Dear Folks,
Happy Midweek! Yes, it is still cold, though the calendar says Spring has arrived. Officially, the astronomical first day of Spring happens at the Equinox. No, I don’t mean it happens in a chevy, lol. The spring equinox occurs when the earth and the Sun are aligned in such a way, that results in an equal amount of day and night. This phenomena is due to the tilt of the earth, as it orbits the Sun over the course of a year, the angle of the Sun’s rays that strike the earth are ever changing, causing the amount of actual daylight to increase during the Winter and Spring months, and then decrease during the Summer and Fall months.
But, on the days of an Equinox, and there are only two each year, the second being the Autumn Equinox which usually occurs on September 21, the Sun’s rays strike the earth evenly from top to bottom, pole-to-pole, causing the whole planet to simultaneously experience twelve hours of day and twelve hours of night.
Genesis records the Creator’s spoken words when He made the two great lights, the Sun and the Moon to rule over Day and Night, and “to divide the light from the darkness.” Before that fourth day, it was God Himself who on the first day of creation divided the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1:18, 4).
Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. Then 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. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. Genesis 1:14-19
For those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere, the shortest “day” occurs at the Winter Solstice, usually December 21st, and the longest “day” occurs during the Summer Solstice, usually June 20. If you happen to find yourself visiting somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere, that is to say below the Equator like a trip to Australia (aka “The Land Down Under”), the two Equinoxes and Solstices are in the opposite configuration.
Have you ever wondered how the New Earth will be arranged when it comes to day and night, springtime and harvest? Will the earth still have its tilt of 23 and 1/2 degrees which is responsible for the most part for our four seasons? I look forward to finding out the answer to that and the many other questions about God’s creation and how He made things work. Until then, I pray that if you do not know Jesus, that you may come to know Him. And if you do know Him, that you, like me, will be faithful to walk with Jesus and thus to continue to learn and receive Bible truth until He returns in Glory!
The prayer group I lead meets on Zoom, Tuesdays at 6:30pm. The theme tonight for week 8 is, “Worship and the Three Angels’ Messages.” For those who would like me to pray for you, leave me a message in the comment section. Or if you would like to join in our prayer meeting just ask.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Dean
Last Day's Grace 