Does the Bible prophesy meteors striking the earth?
Nathan Jones: Yes, the Bible appears to prophesy meteors or comets striking the Earth. We can find this prophecy in the book of Revelation in chapter eight by looking at the first three Trumpet Judgments.
The First Trumpet Judgment – "The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up" (Revelation 8:7).
The Second Trumpet Judgment – "Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed" (Revelation 8:8-9).
The Third Trumpet Judgment – "Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter" (Revelation 8:10-11).
So, we know from these passages that during the Tribulation period, God is going to judge the world for its sins, and that at least three of His 21 judgments involve objects careening down out of outer space and hitting the earth causing great devastation.
The Government's Concern
Nathan Jones: To help us further explore this prophecy, Tim Moore and I inquired of Mondo Gonzales of Prophecy Watchers. Not only is Mondo the co-host of Prophecy Watchers' television program and podcast, but he's also a gifted biblical archeologist and astronomer.
But first, Tim, as a retired Air Force Colonel, maybe you can give us some insight into why the government has been so heavily investing in their Double Asteroid Redirection Test (D.A.R.T.) program which has been launched for the purpose of diverting meteors and other space objects away from the Earth?
Tim Moore: My take is that the government is always looking for ways to spend your money, and some of them make no more sense than anything else. In this case, I think the government recognizes the threat an unexpected asteroid could present to the Earth. We pride ourselves in believing we are beginning to have the technology that can prevent every disaster.
Mondo Gonzales: As Christians, we have the facts because we have the Scriptures. We know from Bible prophecy that the world has this appointment with destiny. Not only can we look to Revelation 8, but in the Olivet Discourse Jesus talks about how, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken" (Matthew 24:29). The people during the Tribulation will see the powers of the heavens shaking and they will be running for fear of God's judgments that will be coming upon the Earth.
Scriptures tell us that "stars" will be falling. The moon will turn the color of blood. These are some of the astronomical events prophesied even going back to the Old Testament that are associated with the Day of the Lord.
Now we come to modern times. There's been a lot of talk recently about an asteroid named Apophis. It was discovered in 2004 as it made its way past the Earth. It swung back in 2013. It's supposed to come back by in 2029 and then again in 2036, 2052, and 2068 as it orbits the sun.
Astronomers are focused on the April 13, 2029, passing because of how alarmingly close Apophis will be rocketing by our planet — only 24,000 miles away. The moon is 250,000 miles away! So this is really, really close as it relates to approaches.
NASA assures us, "No worries; it's not going to hurt us." But, students of Bible prophecy are still wondering if Apophis may potentially be one of the asteroids that are prophesied in Revelation 8 to hit the Earth.
After astronomers discovered Apophis in 2004, the Obama Administration a few years later shifted some of the focus of NASA to meteor and comet exploration. NASA sent probes out to comets. And now, with this latest one — D.A.R.T. — NASA attempted to nudge an asteroid's trajectory. You can even see a picture of the explosion where NASA claimed D.A.R.T. nudged the rock out of its orbit.
So, our government knows something that we don't. You don't spend hundreds of millions of dollars on something that you don't find threatening. Even Neil deGrasse Tyson, who is a professional astronomer, went on record saying that there's no way NASA can claim right now that Apophis won't hit the Earth. There are just too many interactions with other orbital bodies as Apophis makes its way here that could shift its trajectory. NASA cannot guarantee that margin of error. After all, 24,000 miles is "extremely tight," Tyson said, and way beyond the error limit.
The world astronomical community doesn't read the Bible like we do. And yet, they still recognize that these threats from outer space could become a serious impediment to our society going on normally, and so, they're attempting to try to prevent that. Sure, D.A.R.T. may prevent some of these rocks from hitting the Earth, but we know from prophecy that there will be a few asteroids or comets that will sneak by and strike the Earth, according to the Book of Revelation, causing tremendous worldwide damage.
The Nature of the Tribulation
Nathan Jones: These first three Trumpet Judgments will devastate a third of the world! As Jesus in Mark 13:19-20 reveals: "For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days."
Mondo Gonzales: This is the nature of the Tribulation period. Jesus and Daniel both declared that this Tribulation period will stand apart as the most unprecedented time since the creation of the world. There will be no greater trauma inflicted upon the Earth than the Tribulation, and that includes the Flood. Think about that. This coming Tribulation period will be far worse than a global flood!
And still, some people erroneously believe that we are now living in the Tribulation. We are not living in the Tribulation. The Tribulation is so beyond the trials and challenges of our time.
God's Faithfulness
Nathan Jones: What kind of a word of hope can you leave us with, Mondo? Why do you believe Christians shouldn't be fearful?
Mondo Gonzales: We see that the world system is collapsing. Looking at Bible prophecy, in the next few years, I believe we will see things get even worse than what we've seen so far. But, as the phrase goes, "The world is not falling to pieces, rather the pieces are falling into place." What we are seeing just helps confirm my faith that what God said will happen will happen. Everything we are seeing unfolding provides further testimony to God's faithfulness.
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