Is it a sign from God? Were the Americans testing new weapons? Or was it just an interesting extraterrestrial phenomenon that reminds us that our planet is vulnerable to space debris?
Reactions to the February 15 meteor, which passed over the Ural region of Russia at between 34,000 and 40,000 miles per hour, have been mixed. Having shaken many people’s hearts, some who experienced the blast firsthand thought it was the end of the world.
Scientists say that around 9:20am (YEKT) one of the largest meteors to have entered earth’s atmosphere since the 1908 Tunguska event became a fireball and broke up about 10 to 15 miles above ground, causing a giant energy release. The explosion was equivalent to 20 or 30 atomic bombs and sent shockwaves that caused windows to shatter in six cities in the region. About 1,500 people were injured, mostly by the broken glass. Some guesstimates say the meteor was about 55 feet in diameter and could have weighed 10,000 tons.
Though some see meteorites as time capsules that unlock the secrets of the universe and the origins of life on our planet, the Christian looks to Scripture for definitive answers to interpret the world and all that is both in it and outside of it. Jesus once spoke of signs before His coming. “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars…” (Luke 21:25). As is often the case in Scripture, physical phenomenon illustrate spiritual realities. Notice this telling statement from the Wall Street Journal about the type of meteor that hit Russia:
“Meteors of the type that hit Russia originate at the earliest reaches of time in the disk of gas and dust that swirled around the early sun. They become denizens of the asteroid belt that's found between Mars and Jupiter until they fall out of orbit, possibly as a result of a collision with another object. Some fly near Earth, get pulled in by gravity, and meet their end in a blaze of heat and light as they fall toward the ground” (emphasis added). [1]
The Bible tells us in the earliest recesses of time, before Creation on our planet took place, there was a bright star in heaven, a shining angel who stood next to the throne of God. Lucifer, the light bearer, was the protector of God’s holy law. But the covering cherub became jealous and turned against the Lord until there was war in heaven. When Lucifer, who became Satan or the devil, was removed from heaven, the Bible says, “He was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:9).
In a telling description, Jesus speaks of this same event and says, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18). The fall of Lucifer is also clearly spoken of in the Old Testament. “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground” (Isaiah 14:12). Satan is also described as a dragon whose tail “drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth” (Revelation 12:4).
The 2013 Russian meteor can remind us of two things. First, dramatic events will occur in nature and in the heavens to warn us of the soon coming of Christ. The Bible is plain about signs of the times. The subsonic waves that pierced the atmosphere around the world by this falling meteor should call us to study the Scriptures very carefully. We live in unstable times.
Finally, like the fall of Lucifer, these meteors “meet their end in a blaze of heat and light as they fall toward the ground.” The Bible tells us of Satan’s future. God’s says, “I cast you to the ground. … I brought fire from your midst; it devoured you, and I turned you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; you have become a horror, and shall be no more forever” (Ezekiel 28:17–20). Satan will not burn forever. He will be forever destroyed by fire until there is nothing left but ashes. And when the redeemed walk upon the earth made new, they will not find a trace of this falling star anywhere (Malachi 4:1–3).