The meteor that struck Russia Feb. 15 injured more than 1,000 people. Is it a small foretaste of what is to come? (Wikimedia Commons, photo by Nikita Plekhanov)
Last week’s meteor and asteroid encounters grabbed headlines. The Bible shows that God will use cosmic activity to get the world’s attention in the years ahead.
For the last several weeks reports of a 150-foot diameter asteroid passing very close to the earth were in the news. And the asteroid did pass uneventfully some 17,000 miles from earth late Friday.
But before that asteroid arrived, a 49-foot diameter meteor unexpectedly entered earth’s atmosphere and was far more eventful.
Scientists said this bus-sized meteor was actually a tiny asteroid. And when it exploded over the Ural Mountains in Russia, it was estimated to be 20 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II. Thousands of windows were blown out, and more than 1,000 people were injured.
And all we on earth could do was helplessly watch the powers of the universe in action.
When God was talking to the patriarch Job, He made clear statements about His control of the universe. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? … Who determined its measurements? … Who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened?” (Job 38:4-6).
God continues, “Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loose the belt of Orion? … Can you send out lightnings, that they may go?” (verses 31, 35).
Yes, God not only controls the powers of the heavens, the Bible shows that He also uses them to get mankind’s attention.
God used heavenly signs in the past
After the flood, God made a covenant with Noah that water would never again destroy all life on earth. God made a rainbow in the sky to confirm this promise (Genesis 9:8-17).
In the days of Sodom and Gomorrah God rained down fire and brimstone to burn up these cities because of their wickedness (Genesis 19:24).
Later, when the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, God used heavenly signs as part of the plagues on Egypt. The seventh plague was thunderous hail, mingled with fire (Exodus 9:24, 28), while the ninth plague was total darkness so intense it could be felt (Exodus 10:21).
What makes these two events even more miraculous is that the area where the Israelites lived was not affected by these two plagues (Exodus 9:26; 10:23).
In the days of Joshua, God caused the sun and moon to stop moving for several hours during a battle (Joshua 10:12-13).
God even caused three hours of darkness in Jerusalem after Christ died (Matthew 27:45).
God will use heavenly signs in the future
The Bible says there will also be heavenly signs in the future. These events will be so dramatic that the asteroid exploding over Russia will seem like a mere firecracker.
Because of mankind’s continual disregard for God, His laws and His creation, God will use cosmic disturbances to humble mankind and bring us to our knees.
Even today, God is beginning to give warnings through the uncharacteristic natural disasters occurring all over the globe. But the more we ignore God’s warnings, the more intense disasters will become.
Notice what God says through the prophet Isaiah: “Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth will move out of her place … in the day of His fierce wrath” (Isaiah 13:13).
The asteroid that passed by didn’t really affect the earth’s orbit. But God says the time is coming when the earth’s orbit will be affected, perhaps by cosmic activity.
During the coming time of Jacob’s trouble, it appears an asteroid or comet will land in the ocean and kill a third of the sea life and destroy a third of the ships (Revelation 8:8-9). Another asteroid-type meteor will land in rivers and make the water undrinkable (verse 10-11).
And smaller, yet destructive, meteorites will pummel the earth (Revelation 6:13).
Jesus Christ spoke about this fearful time. “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken” (Luke 21:25-26).
Yes, many will fear for their lives, expecting all these cosmic disturbances to kill them.
The last heavenly sign
Finally, after the sky has fallen, the earth has moved out of place and darkness has covered the earth, a final heavenly sign will appear. It will be Jesus Christ returning to this earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30).
Yes, God is going to shake the powers of heaven to show His displeasure of what mankind has done to His creation. But to those who obey God now, He promises shelter from these coming calamities (Joel 3:15-16).
But once God’s wrath is over, He will send Jesus Christ to restore God’s creation and restore God’s government on this earth. Now is the time to make sure our relationship with God is right so we can be accounted worthy to not only escape these coming times, but to stand before Jesus Christ when He returns (Luke 21:36).
Tim Groves attends the Jefferson, Georgia, congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, where he serves as a deacon.
He has been married to his wife, Teresa, for over 30 years. Together, they have two daughters and two sons and live in South Carolina. They moved there from Ohio in 1997 to flee the cold northern winters and allow him to do the things he really enjoys, like roaming though automobile junkyards looking for hidden treasures from times long past.
by Tim Groves
