eclipses are also new moons, one might think that the wave of interest would include analysis of the last lines of the last prophecy by the last prophet—Isaiah. Isaiah 66 is all about an apocalyptic event and a Judgment Day, about new beginnings and new moons.
Isaiah 66:22-23 “‘For, as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, so shall you and your children survive; and it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another and from one Sabbath to another all flesh shall come to worship before me,’ says the Lord.”
Considering the circumstances of two new moons Christcrossing the US, if you will, why is Isaiah’s last prophecy being ignored? Obviously, the eclipses being almost seven years apart fits in nicely. But what are Bible scholars supposed to do with “from one Sabbath to another.” If that phrase can be figured out, then it fits beautifully with the prophetic vision found in Matthew.
Matthew 24:29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” [Emphasis added, of course.]
There are two problems related to interpreting the phrase about the Sabbaths. The first problem is that Bible scholars simply do not have anything in particular to offer. Scholars do not like to focus on subjects when there is a big hole in the analysis that needs to be filled and they do not have a way to fill it. That’s natural enough.
The second problem is that some Bible scholars are aware of a perspective that makes excellent sense of it all, but they are disinclined to call attention to it. Specifically, The Urantia Book says Jesus was born on August 21st and that April 8th is the day before resurrection. (For a deeper dive see Topical Study: Lord of the Sabbath. More details about The Urantia Book are provided below.)
The Urantia Book even points out the importance of Isaiah 66:22-23 in relationship to New Testament prophecies:
… John wrote: “I saw a new heaven and a new earth and the new Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a princess adorned for the prince.” Revelation 21:1-2 (UB 52:7.11)
This is the same renovated earth, the advanced planetary stage, that the olden seer envisioned when he wrote: “‘For, as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, so shall you and your children survive; and it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another and from one Sabbath to another all flesh shall come to worship before me,’ says the Lord.” Isaiah 66:22-23 (UB 52:7.12)
It is the mortals of such an age who are described as “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, an exalted people; and you shall show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into this marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9 … (UB 52:7.13)
… join in the hope of the one who wrote: “Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that you look for such things, be diligent that you may be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless.” 2 Peter 3 [See Topical Study: A New Heaven And A New Earth.] (UB 52:7.15)
The Urantia Book encourages humanity to become spiritually united through belief in the simple gospel message. It also teaches that Jesus lived a perfect life, had a pre-existing divine relation to our universe before incarnating in the flesh, performed miracles that included raising Lazarus from the dead, resurrected on the third day and ascended to the Father, where all power in heaven and on earth was placed in his hands. Yet even with shared beliefs of this nature, many Christian scholars are nonetheless inclined to say Urantia Book teachings “come from the devil” and are meant to deceive. And they do this even though the New Testament does not teach that Jesus said the Old Testament should be treated as the “Word of God”; Jesus taught, “Don’t put new wine in old skins.” Nor does the New Testament say that Jesus taught his followers about a future written record of his life that should be treated as the “Word of God.”
For someone who believes in Jesus and the simple gospel message of the Fatherhood of God and salvation by faith, the question naturally arises, “Is a belief about the Bible being placed above belief in Jesus and the gospel message that he taught, which saved people before he was even crucified?” As a Jew, a kohen even, who believes in Jesus, this tendency to judge the faith and beliefs and intentions of others based on beliefs about whether the Bible is the Word of God strikes me as inconsistent with what Jesus taught and how he lived his life, perhaps even dangerously inconsistent.
Another point of agreement between The Urantia Book and the Bible concerns the teaching that it is not the place of a human being to say when Jesus will return. On the other hand, saying when Melchizedek is due to return does not violate the teaching about Jesus’ return. While the Bible has precious little to say about Melchizedek, The Urantia Book dedicates about fifty pages to the roles he has and continues to play in the affairs of this world. In short, it teaches that Melchizedeks are a high order of angels, used in emergency situations, when lower orders of angels rebel. Basically, the Melchizedek order is utilized when celestial personalities in positions of trust and authority lose faith, as occurred with Lucifer and Satan.
If there is truth to the teachings about Lucifer and Satan, then we still could use a cleanup crew to help restore religious order on our world. And if some prophecies had to do with Jesus coming the first time and some had to do with Melchizedek(s) returning for a second time, consider how this could clear up a lot of contentious issues and otherwise unsolvable mysteries. For a deeper dive into this topic, check out the UBtheNEWS: Melchizedek and the Dead Sea Scrolls Report and the Topical Study: The Jewish Messiah Is Melchizedek!?!
Additionally, there are Urantia Book teachings concerning the return of Melchizedek and/or Jesus in response to some type of worldwide crisis that is not directly related to the Lucifer rebellion. See the Topical Study: A Global Catastrophic Crisis Event.
Abraham tithed Melchizedek at Salem, which became Jerusalem. And an eclipse is widely believed to have been the reason that Nineveh heeded the preaching of Jonah to repent. See Topical Study: Eclipses Over Salem and Nineveh.
Though Bible scholars publishing on prophecy are heavily focused on the intersecting eclipses, awareness of the Bald Knob Cross of Peace being at the intersection point often is not noted. And as far as I know, no one else is suggesting that this is the likely spot for the next celestial visitation. Interdenominational Easter sunrise worship services have been held at the Bald Knob Cross of Peace since 1937. But it was not until 1963 that the 111 ft. Cross of Peace was built. This location is quite literally out in the wilderness. No highways nearby. Just excellent 360-degree views of the surrounding area. My research indicates that no one involved with getting this event started knew about the upcoming eclipses. It came to their attention when major media in the United States started to take notice of the 2017 eclipse. Check out their website for more information.
While Christians in southern Illinois were developing the Bald Knob Cross of Peace community, throughout the 1930’s efforts were underway in Chicago for development of The Urantia Book, which was eventually published in 1955. My research also indicates that no one involved knew about the upcoming eclipses. But what is especially peculiar about the book is that it claims to be a revelation, intended for helping us prepare for the arrival of a celestial replacement crew, and that no one claims to have written it. This page provides historical information on publication of The Urantia Book. Those most closely involved with getting it published were sworn to secrecy regarding through whom and how it was being provided, consistent with that person’s wishes, plus directives from the celestial personalities working with this anonymous participant.
That is the long (if you click on the links) and short of it. Soon we will know the truth of it, one way or the other.
May 2022
In May 2022 I published an article on this page that was primarily intended for outreach to the Christian-right. This has a bit more information and perspective but it is basically repeating the above information:
¶ Eclipses Trump Prophecy Scholars: the truth about April 8, 2024
As April 8, 2024 approaches, the Christian-right is going to be shaken to its core regarding beliefs about prophecy. It will force them to take a new look at their hopes and beliefs about Jesus’ promise to return. This date will not cause Christians to question their belief in Jesus or his promise to return. But even still, their need to take a new and sobering look at this belief will be powerful enough to have global cultural implications!
How is this already happening?
The pair of full solar eclipses that crisscross over the United States on August 21, 2017 and April 8, 2024 will increasingly become meaningful to many, especially to the Christian-right, as the 2024 election approaches. Grabbing attention (eventually) will be the 111-ft. Cross of Peace on Bald Knob in southern Illinois, where interdenominational Easter Sunrise services have been celebrated since 1937.
And who saw these intersecting eclipses coming before they were upon us. Basically, no one.
The good news is, as a practical matter, these eclipses transform the study of prophecy from being a sophisticated intellectual exercise into more a matter of faith and hope, which is, presumably, a good thing. Something big may happen on that day, beyond a full solar eclipse. But either way, as long as April 8, 2024 is on the horizon, we no longer need to suffer through sophisticated and long-winded explanations about prophecy that try to tie together numerous prophetic statements from the Bible.
We are down to one passage from the Bible, two brief human interest stories, and a home run off of a curve ball.
Isaiah 66:22-23 says:
“‘For, as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, so shall you and your children survive; and it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another and from one Sabbath to another all flesh shall come to worship before me,’ says the Lord.”
All full solar eclipses are new moons. This locks up the discussion because all those sophisticated analyses that people do on Bible prophecy tend to be either completely compatible with this interpretation or pretty darn close, within a decade. So, as a practical matter, a couple eclipses seven years apart, becomes hard to ignore and has the benefit of a specific date, not open to interpretation nor derived from a mystic experience. Additionally, fighting about politics and social issues between family and friends begs for the word tribulation to be applied. And, the eclipse dates are conveniently spaced inside three Election Days.
The first election, as we now know, was epic. The second one set the stage for the second half of Tribulation to be worse than the first half. Seemingly, the third election will be Biblical. Will some type of vindicating coronation occur on April 8th for the Christian-right? Will the Most Highs pull Trump in a spectacular cosmic unification of religion and politics? Only time will tell. But this is step one in understanding why the eclipses trump prophecy scholars, until we see what happens on April 8th, 2024.
¶ The intersecting eclipses over Bald Knob Cross of Peace
Back in 1936, Wayman Presley and Rev. William Lirely got inspired about the idea of holding an interdenominational Easter Sunrise Service. Apparently, they were not aware of the upcoming full solar eclipses. But maybe we should consider that the Spirit, moving them to embrace the idea, was aware.
In any case, the 360-degree views over the southern Illinois forests are spectacular, especially to the east. Bald Knob is rather remote, however. And on any given Easter sunrise, you can expect the weather to be quite windy and butt cold (40’s, to be more specific and less reactionary). Even still, Wayman and William prevailed upon their contemporaries to join them there in a unified celebration of Jesus’ resurrection.
Over the next twenty-five years, these folks had such a wonderful experience of the event, they decided to build a 111-ft. cross to mark the occasion. In 1963, the Bald Knob Cross of Peace was completed.
Recent conversations confirmed to me that no one involved with this interdenominational community had any idea about the upcoming eclipses that would be crossing over this spot, until they started to become aware during the 2016-2017 lead-up to the first eclipse.
The eclipses last a bit longer at the Cross of Peace because they are both towards the center of paths. These impressive phenomena are short-lived, so extra time is precious. I enjoyed my first total eclipse at the Cross of Peace with around one thousand other souls. The August 21st, 2017 eclipse could be viewed first in Oregon and finally in the Carolinas. The one on April 8th, 2024 starts in Texas and then curves over towards Maine, essentially Christcrossing, if you will, the entire US at our heartland, where the Missouri and Ohio Rivers meet the mighty Mississippi River.
Unless a religious group specifically forms an identity around being messianic, then prophecy tends to be a marginalized subject. It is intellectually challenging, time-consuming, and interpretations are highly subjective, in part due to the often vague and metaphoric nature of visionary experiences. The topic is extremely ill-suited for organizational business meetings and, therefore, does not get put on the agenda, unless the group is compelled to address a situation where someone has “gone off the deep end.”
All by way saying, not surprisingly, the nice folks, who maintain the Cross of Peace and run the Welcome Center, have not and should not be expected to play up the prophecy angle for the second eclipse.
¶ The skinny on a 2100-page book
Apparently, the Spirit not only was moving the country mice in southern Illinois, the Spirit also was working with city mice up north in Chicago. It is said that “God works in strange ways.” And here is where that curve ball gets pitched.
In the 1930’s, Drs. William and Lena Sadler were at a significant transition point with a project that had been in development since the 1920’s. Dr. William Sadler developed a solid reputation for debunking claims of the supernatural. He even worked with famous magicians to help explain the parlor tricks that were being perpetrated as genuine evidence of psychic or spiritual energies. In Godtalk: Travels in Spiritual America, Brad Gooch refers to Sadler’s writings about mediums, which describes Sadler’s book The Truth About Spiritualism as “one of the strongest attacks ever written on fraudulent mediums and their methods.” His work as a debunker and psychiatrist ultimately led to something he was never able to debunk.
A series of mysterious events transpired during the 1920’s. The Sadlers were contacted by a woman whose husband was not sleeping soundly. He became animated during sleep and conversational in a voice not his own. He could not be brought out of this state through techniques designed to wake someone up. This individual had no memory of or aftereffects from the experience upon naturally regaining wakeful consciousness. He wanted to remain anonymous and did not want to be associated with what developed from these experiences. The voices purported to be spirits from the angelic realm. And the good doctors were instructed to organize a group of people to read and then offer critical commentary on the messages. Then the transcripts would come back with refinements responsive to the comments. This group became known as “the Forum” and this process lasted from 1924 to 1934.
When the process was over, the result was The Urantia Book. Interestingly, when combined with teachings from the book about how we have come to be known on other planets as “the world of the Cross,” Urantia etymologically means: “Known in the heavens as the world of the cross.” Importantly, for the purposes of this discussion, in the seven hundred pages dedicated to the life and teachings of Jesus, The Urantia Book asserts that Jesus was born August 21st and that April 8 is the day between crucifixion and resurrection. That is the homerun off a curve ball! A grand slam, even, considering that it also teaches this:
… John wrote: “I saw a new heaven and a new earth and the new Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a princess adorned for the prince.” Revelation 21:1-2 UB 52:7.11
This is the same renovated earth, the advanced planetary stage, that the olden seer envisioned when he wrote: “‘For, as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, so shall you and your children survive; and it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another and from one Sabbath to another all flesh shall come to worship before me,’ says the Lord.” Isaiah 66:22-23 (UB 52:7.12)
It is the mortals of such an age who are described as “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, an exalted people; and you shall show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into this marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9 (UB 52:7.13)
No matter what the special natural history of an individual planet may be, no difference whether a realm has been wholly loyal, tainted with evil, or cursed by sin—no matter what the antecedents may be—sooner or later the grace of God and the ministry of angels will usher in the day of the advent of the Trinity Teacher Sons; and their departure, following their final mission, will inaugurate this superb era of light and life. (UB 52:7.14)
All the worlds . . . [in our region of the cosmos] can join in the hope of the one who wrote: “Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that you look for such things, be diligent that you may be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless.” 2 Peter 3:13-14 (UB 52:7.15)
Note, however, Urantia Book teachings suggest that Melchizedek will be coming back with the second eclipse. Whether Jesus also will return at that time is less clear. Melchizedek means “king of righteousness.” A Psalm suggests the Messiah will come “after the order of Melchizedek.” Abraham tithed Melchizedek, which gives an insightful glimpse into cosmological hierarchies. The Old Testament has very little information about Melchizedek, the New Testament slightly more, but The Urantia Book devotes about 50 pages to this subject.
In short, the teachings describe Melchizedek as a high order of angel, created as a safeguard for when freewill runs amuck in the angelic realms, particularly in ways that raise hell for us down here, as it did with Lucifer and Satan, so it has been said. Seems cleaning up a mess of this order requires a two-step process. 1) Jesus teaches, ministers, and pours out his Spirit of Truth, so that we mercifully get an opportunity for some self-correction. 2) Melchizedek returns to restore divine order—a Judgment Day and New Age culmination of events.
The prophets lived long before the printing press was invented. Should we be surprised, if efforts to foreshadow such an extended cosmological reconciliation through the mystic visionary experiences of seers did not create a crystal-clear picture of what would come? We cannot expect to have it both ways—problems that are not really problems—right?
In any case, it took until 1955 for The Urantia Book to get published. World War II did not help move things along. So, these alpha and omega dates for Jesus’ life, plus the teachings about how Isaiah 66:22-23 relates to other prophecies, showed up around 65 to 70 years before the intersecting eclipses over the Cross of Peace.
Naturally, one wonders, even though the human beings involved with publishing the book did not know about the upcoming eclipses, was this foreseen by the mysterious source of this text?
¶ Doing the math
There are three periods to consider (and I will use Christian-right terminology to emphasize the nature of the wave). The wave is set in motion during the first period with the election of Donald Trump and the unfair and illegal attacks upon him and his presidency. The second period begins with the plandemic, goes through the stolen 2020 election, and into cultural and economic decay associated with the Biden administration. The last period will begin when the press starts to cover the second eclipse.
Related psychosocial and organizational forces are unlikely to change. The table is set and the die has been cast. “Come for the second eclipse and pray for the second coming,” is what people will be feeling—increasingly—as we get closer to April 8th, 2024. But that is not an appropriate angle for the Bald Knob Cross of Peace organization to promote, even if the rocks and stones start to sing. The nondenominational quality of the organization prohibits them from taking a position, but this is also what makes everyone feel welcome, no matter what they believe.
The Urantia Book came to the awareness of organizational leaders at Bald Knob Cross of Peace with the advent of the first eclipse. Predictably, the information did not inspire an energetic response.
In general, people organizationally involved with The Urantia Book are in a terribly difficult situation because they offend and attract Christians at the same time for different reasons. On the one hand, appreciating how the eclipse dates align in a manner that affirms the miraculous birth and resurrection of Jesus is intriguing to Christians. On the other hand, the authoritative and other worldly nature of the revelatory communication challenges belief in the completeness and inerrancy of the Bible as the Word of God. Add to this a general organizational disposition against being identified with interpretations of prophecy and, as with the Bald Knob Cross of Peace organization, we should not expect any kind of organizational push from Urantia Book readers. But Christians, for the most part, do not seem inclined to energetically reject The Urantia Book, probably because this would draw attention to its especially intriguing and timely aspects, as well.
The 2022 midterm election cycle provides an ongoing opportunity for candidates to give encapsulations of political affairs. The Christian right will see the world in terms of: inflation, Ukraine, the southern border, the plandemic, abortion, Chinese aggression, Durham trials, Trump endorsements, election fraud developments, the “deep state” and Q, censorship and cancel culture, critical race theory, enforced pronouns, etc. The importance of the political undercurrent is that it powerfully pushes on the Christian psyche. They will be inclined to see Donald Trump as a political savior during a period that will be viewed as the tribulation associated with prophecies about the end times.
There is even a bit of added intrigue for the Qanon crowd. Check out this image of the first eclipse at Bald Knob, when a cloud briefly passed over it. Of course, it pairs beautifully with:
“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity …” (Luke 21:25)
No matter what exactly happens, tensions always mount in the lead up to a presidential election. Not to be pessimistic, but things are probably going to get worse socially and politically. As this country and the world become increasingly distressed and as the 2024 presidential race looms large on the horizon, the second eclipse will start to be discussed in the media, and they will mention it in relationship to the 2017 eclipse. The Christcrossing eclipses over Bald Knob will become a focus of attention.
With the first eclipse, any spot along the path was just as special as any other. But in 2024, one spot marks the intersection and that spot is marked by a 111-ft. cross. Kind of hard to miss, don’t you think?
As everyone learned in 2017, making your hotel reservations early helps avoid the price gouging tendencies and vacancy issues. So, the media knows that they have to cover it a couple months early. Then the media is also going to start to cover Easter, which will put these two events irresistibly beside each other for consideration.
The second eclipse is just a little more than a week after Easter, which falls on March 31st. The Christian psyche is going to be exploding with thoughts and hopes about a second coming! The media is going to play into this because that is what the media does. What will this feedback loop lead to exactly? Only time will tell. But it is safe to say that prophecy scholars can take a sabbatical until April 8th because, as a practical matter, all other theories are uninteresting. April 8th will even trump Trump.
¶ External links
- This report in UBTheNews webpage
- Other reports in UBTheNews webpage
- Topical Studies in UBTheNews webpage