Grandpa,
I read about the belief that man either came from or had interactions with, benevolent beings from outer space and that there are metals found as far back as ancient Egypt that are proven to have come from other planets. The article did not go into great detail about these metals, or explain how it can be proven they came from other planets. This article tries to explain that the “promised land” of Deut. 8:9 is actually not on this earth.
Grandpa says: Scripture does describe the Promised Land as “…a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.” It is true that modern exploration has found ancient iron mines in Edom, Midian, Transjordanian region, near the Gulf of Aqabah and in the Lebanon Mountains. That is quite a large area of the ancient world. Because the craft of smelting iron requires extremely high heat sources, the iron working craft took a long time to develop. The craft did not really become common until the 13th Century B.C.. That doesn’t mean that the metal was unknown even as far back as the second or third millennium B.C.. Some of the earliest pieces of iron are actually jewelry that has been found in tombs so old that they predate any known time period. Bear in mind that just because modern science cannot establish an age to these tombs, we cannot automatically assume that they are of extra-terrestrial beings. Nor can we rule out that theory. This jewelry is of meteoric iron, fashioned by beating rather than smelting. Meteoric iron, as the name implies, is iron taken from meteors that have hit the earth. It is known to be from meteors because it has nickel in it. Nickel is not found naturally in iron formed here on earth. In both Samaria and Egypt, the name for iron was “heavenly metal”. In ancient Egyptian pyramids dating back as far as the fourth millennium B.C., tools have been recovered that proves the use of meteoric iron in that time. Does any of this ancient iron prove that E.T. and his buddies were partying here on Earth? No. It does prove that man, with his ever-inventive mind can use anything provided to achieve his goals. Even if his goals are to sell fantasy stories.
Grandpa,
When is the proper time to take down Christmas decorations? I say we should leave them up at least until we ring in the new year. My (other half) wanted the tree out of the house by the day after Christmas. How long should decorations stay up?
Grandpa says: Take down the decorations when you get tired of looking at them or before they become a fire hazard, which ever comes first. One other consideration is the safety of the timing of the removal. I wouldn’t be going up on a ladder to remove outdoor decorations in unfavorable weather, for example. Unless your community has rules about how long decorations may remain up, let it be a judgment call on the part of the person actually doing the removal work.
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