Look to the Skies

Jesus communicated to His disciples about the signs of the end times, using the example of a fig tree. In Matthew 24, He said:
32 "Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.
33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near--at the doors!

God goes to great lengths to communicate His truth to us.  He has given us His Word, spoken through the prophets and devoted disciples who were faithful to follow the instruction of the Holy Spirit.  The cross and the resurrection communicate powerfully to us that God loves us and desires for us to come into a relationship with Himself through His Son. And, as Jesus taught in Matthew 24, there will be signs of the end times.  He wants us to be people of discernment, who are dedicated to looking for and listening for what He wants to get across to us.

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In what is known as the Olivet Discourse, Jesus shared about the signs of the end times, in response to His disciples. We read in Matthew 24 that He said:
4 And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you.
5 For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.
6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.

He also pointed to signs in the heavens:  the moon being darkened and the stars falling from the sky...

A Norwegian biology teacher named Karstein Erstad was skiing in the mountains outside the coastal city of Bergran when he made an odd discovery. Apparently, there were earthworms that had fallen from the sky - according to a UPI.com story, Erstad first thought they crawled atop the snow from the ground beneath, but then realized the snow was too deep.

He's quoted as saying: "When I found them on the snow they seemed to be dead, but when I put them in my hand I found that they were alive," adding, "In many places, the snow thickness was between half a meter and a meter (1 1/2 feet to 3 feet) and I think they would have problems crawling through the cold snow."

The UPI story states that since the incident, reports have come in from other areas of the country as far away as the Swedish border. Experts suggest the worms may have been lifted into the air by a weather system and blown miles from their original location.

Erstad took a sample to Trond Haraldsen, an environmental expert at the Bioforsk research institute in Norway. He told the Bergens Tidende that, "This is a phenomenon we know from the literature, but it is the first time in my time as a scientist that I have got the message that it has happened on the snow."

Well, I'm not going to suggest that the seemingly falling earthworms are any sign of a Biblically-related apocalypse.  But, the Bible has numerous references to signs in the skies, and things falling from the sky.  Think about what was coming out of the sky during the time of the plagues - a clear sign of God's judgment on Egypt.   In the book of Revelation, there is the promise of locusts, hail, and other instances of tribulation on the earth.

Jesus talked about reading the signs that pointed to the time of the end.  In Matthew 16, we read:

1 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.

2 He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red';
3 and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.

On the day of Pentecost, after the visible manifestation of the Holy Spirit, Peter quoted from the prophet Joel in Acts chapter 2, when God said:
19 I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.

A couple of takeaways for us today:

God will use a variety of means to communicate His truth.  And, the Scriptures are clear that there will be signs in and signs from the skies to warn His people of His upcoming judgment and to actually execute that judgment.   We can be thankful that God is not hiding from us what He will do - He is faithful to keep His promises, that we find in His Word.  That can apply to the macro level, with how He deals with the world, and on our micro, personal level; He will operate in a manner that is consistent with His nature, which we read about in the Scriptures.

And, I am thankful that we serve a God of mercy, but the Bible is clear that He is also a God of wrath, who will punish evil.   For the person without Christ, there is a coming judgment and the promise of eternity separated from God.  That can build a sense of urgency within us to see people come into a saving knowledge of Jesus.  There are disturbing signs that we see, prophecy of end times is being fulfilled, and God is sending His message to men and women around the world to repent and to surrender their lives to Christ.