(April 24, 2010) Today is the twentieth anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope launch. In commemoration of that event NASA released this photo:
“Mystic Mountain”
Credit: NASA, ESA, and M. Livio and the Hubble 20th Anniversary Team (STScI)
This extraordinary display of God’s creation brings to mind a prophecy from the Book of Joel:
”1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand…27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and My people shall never be ashamed. 28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My Spirit. 30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come. 32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.” (Joel 2:1,30-32)
The apostle Peter applied this passage in Joel to God’s pouring out His Holy Spirit on the disciples on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-21). Although Peter’s Spirit-filled application of these verses did apply to that day it is clear from the context of the entire passage in Joel that the Day of Pentecost was only a partial fulfillment of this prophecy. Some might say that these prophetic verses which refer to the “wonders in heaven” could have spiritual connotations and therefore were fulfilled at that time. For example, Jesus declared that He saw Satan fall like lightning when the disciples preached the kingdom of God throughout Israel (Luke 17:1-18). However, God declares that there will also be signs on the earth which did not happen on Pentecost. The New Testament harmonizes with the eschatological interpretation of this passage in Joel:
”21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. 23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before. 26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. 29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24:21-31)
“12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains.” (Revelation 6:12-15)
Although the glory of God can be seen in His creation as the photo above reveals, one day there will be other wonders in the heavens that will reveal the righteous judgment of God: “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be”. (Matthew 24:21)
