…and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. Revelation 6:13

Asteroid comes from the Greek word Aster meaning star.

In 1801, while making a star map, Italian priest and astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi accidentally discovered the first and largest asteroid, Ceres, orbiting between Mars and Jupiter.

The King James Bible was completed in 1611, almost 200 years before the discovery of asteroids. Therefore, the translation in our Bibles of the Greek word astéras as “star” was made before asteroids were identified.

The asteroid belt is the region of the Solar System located roughly between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter. It is occupied by numerous irregularly shaped bodies called asteroids.

To understand why there is an asteroid belt so close to the earth, we must take look at the pre-flood conditions of Noah’s day.

In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. Genesis 7:11-12

Evidently there were great subterranean chambers of water which belched forth their contents causing volcanism (volcanic eruption) and tectonism (faulting or folding or other deformation of the earth’s crust by plate movements) on a broad scale.

Just as the springs of the great deep were in place to pour our God’s judgment in the days of Noah, so are the asteroids ready to be used for God’s judgment upon the earth before the Lord returns.

I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Revelation 6:12-14

As we parallel the events depicted in Revelation to the words Jesus spoke on the Mount of Olives concerning the sign of his coming.

“Immediately after the distress of those days,” ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'”At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. Matthew 24:29-31

Immediately after the distress of those days:

1. The sun is darkened

2. The moon will not give its light

3. The stars will fall from the sky (asteroids/shooting stars)

At that time:

1. They will see the Son of Man in great glory

2. He will send his angels to gather the elect

The account in the Gospel of Luke tells us that there will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. Men will faint from terror. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud. When these things begin to take place stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

The signs of the coming of the Son of Man take place after the distress of those days (the Great Tribulation). The gathering of the elect by the holy angels takes place after a time of great persecution marked by the prophesied signs appearing in the heavens.