Posted 12-6-00
The mysterious tilt of the Moon's orbit around the Earth is probably due to the satellite's violent origin, say scientists writing in the current issue of the journal Nature.
A team of researchers from the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), Colorado, US, have used a computer model to trace the Moon's orbit back in time.
The Moon, scarred by impacts itself
The study suggests that the gravitational interaction between the forming Moon and the disk of debris from which it emerged was responsible for putting the body in its present orbit.
Popular theory has it that the Moon formed violently and quickly. Approximately 4,500 million years ago, when the Solar System was young, a so-called proto-planet, probably about the size of the present-day Mars, smashed into the young Earth with incredible violence.
Within minutes, a jet of vaporised rock was blasted into space and begun to settle around the Earth forming a disk. Within hours, the entire Earth's surface, already hot, had melted. Computer simulations of the event suggest that the lunar orbit should have been nearly aligned with the Earth's equator, with only about a one degree tilt.
Inclination problem
The problem is that the Moon's orbit is much more tilted - about five degrees.
This is unusual because most other planetary satellites in our Solar System have orbital inclinations smaller than one or two degrees. The cause of the Moon's large orbital tilt has long been a mystery.
"The inclination problem had been one of the last remaining obstacles for the impact hypothesis of Moon formation," says SwRI Institute scientist Dr William Ward.
His team believes the Moon acquired its large tilt soon after it formed because of a gravitational interaction with the other debris left over from the impact event.
Computer simulations of the giant impact suggest that about two lunar masses of material were put into an Earth-orbiting disk. In the model, debris particles in the inner regions of such a disk are prevented from coalescing by Earth's gravity, which tends to pull objects apart.
Gravitational interaction
The Moon forms in about a year at the outer edge of the debris disk, at a distance of about 22,500 kilometres (14,000 miles) from the Earth.
The key point is that after the Moon coalesced, its gravity would generate waves in the inner disk. The gravitational interaction of the Moon with these waves would then modify the young Moon's orbit.
The computer model simulated the interaction of the Moon and the inner debris disk, assuming that the Moon formed in an orbit with only a one degree tilt.
They found that the interaction of the young Moon with the disk can amplify the lunar inclination to as much as 15 degrees.
"This theory explains the Moon's anomalous orbital tilt as a natural consequence of its formation from a giant impact event," says Dr Ward.
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A spherule from the Moon: Remnant of an ancient impact
...The Berkeley team looked at a gram of lunar soil brought back by the Apollo 16 astronauts in 1971. In it they found 155 glassy spherules. These are formed when droplets of molten basalt are splashed out of a crater by the force and heat of an impact.... Analysis showed that the spherules came from approximately 146 different craters. The age of the spherule, determined by isotope measurements, gives a record of lunar bombardment.
I also agree with you that it is the Dragon, ie Satan, who empowers both the first beast and the second. He gives the first beast his power, his throne and great authority. In the case of the second beast, he exercises all of the authority of the first beast in his presence and causes all the world to worship the first beast whose wound was healed. He causes all kinds of signs and miracles to deceive the world, such as the fire from heaven, giving simulated life to the image of the beast, so that all who dwell on the earth will have to worship the image of the first beast and to cause all people to be given a mark on their forehead or right hand as the only means of being able to buy or sell. I see this digital angel biochip technology as fitting the description pretty well. This mark is used for economic blackmail to force the world into universal compliance, as a means of tracking every individual who receives such a mark, and to expose all those who reject the authority and loyalty to the beast. Noncompliance results in death. Since both the antichrist and the false prophet are captured alive at the time of the second coming, does Satan abandon his pawn to his fate, knowing that it is not yet his time to be cast into the lake of fire until after the millenial kingdom? Or is he dragged out of his "host" kicking and screaming? Any thoughts?
For me, the pivotal event seems to be the abomination of desolation. We know that this happens at the mid-point of the tribulation. As it is tied to Daniel's prophecies concerning the sacrificial worship in the rebuilt temple. Matthew chapter 24 places the "Great Tribulation" as occurring after this event. Matthew 24:15-20 dealing with the abomination of desolation and immediately after this in verse 21 we have the mention of the Great Tribulation. It is also during the midway point that I see the two witnesses being killed. For it is during the last 42 months that the beast is given authority over the saints to make war with them and to overcome them. The wording of verses in the book of Revelation of chapter 11:7 and for 13:7 are very similiar. I also see these two witnesses as Elijah and Moses. It is going to be an awesome sight when they stand up again in their resurrected bodies in full view of satellite television audiences. Do you see their resurrections taking place at the same time as the pre-wrath rapture or as a separate event? Thanks for all of your patience and understanding. Maranatha. Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus! Your brother in Christ
> I do not have a lot of knowledge of the Babylonian Mystery religion
Hislop's "Two Babylons" is an eye-opener. It is on-line at: http://philologos.org/downloads/downloads.htm
> Pontifex Maximus....Can you elaborate on this title? What does it > mean? I am afraid I never took Latin. Did every single world > empire of the previous five have a Pontifex Maximus?
Pontifex Maximus designates the high priest of the Mystery Religion of Babylon. I sometimes wonder how valuable my 2 years of Latin are. Here in California, Spanish would be more useful. However, without having studied Latin, it is easy to deduce what Maximus means, because we get our English word maximum from it. Here, maximus means the upper limit of authority. We get our English word pontiff from Pontifex, lit., bridge maker. In Roman Catholicism, a Pontifex is a member of the top council of priests. The Pontifex Maximus is the high priest who presides over that council. And yes, all the rulers of the five world empires of Rev. 17:10 had this title, even Alexander the Great and the Caesars. Religion was not separated from the state in those days.
> Since both the antichrist and the false prophet are captured alive at the time of > the second coming, does Satan abandon his pawn to his fate, knowing that it is > not yet his time to be cast into the lake of fire until after the > millenial kingdom? Or is he dragged out of his "host" kicking and screaming?
As I understand it, Satan will abandon the False Prophet when the FP is deposed from office on the Day of God's Wrath without being dragged out. That is the day that civilization as we know it is destroyed. Zech. 11:17 says, "Woe to the idol shepherd (the False Prophet) that leaveth the flock! (moves to Babylon on the Euphrates) the sword (Sword of the Lord, Jer. 12:12, the asteroid, Isa. 22:18,19; Rev. 8:10) shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened." From this point till he is chained, Satan operates on his own as "the eighth." Rev. 17:11 says, "the beast (great red dragon, Satan) that was (in Judas Iscariot), and is not (is not in man at the time of the Rapture), even he is the eighth (the tail of the great red dragon), and is of the seven (empowers 6 heads, and indwells the 7th), and goeth into perdition." Isa. 9:15 says, "The ancient and honourable (the Pontifex Maximus), he is the head (the 6th head of the great red dragon); and the prophet that teacheth lies (the 7th head), he is the tail." The FP is called the tail because Satan indwells him, but the tail (Satan) can also operate as "the eighth" when not in the FP.
> Revelation of chapter 11:7 and for 13:7 are very similiar.
However, there is a difference. The former refers to the 2nd beast, the latter to the 1st beast of Rev. 13. Rev. 11:7 says, "when they (Moses and Elijah) shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit (Satan indwelling the False Prophet, the 2nd beast of Rev. 13) shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them." Rev. 13:7 says, "it was given unto him (the Beast, i.e., the Tribulation Pope, the first beast) to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations." The 1st beast of Rev. 13 is put at the helm of both the OWG, or UN, and the UR (United Religions). Mid-Trib, the False Prophet pulls off his coup and takes over leadership of both the UN and UR. He exercises all the powers of the Beast. The Satan indwelt False Prophet is the final Antichrist (antichristos, the pseudo christ).
> Do you see their resurrections taking place at the same time as > the pre-wrath rapture or as a separate event?
As I see it, the resurrection and ascension of Moses and Elijah are 3.5 days past Mid-Trib, and the Pre-Wrath Rapture is on the 2300th day of the Tribulation, definitely a separate event.
Have you seen the new National Geographic? On pages 112 and 113, there is a perfect picture of "ROTTEN ROCK," a conglomerate I assume was thrown up there in China by the asteroid impact that dug the Pacific Basin and blasted off the debris that became the breccia of our Moon.
I think the Lord has a sense of humor. He not only made Italy in the shape of a leg and boot so we can easily associate Rome with the leg and foot of Nebuchadnezzar's statue, but he made that central mountain in this picture, when viewed from the side, look like a fish swallowing 2 people whose heads show in the mouth. Knowing that the Pope's split hat represents the open mouth of a fish, from the hat of the fish-god Dagon, makes me associate the 2 heads in the mouth of this fish-head mountain with the 2 beasts of Rev. 13. In turn, both end up wearing Dagon's hat and grow out of rotten rock, "For their rock is not as our Rock" (De. 32:31), "And he shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted" (De. 32:37). That's my flight of fancy for the day. :-) Agape
Psa. 40:1-3 says, "I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined (bent down) unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up (i.e., to Heaven) also out of an horrible pit (out of Earth), out of the miry clay (the body of clay), and set my feet upon a rock (Heaven), and established my goings (the Pre-Trib Rapture). And he hath put a new song (sung after the Rapture, Rev. 5:9) in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it (the Rapture), and fear, and shall trust in the LORD." I have a feeling that those that see the Rapture take place will be willing to die for their faith. God never leaves himself without a witness. These will take up where we left off.
Jeremiah played out the being pulled out of a pit. He was pulled up out of a miry pit with cords that had old rotten rags under them (symbol of "all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" in Isa. 64:6. Agape
The Lord is omniscient. He is in complete control of things. He knew what would take place with respect to calendar changes ahead of time and planned accordingly. He knew exactly how the 2 calendars would mesh in these end times.
I believe the Lord expects us to use ordinary years. I don't think he expects us to try to figure out how many days in so many 365-day years, figure in leap years, and then divide by 360 days, either. I don't think he made it that hard for normal people to figure out what he meant.
As you can probably discern, I disagree with Sir Robert Anderson's figures on when the Crucifixion took place. He had neither the right start date nor the right end date. Martin Anstey, author of The Romance of Bible Chronology, found an 82-year error in the period of the Persian kings. Subtracting 82 years from the accepted BC 536 = BC 454. Daniel 9 gives us 483 years from the commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem to the Crucifixion. The commandment was given by Cyrus (Isa. 44:28). 483 - BC 454 + 1 because there is no zero year = 30 AD, the right year for the Crucifixion. Judgment was to fall on that generation (Mt. 23:36). It did, in 70 AD. This 40 years agrees with Eze. 4:6: "thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year." The exact number of days, months and years works out perfectly for the end times too, using ordinary years. The Lord is precise in his predictions.
There are 6 types of years in the Jewish Calendar, Deficient (353 days), Normal (354 days), Full (355 days), Deficient Leap (383 days), Normal Leap (384 days), and Full Leap (385 days). No Jewish year has 360 days.
When the Lord mentions 1260 days, I think he means 1260 times that the Sun rises and sets. When he mentions 3.5 years, I think he means 3.5 times that the Earth makes a circuit of the Sun.
I have counted off the actual day counts given in the Bible for the end times and think that where they drop into place in our calendar is where they belong. For instance, I have counted off the 2300 days of the shortened Tribulation (Dan. 8:13,14) starting in many different years, more than necessary, just to be sure. These 2300 days won't fit well in just any set of years, but they drop right into place if we start on the Feast of Weeks/Pentecost, Sivan 6, 5761 (May 28, 2001) and count by Jewish inclusive reckoning. This way, they end right on Tishri 1, 5768 (Sept. 13, 2007), the Day of God's Wrath, when the 7 trumpet judgments hit Earth on the Feast of Trumpets.
The Second Advent has to be 7 months later (Eze. 39:12,13), on the following Nisan 1 (Hos. 6:3; Eze. 29:17,21) to give Israel time to bury the dead and cleanse the land for the Lord's return in glory. Normally, there are only 6 months between Tishri 1 and Nisan 1. However, 5768 just happens to be a Jewish Leap Year having a 13th month. At that particular time, there will be the necessary 7 months.
Nisan 1 is appropriately the beginning of the Jewish Regnal and Sacred Year, a perfect time for Christ to arrive. I think it is the Regnal Year because he is King of kings and the Sacred Year because he is Lord of Lords. The timing seems perfect for this way he will officially take office at the same time all the other Israelite kings officially took office.
The stars rise 4 minutes earlier each day, but the Lord set our days, seasons and years by the Sun, not the stars. In sidereal time, or time relative to the stars, the imaginary celestial sphere rotates once around Earth in 23 hours 56 minutes. It is easier for astronomers to use sidereal time, for then a certain star will rise at the same time every day. It is a convenience. Agape
I don't know anything about Barry Smith.
Praise the Lord that you have accepted Christ. Hope your husband does too. Do you understand that Christ is both man and God, not Michael the Archangel? II Cor. 5:19 says, "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself."
Heb. 1:1-8 says, "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by (en, in) his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and THE EXPRESS IMAGE OF HIS PERSON, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high: Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom."
Isa. 44:6 says, "Thus saith the LORD (YHVH) the King of Israel, AND his redeemer the LORD (YHVH) of hosts; I am the first (YHVH the King of Israel), AND I am the last (YHVH of hosts, i.e., the Lord Jesus Christ); and beside me there is no God.
In Rev. 22:13,16, Jesus said, "I am Alpha AND Omega, the beginning AND the end, the first (LORD of the Old Testament) AND the last (Lord of the New Testament)....I Jesus have sent mine angel (the Angel of the Lord) to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root (YHVH, Yahweh, Jehovah) AND the offspring of David" (the Son of God, born of a virgin descended from king David).
The Pre-incarnate Christ always was the one with whom man had to deal in Old Testament days. Isa. 48:16-18 says, "Come ye near unto me (Christ), hear ye this; I (Christ) have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD (YHVH the Father), and his Spirit (the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ, Rom. 8:9), hath sent me (YHVH of hosts, Christ). Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer (Christ), the Holy One of Israel; I AM the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments!" The LORD of hosts, the Pre-incarnate Christ, is the one that talked with Moses face to face and gave Moses the commandments.
Isa. 9:6 says, "unto us a child is born (inheriting his human nature from his mother), unto us a son is given (given his deity by his Father): and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, THE MIGHTY GOD, THE EVERLASTING FATHER, The Prince of Peace. Agape
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Updated 12-6-00