Almost two years ago a small asteroid passed very close to Earth on the same day as Earth suffered the largest meteor strike in a century (See our Blogs of 2/13/13 “A Celestial Warring Shot” and 2/20/13 “Meteor Mania”).
This week, on January 26, a much larger asteroid, nearly a third of a mile wide, will pass within 750,000 miles of Earth in a close endeavor described by astronomers as dodging a bullet. While an asteroid of this size would cause damage on a continental scale, we do not consider this to be a “Near Miss” as some do because God does not miss what he aims at. Instead, God is sending us another celestial warning shot following up on the warnings of 2013.
The message conveyed by a Celestial Messenger such as an asteroid can be determined from the message of the constellations the object crosses. In the case of the 2013 asteroid, it passed through constellations telling of God’s judgment such as Leo (The Lion) showing Christ’s final victory over Satan and Hydra (The Serpent) which pictures a dead serpent representing Satan and his followers. However, the asteroid also passed through Ursa Minor and Ursa Major which represent the Home of God’s people we normally call Heaven. Thus the message was a warning of judgment but also an invitation to repent and end up in Heaven with God’s people.
The message of the January 26 asteroid is almost exactly the same. At its closest encounter to Earth at about 10:00 am central time the asteroid will be in the constellation Hydra (The Serpent), picturing punishment for Satan and his followers. By sunset it will be in Cancer (The Holding Place) which represents the home of God’s people and will even pass directly through the Praesepe (The Multitude) Star Cluster around 11:00 pm Central time. Again we are warned of judgment but offered God’s grace as the doorway to Heaven remains open.
We are in a time of unusual celestial activity, with three comets in 2013 and 2014 bringing the same message of judgment and grace as the asteroids (See our Blog of 4/30/14 “Comet Sends Message to Church”). The famous “Blood Moon” Tetrad of 2014 and 2015 also brings us a message of God’s grace to His people (See our Blog of 10/10/14 “The Blood Moon and the Church”).
You can find the Praesepe Star Cluster, also called the Beehive Cluster, just to the West of Jupiter in the Eastern sky. The asteroid will be visible through a small telescope as it rapidly moves across the sky.
In the time we live in, it is comforting to know that God can judge His enemies while blessing His people.
God is still in control.
