IN THE BEGINNING
During the beginning, we were given lights in the heavens above ‘for signs and for seasons, and for days and years.” (Genesis 1:14)
Astronomy (not astrology) helps us understand these heavenly bodies. We can accurately predict when we’ll experience phenomena such as a full moon or total eclipse. We also use the sun, moon, and stars to determine days, months, and years.
We’ve gotten so accustomed to reading instruments for time that we forget that time measurement is based on the movement of heavenly bodies. When Earth makes a complete turn on its axis, we call it ‘day’. When it goes around the Sun, we call it ‘year’. Each of the twenty-four equal divisions of a day marks an hour.
With technology (clocks and calendars) to keep track, we no longer need to look up to determine where we are on a timeline. We’ve become so focused on the never-ending drama on Earth that we sometimes forget to look up to see the signs above.
This year, we will experience a total solar eclipse, and next year, we are scheduled to start seeing a potentially earth-impacting asteroid. Are these signs beckoning us to pay attention? To look up?
PAST
The Star of Bethlehem (around 4 BC)
Over 2000 years ago, Yahweh used a sign to indicate His Son was about to show up on earth as a baby. A star led the wise me to the place where He was born. (Matthew 2:1-2). We are told that these men paid attention and were rewarded with an audience with the King of the world.
PRESENT ERA
The asteroid Apophis (2025 AD)
As of 2025, an asteroid (a giant rock orbiting the sun) will become visible to us on Earth. Discovered in 2004, the Apophis asteroid is projected to pass within Earth’s surface on Friday, April 13, 2029. The spacecraft, OSIRIS-APEX has been commissioned to study the asteroid. Is it just me, or do the names (Apophis – darkness, and Osiris – death), Osiris-Apex (highest point of death), sound ominous?
Well-known astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson seems to agree. He told an audience:
“In the year 2029, that’s one orbit away from the 2036 date, it has a seven-year intersection orbit with Earth. On that date April 13th, which by the way is a Friday…so April 13th, 2029 this asteroid named Apophis, named for the Egyptian god of death and darkness …[will come near to Earth].
If it were not gonna hit Earth, we could have named it like “Bambi” or “Tiffany,”something non-threatening….We know for a certain that Apophis, on Friday the 13th April 2029 is the size of the Rose Bowl. It will get close enough to Earth that it’ll dip below Earth’s communication satellites. It will be the biggest closest thing ever to come, known to come near Earth.”
TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE (2024 AD)
This year, we’ll experience a total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024. This follows a similar event from seven years ago in 2017.
Pic Source: National Eclipse | Eclipse Maps | August 21, 2017 and April 8, 2024 – Total Solar Eclipses
There are some who think it is significant that superimposing images of both eclipses create an “X.” The intersection is projected to occur over Carbondale, Illinois. According to Wikipedia, Carbondale is located within the Southern Illinois region informally known as “Little Egypt.”
CLIMATE CLOCK (2020 AD)
The World Climate Clock is on display in major cities across the world. The clock is a timer, counting down to zero. And remember, the movement of heavenly bodies measures time. As of January 20, 2024, the clock displayed 5 years, 182 days. Using mathematical calculations means the clock will run out in July 2029.
TIME REMAINING RIGHT NOW! https://climateclock.world/
Billed as “the most important number in the world,” anyone can access the current time, accurate to the second, at www.climateclock.world.
The website states the numbers indicate the time remaining “to avoid raising global temperature above 1.5ºC – a point of no return that science tells us is likely to make the worst climate impacts inevitable.”
Apocalyptic Movies
At the same time, Hollywood has been producing a steady stream of apocalyptic movies, such as Don’t Look Up (2021) and Greenland (2020). Those are fictional. However, what’s not fiction are the events forecasted in the prophetic books of the Bible, such as Daniel and Revelation.
IN THE END
The vision of the great star – Wormwood
The Book of John was written before 100 AD by John, one of Jesus’ disciples, while he was held captive on the Isle of Patmos. He saw a vision of a future star hitting Earth: “The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The star’s name is Wormwood.” Rev 8:10-11
If we still expect a massive star to hit Earth, shouldn’t we expect to see that star for an extended period before it gets here?
The Scriptures are powerful, alive, active, and relevant to the world. They don’t stay in a “religious” box and operate only within a religious or Christian circle. The physical world is subject to what happens in the spiritual, not the reverse. God doesn’t confine Himself to work only through Believers. For instance, at the end of the Babylonian captivity, God used a pagan king, Cyrus, to provide for the rebuilding of His temple in Jerusalem.
Heaven and Earth will pass away, but His words will not. Matthew 24:35 We can see the changing times by paying attention.
Unfortunately, since Christ ascended around 30 AD, individuals have declared that they knew the date He would return. This has tarnished the Church’s reputation. No one knows the day or hour He will return (Matthew 25:13). However, we can know the time is near based on the season – signs in the sun, moon, and stars. ( Luke 21:25–36)
God is precise in His execution. Everything happens in the right season and at the appointed time. Ecclesiastes3:1.
‘But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law.’ Galatians 4:4
The day and time for each God-ordained event are fixed. No one can delay, stop, or avoid it.
‘The vision of the end is set for an appointed time…though it tarries, wait for it, because it will surely come.’ Habakkuk 2:3.
On our calendars, each of us has at least one appointment. ‘And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment. Hebrews 9:27
LOOK UP
We are experiencing a campaign of deception. To combat the effects, we must continue to put on the armor of God, invest meaningful time with loved ones, and develop deep, trustworthy relationships. Get a physical Bible and read it. ‘Physical’ as the online version can be easily corrupted. Please read it to know how to counteract deception; you’ll know the true Messiah versus the counterfeits. Be sure to get a Bible translation closer to word-for-word translation, even if you still use others that rephrase.
With deep fake technology, we will be hard-pressed to differentiate between real and fake anything. Do you recall years ago when we were subjected to an experiment with “Yanny” and “Laurel?” If you recall, we listened to a single word together, yet we heard differently – some of us heard “Yanny,” and others heard “Laurel.” Can you imagine being subjected to that type of technology and more?
Do not panic. Do not worry. I’ve never seen my children worried or anxious when I arrive home (unless they’ve done something wrong). They are happy and expectant. That’s how it should be with us as we await the second coming of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. We haven’t been given new orders, so let’s not copy the customs and responses of this world.
And if you are not yet a child of God, He will always welcome you. Read Romans 10, verse 9: If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. If you feel an urge to do what the Scripture says, do it. Then, find a Bible-believing church and tell someone.
Let’s continue to persevere as we fulfill our purpose, in and out of season. 2 Timothy 4:2-5
“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” Luke 21:28.
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First published January 2024 in the newspaper, Freedom Come Rain
March 18, 2024 update: Click here for an intriguing video on the 2024 solar eclipse and similar ones that occurred over Turkey in recent years.
#Lookup #Solar Eclipse #Apophis #Wormwood #ClimateClock