And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. (Gen 1:14-16)
I approach this subject with some trepidation. I feel inadequate knowing there are many among my readers who are well versed in the heavens and are in fact, experts. For instance, my friend Anthony Larson has written multiple books about this and lectures regularly. I have a lifelong interest in the stars and the planets, especially because of the role they will play in the last days.
Note Genesis 1:16 mentions the stars. I include them among the lights placed in the heavens to serve as signs unto man. In days long past, the planets were classified as stars, stars that moved was the phrase used, I believe. I hope in this short post to whet your appetite to investigate the wealth of information available about these signs, and why they should be important to us now.
Thunderbolts of the Gods
I’ll first suggest you spend some time on Anthony’s site, MormonProphecy.com. These days Anthony is most active in the Facebook group, “The Restored Gospel, Ancient Planetary History and Cutting Edge Science,” a closed group of about 600 members. It is an exciting group. We have been watching Ryan Darger bring media representations of the polar configuration to life.
I think the days of mocking are past now. There are too many people onboard with the models of the Electric Universe to be ignored. In my opinion, it has reached critical mass, meaning the old theories of dirty snowballs and a universe controlled solely by gravity are no longer acceptable. It is exciting to see more and more scientists take plasma-centric models of science seriously.
If you would like to know more about the Electric Universe, visit Thunderbolts.info. There are two very active Facebook groups: Electric Universe and Thunderbolts Project. In a nutshell, the EU model proposes plasma has an infinitesimally greater impact on how things work than can ever be explained by gravity alone. Just be sure to approach this science with an open mind.
Astronomy versus Astrology
My interest in the stars and planets increased tremendously with a college astronomy class. At one time I considered a career as an astrophysicist but quickly changed my mind when I learned how much math was required. I switched to business and computers instead. My fascination with the science of astronomy remained. One of the protagonists in my novel is an astrophysicist.
However, for the longest time, whenever someone mentioned constellations, my mind switched off and went elsewhere. It was as if I had an aversion to anything having to do with the way the ancient people of earth viewed the heavens. I couldn’t figure out why until I remembered this statement written over fifty years ago from Elder Bruce R. McConkie. It influenced me greatly.
“A form of divination and fortune telling akin to sorcery, astrology is a pseudo-science that pretends to divulge the influence of the stars upon human affairs; it is a false science that claims to foretell earthly events by means of the positions and aspects of these heavenly luminaries. It is, of course, one of Satan’s substitutes for the true science of astronomy and for the true principle of receiving revelation of future events from divine sources.
“Ancient uninspired peoples were frequently deluded by the snares of the astrologers among them (Isa. 47; Dan. 1:20; 2:27; 4:7; 5:7), but it is difficult to understand why people in modern and supposedly enlightened and civilized nations should submit to these same stargazing absurdities. Enlightened people in and out of the Church shun them for the abominations they are.”
Stargazing Not So Absurd After All
I think Elder McConkie intended to condemn the practice of living one’s life by a horoscope. But I think his statement does not take into account the real reason the ancient peoples of earth were so heavily invested in stargazing. At one time the earth and the planets were in a much different configuration than they are today. When that configuration broke up, life on earth was chaotic.
Prophets, true prophets, were very much aware of the signs in the heavens and what they meant. They knew the Lord placed them there for a reason. They – the planets – were not static. When they moved, there was reason to be greatly concerned. Today, nobody believes the planets were not always stable in their orbits. Everyone knows they have been there for millions of years.
Or have they? Ancient civilizations in the days of the patriarchs left us plenty of clues as to the way things were in the heavens back then. Today we reject them as idol worshipers. Perhaps we might want to reconsider such an arrogant assumptive attitude about the way things have always been. Even Joseph knew about the polar configuration and tried to share it with the early saints.
Signs in the Sun
My calendar shows spring begins Friday, the 20th of March 2015, but because of the elliptical and asymmetrical nature of the earth’s orbit, the vernal equinox will actually come to pass on March 18th, two days early. I think there is some significance to this. Some might even call it a sign. Light will be increasing in the earth earlier than expected by man’s usual calculations.
Perhaps this is a sign that a new age of enlightenment has already arrived. It came in stealth, without fanfare, actually unbeknownst, according to the wisdom of the world. Could it be the increase of light has come from lectures delivered by Denver Snuffer, our efforts to remember the restoration of Joseph, particularly the Doctrine of Christ, and new worship communities?
Another site and author whose works you should be familiar with is John Pratt. It was from John I came to the realization the constellations were defined by heaven, not man. We think we know when one age ends and another begins. But in the heavens above, Leo invades Cancer, and Pisces invades Aquarius. God may have one age begin before another ends for His reasons.
Breakup of the Church and Nation
Those last two lines are quoted from Denver’s latest post. Note he uses the word invades. That causes me to think back on an earlier post which referred to the potential fall of Baghdad. Don’t dismiss this discussion based on superstition. Remember, President Benson taught chapters six and seven of 3rd Nephi are signs for our day – first the breakup of the Church, then the nation.
I live in a blessed land and time. I have seen peace in my days, meaning in the immediate area where I live here in California. Although there is war, famine, pestilence and draught in many places, my little hometown seems to be unaffected. I am grateful. It’s as if our great nation has been protected because we have worshipped the God of the land, even Jesus Christ, until now.
If I’m not mistaken, the Supreme Court is scheduled in the next few months to hear arguments on mandating marriage equality in every state throughout the nation. I wonder if something of our protection might be lost should our nation’s highest court decide the people of this land can no longer worship Jesus Christ. He recognizes marriage as only between man and woman.
Behold, I Come Quickly
I am convinced the catastrophes preceding the Exodus are prophesied to be repeated in our day. A careful reading of the scriptures makes this clear, especially sections 29, 43, 45, 88 and 133. I wonder if you have ever considered the prophecy in D&C 84:114 about the cities of New York, Albany and Boston being destroyed with desolation and utter abolishment. When will it happen?
I hope such prophecies as found in the sections above are not fulfilled in my day, but to me, the signs are becoming clearer. I have watched our nation turn against Israel over the last few years. Today, the Prime Minister of Israel addressed this nation, pleading that we not allow the enemies of Israel to obtain nuclear technology. I fear his words fell on deaf ears. Israel will stand alone.
“Behold, I come quickly.” When Joseph quoted the Lord thus, many of the early saints felt the Second Coming was imminent. I have always felt the true meaning of the phrase is that we will be surprised at the rapidity of events in the last days when they begin to be fulfilled in earnest. Let us be familiar with the signs, especially with the signs the Lord displays for us in heaven.
Filed under: Last Days | Tagged: Anthony Larson, Astronomy, Breakup of the Church, Constellations, Denver Snuffer, Electric Universe, Jesus Christ, Last Days, Mormon Prophecy, Planets, Prophecy, Signs, Stargazing, Stars | 37 Comments »
