A fearsome thing is coming upon the Earth.
I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind.
– Revelation 6:12-13
Bible scholars debate whether the disasters prophesied in the Revelation are natural or manmade. What are the of the “stars” that will fall from the sky during the seven years of tribulation coming upon the earth before the Second Return of Christ?
Are these “stars” nuclear bombs? Hypersonic missiles? Asteroids, meteors, or comets?
Perhaps man will bring disaster upon himself in the form of war or another manmade catastrophe. God often used nations as the instruments of His judgments in the past, and the last book of the Bible prophecies a time of God’s judgment coming upon an unbelieving world.
The enormity and apocalyptic nature of this time will exceed the tribulation of the days of Noah, when God executed a catastrophic and divine intervention upon that evil generation. Our planet bears witness to this world-wide cataclysm, and secular scientists are increasingly acknowledging this fact. The moon is battered with visible craters, and 9,137 of these have been recognized by the International Astronomical Union. Researchers have discovered over 100 rings of impact craters on Earth, bearing witness to its own tortured past.
Space constantly bombards our planet.
Space debris constantly bombards Earth, most of it burns up in the atmosphere upon entry. Scientists have found evidence of wounds caused by larger objects. The planets and other bodies of our solar system bear the scars of many collisions with space objects.
Smaller space bodies orbiting around the Sun at a distance between 0.983 and 1.3 astronomical units are designated Near-Earth Objects (NEOs). Comets, asteroids, and meteoroids are NEOs.
An NEO with an orbit potentially in Earth’s path and large enough to cause significant destruction is called a PHO (Potentially Hazardous Object). Most of these are PHAs, or Potentially Hazardous Asteroids.
We are granted precious few insights into what an assault from outer space upon Earth might look like. So, what is the difference between an asteroid, meteor, and comet? Aren’t they just different names for the same thing?
Know your Potentially Hazardous Objects
There is a difference in terminology when we talk about NEOs. This difference applies mostly in reference to their size and interaction with Earth and the Sun.
Asteroid: A rock, smaller than a planet but larger than a meteoroid, circling the sun
Comet: A body made of ice and dust that circles the sun. As the ice and dust vaporize, the comet forms a “tail.”
Meteoroid: A space rock, usually a piece of an asteroid or comet
Meteor: A meteoroid that enters a planet’s atmosphere and burns up. Large meteor showers detectable from Earth occur when our atmosphere passes through the particles left behind by a comet.
Meteorite: A meteoroid that hits the ground
Better yet, know your Savior.
Learning about the prophecies of the Bible and the science of their potential means of fulfillment is interesting, but it only brings us closer to deliverance if we listen to the warning. Remember the words in the introduction to Revelation:
Blessed is the one who reads, and those who hear the words of the prophecy and keep the things which are written in it; for the time is near.
– Revelation 1:3
If the time of the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy concerning the Second Return of Jesus Christ was near 2,000 years ago, it must be a breath away today. A blessing is granted to those who read the prophecy with open hearts and respond to it by accepting the message it contains. It’s not enough to read Revelation. It’s not enough to study it. We are called to respond to it, to bow to the Sovereign soon to be revealed to all mankind before the day of judgment falls.
Those who receive Jesus as Lord will not see the day of wrath coming upon the earth. If we love humanity, we must warn those in the path of danger. If we love as Jesus loves, we will show them the way of life.
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Coming next week: Like a Scroll
This weekly series follows the story line of the Christian thriller Blood Falls. Each episode occurs in chronological order, giving context, perspective, and Biblical foundation for the novel. Discover the true stories and incredible facts behind the book! See the entire series here: https://cmaddict.com/tag/behind-blood-falls/
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