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One of the readers of Or Tzion's web site, Susan O'Connor, wrote me the following: "This message was also included by the sender: you may want to take "the Missing day page off your sight- We don't need to defend the Truth of God with stories that can be proven false.... Love In Him who Saves
Sue"

An article refuting the NASA story is featured at the Answers in Genesis Web site:

  I answered Sue (this is a partial quote): "Who told you that I was 'defending' the Truth of G-d with 'stories' that can be proven false? If you were to read my 'stories' you will find that I love G-d above all, and I do not 'defend' the Truth of G-d with 'stories,' as the Truth is in His Word. However, it is interesting to note that even the most secular, 'intellectual' and scientific' at times discover things for which even they have no 'reasonable,' 'logical' explanation. I love it when archeologists make discoveries that 'prove' the Biblical account of some event and/or place true. G-d reaches in many and varied ways out to the lost, and atheists don't tend to ‘search for G-d' in the Bible. I once was an atheist, and thank G-d, He  reached out to me in a manner in which I - the seeking atheist - could be reached."
               "If folks at NASA discovered somehow the mystery of the 'missing day,' it may well have gotten some of them on the path of 'seeking' after G-d. When I embarked on seeking I did not even call G-d 'God,' I called Him a 'Supernatural Power,' a 'Universal Spirit.' Praise be to G-d that He did not take offense at that, but bearing in mind my utter ignorance He gently led and coaxed me on in my search. Even when I was still reading Edgar Cayce books, thinking them to lead me into the Truth, the Lord was not upset with me nor rebuked me for it. He merely suggested to me to search the books if there was any mention of Yeshua's blood or cross, the very powers by which we have redemption and victory over sin and the adversary. I found neither the blood nor the cross mentioned, so I knew Cayce was false no matter how 'true' he appeared to be."

I thank Sue for calling my attention to the article in "Answers in Genesis" (although the article does not furnish any more "proof" in refuting the NASA story, than the NASA story delivers "solid evidence" of its validity). However, it never was my intention to "defend" the Word of G-d with this NASA story. For is there anything too hard for G-d? Aren't ALL things possible with Him? I have no difficulty with a story that points to G-d's wonderfulness. Even if the story is thought up - can it demote G-d's greatness? Cynics, sceptics and haters of G-d will always try to discredit G-d's Word. Does this depreciate G-d's Word? He was, is and always will be the King of the Universe!

Creationists try to "defend" the Genesis account of 6 days of creation, claiming these days to have been 24-hour days. They insist that the age of the earth is a bare 6000 literal years, an assertion that flies in the face of irrefutable evidence, including Genesis 2:4, "These are the GENERATIONS  (Heb. "toledot") of the heavens and the earth when they were created." The ice ages alone, which undeniably covered various parts of the earth, render the premise of mere 6000 years untenable. So what? Does this cause the Genesis account to become untrue and G-d's creative omni-potence doubtful? 

Creationists want to believe that G-d created the earth in 6 literal 24-hour days, and that our planet is not older than 6000 literal years. Fine! Although scientists may find this thought incompatible with facts and the belief in a divine Creator, nothing is impossible with G-d. However, for G-d having set into motion this whole incredible creation by means of His spoken Word and "generations" of growth and development is an explanation even a scientist can come to believe. 

One of the greatest minds of our time, Albert Einstein, ultimately reached the conclusion that apart from an omniscient Creator, an Almighty G-d, the unfathomable intelligence and understanding, wisdom and knowledge inherent in all of creation is unexplainable and simply  impossible. Creation declares and proves G-d’s existence!²⁸

The NASA story cannot undo the eternal validity and force of G-d's Word nor the reality of His existence. Though a "story" that cannot be “proven” true --- does this now nullify the account in Joshua? No! For the Almighty is sovereign and still in control of His awesome creation²⁹, with or without NASA!J

Hence - here is the controversial "story": A Mr. Harold Hill, allegedly President of a company  - Curtis Engine Company in Baltimore, Maryland - that appears not to exist, and a consultant in the space Program relates the following development. "I think one of the most amazing things that G-d has for us today happened recently to our astronauts and space scientists at Greenbelt, Maryland. They were checking the position of the sun, moon, and planets out in space where they would be 100 years and 1000 years from now. We have to know this so we won't send a satellite up and have it bump into something later on in its orbits.”

They ran the computer measurement back and forth over the centuries – until the computer stopped and put up a red signal. There was something wrong either with the information fed into it or with the results as compared to the standards.

They called in the service department to check out what was wrong. They found there is a day missing in space in elapsed time, and they could not find the answer to that mystery. Finally, a Christian man on the team remembered the story about the sun standing still. They wanted “proof”, so the man got a Bible and there they found, in the book of Joshua, the Lord saying to Joshua, "Fear them not, I have delivered them into thy hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee." Joshua was concerned about the approaching darkness before victory was conclusive. So Joshua prayed, and - "The sun stood still and the moon stayed - and hasted not to go down about a whole day!"³⁰

"There is the missing day!" They checked the computers going back into the time it was written and found it was close but not close enough. The elapsed time that was missing back in Joshua's day was 23 hours and 20 minutes - not a whole day.

They read the Bible and there it was --- "about (approximately) a day (Heb. k’yom)." EVERY Word in the Bible is important! But they were still in trouble, because if they could not account for 40 minutes the satellite project would still be in jeopardy 1,000 years from now. Forty minutes had to be found because it can be multiplied many times over in orbit.

The Christian employee remembered it written somewhere in the Bible that the sun went BACKWARDS. The scientists, though full of disbelief, searched the Bible one more time and read the story in 2 Kings of King Hezekiah on his deathbed pleading with the prophet Isaiah to intercede on his behalf to G-d. G-d granted it. Hezekiah wanted a sign for proof, so Isaiah asked "Do you want the sun to go ahead 10 degrees?" Hezekiah said "It is nothing for the sun to go ahead 10 degrees, but let the shadow return backward 10 degrees." Isaiah spoke to the Lord and the Lord brought the shadow ten degrees BACKWARD!³¹

Ten degrees is exactly 40 minutes! Twenty-three hours and 20 minutes in Joshua, plus 40 minutes in Second Kings make the missing day in the universe!" Isn't it amazing?

Indeed, even if the story was invented - for it sounds fantastic enough (although the stories of the sun standing still and the sun-dial going back 10 degrees are equally “fantastic”), as does the alleged satellite project 1000 years from now, since the satellite would be obsolete - it still points to an omniscient, omnipotent G-d. Let G-d be true though every man be false³². 

May this "story" nevertheless motivate us to stay on alert, keeping our hearts, minds and souls ready and pure for the Appearance of our Savior and Lord, Yeshua HaMashiach. And may He who is able to keep us until that Day, watch over you and preserve you without spot, blemish or wrinkle, for the blessed Kingdom of His and our Father.

Yours in Him in His steadfast love,

Annelore