Bible Verse: Revelation ...

BIBLE VERSE: Revelation 8:8

And the second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood; and a third of the creatures, which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.

What it does NOT say: It does not say “a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea.” Rather, it says “something LIKE A great mountain,” that’s a big difference. And it is a great picture of an asteroid being hurled down to earth.

Asteroid: Scientists have cataloged about 3500 asteroids and more are being discovered each year. Their orbits tend to be very elliptical—which means on one end they are much closer to the sun than on the far end. Some of these asteroids have recently taken on the name “dwarf planet” like Ceres, which is 620 miles in diameter. What would happen if even a small asteroid struck the earth? Well, have you ever seen the movie Deep Impact?

The Hit: When an asteroid enters our atmosphere, as with shooting stars, they begin to heat up and glow white with fire by friction. It would actually burn like the picture we get from John when describing the 2nd trumpet. When the 200 foot across asteroid hit the earth in Siberia in 1908, 1000 square miles was wasted and the shock was felt in Europe. What if the asteroid was a mile across? What would happen if it landed in the water (pause for answers)? That’s right, a world wide tidal wave taking out the coastlines of the world.

The Krakatoa Volcano: In 1883, a volcano erupted in Krakatoa in the oceanic region. A black cloud of ash rose 17 miles into the air. On the morning of the next day, tremendous explosions were heard about 2200 miles away in Australia. Ash was propelled 50 miles into the air blocking the sun and sending the region into complete darkness for 2 and ½ days. There were spectacular red sunsets throughout the rest of the year. But as far as the water goes, tidal waves or tsunamis reached all the way to Hawaii and South America with heights up to 120 feet in the air.