Signs of the Times

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Signs In The Heavens

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Asteroid Impact
(Continued)
Scientific Lunacy or Bible Prophecy?

• One Good Reason
Should we really worry about an asteroid impact? Most people, after considering the issue for a minute, shrug and say, "What will be, will be." After all, what can one person do about a cosmic threat. Actually, nothing. For this reason, the threat of an asteroid impact is often treated with the same seriousness as a science fiction thriller. But, and this is an emphatic but, there is one very good reason to thoughtfully consider the possibility of an impact. The Bible, specifically the book of Revelation, predicts the following: Meteoric showers of burning hail, two asteroid impacts and a period of great darkness. These predicted events are judgments from God and happen a few months before the return of Christ. Even though scientists predict the likelihood of an asteroid impact, they have no clue how human beings will respond to the devastation resulting from the impact. But, God knows what man will do and Bible prophecy reveals how nations and people will respond after the predicted events occur!

• After an Impact
What would happen if two great asteroids impacted Earth with the results scientists expect? Since the Bible predicts two impacts, one hitting the sea and the other striking a landmass, briefly consider the dramatic outcome of such events.

The ocean impact would set up a sequence of events that would have long-term consequences:

1. First, a series of tidal waves would destroy many coastal cities. The violence of the affected ocean (caused by the displacement of billions of cubit feet of water in less than 30 seconds) would cause adjoining ocean tides to rampage, resulting in coastal regions far beyond the impacted ocean to be flooded and destroyed.

2. The shock waves from the initial impact would sink thousands of ships. Trade between nations would immediately stop. The violence of the ocean would continue to prevent ships from carrying food and merchandise between ports for several weeks.

3. These shock waves would also kill thousands of sea creatures. The death of many sea creatures would fill that portion of the ocean with rotten flesh and red tide. Red tide is an algae that looks like blood and flourishes in anoxic (oxygen deficient) water.

4. Weather patterns would be violently disrupted. Great hurricanes and thousands of tornados would be spawned by powerful changes in the atmosphere. The jet stream would be moved from its seasonal course and rains from the condensing water vapor would flood certain nations of Earth for weeks, while in other areas, famine would occur in otherwise fruitful places.

If an asteroid impacted a continent, the results would be no less devastating. Notice the events that would be set into motion:

1. An asteroid striking a continent would cause extensive death by contaminating the underground water supplies of large cities. Ground waves from the impact would sheer septic fields allowing deadly bacteria to enter the aquifers. The seismic havoc radiating from the impact site would destroy the geological integrity of toxic waste sites. The leakage of lethal chemicals and radioactive waste into underground streams would contaminate drinking water for thousands of square miles. Many people would die or become violently ill from drinking poisonous water.

2. A great impact would trigger earthquakes and tremors worldwide by releasing huge tectonic stresses.

3. The impact would disrupt the infrastructures of communication, travel and commerce. Even a remote impact zone would have horrific effects upon people living a thousand miles away.

4. If the impact were substantial enough, it is possible that even Earth's orbit about the Sun could be altered - seasons would be hotter or colder than they now are. Further, the gravitational effect of the moon on the tides would be much more pronounced, causing continual flooding.

Obviously, the loss of human life would be pandemic in either scenario. This is why scientists catalog large asteroid impacts to be civilization-threatening. Scientists now believe that dinosaurs became extinct because of a great asteroid impact and the creatures that were not immediately destroyed by the impact either died from the resulting havoc or the famine that followed. Even though scientists estimate the dinosaurs disappeared from Earth about 65 million years ago, dinosaurs actually became extinct about 4 thousand years ago at the time of Noah's flood.

• Bible Predictions
Since Martin Luther's separation from the Church of Rome in the 16th century, Bible prophecy has had many powerful expositors. In fact, many prophetic views are expressed daily on radio and TV. Notwithstanding this diversity that confuses so many of us, it might surprise you to learn that one of the first individuals to predict a future, literal fulfillment of Revelation 8:7-12 (where meteoric showers and asteroid impacts are described) was Dr. Josiah Litch, an 19th century Methodist minister from the northeastern United States. Even though he eventually left the Methodist Church, he remained a devout student of the Bible. Years later, in 1873, he published a book titled, A complete Harmony of Daniel and the Apocalypse." (Published by Claxton, Remsen & Haffelfinger, Philadelphia)

Consider these texts from Revelation and his insightful comments that follow: "The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up." (Revelation 8:7) Dr. Litch wrote: "The result following the sounding of this trumpet was hail and fire mingled with blood. This was in part - the fire and the hail - one of the plagues of Egypt, sent as judgments upon a perverse and willful king. That blood should be mingled with it is nothing strange, for bloody showers have fallen at divers times both in this and other lands, authentic accounts of which are still in existence. The effect of this judgment will be the burning up of one third part of the trees and all green grass. It may be objected, perhaps, that such things are exceedingly improbable, and can never literally transpire; but whoever can have faith in the literality of the plagues of Egypt can have no difficulty in believing in the literality of this prediction."

Consider this verse and his comments: "The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed." (Revelation 8:8,9) "That such [the turning of the water to blood] was the result of this meteoric fiery mass the Scriptures plainly assert: let those doubt them who may; we cleave to God's word; what it so unequivocally asserts we believe."

Last, consider this text and his comments: "The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water -- the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter." (Revelation 8:10,11) "The falling of meteors of various sizes is so common an event, and the evidence of the existence of such bodies in space so abundant, that there need be nothing incredible in the fall of one so bitter as to embitter the waters of rivers and fountains so as to poison them and cause the death of those who drink them. The statement is a literal one, "there fell a great star from heaven." [He quotes from the KJV.]

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