As I mentioned in a previous post, this month the planet Venus is putting on a spectacular show in the early morning, pre-dawn sky. You can very easily see it with the unaided eye. That is to say, without the need for binoculars or a telescope. As some of you will already know, Venus is always an awe-inspiring wonder to see, even though in reality it is an absolutely deadly planet insofar as human habitation is concerned.
However, this month viewing the planet Venus will be even a little better. That is because the planet’s elliptical orbit is passing a little closer than normal to our own Earth’s orbit by about three million miles. This translates to a slightly brighter magnitude.
This morning — February 11th, Guam time — Venus rises on the eastern horizon at 4:07 AM, which is about an hour and a half from now as I type this out. Tomorrow morning — when the planet will be at its brightest magnitude — it will rise at 4:04 AM.
If you want to check out rising and setting times for the Sun, Moon, planets, galaxies and other celestial bodies in your area of the world, check out this very interesting link:
But getting back to Venus, please keep in mind that due to possible light pollution depending on where you live, atmospheric pollution — you will be looking horizontally through the Earth’s atmosphere being as Venus will be close to the horizon — and possible cloud coverage as well, you may not be able to see Venus when it first rises. It can be a little frustrating, but oh well. It is what it is, right?
On the other hand, if it is a clear, cold winter night, you will be good to go. I remember as a kid over fifty years ago seeing Venus rise over the top of the hill where I lived. It was very low in the night sky, and very brilliant. It absolutely amazed me! In fact, like many people, at first I mistook Venus for an airplane. That is how big and bright it was at the time.
Anyway, here on Guam, due to the aforementioned reasons, even though I know exactly where it is supposed to be in the early morning sky, I can’t even visually locate Venus until about 45 to 60 minutes after it first rises above the eastern horizon. From that point, I have less than two hours to view it before it will be swallowed up by the brilliance of the rising Sun. But viewing Venus, along with a tropical sunrise is a reward in itself! Magnificent!
If you are experiencing some of the aforementioned viewing problems, but still have hope of seeing Venus, allow me to suggest an easy way to get your bearings. While this is a rough estimation, here is what you can do:
1. Face eastward towards the rising Sun.
2. Pretend that you standing on the ground or floor is like the letter “L”. The ground or floor is the bottom of the letter “L”, and your body is the vertical part of the letter.
3. Another way to think of it is like the hands of a clock when they are at the 3:00 position.
4. Now, raise one arm straight up so that it is over your head.
5. At this point, you are creating an imaginary 90-degree right angle between your body and the ground or floor.
6. Now, lower your arm about halfway, or about 45 degrees. If you were to hold out your arm directly in front of you, that would be 90 degrees, which is too much; so you only want to lower it about half that distance from directly about your head. Got it?
7. Once you have lowered your arm 45 degrees, if you follow the end of your fingertips up into the early morning sky, that is the general area where you will find Venus. Trust me; you can’t miss it if there are no clouds or light pollution blocking your view. Isn’t it wonderful?
Yesterday morning I live streamed Venus on my Facebook timeline using my iPhone Xs Max, OBS, two 15′ USB cables, and two USB hubs to boost the signal strength. I may do it again this morning, depending on cloud coverage.
If you would like to learn more about February sky events, check out this page on the astronomy.com website. It is very educational:
“But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also . . . But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” Matthew 5:39, 44, KJV
“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14-15, KJV
“Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.” Luke 6:28, KJV
“Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.” Romans 12:17, KJV
“See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.” 1 Thessalonians 5:15, KJV
“For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:” 1 Peter 2:19-23, KJV
“Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.” 1 Peter 3:9, KJV
“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;” Hebrews 12:14-15, KJV
“If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” Romans 12:18, KJV
If you should at any time see or encounter the creature which is shown in the accompanying photograph, do NOT make any attempt to approach it; because if you do, it may very well be the last thing that you ever do in this present life.
In particular, do NOT make any attempt to smash it with your foot! I repeat, even though you may be very tempted to do so, do NOT make any attempt to smash the creature with your foot! I cannot over-emphasize the importance of this point! Allow me to explain to you why this health advisory is being issued.
As should be rather evident by its appearance, this devilish-looking creature possesses a very hard exoskeleton. That being the case, if you were to really try smashing it with your foot, it is quite possible — and in fact, highly likely — that one of its very sharp appendages would penetrate your footwear — assuming you are wearing any — and thus pierce deeply into the flesh of your foot.
Now, my friend, this is where the REAL danger begins, so beware, and pay close attention to the following paragraphs!
You see, similar to lionfish, scorpionfish and stonefish which inhabit the Pacific Ocean — and other tropical regions of the world’s oceans — which can very seriously injure — and in rare cases even kill — a distracted diver or snorkeler who accidentally steps on them, the deadly barbs on this hideous-looking creature can ALSO inject poison into one’s bloodstream.
My friend, believe me when I tell you that it is an experience which you will never ever forget for as long as you live! That is, assuming that you even live long enough to tell the tale!
You see, the minute that poison enters your body — even worse than a rattlesnake or a black mamba bite — a fiery pain will immediately begin to expand outward and upward through your foot and leg as the venom travels through your bloodstream.
Within mere seconds, your foot and leg will turn red and begin to swell. Within a few minutes, both your foot and leg will be as swollen as an over-inflated beachball as uncontrollable muscle spasms begin to violently shake your body.
My friend, please understand that you have only a few minutes left to live. Unless you take immediate corrective action, the minute that fast-traveling venom hits your heart, you are DEAD! Guaranteed!
There is something else that you need to know about this creature. It is an ambush predator. In its natural environment, if it feels threatened, unlike many other animals, it will NOT adopt a threatening or defensive posture. Instead, it will remain absolutely still until its attacker is up close.
Then, with lightening speed, a very fast reflex and a sharp thrust — similar to a porcupine — it will expand its appendages, thus making sure that one of its lethal appendages will penetrate the body of its attacker.
The reason why you need to be aware of this ambush tactic, is so that out of your human curiosity, you don’t foolishly place your face directly in front of the creature in order to examine it more closely. You’ve been warned!
Regarding what corrective action you should take, I apologize, but I haven’t gotten to the end of the comic book yet. Sorry! In fact, at this point, I am not even certain if an antidote exists!
Now, if you have read this advisory up until this point, then I congratulate you for being the most gullible person on the planet. Well done!
“And David spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul: And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence. I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.” 2 Samuel 22:1-4, KJV
“[To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: And he said,] I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.” Psalm 18:1-3, KJV
“[A Psalm of David.] The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1, KJV
“[To the chief Musician upon Neginah, A Psalm of David.] Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.” Psalm 61:1-4, KJV
“[A Psalm of David.] Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight: My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me.” Psalm 144:1-2, KJV
“The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” Proverbs 18:10, KJV
I was inspired to write this short commentary after discovering that some of my friends didn’t quite understand how a town or city which is located many miles from a coastal area, and which is hundreds or even thousands of feet in elevation, could be so seriously affected by a hurricane coming off of the ocean, such as in the case of Asheville, North Carolina, USA for example.
I think this confusion results from not fully understanding exactly what a storm surge is, which is quite understandable if a person has never been through a hurricane, and if they don’t happen to live in a coastal area.
Basically, a storm surge is an abnormal rise in sea level that is caused by the strong winds and low pressure which are associated with a hurricane.
This rise in water level — which can be anywhere from a few feet up to as much as perhaps 30+ feet in the severest of storms — can lead to major coastal flooding, particularly in low-lying areas.
The storm surge is driven by the force of the hurricane’s winds raising and pushing water — like a giant, powerful wall of water — towards the shore, in conjunction with the storm’s low pressure, which allows the water level to rise higher than normal.
But that is not all. The height of that wall of water includes not only the storm surge itself, but the regular tide level as well.
For example, let’s say that at the time a hurricane makes landfall in a particular area, there is a very high tide in progress, or what is known as a spring tide. Even worse is a king tide which is higher than a spring tide.
If the king tide is 2.5 feet in height, and the storm surge is 20 feet in height, that means that when that powerful wave crashes ashore, it will be 22.5 feet in total height. Wow!
My friends, not only is there unimaginable force behind a storm surge, but they move very fast, typically 10-30 miles an hour, depending on the forward speed of the hurricane itself.
A storm surge is one of the most dangerous and deadly aspects of a hurricane, and is often responsible for widespread destruction and loss of life in a coastal area.
Here on Guam, I have witnessed firsthand the results of a powerful storm surge rushing ashore. The level of destruction is absolutely mind-boggling, as if you are in a war zone. Everything is uprooted and just gone down to the bare rock strata! Nothing is left!
Now, to be clear, the destruction that some people are describing at those higher elevations is NOT the result of an oceanic storm surge, because a storm surge can only penetrate inland a few miles at best depending on the topography of the land, the size, strength and speed of the hurricane itself, etc.
The destruction at those higher elevations results from a different set of factors including the following:
1. Wind speed
2. Amount of rainfall
3. Topography of the land
4. Flash floods
5. Rivers, lakes, etc. overflowing their regular boundaries.
For example, even though you live in a town or city that is at a higher elevation and miles away from the ocean, if that town or city is in turn surrounded by even higher hills or mountains — kind of like a bowl — it is going to be in serious trouble!
Now, if that same town or city is also located near a body of water, or even near multiple bodies of water — such as a confluence of rivers — that town or city is going to be in even worse trouble, not just from the excessive wind speed, but from all of that excessive rainfall filling up those lakes and rivers.
But that is not all. You’ve also got flash floods rushing down hills and mountains at tremendous speeds.
Lastly, there are landslides to boot, washed out roads, etc.
My friends, that is exactly what happened at places such as Asheville, N.C. It had nothing to do with the oceanic storm surge many miles away which could not possibly reach those elevations.
I hope this explanation clears things up for some of you.
While all of the verses in this set of graphics are discussing the ancient, stubborn, rebellious Israelites who repeatedly backslid against the Lord, and fell into deep apostasy, they could just as easily be talking about modern America, or any other modern nation which has heard the Gospel, and yet continues in rebellion against the Lord and His holy Word. Repent, because your day of reckoning is coming!
“But They Refused to Listen” KJV Bible Verse List:
