Sermon On The Verity Of Jupiter

Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius, a North-African born early Christian author who became an advisor to the Roman emperor Constantine I once remarked: “It is possible that Mount Olympus may have supplied the poets with the hint for saying that Jupiter obtained the kingdom of heaven, because Olympus is the common name both of the mountain and of heaven.” Revelation 13:1-5 reminds us: “And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth.

And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months.”

Wikipedia defines Jupiter as a gas giant, made up of 89% hydrogen, 10% helium, and trace amounts of other elements. It doesn't have a solid surface, and its visible "surface" is made up of clouds of methane and ammonia. Jupiter is the fifth planet from the sun. In astrological terminology, Jupiter is regarded as the largest planet in our solar system. It consists of a mass regarded as two and a half times that of other planets and its diameter is considered eleven times that of earth. The name itself has many connotations and was the former title given to a missile. It has also been used as a code name for a previous military offensive during World War II. In Roman mythology, Jupiter is the appellation for the king of the gods and is associated with a heaven. Jupiter was the entitled chief deity of the Roman state religion during the Republican and Imperial eras. He was regarded as the god of the sky and thunder, and the champion of the Roman people. Jupiter was also known as Jove. The Jupiter-C was a secondary name applied for an American research and development vehicle used in three unmanned sub-orbital space flights during 1956 and 1957.

Some people believe that there is more than one heaven, certain cultures believe in different gods. Many have said that life itself can be a form of heaven, but for most Christians, heaven is an eternal resting place after death, it is not of this life. It is a place filled with happiness earnt through faith and good deeds striven for, where all pain is denied. We do not know its exact location, whether it be on this planet, another planet, in a different universe or perhaps, over the rainbow in an epithet called “somewhere.” All we can be sure of is that it is the main dwelling place of the one and only true God who made heaven and earth and all life within it. Revelation 22:1-5 reminds us: “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.”

Mountains can be prominent in religion. The book of Deuteronomy in the Bible informs us of the story of Moses receiving the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai. Chapter 5:1-7 reminds us: “And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the rules that I speak in your hearing today, and you shall learn them and be careful to do them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. Not with our fathers did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today.

The Lord spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the midst of the fire, while I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord. For you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up into the mountain. He said: “‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “‘You shall have no other gods before me.”