The Russian Meteorite

This morning a meteorite flashed through the sky in Russia.  Experts estimate it weighed 20,000 pounds and was traveling at a speed of at least 33,000 mph!  When it hit the atmosphere it caused a massive explosion.  One source stated, “Infrasound data collected by a network designed to watch for nuclear weapons testing suggests that today's blast released hundreds of kilotons of energy.  That would make it far more powerful than the nuclear weapon tested by North Korea just days ago” (Nature.com).  The shockwave from the explosion was so powerful that it shattered countless windows, damaged structures, and even caused some buildings to crumble.  So far there are reportedly 1200 injuries and about $13 million in damages (Popular Science).

The last cosmic event of this magnitude was the famous Tunguska meteorite in Siberia in 1908.  This asteroid entered the atmosphere, exploded, and leveled about 80 million trees, spanning out about 820 square miles from the center of the blast (CNN).

Hearing and seeing this event brings many passages of Scripture to life.  There is a new sense of reality to the event in Genesis 19:24,  “Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven.”  In Deuteronomy 29:33, God’s people were warned to stay faithful or they would stuffer the same fate.  It’s easier to visualize the words of Psalm 11:6, “Upon the wicked He will rain snares; Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup.”  We are even reminded of the comparison of God’s breath being “like a stream of burning sulfur” (Isaiah 30:33), and other passages (Isaiah 30; 43; Ezekiel 38).

A meteorite streaking through the sky is truly an awesome sight to behold.  Today billions of people around the world were able to witness the tremendous power of God because of one relatively small rock.  What an awesome and Almighty God we serve!  This event has brought even greater reality and authority to the Scriptures about God’s power.  Let’s close with a few of these:

• “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?” (Jeremiah 32:27).
• “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands” (Psalm 19:1).
• “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

Watch These Videos of the Meteorite:

•  Video 1
•  Video 2

Blood Red Water

At Sydney’s Bondi Beach, an eerie scene unfolded.  The water began to turn from its normal color to a horrifying blood red.  Swimmers and spectators became alarmed and fled from the water.  Strangely, the red water came as a result of a sudden increase in red algae.  The algae turned out to be mostly harmless, but swimmers were still discouraged from going into the water.

Similar to how a rainbow reminds us of God’s promise to never flood the earth again, this rare phenomenon brings to mind the time when the waters actually turned to blood.  Exodus 7:20-21 says, “So Moses and Aaron did even as the Lord had commanded.  And he lifted up the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, and all the water that was in the Nile was turned to blood.  The fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile became foul, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile.  And the blood was through all the land of Egypt.”

During this time in Egypt, some of the most awe-inspiring miracles were about to take place.  Besides having the water turn to blood, the Egyptian people were going to suffer through plagues of frogs, gnats, flies, death of cattle, boils, hail, locust, darkness, and the death of the first born (Exodus 7-12).  Soon after this, God was going to deliver His people from Egypt by parting the Red Sea, allowing them to escape, and destroying Pharaoh’s army (Exodus 14).

What was God’s purpose in all of this?  According to Exodus 7:17, it was to show that He is the Lord.  God most definitely accomplished His goal.  In fact, He accomplished this purpose so strongly that just seeing Sydney’s red water invokes strong reminders of the great power God displayed in Exodus thousands of years ago.

Though the red algae in Sydney may be a strange and unconventional reminder, let’s always remember the power God displayed so long ago.  We serve an awesomely powerful God who alone is worthy of our worship, honor, and praise.