December 21 brings rare solstice event

Could the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn be a sign from God?

For the first time in nearly 800 years, the planets Jupiter and Saturn will appear to merge in the western sky on December 21, the winter solstice. It’s the darkest and shortest day of the year, but these two planets will appear so close together to viewers on Earth that they will seem to shine like a single light.

The last time the two planets were this close and visible to the naked eye was in 1226 A.D.—back when Genghis Khan was terrorizing Asia. The phenomenon that occurs when two celestial objects appear to pass close to each other in the sky (as viewed from Earth) is known as a “conjunction.”

Many astronomers believe that a similar conjunction of planets may have resulted in the Christmas Star, which the wise men followed in search of Jesus. In fact, based on astronomical calculations, a bright-shining conjunction of Venus and Jupiter is thought to have occurred around two thousand years ago.

The Great Conjunction of 2020

I wrote about the upcoming Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn a few months ago, but since it is rapidly approaching, I thought it might be a good idea to return to the topic. As I explained back then, Jupiter orbits the sun every dozen years or so. Saturn’s orbit is 30 years long. That means, from time to time, they line up together in the sky. The last time this happened was in May of 2000, but their position in the sky was near the sun, which made it nearly impossible to see.

That won’t be the case this year, according to EarthSky:

Astronomers use the word conjunction to describe meetings of planets and other objects on our sky’s dome. They use the term great conjunction to describe meetings of the two biggest worlds in our solar system, mighty Jupiter and the glorious ringed planet Saturn. The next great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn will be on the day of the solstice: December 21, 2020. Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions happen every 20 years; the last one was in the year 2000. But these conjunctions aren’t all created equal. The 2020 great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn will be the closest since 1623 and the closest observable since 1226! On December 21, 2020, Jupiter and Saturn will be only 0.1 degree apart. Some say the pair will look like an “elongated star” on that date.

As I wrote previously, God uses the regular movement of the stars and planets in the heavens to communicate with us. He created the sun, moon and stars as signals in the sky to establish His time clock for the feasts of Israel and as signs of important events, including the birth of Jesus.

Look Up and Lift Up Your Heads

If a conjunction was a useful way to announce the first coming of Christ, could a similar astronomical event be an opportunity to announce the Second Coming?

Jesus Himself said signs in the sky would signal the fulfillment of prophecy:

25 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”—Luke 21:25-28

Does this mean I believe something significant will happen on December 21st? Not necessarily. Here’s what I wrote in the first article:

I’ve noticed two major problems with how Christians handle Bible prophecy. One group of believers tends to exaggerate events, set dates, and hurt the cause of the Gospel when they end up being wrong. I don’t believe it is wise to make public announcements that may damage the credulity of the people of God.

But there’s also another group with a different kind of problem. Some Christians don’t pay attention to Bible prophecy at all. They ignore clear evidence and important signs. They worry about being labeled alarmists, so they dismiss the signs in the skies. In doing so, they miss out on opportunities to point people toward God.

I believe neither of these two extremes are wise. After all, those who ignored the signs in the skies leading up to Jesus’s birth missed the arrival of the Messiah.

I want as many people to be ready for the Second Coming as possible, so I keep my eyes open for momentous astronomical events. The Great Conjunction on December 21, 2020, certainly falls into that category. It will be momentous. We won’t see anything like it for 500 years.

Students of Bible prophecy know there are many, many references in the Bible to signs that appear in the heavens, from blood moons to solar eclipses to the momentous astronomical sign referenced in Revelation 12, which I wrote about in detail in my book, Tipping Point.

If astronomical signs were important when God was inspiring the Bible to be written, then signs are still important today.

“Keep your eyes on the stars”

During my teenage years, I listened often to “American Top 40,” a weekly radio music countdown program featuring Casey Kasem. My friends and I always waited for the host to reveal the number-one song of the week. His radio show endured for 39 years until he retired, and I always remember the way Casey Kasem closed every show he hosted: “Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground.”

Casey Kasem wasn’t a pastor, and I’m pretty sure he wasn’t thinking about Bible prophecy. But I believe his advice is one Christians should follow. Watch the signs in the skies, but stay firmly grounded.

I’m not using the movement of the stars in the sky to make precise predictions about the end times. I won’t set dates or formulate detailed timelines. But I’m not ignoring these events, either. God designed Creation to proclaim His glory and to reveal Himself to us. This was the case throughout the Bible, and God regularly used these signs to signal that significant things were about to happen.

Each individual sign doesn’t always give the full picture, but taken together, they help us see and understand what God is doing. So when rare celestial events appear on the calendar—especially during a prophetically significant moment like we’re living in now, filled with the “distress of nations” and “perplexity”—then I will be paying attention.

Stay alert. Watch the skies. Jesus is coming soon.

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