Just three weeks after the near Earth asteroid and Russian meteor strike of February 15, 2013 (See our Blogs of 2/20/13 “Meteor Mania” and 2/13/13 “A Celestial Warning Shot”), Comet Panstarrs will emerge from the glare of the Sun to become visible after Sunset.

         The two Celestial Messengers of February 15 brought a warning from God that this age of God’s Grace will not last forever, and that the open Gates of Heaven will shut one day on those who reject God. The Comet Panstarrs follows a path that reminds us of another such time which followed the crucifixion of Jesus in 30 A.D.

         Jesus was crucified on the day before Passover, 30 A.D., and He appeared to His disciples for 40 days afterwards. He told them to go to Jerusalem to receive the power of the Holy Spirit, and it came on the Jewish feast day of Pentecost, some 50 days after Passover. After Pentecost the Church was born, with Jewish and Gentile believers coming together in unity. These events are memorialized by the Star Bible constellations Aquarius (The Water Pourer), representing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and Pisces (The Fish), a picture of two fish joined together which represents the joining of Jews and Gentiles to form the Church. The Comet Panstarrs follows the same path, originating in Aquarius and becoming visible in Pisces, showing us that the Church age of God’s Grace is still open.

          But Jesus had warned the Jews that Jerusalem would be desolated within a generation (Luke 21:20 ,32). Exactly 40 Jewish years after the crucifixion, the length of generation, Roman General Titus surrounded Jerusalem and the gates were shut on Passover Day, 70 A.D. Just as Jesus has said, the city was destroyed and the survivors carried off in chains. The Comet Panstarrs enter the constellation Andromeda (The Chained Woman), a picture of the affliction of the Jews who rejected Christ, on Passover day in 2013, to remind us of the Passover destruction in 70 A.D. The Comet, like the two earlier Messengers, warns us that the time of Grace for individuals, nations, and the world itself has a limit.

            Even in that time of Judgment in 70 A.D. there were those who followed Jesus and took His advice to flee Jerusalem (Luke 21:21). Josephus, the Jewish Historian, reports the Christian Jews did in fact leave Jerusalem and were spared from death and slavery. Today there is a revival of Messianic Christian Jews who will also escape the Judgment to come. In April the Comet Panstarrs enters the constellation Cassiopeia (The Enthroned Woman) which represents the promise of God that the Jewish people will be restored and will rule with Christ after He returns. The Comet confirms God’s love for the Jews and His promise to take care of His people even in times of judgment.

           Astronomers tell us that the Comet may not be as bright as first thought, so you should use binoculars to find it. Look to the West just after Sunset between March 10 and 16 for the best views. On March 12 it will be just to the left of the sliver crescent of a New Moon.      

          Don’t miss this opportunity to see a Celestial Messenger, and tell someone about how the gates of Heaven will not stay open forever. Choose life before it is too late.