Scripture: Psalm 97 v 1 - 6: "The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.
2 Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.
3 A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.
4 His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled.
5 The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
6 The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory."
There are so many things happening in the heavens above Earth right now, which tells me that there has been much activity in Heaven itself. The scripture above was given as an answer concerning a rare comet called NEOWISE that is visible to the Northern Hemisphere right now.
Verse 4 intrigued me as this week in the heavy storms across North America a man took videos and photos of bolts of lightning and when he put them all together there were 5 lightning photos that spelled out the name of Jesus. This was posted on Facebook.
The comet is very bright and visible to the naked eye. It is seen every night in the Big Dipper (USA) or the Plough (UK) constellations. It swings by every 6800 years so if we miss it, it will stay missed. In Creation terms it would have been visible while Eden was being made ready for Adam and Eve.
This weekend on the southern side of the planet we can view the crescent moon surrounded by 5 planets, just after dusk. Also quite an unusual occurrence.
Luke 21 v 11, 25 - 27: "And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
25: "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory."
This is what we are waiting for, the coming of Jesus in power and great glory. The only one who can put things right, the ONLY ONE! He made it all, even us frail beings, and promised to return. He told us what would happen before He arrived back here. Not even He knows the date or time, only the Father, but He said we would know the season.
So we observe lightning, storms, the melting of glaciers and polar caps, the sea surges swallowing islands and coastlines, pandemics, hunger, distress of nations, major uncertainty of the future. Yesterday in and around a town called Cheyenne in North Dakota, USA, hail the size of baseballs came down upon them. These events spell out everything Jesus said would herald His coming.
We cannot reverse climate change, the damage is already done. We cannot stop global warming through G7, G8 or G20, or G1000 meetings. There are no answers to cleaning out the grossly polluted oceans, except to stop shipping, ocean liners and keep people off beaches. Even then the grossly polluted rivers spill their waste into the sea. The psalm says that a fire goes before Jesus and melts the hills like wax. Global warming is a sign that He is on His way!!
The global lockdown has actually revealed a breathing space for oceans, bringing back various missing species to enjoy cleaner water. A month or so ago there was a group of Cape penguins which took to the silent streets of Cape Town to do some sightseeing of their own.
Air pollution has been greatly reduced by shutting down air travel. This week Britain announced that it was standing down all their Boeing Jumbo jets. But air travel is slowly resuming and it won't be too long before our breathable air is compromised by that and factories getting back to work.
In the global lockdown we had a taste of what Earth was like before the Industrial Revolution, but we can't go all the way back there because economically we won't survive.
However, when Jesus returns and reigns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords from Jerusalem, the last millennium will begin, the thousand years of peace and restoration. He will reign over those who were saved from the second death, who are the born again (mostly Gentiles, or non-Jews) Body of Christ. He will reign with His Bride, Israel, whom He rescued from her enemies at Armageddon.
We have been waiting since the day Jesus ascended to Heaven for His return. Acts 1 v 10 - 11: "And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."
So with the growing anti-semitism around the world, which brings curses upon their own heads, from God Himself, and will eventually lead to an eternity they do not expect, we can raise our hope that before Armageddon we will be Raptured to meet our King. We cannot stop their hatred but we can measure our season of deliverance by it. We are in the season already. Hallelujah!!
Maybe you don't think the Bible is relevant for today. That we must work out our own problems or move to Mars. However, if all the signs in the sky and on the planet don't write His Story clear enough, and you don't get ready to know Him before you meet Him, then you will hopefully change your mind when the day comes that every Christian on the planet disappears, and those who are left behind say "Alien Abduction". He is no alien and we can't wait to go!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, You made very sure we would have everything we needed to navigate these end times and be ready for the coming of Jesus. Time is getting short and we thank You for arranging signs and wonders in the sky and on Earth to keep us on track with Your timeline. Help us to reach the people You know are ready to listen. In Jesus' name. Amen.
