Near Miss 2009 DD45
March 4, 2009 • By Ed Wrather
03.04.09
I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. - Revelation 6:12-14.
…you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. - James 4:14.
We had a close call on Monday with the near miss of asteroid 2009 DD45. The asteroid was small only about 200 feet wide, but it did come within 40,000 miles of the earth about 1/7 of the distance from the earth to the moon. A slightly larger asteroid in 1908 caused the damage equivalent to a hydrogen bomb 1000 times the power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. The Tunguska explosion was the result of the meteor or comet exploding in the air over Siberia devastating 830 square miles of forest. The accompanying earthquake is estimated to have been 5.0 on the Richter scale. Of course, 2009 DD45 could have hit nearly anywhere on the globe. An asteroid exploding over New York City or London would obliterate those cities and large areas around them.
Only a few weeks ago a much smaller meteorite did come to a fiery end in Texas. No one knew the meteorite was headed for the earth and at first no one knew that it was a meteorite as several other explanations for the event were suggested. Apparently there have been and will be frequent near misses from NEOs, Near Earth Objects. It has only been a recent development that scientists and governments have become concerned about these NEOs. Even now there are only a very few astronomers searching the skies for these things. 2009 DD45 was only found a short time before the near miss.
Have you ever wondered how the events described in Revelation during the Tribulation period will actually come about? The statement by John the revelator that "the stars of heaven fell to the earth…" is more easily understood in light of the potential damage that one small NEO can cause. Several NEOs hitting the earth in a short period of time would cause immeasurably catastrophic damage.
What if 2009 DD45 had suddenly hit where you live this past Monday? Would you have been ready meet the Lord face to face? Were you as the saying goes "all prayed up" this past Monday? The danger that we face from just natural phenomenon much less all the man made dangers is unimaginable.
Vince Gill sings a song called, "All Prayed Up." One line that repeats throughout is, "I’m all prayed up, I’m ready to meet my Savior." Are you all prayed up? Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior? Have you asked Him to come into your heart and forgive your sins? If not, now would probably be a good time to do that. If you know Jesus as your Savior, do you have any unconfessed sins? If so, the apostle John tells us what to do, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9)." Are you all prayed up and ready to go? If not, you ought to be because "you do not know what will happen tomorrow," and "what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away."