On Signs And Wonders: Musings On Imminence

No one shall ever accuse me of being overly apocalyptic; I do not spend my days sifting through prophecies or looking for doom, nor do I read any "Left Behind" books. I do not pore over secret texts in a windowless room. I do not stare at tea leaves. I do not consult with the dead. But I do, occasionally, look at the stars.

Perhaps you have heard of the massive storm sweeping across the "north" pole of Saturn. It has been there for many years; it has held the curiosity of physicists and astronomers for a long time. But new images from the Cassini spacecraft have brought the storm back to the fore. The picture above shows why: the heart of the storm defies (this might be too strong a word) the known laws of nature: the storm is six-sided. Though the phenomenon has been duplicated in a bucket of water spun at high speeds, a bucket of water is a contrived and controlled system: this storm on Saturn, though still in a closed system (in a sense), is occurring on a massive scale at the pole of a sphere where there are no walls, and no one is doing the spinning (I realize that the enormous, gaseous atmosphere of Saturn may, in fact, act as the cylindrical walls of a bucket along the storm's perimeter.)†

That a hexagonal storm should stop me in my tracks is doubtful, at least when it is hundreds of millions of miles away. I am sure that were I kayaking somewhere on the face of that mysterious planet, I might at least need to tighten my grip on the paddle. But it is the timing of it all that just gives me pause, and the wondrous symbolism the storm suggests.

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What of the return of Christ?

It is fair to ask why I should connect the six-sided storm on Saturn as a sign of the times, a portent of things to come, or come again. Why bother? Well, partly because astronomy/astrology played no small part in a different epiphany: the Gentiles of the ancient world -- represented in the three wise men of the Christian gospel narrative -- followed starry signs and wonders to the very crib of Christ. The "Star of Bethlehem" was the sign to the Gentiles from the East that the Christ had come.

It seems possible, at least to this dreamer, that there will be a sign in the heavens signaling the return of Christ, like a different Star of Bethlehem. Jesus said in Matthew 24:30, "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky ..." Note what He says: the sign of the Son of Man. I know it isn't much, but it is at least intriguing.

And it is mostly intriguing because of the day and age in which we now live. Babylon, a major name in Christian apocalyptic writings, is front and center in most people's concerns for the world; Iraq, as you know, is Babylon. Persia is back on the world stage; Iran is Persia. The prophet Ezekiel prophesied (Ezekiel 38-39) a dramatic union between unlikely partners, Persia and Magog; the Magogians, at least to some observers, are the Scythians, who formerly settled the southern reaches of the old USSR. Alas, there seems ample evidence that Russia (and nations in this southern region), and Iran are recently enamored of each other; according to Ezekiel (or some suggest), their great alliance will bring war upon Israel. Granted, there is much confusion about these prophecies; some even suggest that Magog is China, but in the confusion there is much that smacks of "right now."

I do not pretend to know what these things mean; I do not even claim to believe in them. I am merely noting symbols, timing. But it is no practical joke, do you think, that Israel, no larger than Vermont (a state in America) is the epicenter of most of the world's political turmoil? How could this small place be so important; how is it that so much energy and time and living are expended on dealing with this little place? Is it not because Israel is indeed God's Chosen People, chosen above others who believe themselves much greater, much more important?

I have noticed, too, that currenly there are leaders emerging with great messianic ambitions. Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is full of much messianic bluster, while America's Barack H. Obama, whose name means "blessed", is adoringly greeted with palm branches at every turn. (It is worth pointing out that a Chicago Tribune reporter is writing a book about Obama called, The Savior. Read about this and much more in Rolling Stones' aptly titled article about the candidate, "Destiny's Child.") Needless to say, the world is ripe with messianism: Bush and Company are destroying everything, or so it goes, and many among us are surely desperate for deliverance.

Jesus tells us that in the last days "the abomination that causes desolation" will stand in the holy place. I have more than once wondered whether the consecration of an openly and unflappable gay bishop to the Episcopal Church is a fulfillment of that prophecy: a homosexual man, unmarried yet sexually involved with a partner, is elected to stand in a Bishop's Seat as vicar of Christ. Surely there is nothing more desolate than a sexuality that cannot expand beyond itself; nor is there anything more desolate than the suggestion that Jesus Himself can be represented as a gay man by a gay man standing in His stead -- in the holy place.

Combine this all with St. Paul's warning that the last days will include a delusion on the minds of men, that men will be incapable of believing in truth, believing lies instead (lies such as whether 9/11 actually happened as we know it did); that good will be bad, and bad, good; that the many religious will have a form of godliness but deny its power; combine all of this together, and you've got something that looks undeniably au courant.

No doubt I am demonstrably wrong. I will let others do the demonstrating. I just want to do the wondering. And one of the things I cannot help but wonder about is a six-sided storm on Saturn, a storm flashing 6 sides, 6 straight sides, 6 spinning sides. It is all a wonder, and this without even thinking about who Saturn is.

Who is Saturn? Nobody really. He is just a mere Roman god, the god of the harvest, the god of reaping.

His symbol, believe it or not, is a sickle.

Peace this day.

©Bill Gnade 2007/Contratimes. All Rights Reserved.

PS. In Hindu astrology, Saturn, or Shani, is the Judge of all the planets (see Wikipedia entry for Saturn).

†Saturn does not have a uniform rotational speed; it is irregular. Perhaps this explains the strange geometry of the storm. But every sphere I've ever spun that spun irregularly was either warped or bubbled; each sphere's center of mass was not centered. Is Saturn poised to wobble apart? Just wondering. Also, as my son pointed out, the water in the rotating bucket has a hole in the middle in the shape of a hexagon. The storm, as you can see, has no eye wall; there is no hole.

[Photo courtesy of NASA. Click image for a larger view.]

"So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains."