Post by Benjamin on Nov 29, 2013 0:14:43 GMT
So, comet ISON has not survived perihelion.
Images released by NASA (who trained their three SOHO cameras to focus on the comet - marking the first time they've ever done so) show that the coma of the comet has been reduced to mere dust and small fragments.
There was so much I wanted to say on other forums, but... it's hard to do that and still be gentle about things.
It shows, though, just how important it is that we stick to the Scriptural signposts when looking for the Lord's return. All those people who pegged their hopes for His coming on the arrival and/or perihelion of this comet now find themselves with nothing left to stand on.
What I cannot understand is the fact that we went through this same process in 2011 with Elenin - almost EXACTLY this same process. The comet was incoming, people got excited and thought the Lord was going to return - and then, when the comet burned up at perihelion, many lost hope. Worse still, some actually turned away from Christ altogether, having had so much invested in Elenin that they could no longer accept the truth that was right before their eyes.
These things come and go, but they are at best general signs of the Lord's return, and not ever specific signs of His coming.
I say this because Jesus said this.
To quote myself (which is because I don't want to type it twice, and not because I'm so awesome that I should be quoted):
I think this is precisely the problem with “name that date” theology – and it’s something that we get caught up in far too often in Rapture Watching circles (myself included). We’re so desperate to get out of here that some among us will latch on to almost anything as a sign of our impending departure. Of course, when these things don’t occur, we (deservedly) open ourselves up to ridicule.
This is why it’s so important for us to stick to the signs that the Lord told us to look for – because they will NEVER FAIL. If our faith is shaken, it’s because we’re focusing on the wrong things, and not ever because we’ve been let down by the Lord. Jesus says, “Behold, I am coming soon!”. You can bank on that. God’s Word is eternal, and He never changes.
When Jesus’ disciples said “what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?”, they were asking a simple question (at least, in their own minds), but they really got TWO answers from Jesus – because His coming, and the end of the age, are not the same thing. Jesus knew this, of course, but the disciples were operating (prior to this conversation!) from a Jewish framework, where the Messiah returns, the world is put under his feet, and BANG, that’s the end of the age.
Jesus, though, corrected them – telling them that there would be signs – signs of His coming – but that “the end is not yet”. This is important, because Jesus is saying that these signs are signs both of the impending return of Christ at the Rapture, and of the commencement of the Tribulation – but that His return follows AFTER these things. Of course, John filled in the blanks when the Lord gave Him the Revelation of Jesus Christ, but that’s another story altogether.
My point, though? Jesus didn’t say “hey, keep an eye out for this comet”, or “you just wait and see, in the Last Days, people are going to see the number 44 EVERYWHERE.” Those things are arbitrary, subjective, and ever-changing. We saw that with Elenin in 2011. So many people claimed that comet was the sign of the Lord’s return… but what was it? …just a comet. …and why were so many people wrong? Because it wasn’t one of the signs the Lord gave us to look for! It was a general sign (“signs in the heavens”), but it wasn’t a specific sign, no matter how much people tried to make it into one.
It’s the same here. ISON will come and go. It will be a beautiful comet; a true testament to its creator. It will glow brightly, it may even burn out as it rounds the sun… we don’t know. But one thing is sure: ISON, and other “signs in the heavens” like it, are not specific signs. They don’t point to dates, they don’t point to a specific return of Christ… but they DO point to the season of His coming. As we see these signs accelerate, we know the time is at hand – particularly, I think, in these last days, because we can see the signs of the Tribulation all around us. Israel surrounded by her enemies. Iran and Russia aligning themselves together and exerting power over the middle east. Syria in ruins; Damascus hanging by a thread. These things are all concrete Biblical prophecies that are Tribulation events… so we know that time is near.
Don’t be discouraged, don’t be disheartened – but do cleave ever more strongly to God’s Word. He has told us what to look for, and the signs are there. I’ve used this example twice now, but I’ll use it again. You don’t look at the colour of the grass outside a burning house to determine the extent of the fire. Greenness is a sign, sure, but not a sign of a burning house, it’s a sign of healthy grass. If you want to know whether or not the house is burning, you look for the signs of burning: fire, smoke.
Likewise, as Christians, now is the time for us to turn our attention away from the foolish chatter of the world, and focus ever more intently on the signs that the Lord Himself gave us to look for, so that we might truly know, understand, and rest assured that our Saviour IS coming soon.
Images released by NASA (who trained their three SOHO cameras to focus on the comet - marking the first time they've ever done so) show that the coma of the comet has been reduced to mere dust and small fragments.
There was so much I wanted to say on other forums, but... it's hard to do that and still be gentle about things.
It shows, though, just how important it is that we stick to the Scriptural signposts when looking for the Lord's return. All those people who pegged their hopes for His coming on the arrival and/or perihelion of this comet now find themselves with nothing left to stand on.
What I cannot understand is the fact that we went through this same process in 2011 with Elenin - almost EXACTLY this same process. The comet was incoming, people got excited and thought the Lord was going to return - and then, when the comet burned up at perihelion, many lost hope. Worse still, some actually turned away from Christ altogether, having had so much invested in Elenin that they could no longer accept the truth that was right before their eyes.
These things come and go, but they are at best general signs of the Lord's return, and not ever specific signs of His coming.
I say this because Jesus said this.
To quote myself (which is because I don't want to type it twice, and not because I'm so awesome that I should be quoted):
I think this is precisely the problem with “name that date” theology – and it’s something that we get caught up in far too often in Rapture Watching circles (myself included). We’re so desperate to get out of here that some among us will latch on to almost anything as a sign of our impending departure. Of course, when these things don’t occur, we (deservedly) open ourselves up to ridicule.
This is why it’s so important for us to stick to the signs that the Lord told us to look for – because they will NEVER FAIL. If our faith is shaken, it’s because we’re focusing on the wrong things, and not ever because we’ve been let down by the Lord. Jesus says, “Behold, I am coming soon!”. You can bank on that. God’s Word is eternal, and He never changes.
When Jesus’ disciples said “what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?”, they were asking a simple question (at least, in their own minds), but they really got TWO answers from Jesus – because His coming, and the end of the age, are not the same thing. Jesus knew this, of course, but the disciples were operating (prior to this conversation!) from a Jewish framework, where the Messiah returns, the world is put under his feet, and BANG, that’s the end of the age.
Jesus, though, corrected them – telling them that there would be signs – signs of His coming – but that “the end is not yet”. This is important, because Jesus is saying that these signs are signs both of the impending return of Christ at the Rapture, and of the commencement of the Tribulation – but that His return follows AFTER these things. Of course, John filled in the blanks when the Lord gave Him the Revelation of Jesus Christ, but that’s another story altogether.
My point, though? Jesus didn’t say “hey, keep an eye out for this comet”, or “you just wait and see, in the Last Days, people are going to see the number 44 EVERYWHERE.” Those things are arbitrary, subjective, and ever-changing. We saw that with Elenin in 2011. So many people claimed that comet was the sign of the Lord’s return… but what was it? …just a comet. …and why were so many people wrong? Because it wasn’t one of the signs the Lord gave us to look for! It was a general sign (“signs in the heavens”), but it wasn’t a specific sign, no matter how much people tried to make it into one.
It’s the same here. ISON will come and go. It will be a beautiful comet; a true testament to its creator. It will glow brightly, it may even burn out as it rounds the sun… we don’t know. But one thing is sure: ISON, and other “signs in the heavens” like it, are not specific signs. They don’t point to dates, they don’t point to a specific return of Christ… but they DO point to the season of His coming. As we see these signs accelerate, we know the time is at hand – particularly, I think, in these last days, because we can see the signs of the Tribulation all around us. Israel surrounded by her enemies. Iran and Russia aligning themselves together and exerting power over the middle east. Syria in ruins; Damascus hanging by a thread. These things are all concrete Biblical prophecies that are Tribulation events… so we know that time is near.
Don’t be discouraged, don’t be disheartened – but do cleave ever more strongly to God’s Word. He has told us what to look for, and the signs are there. I’ve used this example twice now, but I’ll use it again. You don’t look at the colour of the grass outside a burning house to determine the extent of the fire. Greenness is a sign, sure, but not a sign of a burning house, it’s a sign of healthy grass. If you want to know whether or not the house is burning, you look for the signs of burning: fire, smoke.
Likewise, as Christians, now is the time for us to turn our attention away from the foolish chatter of the world, and focus ever more intently on the signs that the Lord Himself gave us to look for, so that we might truly know, understand, and rest assured that our Saviour IS coming soon.
