David Dermer

*THE SUN WAS DARKENED. AN EMPEROR TREMBLED. AND A MAN FROM HEAVEN DIED.* Nearly 2,000 years ago, during the very years in which Jesus Christ was crucified, something extraordinary was recorded in the imperial chronicles of China. In AD 31, under Emperor Guangwu of the Han dynasty, the sun was eclipsed. The ancient Chinese record declares: “In the day of Gui Hai, the last day of the month, there was a solar eclipse. [The emperor] avoided the Throne Room, suspended all military activities and did not handle official business for five days.” — History of the Later Han Dynasty, Chronicles of Emperor Guangwu, Year 7. Imagine the scene. The emperor of one of the greatest civilizations on earth, surrounded by his armies, ministers, and imperial splendour, was so shaken by the darkening of the heavens that he withdrew from his throne room. For FIVE DAYS, the affairs of his empire were suspended. He trembled before Heaven, confessing his own unworthiness. Then came an astonishing imperial proclamation: “Yin and Yang have mistakenly switched, and the sun and moon were eclipsed. The sins of all the people are now on one man. Pardon is proclaimed to all under heaven.” — History of the Later Han Dynasty, Vol. 1. Read those words again. *The sins of all the people are now on one man.* *Pardon is proclaimed to all under heaven.* And there is something still more extraordinary. An ancient omen text preserved in the Chinese historical commentary contains these amazing words: “Eclipse on the day of Gui Hai, Man from Heaven died”. — History of the Later Han, Astronomical Annals, No. 18. Now turn your thoughts from China to Jerusalem. There hangs the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, crucified beneath a darkened heaven. From the sixth hour until the ninth, darkness covered the land. The earth shook. The rocks were rent. The veil of the temple was torn in two. And there, upon that accursed tree, the sins of God's elect were laid upon ONE MAN. Not an earthly emperor trembling beneath Heaven's judgment, but the King of kings bearing divine judgment in the place of His people. Not an imperial pardon issued by a frightened ruler, but everlasting forgiveness purchased by the precious blood of Christ. What extraordinary words to find in the chronicles of ancient China during the very generation of the crucifixion! Consider the sovereign providence of God. He who appointed the hour of Christ's death also governs the sun, moon, and stars. Not one heavenly body moves without His decree. Not one emperor reigns independently of His will. While the kings of the earth trembled beneath the heavens, the Lord of heaven and earth was accomplishing the redemption of His Church. And the pardon purchased at Calvary would eventually be proclaimed throughout the nations, even to the distant shores of China. *“The LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” — Isaiah 53:6.* The heavens declare the glory of God. And history itself unfolds according to His eternal decree.