Big City Astronomy

 

Psalm 19:1 King James Version

19 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

 

Big City Astronomy

 

 

Great astronomical observatories tend to be on high mountains far away from the dwellings of people, with good reason—city lights. Go out in a parking lot sometime and look up. It’s almost impossible to tell whether it is cloudy or clear. At the right times, you may see the moon.

Last week my brother sent me a text message with his first picture of two dots of light in a dark sky between two palm trees. The upper one (brighter) is Venus and the other Jupiter. On Sabbath morning, I went to my bedroom window before 6:00 a.m. and could see the dots, one nestled on the top electric line. I have blue circles in the second picture, around the dots to help you find them. That one was almost too late to be able to see them. The out-of-focus square lines are the mosquito netting on my bedroom window. I took the last picture at 5:00 this morning (August 11). Do you see how close the planets appear to be to each other? The picture was highly adjusted by my phone to make it look more like daylight. The planets are close together above the fencepost. From here on out, you will be able to see both of them before sunrise, but they will be separating steadily. It is major chore to see God’s handiwork in today’s illuminated world.

The sad fact is that today’s light successfully obscures most astronomical events to us living in town. For many years I used to take a group of my students up to Las Vegas to a major computer show. On our way home we would stop at a casino and buy supper. Then we would caravan down I-15 freeway in the dark, I would often exit the freeway in the middle of the Mojave desert, miles from any lights. The caravan would follow me off the freeway. When we stopped in pitch darkness, the students would all run up to my car as I got out, enquiring: “What’s wrong Dr. Clarke?” “Why did you stop?”

When I had their attention and their eyes had adjusted to the darkness, I would point skyward and say “look up!” Expressions of amazement would escape their mouths. These city slickers had never before seen the glory of God’s vast starry heavens.

“By the word of the Lord were the heavens made and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.” Psalm 33:6.

I know this is easier written than done, but go out into a very dark night miles away from all city lights, and take you time looking at the marvelous astronomical handiwork of our caring Creator. Spend 20 minutes or more letting the peace of God flood your soul.

Jesus our loving savior will become more real to you, after all He is the one who created this universe: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.” John 1: 1-3 Take your mind off of the emaciated, persecuted, haggard, bloody star of “The Passion” And become astounded by the omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, omnibenevolent, almighty God—Jesus Christ.

His redeeming grace is freely offered to you, and His steadfast love and invincible power will see you through to the home He has prepared for you.

 

 

 

 

Mighty Resurrection

 

[1]

Matthew 28:2-4 Good News Translation

 ² Suddenly there was a violent earthquake; an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled the stone away, and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴ The guards were so afraid that they trembled and became like dead men.

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In our Better Than 50 Club meeting the week before Easter, I asked the members to bring a text they liked about Christ’s death and resurrection.

John Champlin spoke about Abraham’s answer to Isaac’s question about a lamb for the sacrifice. “God will provide Himself a lamb.” He submitted that Abraham knew that God was providing His body as the sacrifice. He understood what God’s purpose to abolish sin would be.

Amongst other responses to the Easter message, I suggested: Satan, with the cooperation of God’s people had successfully killed Christ by the most inhumane method they could think of. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had been assigned Christ’s dead body and had buried it in Joseph’s rock tomb. On Sabbath the high priest and Pilate, the Roman governor, had stationed a hundred tough Roman soldiers around the entrance to the tomb. No human disciples were going to steal His body and circulate the rumor that Christ had risen. Satan posted legions of his most ruthless angels around the whole area. No angel would dare break through their guard! Satan gloated over his victory over the Son of God.

Although He told them numerous times, Christ’s disciples never understood that Christ would rise on the third day. But God did. On the dawn of Easter Sunday, God’s mightiest angel descended directly to the tomb in a blinding flash of lightning. Satan’s legions of angels on guard, scattered in all directions. The flash of light and bolt of thunder caused a great earthquake and the Roman guard to fall as dead men about the tomb. With his little finger the angel flipped away the massive rock covering the tomb.

The angel called in a death-defying voice: “Your Father is calling You!” Christ immediately stood up. The grave clothes fell from his glorified body, and he strode out of the tomb, a conqueror.

The angel sat down on the rock he had flipped aside just as Christ’s devout women followers came up to the tomb, carrying embalming ointment. They peered into the empty tomb and then turned a questioning eye towards the mighty angel.

The angel spoke to the women. ‘You must not be afraid,’ he said. ‘I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; he has been raised, just as he said. Come here and see the place where he was lying. ⁷ Go quickly now, and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from death, and now he is going to Galilee ahead of you; there you will see him!’ Remember what I have told you.’” (Matthew 28:5-7 GNT)

“The Lord is risen!” Our salvation is sure. Let us rejoice in our glorious future.

Dear Lord, we thank You and praise Your name for Your unconceivable sacrifice and Your marvelous love for us.

 

 

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[1] https://baptistspirituality.org/2014/04/24/the-day-after-easter-fear-and-joy/

David & Goliath--Armenian

 

[1]

Psalm 151 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

 This psalm is ascribed to David as his own composition (though it is outside the number of 150), after he had fought in single combat with Goliath.

151 I was small among my brothers
    and the youngest in my father’s house;
I tended my father’s sheep.

² My hands made a harp;
    my fingers fashioned a lyre.

³ And who will tell my Lord?
    The Lord himself; it is he who hears.

⁴ It was he who sent his messenger
    and took me from my father’s sheep
    and anointed me with his anointing oil.

⁵ My brothers were handsome and tall,
    but the Lord was not pleased with them.

⁶ I went out to meet the foreigner,
    and he cursed me by his idols.

⁷ But I drew his own sword;
    I beheaded him and removed disgrace from the people of Israel.

 

I ran into this Psalm 151, by accident, when looking something else up in Bible Gateway. Of course, everyone knows that there are 150 Psalms. So, ever curious, I Googled Psalm 151 and found that it is neither in the Testaments nor the Apocrypha, as accepted by the Roman Catholic church. Wikipedia claims that it is accepted by the Orthodox (Coptic, Eastern, and Syrian) and Armenian churches. The Orthodox Church includes it in a liturgy as a prophecy of the coming of Christ It has been included by several modern English translations including in the Common English Bible, Contemporary English Version, English Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, Orthodox Study Bible, and  Revised Standard Version, all published since 1977, and also in a number of less popular English translations now in the public domain.

I have always been interested in what writings are included in the sacred canon and what are omitted. The Jewish and Septuagint versions omit the New Testament. The Septuagint includes much of the Apocrypha, which the Hebrew versions tend to omit. The Christian church assembled the New Testament by the end of the fourth century AD. There were a number of other New Testament era gospel and epistle contenders that are rejected almost uniformly by all branches of Christianity.

I regard the question of what we regard as inspired text in the Bible as an important question. In John 5:39 Christ point out, ³ “You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life, and it is they that testify on my behalf.” He recognized that His life was the very fulfillment of scripture.

After doing much research, I think I am willing to accept the Protestant Scriptures as the ones sufficient to teach me about Christ. However, I choose to remain open to this discussion.

Lord, thank You for giving us the Scriptures and encouraging us to search them since they surely testify about You. 

 

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[1] Armenian Scriptures 1666 https://www.joh.cam.ac.uk/sites/default/files/images/library/special_collections/armbible.jpg