As one gazes into the starry heavens, one sees myriads of points of light that vary in brightness and color. They are like jewels set in black velvet. Some are ruby red; some are topaz yellow; some are amethyst violet; some are sapphire blue; and some are white like diamonds. Each one has its own individual characteristic color and brightness. It is an awesome thought that the light from some of these stars has traveled through space for billions of years before we see it; that these tiny photon particles of electromagnetic energy finally arrive here on earth and are converted into a visual image which we call light. Astronomers believe the different colors are an indication of their temperatures. It is analagous to what happens to a piece of iron that is heated in a forge. As the temperature increases, the metal begins to glow red hot; as it becomes hotter, the metal glows brighter until it becomes white hot. Similarly, stars go through an evolutionary cycle in which the star ignites as a glowing red giant such as Antares. This red stage can last up to a billion years before gravitation forces it to contract into a smaller, hotter and more dense yellow star such as our sun. As the star matures, it becomes hotter and more dense and changes to a blue star. Finally, the star becomes a white dwarf.
A white dwarf is not only very bright, but it is also very dense, and it has a very strong gravitational field. Though this star is lovely to behold and quite spectacular in its brilliance, the strong attractive force can sometimes be catastrophic. If left to itself, a white dwarf will burn for eons of time. But occasionally it will pull a nearby star to itself, and the collision and added mass will upset the nuclear equilibrium so as to cause the star to explode in what is called a class-A supernova. The resulting explosion is so great and the energy so intense that for a short time the nova becomes the brightest celestial object and then it disappears forever. However, this is a very infrequent event; the last supernova in our galaxy occurred 300 years ago.
Christians have been likened to stars as they shine forth in the blackness of this dark world of sin. They shine with the light of divine truth as a beacon or as a city on a hill which gives hope and comfort to weary travelers. Just as there are different colored stars, so also there are different hues of Christians. Those new in the faith glow in the warmth of the first love. The more mature Christians shine as amethysts, sapphires, and diamonds. Occasionally one of the brightest lights will allow pride to extinguish their light as in the case of Lucifer, the bright and morning star, but those that turn many to righteousness will be like the stars that shine forever and ever. These shining lights could be called "white hot Christians."
