Signs in the sky- FOUR astronomical events stun the world: Asteroid flyby, meteors in Russia, Cuba and SF, all on same day

Yesterday an enormous meteor entered earth's atmosphere, swung low, and for 32 seconds streaked across parts of Russia, astounding many. The sound boom and resulting shockwave injured over 1,200 people, and blew out 100,000 square meters of windows during the most frigid time in a Russian winter.

Other facts that came to light after the shock wore off and scientists zoomed to the place where it landed. Sorting through data, Russia Today reports that
"nearly 3,000 buildings were damaged to varying extents by the meteor shower in the city, including 34 medical facilities and 361 schools and kindergartens. ... Buildings were left without gas because facilities in the city had also been damaged, an Emergency Ministry spokesperson said, according to Russia 24 news channel. The Emergency Ministry reported that 20,000 rescue workers are operating in the region. Three aircraft were deployed to survey the area and locate other possible impact locations."
The UK Telegraph reports on the aftermath of the Russia meteor,
"The 55-foot rock, said by Nasa to have a mass of 10,000 tonnes, plunged to Earth in the Urals region on Friday morning, causing shockwaves that injured 1,200 people and damaged thousands of homes in an event unprecedented in modern times. Nasa estimated that the energy released by the meteor's impact with the atmosphere was 500 kilotonnes, around 30 times the force of the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. It entered the atmosphere and broke up at an altitude of around 32 miles, causing a shockwave that blew out windows and set of car alarms in Chelyabinsk two and a half minutes later. Divers were this morning searching the Chelyabinsk region's frozen Lake Chebarkul for a fragment of the meteorite. No fragments have been found in the region so far - despite some 20,000 rescuers and recovery workers being dispatched to help the hundreds of people injured. An army of glaziers were also being transported to Chelyabinsk to urgently repair the thousands of broken windows in homes as night time temperatures fall below -15C."
This is a RT compilation of the sound wave blast. In looking at this you will understand why an "army of glaziers" is headed to the region.

Russia meteor sound blast:


But did you know that yesterday there were three other 'signs in the sky' as well? One other cosmic visitation was from the already-expected closest-ever flyby of an asteroid to earth. This also occurred yesterday. Asteroid 2012 DA14 skimmed by closer to our planet than any other known asteroid, ever. It flew low in Geo-synchronous orbit and could be seen with binoculars.

The Guardian reported,
"According to Don Yeomans of Nasa's Near-Earth Object Observation Programme, an asteroid like 2012 DA14 flies this close on average only once every 40 years. This time around, however, the next one is due sooner than that. On 13 April 2029, Apophis will pass Earth closer than the ring of geostationary satellites. But, at an estimated distance of 19,400 miles, it will not break the record set tonight by 2012 DA14".
It seems that there may also have been a meteor in Cuba as well. The UK Mirror calls it a "cosmic coincidence" (we know better don't we?).
"The fireball - reportedly followed by a loud explosion some minutes later - was spotted above Cuba at 1am GMT yesterday. That's 6,000 miles away from Chelyabinsk where a meteor left a 20ft crater and caused a devastating sonic boom at 3.20am GMT. China's Xinhua news agency reported the bright spot in the sky was spotted in the Cienfuegos area, in central Cuba. One eyewitness said his house shook slightly in the blast and officials are scouring for any remnants of the object."
Cuba meteor:


So, asteroid fly-by, meteor in Russia, one in Cuba, and ... one reported in San Francisco.

Another Meteor Flashes Across Bay Area Skies
On the heels of a close fly-by of an asteroid 17,000 miles from Earth on Friday morning and a devastating meteor that landed in Russia, Bay Area stargazers caught a glimpse of another meteor Friday night. Social media users reported seeing the blue flash of the meteor flying west around 8 p.m. Friday night, and sightings were reported throughout the Bay Area, from Santa Clara to Fairfield, and even in the Central Valley cities of Fresno and Stockton. Jonathan Braidman, an astronomer with the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland, said that it appears that the three astronomical events seen Friday are unrelated."
They mean four astronomical events. They didn't report on the Cuba meteor.

Here is a report on the San Francisco meteor


Peter preached that God will show signs of His coming. "And I will show wonders in the heavens above, and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; (Acts 2:19)

Peter preached that at Pentecost about the Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord will be the time when God personally intervenes on earth to deal with sin and sinners through His wrath. That "Day" has not begun, but with signs like these meteors and asteroids all occurring on the same day, it certainly seems near.

Since time is short, how should you live? Peter told us in 2 Peter.

Peter tells us that when we believe the end will come, and knowing about this fact, it changes a Christian's thinking and his actions. In 2 Peter 3, Peter begins by explaining about the Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord is the 7 year out-pouring of God's wrath upon the world. You believe that whether we are on earth at that time is not important. Here are several things Peter warns us about that should give us pause.

In verse 3 Peter warns that scoffers and mockers will come. These are not people scoffing at the notion of Jesus nor about Christianity in general. They scoff specifically at end time things!

"knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation." (2 Peter 3:3)

If it wasn't important to know about end time things, then first, the doctrines would not be in the bible. But since they are, they are profitable. (2 Timothy 3:16). Second, if they were not important, satan would not spend so much time mocking and scoffing and diverting us away from them! These things are of high importance. Every book except Philemon mentions the end of days.

Peter then sums up with an important question:

"Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness," (2 Peter 3:11)

He's saying that our behavior changes depending on what our attitude is about these end time things. As Gill's Exposition says, "what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness? not as the scoffers and profane sinners, who put away this evil day far from them, but as men, who have their loins girt, and their lights burning, waiting for their Lord's coming; being continually in the exercise of grace, and in the discharge of their religious duties, watching, praying, hearing, reading; living soberly, righteously, and godly; guarding against intemperance and worldly mindedness, and every worldly and hurtful lust."

Let us discharge our religious duties while we wait for our Blessed Hope!

Comments

  1. What I find particularly interesting is not so much that 1,000 people were injured (as bad as that is) but that no one "saw it coming"-just as in the days of Lot.

    I wonder if weather radar can pick up brimstone?

    If you're looking for a reasonably smut free movie, I liked "RV" with Robin Williams.

    brian

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  2. What I have learned from this event is if there is a measurable Asteroid headed our way it is a safe bet that there may be others travelings with it that may not be detectable. There is also virtually no warning that they have entered the atmosphere and calamity will be swift.

    That was a relatively small event, there are more to come and much worse. Draw near to God through the person of His Son Jesus and He will draw near to you.

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