In the beginning…7b. Earth Overlook: Day Four

This brought lots of instant side conversations from the hearers. No one but Jesus seemed to be privy to some words from Lucifer, said, supposedly, only for the ears of his small group, “Freedom to choose, huh? That’s what will make all the difference in my scheme.” He looked up then, refocusing his attention on the father-son creation team only to find himself gazing intently into the piercing blue eyes of the Son of God. Lucifer tried to hold his stare, but lowered his gaze after only a few seconds.

“If you’ll notice how the sun shines its light on this side of the earth and the moon reflects that light on the far side;” Jesus said continuing his astronomy lesson, “that will cause day to fade into night and night to gradually lighten into day. With the speed that the earth spins, that process of day and night will take…”

“About 24 hours or 1,440 minutes or 86,400 seconds,” Gabriel interjected.

“How’d you do that, Gabe?” Michael wondered.

“Just a gift; guess I’m just good with numbers,” Gabriel replied.

“A blooming walking calculator,” came the witty, good-natured retort from one in the crowd.

“Gabriel is correct,” stated Jesus. “If you stay here for those 86,000 seconds…”

“Eighty-six thousand FOUR HUNDRED SECONDS!” Gabriel reminded him.

“That’s right, 86,400 seconds; if you stay here for those 24 hours, you will see a full day and the entire night. They will make an ever-repeating cycle on the Earth. Furthermore, before any skeptics ask,” Jesus glanced over the heads of most of the host gathered again making eye contact with Lucifer as he continued, “those nearby objects are called planets. The planets and the stars and even the moon are all there for the purpose of adding beauty and variety in the night sky for man to admire, contemplate, and someday even explore as he journeys into the vast recesses of space. Pretty cool, huh?”

Just then Michael stepped closer to the railing and stared at the moon, “The moon looks oddly familiar?”

“That’s right, Mike. The moon almost appears to have a face like ours or like man’s will be shortly. That will not only give mankind comfort in the night, but will also allow him to be amazed at the same time. He will even compose songs and stories about that ‘man in the moon’ as he will call it,” Jesus continued. “What’s more, our plan includes having the moon’s gravity control the tides; that is the level and movement of the water in the oceans on Earth.”

“Fascinating!” exclaimed Gabriel.

“The possibilities for songs about this new universe are endless!” agreed Allen.

“Awesome!” added Michael.

“Phooey!” could be heard from the group at the back.

“That’s not all,” Jesus testified, “man’s night sky will be filled with meteors and comets and other amazing objects about which he will ponder, make guesses, and seek an understanding. All these things will form a vast legacy in man’s literature, art, and music. This day’s creations will add much aesthetic appreciation to his existence. Everything will work in an orderly fashion following the laws established in nature by my Father and me.”

Gabriel stepped forward then, “Are the positions of the sun and moon set?”

“What do you mean, Gabriel,” God asked.

“Well, in their present locations, calculating their distances from each other and from the Earth and their speeds…” Gabriel hesitated.

“Yes, Gabe? Go on,” Jesus encouraged.

“By my calculations, they will line up every so often with the moon directly between the Earth and sun and other times with the Earth precisely between the sun and moon,” Gabriel explained.

“So what,” uttered Michael impatiently. “What’s your point?”

“His point is,” stated Jesus, “that when the Earth is between the sun and moon, the moon will blot out the sun’s light and the Earth’s sky will seem to darken at the brightest time of the day. Then at night, when the moon is directly on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun, the moon will seem to darken for no apparent reason. This will both scare and baffle man until he gains enough knowledge to understand and explain it.”

“Wow!” exclaimed Michael somewhat under his breath. “What should we call the times when those lining-ups occur?”

“It’s not really our name for them; we just know what man will call them someday. Solar eclipse will be when the moon is the object in the middle and the sun seems to darken during the day; lunar eclipse, when the earth is in the middle and the moon will seem to almost disappear at night.”

“Precise calculations with a logical explanation for everything,” Gabriel stated circumspectly. Then he added the expression he had heard Jesus use at the completion of Day 3. “Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!”

The day’s gathering concluded with Jesus’ farewell, “Thanks to all of you for coming. There will be more later. We’ll let you know when. See you soon.”

Looking over all he and Jesus had made, God reflected, “That is all quite good.”

Most of the crowd dispersed rather rapidly. A few stragglers remained, as if to settle down and stand watch for the next 24 hours in order to confirm this fading in and out of day and night that had been explained, to watch for a possible eclipse, or simply to admire the planets and stars as they twinkled cheerily.

Lucifer and his small group of followers crept into the shadows muttering among themselves. This was assuredly the beginning. “The beginning of the end,” avowed Lucifer.

And there was evening and there was morning – the fourth day.


[to be continued]