Newspapers declare, "Uneasiness gripped India tonight at the beginning of a period that...could bring doom to much of humanity." "They are not sure what will happen, an earthquake, perhaps, or devastating fires or global warfare." "Railroads, bus lines and airlines reported a sharp drop in traffic, but insurance agents said that sales of fire, earthquake and accident polices had boomed."

No, this is not related to Y2K, or trouble in world financial markets. This panic was the result of an astral phenomenon in February of 1962, which included the alignment of the Sun, Moon and five planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, in the constellation of Capricorn. This had occurred ten times in the nine centuries prior to 1962, but this one had one special element the others did not: a total eclipse of the sun that passed over the Pacific. It was visible in Borneo, the Celebes, New Guinea and other islands, sweeping south of Hawaii and ending several hundred miles off the coast of Baja California. The total eclipse lasted for five hours and sixteen minutes.

Headlines of national papers, such as The New York Times, read "Line-Up of Planets Stirs Hindus? Fears," and "Hindu Astrologers Still Say It?s Doomsday." Fear gripped a good portion of Hindus in India and Nepal, and, according to the headline of The New York Times, February 6th, "Predicted Calamities Averted by Prayer, Priests Declare," they somewhat conceded that the fears were unjustified.

Why should this event be a topic for Bible discussion? The scriptures declare plainly, "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth." (Gen. 1:14,15)

Oh, so lighting the earth is a secondary function of the celestial bodies: their primary function being to act as signs of the times. So, as Bible believers, when unusual or spectacular cosmic events occur, our eyes must open and we must ask, "What are you trying to show us, God?"

It just so happens that God was showing us that we were entering a new era in the history of the world. In fact, we were entering the last era before the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.

That it was the Sun, Moon, and five planets was to symbolize the Bridegroom (Jesus), the Bride (Church) and the five wise virgins that entered into the wedding (Matt. 25:1-13). This cosmic event indicated the closeness of the wedding of Christ and the Church, and that we were entering into the time of preparation for this event.

An allegory of this event is rehearsed in the wedding of King David with Abigail, in 1 Sam. 25. In verse 42, we are told, "And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that went after her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife."

The end of the world is not a single event, but a succession of events: a period of time. In fact, there is not only one "end of the world," but two: one in which we already are as of Feb. 1962, and the other one which Paul declared was his day, saying that they were those "upon whom the ends of the world are come." (1 Cor. 10:11)

The harvest of the early church lasted from after the resurrection of Christ until some time prior to the death of John the Revelator. The harvest of the last days church will also include a number of years.

It is of no coincidence that, in the Vatican II council of 1962, Pope John XXIII strongly promoted the ecumenical movement, a tool being used to "gather the tares together," the first phase of harvest ? which is the end of the world (Matt. 13:39)

We are now more that 37 years into this "end of the world" era, and we have seen the growth and success of ecumenism. God is about to finish the harvesting of the tares, and begin the harvest of the true wheat "into his barn." This is why it is important for us to know the signs of our times, and to know that the time is near when the last trump shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Even so, Come Lord Jesus.