The Green Flash

My expectations were climbing higher and higher.  As if on a huge thermal of lift, my hopes soared.  The horizon was fairly clear except for a lone ornery cloud.  That cloud had teased me unmercifully early on, threatening to block my view of the retreating sun.  I grumbled a typical phrase, “That just figures!”, as I continued taking pictures of the pounding surf and silently wished for better luck.  As sunset approached, the cloud reluctantly drifted away from the horizon like a puppy pulled from a chew toy.  Despite the stubbornness displayed, the wispy vapor soon became my ally.  Offering a subtle reflection of reddish-orange color from the escaping sun, the cloud added variety and depth to an already beautiful scene.  As the sun bowed to the encroaching darkness, my hopes and expectations took flight.  I actually started to get nervous as I observed a very distant and clear horizon for the setting sun.  Was this going to be my chance to see a green flash?

Rewind four days earlier.  I had really thought I was going to glimpse a green flash while enroute for a night snorkeling trip.  But, regarding green flashes, it seems the world is against me and fate likes to see me cry.  Boo hoo!  On a gorgeous cloudless evening with perfect mirage-type atmospheric conditions, exactly when the sun waved good night, another boat magically blocked my view.  Really?  Are you kidding me?  Considering the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, and the unobstructed 360 degree views available the majority of the time, it seemed rather ironic that another boat would be in the wrong place at the right time.  Sometimes, irony is my only partner in life.  Grrrrr!  Yet again, my observation of a green flash was not to be.

Over the years, whether standing on top of a mountain, kicking sand on a beach, or pushing air aside at 40,000 feet, I have watched each sunset with a real hope, desire, and expectation to see a green flash.  I would never say that any of that time was waisted.  On the contrary, watching the sun slip beneath the horizon is always a magical and superb way to end the day.  I have seen some stunning sunsets and captured some wonderful memories during those vigils, but I have never seen an elusive green flash.  It has evaded me almost to the point of certain denial of it’s existence.  Based on my past experiences, it would seem that green flashes are not real and do not exist.  However, that assumption would be dead wrong.  A person must be careful about making assumptions based on their own limited experiences.

The green flash is a very real optical phenomena that occurs just as the last portion of the sun’s disk slips out of sight.  The refraction of light through the Earth’s atmosphere bends the light into the spectrum of colors.  The most refracted colors are blue and green.  The blue gets scattered, and then green becomes the dominant and observable color.  Therefore, under the right atmospheric conditions with a long unobstructed view of the horizon, a momentary glimpse of green appears.  Under super rare conditions, the green will “shoot” upwards like a laser.  Usually with a duration of less than a second, it happens fast.  It is advisable not to blink.  The phenomenon can also happen at sunrise, but it is much harder to see because an observer must know exactly where and when the sun is going to appear on the horizon.  Every green flash is different.  Atmospheric layering, particulate contamination, and mirage affects dictate the display.  Some green flashes are much more spectacular and vivid than others.  With magnification, it would be much easier to readily see the green, but magnification of the sun is not safe.  Don’t do it!  With the naked eye, green flashes are a rarity.  They are so rare that an individual should consider himself/herself very fortunate to have seen one in their lifetime.  They do happen, but everything has to be just right to observe it.  Hence the reason I haven’t seen one.  At least not until just now!

This sunset picture was taken with high hopes and expectations.  The following green flash picture, although not the sharpest, was taken with great jubilation.  Even though I had never seen a green flash, I knew it was a real phenomena to behold.  So I kept watching.  I remained patient and persistent.  I continued to eagerly wait.  I stayed faithfully expectant.  And finally, after many years, I was rewarded.

Leading a Christian life can be a lot like waiting for a green flash.  We’ve never seen Jesus, but we wait for His return.  Through God’s inspired Word, we know and believe that Jesus came to Earth as the perfect sacrifice to save us from our sins, that He conquered death through the Resurrection, that He ascended to the right hand of the Father, and “in the twinkling of an eye” He will return.  But we don’t know when.  Some people try to offer dates and times even though the Bible specifically states that “...concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”  (Matthew 24:36 ESV).  Therefore, we must always be ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour we do not expect. (Matthew 24:44 ESV).  So in faith, we stay the course and diligently watch, wait, and, hopefully, pray.

I have always found eschatology (the study of end times) fascinating.  If any time is spent studying “end times” in the Bible, a very controversial topic quickly pokes it’s head up.  Specifically, the topic involves the timing of the rapture relative to the tribulation.  There are a lot of Christians that get “spun up” over the details of the subject.  It can be confusing, and therefore the ongoing debate thrives.  Does the rapture occur pre, mid, or post tribulation?

For the sake of argument and brevity, I will not express my opinion.  It makes little difference what I think amidst the flurry of “very educated” commentaries available on the Net.  The most important point, and the one that should not be missed whether or not the rapture occurs pre, mid, or post tribulation, is that the rapture does take place.  No matter what, there WILL be a rapture or a “taking away” of the believers.

As described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 ESV, “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

Further description of the rapture occurs in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 ESV.  

“Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”

Much like the green flash, the rapture is real, and it will happen fast without warning.  If we are watching and ready, we will be rewarded.  If not, yikes.....  We may not completely understand how or when the rapture takes place.  We may spend a life time looking for and expecting it.  We might even become doubtful of the truth because our patience dwindles or our limited experience breeds discontent, but that is when faith must take root and grow.  The mantras then become; “I believe whether I see or not”, “I will always keep watching”, “I eagerly await His return”, “I will keep an eye on the horizon in faithful expectancy”.  Jesus, Himself, stated, “The servants who are ready and waiting for His return will be rewarded.....He (the Lord) may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn.  But whenever He comes, He will reward the servants who are ready.” (Luke 12:37-38 NLT)

The Scriptures are quite clear regarding the rapture or the “snatching away” of the believers.  If we choose to disregard the truth, and step into the realm of “denial of existence”, we take a very very big risk with our eternal future.  Incontestably, the rapture is only for those believers found in Christ.  If we do not have our lamps burning and full of oil, the bridegroom will shut the door and say, “I do not know you.”

The Bible has several examples of the righteous being removed from the scene before judgement falls including the stories of Noah, Lot, and Rahab.  The final outcome for those “left behind” did not go well.  I would take that “set” precedence to heart.  Missing the rapture of the church is not a wise choice.

Albeit, on a much more positive note, for those faithful watchers that believe and have accepted Jesus Christ into their hearts, the reward will be beyond comprehension.  Stunning, beautiful, and breathtaking do not even begin to describe it.  Faster than a “green flash”, into the clouds we will go.....