Paul Begley, a Christian evangelist and online personality from West Lafayette in Indiana, US, believes the eclipse was a prophetic sign from God Himself.
Pastor Begley runs a weekly TV show, The Coming Apocalypse, where he draws links between Bible prophecy and everyday events.
Solar eclipses, lunar eclipses, earthquakes, asteroid flybys, political unrest – he believes these are all signs of Jesus Christ’s pending return.
In a recent live broadcast on YouTube, he bizarrely claimed today’s spectacle was but one of many prophetic eclipses in recent years.
He said: “You guys remember we had that first solar eclipse on August 21, 2017, that started in Salem, Oregon, and ended in Salem, South Carolina, and on its way down that path crossed seven cities named Salem.
“And the word Salem means Jeru-salem. That’s what they’re named after, Jeru-salem.
