---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Church is in eclipse at the moment…"
description: "\"“The Church is in eclipse at the moment, but what does it matter? It is God’s! And the Church will be brought to the place which God has purposed for h..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71f/d-martyn-lloyd-jones-13096_first-time_the-church-is-in-eclipse-at-the-moment-b_2276458.jpg"
---

#  The Church is in eclipse at the moment, but what does it…

![“The Church is in eclipse at the moment, but what does it matter? It is God’s! And the Church will be brought to the place which God has purposed for her. Christ will come again. And he will come, probably as he did the first time, when we will all feel utterly hopeless and filled with despair and…” quote by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71f/d-martyn-lloyd-jones-13096_first-time_the-church-is-in-eclipse-at-the-moment-b_2276458.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71f/d-martyn-lloyd-jones-13096_first-time_the-church-is-in-eclipse-at-the-moment-b_2276458.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71f/d-martyn-lloyd-jones-13096_first-time_the-church-is-in-eclipse-at-the-moment-b_2276458.jpg)

> ““The Church is in eclipse at the moment, but what does it matter? It is God’s! And the Church will be brought to the place which God has purposed for her. Christ will come again. And he will come, probably as he did the first time, when we will all feel utterly hopeless and filled with despair and say that the Church is finished and that nothing can be done. He will come and he will scatter his enemies””

[D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The Church may seem powerless now, but divine purpose ensures its eventual triumph over despair and opposition.

**In simple terms:** God will restore the Church despite current darkness.

Key Takeaway

Trust in God's plan for the Church.

Themes

faith hope perseverance destiny

Mood

reflective hopeful determined

Type

theological inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal crisis
- community worship
- mission work
- times of doubt

Key Concepts

Divine providence eschatology spiritual warfare

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you respond when faith feels eclipsed?
- What role does patience play in spiritual hope?

A Different Perspective

Human agency cannot replace divine timing.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Christ Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christ-come-708563/) [Church Brought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church-brought-573023/) [Church Eclipse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church-eclipse-5296871/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [God Purposed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-purposed-1695415/) [Purposed Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purposed-christ-5296872/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [God purposed redemption in Christ Jesus before the world began, and His plan does not need any editing by man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/god-purposed-redemption-in-christ-jesus-before-the-world-began-and/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [We are all called to fulfill God's five purposed for our lives: to worship, to fellowship, to grow like Christ, to serve, and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/we-are-all-called-to-fulfill-god-s-five-purposed-for-our-lives-to/)

[Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/)

> [“Hundreds of young barefoot, long-haired, newly converted believers flocked to the church, and they brought their guitars with them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-morgan/hundreds-of-young-barefoot-long-haired-newly-converted-believers/)

[Robert J. Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-morgan/)

> [Any God I ever found in church, I brought in myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/any-god-i-ever-found-in-church-i-brought-in-myself/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [...have you ever found God in church? I never did. I just found a bunch of folks hoping for him to show. Any God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/have-you-ever-found-god-in-church-i-never-did-i-just-found-a-bunch-of/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [Any God I ever felt in church I brought in with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/any-god-i-ever-felt-in-church-i-brought-in-with-me/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [If Jesus Christ were to come today, people would not even crucify him. They would ask him to dinner, and hear what he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/if-jesus-christ-were-to-come-today-people-would-not-even-crucify-him/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [“...whether God come to his children with a rod or a crown, if he come himself with it, it is well. Welcome, welcome Jesus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-rutherford/whether-god-come-to-his-children-with-a-rod-or-a-crown-if-he-come/)

[Samuel Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-rutherford/)

> [Live as if you thought that Christ might come at any time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/live-as-if-you-thought-that-christ-might-come-at-any-time/)

[J. C. Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-ryle/)

> [ “\[Christ\] will come again. But we must look to Scripture, not human thought, for our guide to preparing.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/christ-will-come-again-but-we-must-look-to-scripture-not-human/)

[David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/)

> [“If you don’t captivate youths now for Christ, something else will come in to carry them captive!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecilia-chan/if-you-don-t-captivate-youths-now-for-christ-something-else-will-come/)

[Cecilia Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecilia-chan/)

> [None are sent empty away from Christ but those who come to him full of themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/none-are-sent-empty-away-from-christ-but-those-who-come-to-him-full/)

[Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/)

> [But now christ has come back from dead. He is the very first person of those who have died to come back to life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-now-christ-has-come-back-from-dead-he-is-the-very-first-person-of/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When you come to religion, you come to a place. When you come to Jesus Christ, you come to a person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/when-you-come-to-religion-you-come-to-a-place-when-you-come-to-jesus/)

[Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/)

> [Christ can come back at any time so the one thing you want to have in your life is a focused prayer time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/christ-can-come-back-at-any-time-so-the-one-thing-you-want-to-have-in/)

[Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/)

## More by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

> [“Religion is that which a man does with his own solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/religion-is-that-which-a-man-does-with-his-own-solitude/)

[D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/)

> [“Anyone who thinks that he can live the Christian life himself is proclaiming that he is not a Christian.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/anyone-who-thinks-that-he-can-live-the-christian-life-himself-is/)

[D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/)

> [“this life is a kind of preparatory school for the great life that is awaiting us beyond death and time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/this-life-is-a-kind-of-preparatory-school-for-the-great-life-that-is/)

[D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/)

> [“this other man within us, has got to be handled. Do not listen to him; turn on him; speak to him; condemn him; upbraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/this-other-man-within-us-has-got-to-be-handled-do-not-listen-to-him/)

[D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/)

> [“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness.' What does it mean? Let me put it negatively like this. We are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/blessed-are-they-which-do-hunger-and-thirst-after-righteousness-what/)

[D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/)

> [“The Christian is confronted by two ways only, and if we are not on the strait and narrow way, we are on the wide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/the-christian-is-confronted-by-two-ways-only-and-if-we-are-not-on-the/)

[D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/)

> [“Once again, therefore, I would define meekness like this. The man who is truly meek is the one who is amazed that God and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/once-again-therefore-i-would-define-meekness-like-this-the-man-who-is/)

[D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/)

> [“Preaching has very largely become a profession. Instead of real Christian sermons we are given secondhand expositions of psychology. The preachers say they that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/preaching-has-very-largely-become-a-profession-instead-of-real/)

[D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/)

> [“this is not allegory. I have no gospel unless this is history. In addition, I have been pointing out that as well as being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/this-is-not-allegory-i-have-no-gospel-unless-this-is-history-in/)

[D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/)

> [“The meek already inherit the earth in this life, in this way. A man who is truly meek is a man who is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/the-meek-already-inherit-the-earth-in-this-life-in-this-way-a-man-who/)

[D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/)

> [“Abraham had the same experience (Genesis 15).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/abraham-had-the-same-experience-genesis-15/)

[D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/)

> [“Thus the defective doctrine of sin and the shallow idea of joy, working together, of necessity produce a superficial kind of person and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/thus-the-defective-doctrine-of-sin-and-the-shallow-idea-of-joy/)

[D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/)

> [“For it is when a man sees himself in this unutterable hopelessness that the Holy Spirit reveals unto him the Lord Jesus Christ as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/for-it-is-when-a-man-sees-himself-in-this-unutterable-hopelessness/)

[D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/)

> [“There is nothing more futile, when dealing with this condition, than to act on the assumption that all Christians are identical in every respect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/there-is-nothing-more-futile-when-dealing-with-this-condition-than-to/)

[D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/)

> [“No book in the world today comes to us in the particular way that the Bible comes to us, exactly where we are, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/no-book-in-the-world-today-comes-to-us-in-the-particular-way-that-the/)

[D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/)

[Explore all 51 D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/)

## More First time quotes

> [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/)

[Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/)

> [“I’m so stressed that a weird Olympic-style commentary starts up in my head. And here we have Zelah Green, the fourteen-year-old champion of rituals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-curtis/i-m-so-stressed-that-a-weird-olympic-style-commentary-starts-up-in-my/)

[Vanessa Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-curtis/)

> [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/)

[Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/)

> [“I’m waiting for you,” he murmured, smiling a slow, familiar grin that seemed to hint at a secret between them. And for the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-monir/i-m-waiting-for-you-he-murmured-smiling-a-slow-familiar-grin-that/)

[Alexandra Monir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-monir/)

> [“Treat every natural beauty you met as if you see them for the first and last time!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/treat-every-natural-beauty-you-met-as-if-you-see-them-for-the-first/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [“I won’t break your heart. For the first time in my life, I’ve found something worth fighting for, someone more important than me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelle-bliss/i-won-t-break-your-heart-for-the-first-time-in-my-life-i-ve-found/)

[Chelle Bliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelle-bliss/)

> [Life is like a parachute jump: you have to get it right the first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/life-is-like-a-parachute-jump-you-have-to-get-it-right-the-first-time/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [When I was in my twenties and just so sexually prolific, the first time I went to Machu Picchu, this guy, a spiritual teacher,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/when-i-was-in-my-twenties-and-just-so-sexually-prolific-the-first/)

[Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/)

> [When my kids were in the school play for the first time, I decided I had to make the costumes from scratch and bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-alexander/when-my-kids-were-in-the-school-play-for-the-first-time-i-decided-i/)

[Sarah Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-alexander/)

> [“I will run every mile, i will save every line, i will say i reached the top and i will fall back down standing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mennah-al-refaey/i-will-run-every-mile-i-will-save-every-line-i-will-say-i-reached-the/)

[Mennah al refaey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mennah-al-refaey/)

> [“Or maybe your magic isn't that destructive after all. The rain of Doritos, the bed thing,this...Maybe it's just that you create too big, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/or-maybe-your-magic-isn-t-that-destructive-after-all-the-rain-of/)

[Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/)

> [There is no pain like the first time you get your heart broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/there-is-no-pain-like-the-first-time-you-get-your-heart-broken/)

[Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/)

> [I don't know why, but everybody thinks that I'm short. When they see me for the first time, women are always surprised to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariah-carey/i-don-t-know-why-but-everybody-thinks-that-i-m-short-when-they-see-me/)

[Mariah Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariah-carey/)

> [“I met Suffering on a quiet road, just as the sun was setting behind me. Its presence was heavy, like an old coat I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/i-met-suffering-on-a-quiet-road-just-as-the-sun-was-setting-behind-me/)

[Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/)

> [“You never talk to the pitcher when…” He shook his head. “You just never talk to the pitcher when--” “I just wanted to congratulate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawthorne/you-never-talk-to-the-pitcher-when-he-shook-his-head-you-just-never/)

[Rachel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawthorne/)

[Browse all 9,309 First time quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The Church is in eclipse at the moment, but what does it matter? It is God’s! And the Church will be brought to the place which God has purposed for her. Christ will come again. And he will come, probably as he did the first time, when we will all feel utterly hopeless and filled with despair and say that the Church is finished and that nothing can be done. He will come and he will scatter his enemies”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/the-church-is-in-eclipse-at-the-moment-but-what-does-it-matter-it-is/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "First time"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/the-church-is-in-eclipse-at-the-moment-but-what-does-it-matter-it-is/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71f/d-martyn-lloyd-jones-13096_first-time_the-church-is-in-eclipse-at-the-moment-b_2276458.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71f/d-martyn-lloyd-jones-13096_first-time_the-church-is-in-eclipse-at-the-moment-b_2276458.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71f/d-martyn-lloyd-jones-13096_first-time_the-church-is-in-eclipse-at-the-moment-b_2276458.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The Church is in eclipse at the moment, but what does it matter? It is God’s! And the Church will be brought…” — D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The Church is in eclipse at...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/the-church-is-in-eclipse-at-the-moment-but-what-does-it-matter-it-is/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/the-church-is-in-eclipse-at-the-moment-but-what-does-it-matter-it-is/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
