The following is From the Golden dictionary, which is quoting from Wikipedia…
“Anticrepuscular rays, or antisolar rays,[1] are meteorological optical phenomena similar to crepuscular rays, but appear opposite of the Sunin the sky. Anticrepuscular rays are essentially parallel, but appear to converge toward the antisolar point, the vanishing point, due to a visual illusion from linear perspective.[2][3]
Anticrepuscular rays are most frequently visible around sunrise or sunset. This is because the atmospheric light scattering that makes them visible (backscattering) is larger for low angles to the horizon than most other angles. Anticrepuscular rays are dimmer than crepuscular rays because backscattering is less than forward scattering.
Anticrepuscular rays can be continuous with crepuscular rays, curving across the whole sky in great circles.[4]”
These two pictures show Anticrepuscular rays, which are an example of light scattering from a point opposite the sun. The top one was taken from Florida and the bottom from Colorado. Beautiful aren’t they?
I have always had an interest in the sky and all things relating to it. And, I am not alone in this, for ever since man has looked upward, he has wondered about the heavens.
The Bible has much to say about the heavens, but today I thought of this passage from the book of Matthew...
Matthew 16 ( World English Bible )
1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing him, asked him to show them a sign from heaven.
2 But he answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’
3 In the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but you can’t discern the signs of the times!
4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there will be no sign given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” He left them, and departed.
We understand far more about the weather than they did in Jesus’ day, but I wonder: Do we understand the signs of the times? The Pharisees and the Sadducees saw much but understood very little. Although they were educated in the Law (Pharisees) and were of the ruling class (Sadducees) they just didn’t understand Jesus. They could predict the weather somewhat but were close-minded to what God was doing for them through his son.
The sign of the prophet Jonah foretold of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, but they couldn’t (or perhaps, wouldn’t) listen. They were an evil and adulterous (because these Israelites had forgotten their one true husband, God) generation who wanted more than the law, prophets and the psalms- they wanted signs, portents from heaven and spectacular events before they would listen. And, the humble son of God just didn’t give them their hearts desire. Today, people are really no different than those of the first century. Oh, we have better tools, but sin has not really changed at all. God must be first, his word our guide and Jesus our example.
Having said all this, go ahead, look upward and wonder about the sky and all the heavens above and having done this, look inside and ask yourself if you are really right with God. Unsure? Open your Bible, the answer is right before you… just listen, learn and obey!
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