The Weather and God's Warnings

In 2004, 4 major hurricanes hit the state of Florida. The city of New Orleans was destroyed by a hurricane in 2005. Drought conditions seem to be worsening each year throughout the United States. Wildfires are increasing in regularity throughout the western U.S. Thunderstorms and tornadoes now develop well into November. In October and November 2005, tornadoes ripped across the Midwest causing extensive damage in Indiana and Kentucky. Summer heat waves are becoming the norm as global temperatures continue to rise. The last decade has been the hottest on record for the world. The following article appeared today, December 3, 2006, on the Reuters news wire:

“Flowers are blooming on the slopes of Alpine ski resorts and bears are having trouble hibernating in Siberia amid a late start to winter that may be a portent of global warming. Rare December pollen is troubling asthma sufferers as far north as Scandinavia, sales of winter clothing are down and Santa Claus has to reassure children his sleigh will take off on Christmas Eve, snow or no snow. From Siberia to Estonia, bears have had trouble going to sleep for their winter hibernation because their hideaways are uncomfortably warm, soggy and damp. Renowned for frosty winters, Moscow started the calendar winter on December 1 with the warmest December day since records began in 1879 -- 4.5 degrees Celsius (40.1 Fahrenheit). From Ottawa to Moscow, temperatures have been way above average at the start of the winter in the northern hemisphere -- with exceptions including a rare snowstorm in Dallas, Texas. Like many places, Austria has had the mildest autumn since records began and many ski resorts have delayed the season's start. Many scientists say a single warm winter is most likely part of the natural variations of an unpredictable climate. Still, years of mild temperatures fit predictions of global warming, widely blamed on human use of fossil fuels.”

I’ve seen a documentary showing how polar bear populations are declining in the northern Arctic due to thawing ice. Glaciers the world over are now receding at levels that are unprecedented in modern times. The strongest Hurricane ever recorded (Wilma) formed in 2005. Whether or not you believe in global warming, something is definitely changing within our world. If you’re like me, you get an uneasy feeling about what the future holds for us. What, exactly, is going on with our climate?

Have you noticed that as our world’s political climate seems less stable (terrorism, wars, etc), the world’s weather also seems less stable? The world will tell you that there is no way the two are related. Weather is weather, and people will be people. How can the weather be, in any way, related to the overall instability of the world? If you look at the world and our weather through natural, worldly eyes – you will never see a correlation. Look at the weather and the world through spiritual eyes – sight given to you through God’s power, and you begin to see a definite correlation. Once again, you must read the Lord’s Word and you must pray to receive true knowledge and wisdom. Let’s take a look at what the Bible says about God’s warnings and what His Word says about weather during the last days.

Does the Bible tell us that God warns before judgment? Yes. The following is Chapter 4 from the Book of Amos.

‘Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, "Bring us some drinks!" The Sovereign LORD has sworn by his holiness: "The time will surely come when you will be taken away with hooks, the last of you with fishhooks. You will each go straight out through breaks in the wall, and you will be cast out toward Harmon," declares the LORD. "Go to Bethel and sin; go to Gilgal and sin yet more. Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three years. Burn leavened bread as a thank offering and brag about your freewill offerings— boast about them, you Israelites, for this is what you love to do," declares the Sovereign LORD. ……"I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain; another had none and dried up. People staggered from town to town for water but did not get enough to drink, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD. "Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards, I struck them with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD.…..He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth— the LORD God Almighty is his name.’ (Amos Chapter 4)

This chapter begins with the Lord describing many of the women of Israel. They were rich, reveled in drunkenness and oppressed the poor. They were not living according to the Word and Laws of the Lord. They offered sacrifices to the Lord and occasionally gave tithes – and bragged about it. The Lord is telling us that these meant nothing to Him because they were living lives of sin, pride and arrogance. They took pleasure in sin and boasted about their religious devotion in front of men. They continued to sin against God even after numerous warnings from the Lord. After Israel was conquered, Assyrian pictures engraved on stone portray prisoners being led away with ropes tied to hooks in their nose or lips. The wealthy women of Israel’s capital were led away in judgment like cattle. These words ring true for us today. This chapter in Amos shows us that the Lord will use weather to warn a nation to return to Him. I believe that He is using it to warn the United States and I believe that He’s using it to tell the world that the end of this evil age is upon us.

In Mathew, Chapter 16, I believe that Jesus gives us a clue as to how to read the times in which we live:

‘The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, "When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,' and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah." Jesus then left them and went away.’ (Mathew 16:2-4)

Jesus is obviously speaking to the fact that the Pharisees could not see that He was the Son of God. Although they were good at predicting the weather, they could not interpret the times in which they lived. Because they were not close to God, they could not see where they were on God’s timetable and His plan for salvation. They were speaking directly to God and couldn’t see it. This certainly applies to us today. With all of our technological advances, we know more about the natural world than ever before, but we’re still blind to the times in which we live. I believe that the clue to us in this message is Christ’s mention of the weather to the Pharisees, His mention of a ‘miraculous sign’ and most importantly, His mention of Jonah. Many attribute Jesus’ reference to Jonah to mean that He would be crucified and resurrected on the 3rd day, in the same way that Jonah spent 3 days in the belly of a whale. This is certainly true, but I believe there is more to His reference to Jonah. Other than the three days that Jonah spent in the whale, what is another sign mentioned in this Book? A storm.

‘The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. The captain went to him and said, "How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish." Then the sailors said to each other, "Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity." They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. So they asked him, "Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?" He answered, "I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land." This terrified them and they asked, "What have you done?" (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.) The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, "What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?" "Pick me up and throw me into the sea," he replied, "and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you." Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. Then they cried to the LORD, "O LORD, please do not let us die for taking this man's life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O LORD, have done as you pleased." Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him. But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.’ (Jonah Chapter 1)

So, Jonah was running from the Lord (rebelling) and the Lord used a storm to turn him around. Meteorologists will tell you that the increasing number and strength of hurricanes in recent years is cyclical. The U.S. is simply experiencing a cyclical ‘upswing’ in the number of hurricanes hitting its shores. At the same time, we seem to be getting hit with an increasing number of wildfires, torrential rains, floods and severe thunderstorms (with devastating tornadoes) that now extend into November. At the same time that our weather is becoming more intense, we’re facing an enemy that we can’t fight effectively. The ‘war on terror’ has no end in sight. Our leaders tell us it may never end. The war in Iraq is getting worse with no end in sight. What about our economy? It seems that the stock market and our economy are going along just fine. Are they? How long can we sustain a 9 trillion dollar deficit before the bubble bursts? If you read the Old Testament, there is one thing that always seems to precede the Lord’s judgment – prosperity. So, at the same time as our weather seems to be getting more unstable, the world’s political landscape also seems to be much more unstable.

The story of Jonah also tells us that even though the Lord may pronounce judgment, a city or nation can repent and be spared His wrath. ‘The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.’ (Jonah 3:5). ‘When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened’ (Jonah 3:10). The question we need to ask is this – does our nation realize that it needs to repent and return to God? Is it asking for forgiveness? It doesn’t take much contemplation to realize that the answer to both questions is no.

How many times do we hear someone today asking for a sign from God? His signs are all around us, but you’ll never see them unless you believe in Jesus, pray for wisdom and come close to the Lord. God’s warnings are not limited to the political instability in our world. They extend to everything in the world, including our weather. I believe that both the stability of the nations in our world and our climate will continue to deteriorate as we near the end of this age.

Let’s take a look at some instances where I believe the U.S. has definitely been warned. John McTernan published a book in 2001 entitled God’s Final Warning to America. John has done extensive research into natural disasters, financial collapses and how they relate to how America has turned away from God. I am only going to list a few examples here from John’s book.

1. On Thursday, September 21, 1989, the Washington Post had a front-page article about Hurricane Hugo approaching the United States. The Hurricane was expected to make landfall on Friday (the next day). The Washington Post also had another front page article on September 21st relating to abortion. This article said that the Bush administration only had until Friday (the next day) to make oral arguments before the Supreme Court in the Hodgson vs. Minnesota case. The oral argument was for the possibility of overturning Roe vs. Wade. The oral argument was never made and Roe vs. Wade was not overturned. On Friday, September 22, 1989, Hurricane Hugo slammed into Charleston, South Carolina, causing tremendous damage to the city and the entire state.
2. On June 28, 1992, hundreds of thousands of homosexuals and their supporters attended national Gay Pride day parades across America. On the very morning of Gay Pride day, the fourth and ninth most powerful earthquakes this century in the U.S. hit southern California. These quakes were so powerful, their effects were felt as far away as Idaho. The Los Angeles Times actually reported that the marchers had to brave the earthquakes to get to the Gay Pride day parade.
3. During the late winter and early spring of 1993, heavy rains fell on the Midwest. The Mississippi and Missouri rivers rose and approached flood stage. By mid-June the rivers were at flood stage. On June 25, shipping was halted on the Mississippi river. As Gay Pride day, June 27, 1993, approached, the rains increased until USA Today reported: “Then the skies opened up on June 19-21 filling the tributaries; and on June 25-27, finally putting the rivers over their banks.” The Mississippi and Missouri rivers actually began flooding on the weekend of Gay Pride day. The Great Flood of 1993, the worst in American history, started on Gay Pride day. The flood resulted in over $15 billion in damage.
4. During September, 1994, Vice President Al Gore represented the United States at the World Population Control Conference in Cairo, Egypt. As expected, he promoted abortion as a method of birth control. Abortion was promoted as a universal right. On September 12, the next to the last day of the conference, a powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake rocked southern California. This was the eleventh most powerful earthquake to hit the U.S. this century.
5. On May 20, 1996, the headlines of the New York Times read, “Worst drought since ‘30’s grips Plains”. The article reported how a powerful drought had gripped the Midwest and western sections of the country. The article pinpointed October 1995 as when the drought started. October 1995 was also designated as Gay/Lesbian History Month by the National Teachers Association. This association passed a resolution for every school district in the nation to observe October as Gay/Lesbian History Month.
6. On February 25, 1997, the U.S. Senate passed legislation to release $385 million overseas into 100 countries for “family planning”. Pro-life forces in the Senate tried to stop the release of the funds because some of the money could be used for abortion. The Clinton Administration backed this release of funds and pushed the date of release of the funds to March 1. On March 1, the legislation was signed into law, and the money released. On the very next day, powerful tornadoes roared across Texas into Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky. The storm stalled over Ohio, and torrential rains caused record flooding on the Ohio River.

I have mentioned Homosexuality a couple of times. Does this mean that God hates homosexuals? No. He hates the sin of homosexuality. In the same way that He hates the sin of pride, worship of wealth or the killing of the unborn. Jesus will forgive anyone if they will turn away from their sin and embrace Him. John McTernan mentions many other examples where severe weather and/or economic events coincided with our acceptance of abortion and homosexual activities. All of this doesn’t mean that if your house is hit by a tornado, you have somehow offended God. We live in a fallen world and Jesus made it clear that tribulations will happen to both believers and unbelievers. The difference is whether we have built our lives on Him and how we respond to these tribulations. I do believe, however, that God is making it clear that our support of abortion and our open acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle are unacceptable to Him. How long will we receive warnings before they turn into His judgment? Only He knows. I feel very strongly that we have passed the point of no return. I believe that the Lord has now determined that the only way to remove the sin from our nation is through judgment.

So, the final piece of this is – does Bible prophecy mention weather in our future? The answer is yes. One of God’s final judgments on the world speaks of the weather. ‘The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him’ (Revelation 16:8-9). It sounds like things are going to get very hot on this planet. We see the trends today, but where does it end? We can debate the causes in our natural world (greenhouse gases, fossil fuels, etc) for the increase in global temperature, but the truth is that this world is heading for a period of time where it is going to be very unpleasant – both from wars and from the weather. As the world turns farther away from God, our spiritual enemy will continue to increase his influence. Each of us much choose whether to fight our enemy and proclaim the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ or sit on the sidelines and watch the world’s decline from the sidelines.

Exponential Growth in a Finite World

The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function. ~Dr. Albert Bartlett

In the previous post, we reviewed the United State’s monetary system and how that system has placed our money supply, debt, inflation, and overall economic growth on exponential curves. We reviewed who is behind this system and why it was created. We also demonstrated that this monetary system has been adopted the world over by every major world power. There are now only a few nations throughout the world who do not have a central bank and debt-based monetary system that is growing exponentially (Not coincidentally - Iraq and Afghanistan were two of them). In case you haven’t read the previous post, I have included graphs below that show the growth of our money supply and Federal debt. It’s not hard to see that both are growing exponentially – and it’s easy to see that we are now on the steep inclines of an exponential curve in both cases. The previous discussion explained why these trends cannot continue indefinitely without a collapse of our economic system.

As I began studying and praying about these things over the past 3 years, I began to wonder – is the world’s monetary system the only thing following exponential growth? The answer, not surprisingly, is – no. What you are about to see is that many systems present in the world today are growing exponentially – not just our monetary and economic systems. You will also see – similar to our monetary system – that all of these systems are now climbing the steep incline of an exponential curve.

In this post, we’re going to take a look at some of the systems in the world today that are growing exponentially and what it means for our future. You will also see – similar to our monetary system – that the exponential growth of these systems is going to cause us serious problems in the very near future. You may ask – what does this have to do with Bible prophecies? How can studying exponential functions help us understand the Lord’s prophecies? After all, this is just math! You’re probably thinking that you didn’t like math in high school/college – and you don’t like it now. In this case, math gives us some very important clues to our future. You probably thought that your high school math teacher was crazy when he or she told you that math has practical ‘real world’ applications. I’m here to tell you that your teacher was more correct than even they knew. The truth is that we can see significant mathematical trends in the world today and how they relate to Bible prophecy if we will take the time to pay attention. I believe that the Lord has made it very clear what is happening in the world and why – if we’d only pay attention to Him and what is happening in our world. If you’ve read my posts on the judgments of Revelation, then you know that the Lord has given us warnings about our future in His Word – warnings regarding our oceans, atmosphere, earth’s temperature, plant life, famine, drinking water, etc. You’re about to see how exponential growth in the world today is pointing to serious problems regarding all of these things.

As you read through this post, you will probably ask yourself - why couldn’t I see this before? These things seem obvious – why couldn’t I see them? Remember, as always, that the world’s spiritual ruler tries to suppress the truth at all costs. How is your knowledge of Bible prophecy? How’s your Biblical knowledge? The truth is that most of us lack the Biblical knowledge required (I was certainly included) to know how events in the world today relate to God’s Word. This is not by accident. Our enemy has very deceptively led us away from the truth – just focus on your life in the here and now – and has blinded us to what is really happening in the world. Satan will always focus us on short term gains – not the long term consequences of our actions. When it comes to sin, we can certainly see this in our own lives – the consequences of making wrong choices and disobeying God. What we haven’t paid attention to – is how wrong choices will affect us on a worldwide scale.

Let’s start by looking at the most important exponential curve in the world today. The world’s population growth. The world’s population has averaged just over 1% growth throughout our history, so it has taken some time to turn the corner. It’s not hard to see that we are now on the steep incline of an exponential growth curve.

What affect has this had on the world? Resources the world over are strained (food, water, energy, etc) – and pollution is becoming a serious issue the world over. What has human population growth done to animal species throughout the world? They’re becoming extinct – at an exponential rate. It is estimated that 1/3 of the world’s species will become extinct by 2050 (Thomas et al., 2004 (Nature 427:145-148)).

(Source: Dr. Edward Wilson)

How could this trend relate to Bible prophecies? Before we answer this question, let’s take a look at another graph.

In 1950, the world’s fish catch equaled approximately 20 million metric tons. In 2002, the world’s fish catch equaled approximately 90 million metric tons. What affect is this having on overall fish stocks? It is reported that approximately 75% of the major marine fish stocks are either depleted, over exploited or being fished at their biological limit (Source: UN FAO FISHSTAT Database). World fish stocks are plummeting. Take a look at what is happening in the North Atlantic. There has been a 90% decline in predatory fish populations.

What is one of the final judgments on the world?

“The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died.” (Revelation 16:3)

Today, we can see that pollution, global warming and over-fishing trends are having adverse effects on sea life (see other links on my website relating to coral death, ocean dead zones, melting arctic ice, wildfires, etc.) – and we see where the Lord tells us in His Word about these things. It should not surprise us that these things are happening on a worldwide scale.

Let’s take a look at other trends following the same exponential growth curve as the world’s population. What is happening to our atmosphere as the world’s population increases exponentially? Greenhouse gases (Carbon Dioxide, Methane, etc) are increasing exponentially.

The following charts show us carbon dioxide emissions from human activities. Once again, we see the exponential curve.

It’s easy to see that the U.S. is the biggest contributor to carbon emissions (charts below). Based on what we’ve learned about our economic system (requiring ever-increasing amounts of resources to sustain the system), this shouldn’t surprise us. With only 5% of the world’s population, we consume 25% of the world’s resources and use approximately 50% of the world’s gasoline. We constantly hear how China’s growing economy is contributing to greenhouse gases, but if you view the data – it’s not hard to understand why China doesn’t really want to hear our concerns. We’re not doing anything about it – why should they?

If we view CO2 concentrations over the past 1,000 years, we see the affects of human population on our atmosphere – and the growth trend is definitely exponential.

What about methane? Methane is another greenhouse gas that could also affect our atmosphere over time – to an even larger degree. As you can see – methane is also increasing at an exponential rate. Methane concentration in our atmosphere has increased approximately 150% since 1750.

What are the possible long term consequences of increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane? There is one, overriding concern. It’s easy to see in the following graph. This graph shows the relationship of greenhouse gas concentrations to earth’s temperature.

It’s easy to observe that global temperatures move in line with carbon dioxide concentrations. When CO2 concentrations increase – global temperatures increase as well. The problem is that we’re entering uncharted territory. Global atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations are expected to rise to levels we have never seen. Based on past trends, it’s certainly possible that global temperatures will follow this trend upward.

If we look at just the past 150 years – what do we see? We see the beginning of an exponential curve for both carbon dioxide emissions and global surface temperatures.

What affect will global temperature increases have on our oceans?

We can see that ocean temperatures are heading in the same direction. Ocean temperature rise results in coral bleaching, sea level rise and loss of sea ice. As I mentioned in another post, if ocean temperatures rise six degrees Celsius, there is a very real possibility that our oceans will become marine wastelands – unable to support life.

We see these temperature trends – does anything in the Bible warn us about this? Absolutely.

“The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.” (Revelation 16:8-9)

What other problems could increased temperatures create in our world? Deserts could spread across the globe, fresh water supplies could become even more scarce and food production could be significantly reduced. Are all of these things mentioned in the Bible? Yes – see other posts on the judgments of Revelation for a complete review.

World per capita cereal production, 1961–2000

World cereal yield, 1961–2000

The above graphs shows world cereal production per capita and world cereal yield. How much more land do we have in the world to grow food? How much more yield can we extract out of existing farmland? You’ll notice that the per capita trend above is beginning to decline as our population increases. We see the same trends for other food – corn, livestock, etc.

If we consider that the world’s population is increasing exponentially and we consider the possible impact of a changing climate – it’s easy to see that it will be very difficult for world food production to keep pace with the needs of the world’s population.

We could continue to look at other trends – world oil consumption, world energy needs, etc. – and see the same exponential curves. We could look at literally hundreds of graphs – and see that each one is approaching the near vertical phase of an exponential curve. What does this mean for us? My personal belief is that these exponential growth curves are not mere coincidences. I believe it’s yet another way that our Creator is giving us a message. A message that we are nearing the end of this present evil age.

There is something that we all need to keep in mind as we consider these trends and how they relate to Bible prophecy. Almost all of these exponential growth rates are a direct result of the exponential growth of the world’s population. If you study the illuminati and their plans for world government – you’ll find that population control is one of their priorities. They are very aware of the trends we have discussed here and are planning to solve the problem. This is why the Lord gives us information regarding this world government – its actions are evil.

“Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon.” (Revelation 13:11)

Here are a couple of excellent articles/videos relating to exponential growth and current trends:

http://globalpublicmedia.com/transcripts/645

http://www.chrismartenson.com/exponential_growth

http://www.chrismartenson.com/compounding_is_the_problem

http://www.chrismartenson.com/growth_vs_prosperity

Rising Temperatures Harm Ocean Plant Life - July 28 2010

Today – articles like the one below are probably interesting to most people – but not really concerning.  Maybe the earth is warming – maybe not.  Maybe a rise in sea temperature will cause long term damage – maybe not. Maybe these things will cause serious problems during my lifetime – but probably not.

The human race has always been stubborn - extremely short sighted – and many times – just plain lazy. People started smoking for years because certain corporations said it was A-OK – there were no ‘official’ studies that ever linked smoking to cancer. Did we really think that inhaling smoke and toxic fumes into our lungs would have no long term effects on our health?  Probably not – but we liked smoking – so we did it anyway – and the long term consequences have been catastrophic to many of us.

Do we really believe that eating fast food and drinking sugar laden soda will not adversely affect our health?  Probably not – but we like how it tastes – so we do it anyway – and the long term consequences have been catastrophic for the health of our nation.

Do we really believe that our economy can grow forever in a finite world?  Not really – but every generation for the past 100 years has believed that they could pass the problem to the next – until now.  Now – our generation gets to witness the long term consequences of placing our faith with the world and its leaders.

Do we really believe that we can take millions upon millions of tons of hydrocarbons out of the earth – and throw them up in the atmosphere without consequences?  Not really – but like many of our decisions – we don’t think about the long term consequences of our actions.  For most of us – it’s all about the here and now.  If it makes my life easier today to ignore the truth of what my decision may do long term – I’m A-OK with it.  We tell ourselves that a decision that may hurt others – either now or in the future – is fine if it somehow benefits me. 

While we are living a sinful life – we don’t like to think that there is a righteous God who will someday judge us for what we have done – so we simply tell ourselves He doesn’t exist – and the problem is solved.  We tell ourselves the lie that we were somehow created out of nothing – by no one.  We ignore the small, quiet voice in our minds telling us that this can’t possibly be true – that it is impossible that something as complex and magnificent as the earth and the life on it could be created from a void by some cosmic accident.  Even though the odds of this happening by chance are so great that it cannot accurately be calculated – we like living apart from God and His laws – so we embrace the world and its sinful ways.

We love to ignore the truth when it is unpleasant or we simply don’t like it or if it costs us something. Ignoring the truth is leading us to our destruction and the destruction of the earth.  This isn’t hypothetical or some exercise in philosophy – the Bible tells us that at the end of our reign during this evil age – the earth will be laid waste.  The signs are growing more ominous – and few are paying attention.

Will our nation embrace the truth in time?

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)

http://endtimediscussions.wordpress.com/2006/09/12/the-judgments-of-revelation-summary/

jg – July 28, 2010

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JULY 28, 2010, 2:02 P.M. ET

Rising Temperatures Harm Ocean Plant Life, Research Finds

By GAUTAM NAIK

Wall St. Journal

Rising temperatures can have a harmful effect on the tiny plant life that forms the base of the marine food chain and also likely affects marine diversity, new research has found.

Over the years, humans have stressed the oceans through pollution, over-fishing and habitat alteration such as dredging. Less well understood is the role of higher sea temperatures, which many scientists believe is linked to global climate change. Estimates suggest that the oceans have warmed a total of roughly half a degree Celsius on average over the past century.

Two studies, both published in the journal Nature, offer insight into some effects of a warming ocean. One finds a strong link between higher sea-surface temperatures and a major decline in phytoplankton, or ocean algae, over the past century. The second study concludes that warmer seas can influence marine diversity. In the long run, this may rearrange the global distribution of ocean life.

Oceanographers have long debated whether the oceans are getting more, or less, green with algae. Key to the debate is phytoplankton, microscopic plant life that forms the base of the marine food chain, from crustaceans to fish, and ultimately humans. The algae have increased in many coastal areas because increased runoff from rivers brings nutrients that the algae flourish on. Here blooms can be bad, because they release toxins or otherwise damage marine life. But no one has measured the long-term abundance in the global oceans.

Consistent satellite-based measurements exist only from 1997 onward. For a longer view, scientists at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada, used data obtained with a simple oceanography device known as a secchi.

Since the late 1800s, scientists globally have routinely used this disk, which is lowered into the water until it can no longer be seen. The measured depth of the device provides an estimate of water clarity. For most of the ocean, it is a proxy measure of phytoplankton abundance.

By collating and analyzing about half a million secchi observations, plus other direct measurements of algae, the Dalhousie team estimated that phytoplankton levels declined about 1% of the global average each year from 1899 onward. The data are more carefully maintained and more reliable for recent decades, translating into a 40% decline in algae since 1950.

A decline is worrisome because phytoplankton generate roughly half of all organic matter—the building-block of life—on the planet. The team investigated several factors that could have caused the decline, including wind intensity, cyclical climate changes, and sea-surface temperature. "We found that temperature had the best power to explain the changes," said Boris Worm, a marine biologist at Dalhousie and co-author of the study.

Marine algae live in the upper layers of the ocean but rely on nutrients that circulate up from lower layers. Rising temperatures means less mixing in the water, so fewer nutrients reach the algae. However, Dr. Worm notes that algal abundance can be affected by other factors, such as shifts in predator-prey populations.

Mike Behrenfeld, an expert on phytoplankton who has read the Nature paper, said it was similar to a 1992 study which also used secchi data to show a long-term decline in marine algae in the north Pacific. "But this paper covers the globe," said Dr. Behrenfeld of Oregon State University. "And the scientists also took the next step of relating the [algal decline] to sea temperatures."

Another team of scientists, including Dr. Worm, mapped the diversity of marine life on a broad scale. One surprise finding was that while coastal marine species showed greater diversity at the equator, the diversity of oceanic species peaked in the mid-latitudes. That's unlike terrestrial diversity, which largely peaks at the tropics.

The researchers also analyzed possible links between the global distribution of 11,000 marine species—big and small—to such environmental factors as temperature, oxygen levels and habitat availability. The study builds on the decade-long effort by the Census of Marine Life to compile occurrence records for marine species. For all species types, only one factor showed a consistent correlation to diversity: sea temperature.

It's not clear what this means globally, though. When the water warms, some species may move elsewhere, reducing the diversity of their original habitat. Creatures that can't move may come under environmental stress or die off, also altering the ecosystem.

"While a changing climate is likely to lead to a change in patterns of diversity, we don't have the data yet to know what this response might look like," said Derek P. Tittensor, marine ecologist at Dalhousie and co-author of the second Nature paper, which analyzed marine diversity.

Meanwhile, other scientists are trying to assess how sea creatures respond to declining oxygen levels, caused by pollution or natural factors. Most of the 400 oxygen-depleted "dead zones" identified by scientists so far are near areas of human impact. Together, they cover an area of 96,500 square miles (250,000 square kilometers).

When oxygen levels drop, animals in the area fight for what's left. Many don't survive. A team of scientists from the University of Vienna lowered a plexiglass box to the Adriatic sea floor and used a time-lapse camera to document how various creatures inside responded as oxygen levels dropped.

A future catalog of such behaviors could help scientists identify areas in the ocean where oxygen depletion is underway. Some of the results will be published in Marine Ecology Progress Series, a scientific journal.

Scientists Affirm Warming Trend - July 29 2010

We’re nearing the time when God’s signs will be undeniable.

This is our future.

“The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died.” (Revelation 16:3)

“The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.” (Revelation 16:4)

“The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.” (Revelation 16:8-9)

jg – July 29, 2010

______________________

JULY 28, 2010, 4:33 P.M. ET

Scientists Affirm Warming Trend

WASHINGTON—Scientists from around the world provided more evidence of global warming, in the annual State of the Climate report.

Compiled by more than 300 scientists from 48 countries, the report said its analysis of 10 indicators that are "clearly and directly related to surface temperatures, all tell the same story: Global warming is undeniable.''

Concern about rising temperatures has been growing in recent years as atmospheric scientists report rising temperatures associated with greenhouse gases released into the air by industrial and other human processes. At the same time, some skeptics have questioned the conclusions.

The new report, the 20th in a series, focuses only on global warming and does not specify a cause.

"The evidence in this report would say unequivocally yes, there is no doubt,'' that the Earth is warming, said Tom Karl, the transitional director of the planned NOAA Climate Service.

Deke Arndt, chief of the Climate Monitoring Branch at the National Climatic Data Center, noted that the 1980s was the warmest decade up to that point, but each year in the 1990s was warmer than the '80s average. But each year in the 2000s has been warmer than the '90s average, so the 2000s are now the warmest decade on record, he said.

The new report noted that continuing warming will threaten coastal cities, infrastructure, water supply, health and agriculture.

"At first glance, the amount of increase each decade—about a fifth of a degree Fahrenheit—may seem small,'' the report said. "But,'' it adds, "the temperature increase of about 1 degree Fahrenheit experienced during the past 50 years has already altered the planet. Glaciers and sea ice are melting, heavy rainfall is intensifying and heat waves are becoming more common and more intense.''

Last month was the warmest June on record and this year has had the warmest average temperature for January-June since record keeping began, NOAA reported last week.

The new climate report, released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and published as a supplement to the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, focused on 10 indicators of a warming world, seven which are increasing and three declining.

Rising over decades are average air temperature, the ratio of water vapor to air, ocean heat content, sea surface temperature, sea level, air temperature over the ocean and air temperature over land.

Indicators that are declining are snow cover, glaciers and sea ice. The 10 were selected "because they were the most obviously related indicators of global temperature,'' said Peter Thorne of the Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites, who helped develop the list when at the British weather service, known as the Met Office.

The judgments of Revelation - Part 1

As you’ve read through this blog, at some point you’ve probably wondered about the judgments contained in the Book of Revelation. Even if you’ve never read the Bible, chances are that you’ve heard about these judgments. They are often quoted by prophecy teachers and whether you realize it or not, they are often used in Hollywood movies (The Seventh Sign, The Reaping, etc). In the Left Behind series of books, they figure prominently in the storyline. As I’ve mentioned before, most of the time, you will be told that the judgments described in Revelation should be taken literally and that they will all take place during a seven year period of time in the future. We’ve already shown that a future 7 year period of tribulation is a myth – not supported by Scripture. Should we take the judgments literally? Will rivers and oceans turn to blood? Will a third of the earth’s vegetation burn up in an instant? The answer is that I believe we can take some of them literally (the results of the judgments), while others are certainly symbolic. The truth is that many of the judgments are present in our world today. You probably haven’t noticed because either you’ve never read Revelation or you haven’t paid much attention because you expected a secret rapture to take you away before the world experienced them. I’m about to show you that some of them are certainly here today, while others are yet to come. This discussion of the judgments of Revelation will be ongoing since I believe that many of them will be poured out on the earth at a future time (but not within a 7 year period). I also believe that we will gain additional wisdom that will allow us to correctly interpret these prophecies as we come closer to the end of this age.

Let’s start with the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Again, even if you’ve never read the Bible, chances are you’ve heard of them. They are most often described as precursors of death and destruction at some future point in history. The horsemen are described in Revelation chapter 6:

"I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.” (Revelation 6:1-2)

Many prophecy teachers today tell us that the rider on the white horse is an evil future world leader – the antichrist. As we’ve already shown, the Bible does not point to one future antichrist in the form of a man, so this interpretation cannot be correct. This rider has a crown and a bow, signifying that this rider represents kings or kingdoms with military power. This rider is a conqueror focused on power and conquest. Are these verses pointing to one person – one king or one antichrist? I believe the answer is no. I believe that these verses are describing the human quest for power and glory throughout our history. Have we been bent on conquering each other? Absolutely. Throughout human history, kingdoms have risen and kingdoms have fallen, but we continue to pursue power through conquering other nations. Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, England, France, Nazi Germany, Japan, the Soviet Union, the Illuminati – the list goes on and on. This rider is certainly present in the world today….and has been in the world for centuries.

“When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!" Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword.” (Revelation 6:3-4)

While the rider on the white horse has political and military power and is ‘bent on conquest’, the rider of the red horse makes actual conquest possible. He takes peace from the earth and makes men kill each other. So, the first rider gives men an eye for conquering, the 2nd rider gives men the ability to actually do it – to kill their fellow man in order to conquer and gain ever more power. The first two riders go hand in hand. The more power you have, the more you want. How do you get more? Conquer (by killing) other nations. Every major power in the world throughout our history has conquered other nations or kingdoms by force. Is killing involved? Every time. We want more power (bent on conquest) and attain it by conquering other nations (take peace from the earth and ….make men slay each other). This rider is also present in the world today and has been for centuries.

“When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!" (Revelation 6:5-6)

Many prophecy scholars say that the rider on the black horse represents famine. The pair of scales represents both high food prices and scarcity of food. ‘do not damage the oil and the wine’ is telling us that even though famine will continue to spread throughout the world, luxuries will be readily available to the wealthy. I believe this is correctly interpreted. Even though many in the world today (and throughout history) suffer from famine and lack of food, there has always been plenty available to the world’s wealthy. If you look at the world today, billions of people around the globe suffer from lack of food and famine while many still live in luxury.

“When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.” (Revelation 6:7-8)

Other than the color of the horse, this rider is similar to the previous riders in that he kills by sword and famine. What is unique about this rider is that we’re told he is given power over ‘a fourth of the earth’ and has power to kill by the ‘wild beasts of the earth’. Are humans today killed by sword, famine, plague (diseases) and by the animals of the earth? Absolutely. Saying that this rider is coming only at some point in the future is pure speculation. Think about it…..if we add up all of the people on the earth today affected by wars, famine and diseases, will the total add up to a quarter of the world’s population? This rider is with us today. I believe the words ‘…and Hades was following close behind him’ is a reference to how many in the world do not know the Lord and therefore, will sit in judgment for eternity. This parallels Jesus’ comments regarding the ‘narrow path’ that we have discussed in earlier postings. Jesus tells us that many walk on the broad path that leads to eternal destruction (Mathew 7:13).

I think sometimes we tend to overanalyze what the Lord’s Word tells us. Many like to envision that the four horsemen of the apocalypse are somehow involved with a future 7 year tribulation period – that these horsemen start God’s judgment during this period of time. As we’ve seen, the Bible never mentions a 7 year period of tribulation or that the judgments in Revelation will be poured out during this specific timeframe. It’s as if we’ve created our own story of how end time events play out, instead of studying and praying and seeking the truth from our Creator – who knows how things are going to happen - no speculation needed. I’ve seen many interpretations of these horsemen, but I believe that the simplest answer in this case is the correct one – the Lord is telling us that we will have to endure all of these things while we live in this fallen world.

Let’s take a look at other judgments in Revelation. Keep in mind that it’s easy for us to say that because there is a 1st seal and a 2nd seal, that the 1st seal judgment must come before the 2nd seal or the seal judgments must come before the trumpet judgments because that’s how they read chronologically in the Bible. I’m not going to let the order they’re listed in the Bible influence whether I believe they are present in the world. Let’s take an objective look at the world and compare it to each judgment to determine whether we believe it is present in the world.

“The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.” (Revelation 8:7)

This judgment begins with mention of weather (hail) and fire. What is the effect on the earth? A third of the earth’s vegetation is burned up. Most prophecy scholars I have read attribute this to some future war or supernatural event that instantaneously burns up a third of the earth. I don’t believe this is a correct interpretation. Think about the world today. Thousands of fires exist throughout the forests, pastures and rainforests of the earth. Most are a result of us (clear-cutting), but many have also started due to lightning, war, etc. (wildfires). Also remember that as our cities have grown, we have replaced the earth’s vegetation with concrete and buildings. In effect, we are replacing the earth’s carbon dioxide filters with man-made structures that attribute to warming the earth. Keep these things in mind as we look at other judgments. Personally, I believe that some judgments set the stage for others….and this is certainly one that will contribute to others. What is happening to the earth as we continue to lose vegetation? Coupled with the burning of fossil fuels, the earth is rapidly getting warmer. Think about the chain-reaction this is causing – heat waves, climate change (possibly causing future famines), possible new disease outbreaks (as parasites are able to survive longer and further north), extinction of animal species (frogs, birds - millions of honey bees around the world are disappearing – threatening food pollination, etc). Do other judgments in Revelation speak to these things? Yes. Keep in mind that many want to believe that all of these things will happen suddenly by apparent supernatural means. As we’re told throughout the Bible, true wisdom comes from God, so those close to Him will be able to correctly interpret what is happening. Those without faith will find all kinds of worldly reasons why these things are happening. Don’t rely on your own understanding, but trust our Creator for He has told us these things ahead of time.

“The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water— the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.” (Revelation 8:10-11)

As we interpret these judgments, I believe it is important to focus on the results of the judgments, not how they happen. We should look at the world and see if the results of the judgment are present and not focus on the description of how they are brought into the world. The important thing to remember is that these things are coming from God and are described from a heavenly perspective. So, we may not completely understand how God has brought them into the world (being described from heaven), but we can certainly see if the results are present in the world. The third trumpet judgment is a good example. In our physical world, could one star (comet, meteor, etc) fall to the earth and cause a third of the fresh water throughout the world to become poison? I believe the answer is no. If we were to view this literally, could a comet hit the United States and poison the water in Chile? I believe that this is simply a symbolic, heavenly description of how God is bringing this judgment to the world. We should also consider that this description of a star (or millstone) falling to earth causing judgment is used multiple times in Revelation. Are we going to be repeatedly hit by comets? If this were true, water purity would be the least of our worries.

Let’s take a look at the results of this trumpet judgment. A third of the fresh water in the world turns bitter (poisonous) and many people die because they continue to drink the water even though it is polluted. Is this going on in the world today? Certainly. I recently watched a story on ‘60 Minutes’ that talked about how many animal species throughout the world are dying or developing strange cancers because there are so many man-made chemicals present now in fresh water. Pollution from chemical plants and manufacturing, farm chemical runoff, raw sewage, etc. has been polluting our fresh water at unprecedented rates in recent years. Inadequate fresh water supplies the world over are causing disease and death as people continue to drink polluted water because they have no alternative. There’s a reason we all buy so much bottled water – we don’t trust what is coming out of our taps. We are beginning to hear that future wars will be fought over fresh water as the world’s population increases and the availability of clean water declines. This judgment is certainly present in the world today.

“The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.” (Revelation 8:12)

We’ve already discussed this judgment in a previous posting. I believe that this judgment is describing a future period of time when our atmosphere will become polluted after a global war – causing our view of the sun, moon and stars to be obstructed. This is also mentioned in other verses throughout the Bible and Jesus Himself even mentions this period of time, “Immediately after the distress of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.” (Mathew 24:29).

We’ll continue with this discussion in future postings as more is revealed to us.

The judgments of Revelation - Part 2

As we read through the Lord’s judgments told to us in Revelation, we see many of the judgments result from a large object being cast into the sea or falling to earth. The result is a devastating judgment in the world. Should we take this literally? I believe the answer is no. As I’ve stated before, I believe that we should focus on the results of these judgments, not how they are brought into the world. I believe we are given a clue to interpreting these specific prophecies in Revelation chapter 18, verse 21:

“Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said:
"With such violence
the great city of Babylon will be thrown down,
never to be found again.”

So, when we’re told that something is thrown into the sea, this simply means that something destructive is happening on earth as a result of this judgment. In verse 21 above, a city is destroyed. The city is not destroyed because a large asteroid or other object literally strikes the oceans (if this actually happened – more than one city would be destroyed); this is simply symbolic of something destroying a city. As we’ve discussed in other posts, we are given other clues in Revelation that tell us which city this judgment refers to. We’re also told in other verses the type of judgment verse 21 above refers to – fire.

If we examine the results of the judgments in Revelation and apply them to the world today – we begin to see the truth. If we stop thinking that all of these judgments are described literally and will somehow appear by supernatural means (example: water turning to blood) during a future period of time – we begin to understand the truth. If we interpret the symbolic meaning of the judgments of Revelation through prayer and apply them to what we know is happening in the world – we begin to know the truth. If we apply what we know about the judgments of Revelation to what we know about the ‘beasts’ of Revelation 13, then we begin to truly ‘see’ God’s end time plan being laid out before us. Do you think it’s a coincidence that the Catholic Church is once again a powerful religious and political force in the world at the same time that the New World Order is on the verge of implementing a world government? Do you also think it a coincidence that these two entities are gaining control of the world at the same time that ‘global warming’ seems to be making headlines with its doomsday scenarios? Is it a coincidence that these things are happening at the same time that technology exists that could enable a cashless society – giving complete monetary control to the New World Order? Is it becoming clear for you now? If you have been seeking the Lord and praying about these things as you’ve read through what is written here – then you’ve heard the Lord’s quiet voice confirming the truth. If you’ve drawn near to God as I have, then you are beginning to understand just how blind you once were.

‘I was blind but now I see!’ (John 9:25)

You may ask – ‘Why does God communicate to us in this manner? Why not simply tell us plainly what these judgments mean?’ God gives knowledge and wisdom to those who love Him and ask Him for these things – according to His will. To those who are full of pride, those who are evil and do not follow Him, these things remain hidden. To those who think they are proud and wise, God tells us they are fools. He reveals true knowledge to those who humbly follow Him. As you read the Bible, you will notice that the Lord’s teachers and prophets are continually persecuted and ridiculed throughout the history of our world. They speak of things revealed to them through God’s spirit – real Truth. Worldly people have always rejected these messages because they cannot spiritually discern anything – and have no desire to do so. Everything they know is seen and heard by their eyes and ears – and the most important things remain hidden from them.

“At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.” (Mathew 11:25)

“The disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?"
He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. This is why I speak to them in parables:
"Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
" 'You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people's heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. (Matthew 13:10-17)


“He changes times and seasons;
he sets up kings and deposes them.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.
I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers:
You have given me wisdom and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
you have made known to us the dream of the king." (Daniel 2:21-23)

“I foretold the former things long ago,
my mouth announced them and I made them known;
then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.
For I knew how stubborn you were;
the sinews of your neck were iron,
your forehead was bronze.
Therefore I told you these things long ago;
before they happened I announced them to you
so that you could not say,
'My idols did them;
my wooden image and metal god ordained them.'
You have heard these things; look at them all.
Will you not admit them?
"From now on I will tell you of new things,
of hidden things unknown to you.
They are created now, and not long ago;
you have not heard of them before today.
So you cannot say,
'Yes, I knew of them.'
You have neither heard nor understood;
from of old your ear has not been open.
Well do I know how treacherous you are;
you were called a rebel from birth.
For my own name's sake I delay my wrath;
for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you,
so as not to cut you off.
See, I have refined you, though not as silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this.
How can I let myself be defamed?
I will not yield my glory to another.” (Isaiah 48:3-11)

“My own hand laid the foundations of the earth,
and my right hand spread out the heavens;
when I summon them,
they all stand up together.
"Come together, all of you, and listen:
Which of the idols has foretold these things?
The LORD's chosen ally
will carry out his purpose against Babylon;
his arm will be against the Babylonians.
I, even I, have spoken;
yes, I have called him.
I will bring him,
and he will succeed in his mission.
"Come near me and listen to this:
"From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret;
at the time it happens, I am there."
And now the Sovereign LORD has sent me,
with his Spirit.
This is what the LORD says—
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
"I am the LORD your God,
who teaches you what is best for you,
who directs you in the way you should go.” (Isaiah 48:13-17)

“He tunnels through the rock;
his eyes see all its treasures.
He searches the sources of the rivers
and brings hidden things to light.
"But where can wisdom be found?
Where does understanding dwell?
Man does not comprehend its worth;
it cannot be found in the land of the living.
The deep says, 'It is not in me';
the sea says, 'It is not with me.'
It cannot be bought with the finest gold,
nor can its price be weighed in silver.
It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,
with precious onyx or sapphires.
Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,
nor can it be had for jewels of gold.
Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention;
the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.
The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it;
it cannot be bought with pure gold.
"Where then does wisdom come from?
Where does understanding dwell?
It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
concealed even from the birds of the air.
Destruction and Death say,
'Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.'
God understands the way to it
and he alone knows where it dwells,
for he views the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
When he established the force of the wind
and measured out the waters,
when he made a decree for the rain
and a path for the thunderstorm,
then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
he confirmed it and tested it.
And he said to man,
'The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
and to shun evil is understanding.' " (Job 28:10-28)

Many prophecies are being revealed now because we are nearing the end of this age. It is time for us to know these things that have been hidden for centuries. Even though we have been told these things, many will again reject the Truth, just as people have done throughout history.

Let’s continue our study of the judgments of Revelation.

“The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.” (Revelation 8:8-9)

Is it possible for a third of the oceans to turn into blood? Again, should we take this literally? Unless God did this supernaturally and somehow created a dividing line between the blood and water, it would be impossible. As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t believe that God will intervene in a way that allows everyone to see this as a supernatural event. True believers will be able to discern this – ungodly people will not. We are told that even though these judgments are unleashed on the world, most will not repent. So, we won’t see something as literal as water turning into blood so that all will know without a doubt – without any faith. Those that humble themselves and draw close to the Lord will know exactly what’s happening. Those who rely on their own knowledge and understanding will not know – and will find all kinds of reasons in the natural world why these things are happening. I believe that the reference to blood is simply telling us that something catastrophic is happening to the oceans of the world. This is not an isolated event.

Let’s take a look at other symbolism present in this judgment. The ‘mountain’ that is thrown into the sea is ‘ablaze’. This would lead me to believe that fire (war) could be a reason that ‘a third of the ships were destroyed’. Is this a reference to world wars? It’s possible. I believe the most important piece of this judgment, and the one we need to pay the most attention to, is the reference to the creatures in the sea. A third of them die. Something happening in the world is causing the animals of the oceans to die. Again, we’re not looking for a supernatural event that will cause the oceans to turn to blood – thereby causing the animals to die. We’re looking for something happening in the world today that will have a worldly explanation to worldly people – yet the real (spiritual) answer will be clear to those who can spiritually discern the truth. The answer to this prophetic puzzle is, once again, right in front of you. Is there anything happening in the world today that is putting stress on the oceans of the world? Absolutely. We could say that pollution certainly has played a role in the decline of our oceans and has even caused dead zones in certain areas of the oceans where fish and wildlife cannot live. Although pollution is causing harm, I believe there is something much more ominous happening to our planet that is beginning to adversely affect the world and our oceans – global warming. As our planet warms (see links on my website), fresh water is pouring into the oceans due to melting ice in Antarctica, the North Pole and Greenland. In addition, as the concentration of carbon dioxide has increased in our atmosphere, oceans have absorbed massive amounts of carbon. Where does this lead? From a scientific perspective, no one knows for sure – but climate models (using super-computers) tell us it’s not good. From a biblical perspective – we’re looking at one of the Lord’s judgments. Has over-fishing, pollution and climate change affected a third of the fish in our oceans? I believe the answer is clear - yes. I have included a link on my website to a study by ecologists that estimates salt-water fish could be completely extinct by the year 2048. But that’s not all – scientists believe that if the average temperature of the Earth rises by six degrees (over the past century the average temperature of the earth has risen one degree – and the rate is accelerating), the oceans of the earth would become marine wastelands – devoid of life. From space the oceans would still look normal – they would still be blue/green – but they could not support life. We see the beginning of this today (coral death, red tides, dead zones). Would it surprise you to learn that one of the bowl judgments (Revelation 16:3) speaks of this very thing happening? What we’re seeing now is only the beginning. In a future post we’ll discuss where we are on God’s prophetic timeline (looking at the judgments present in the world) and what we can expect in the near future.

Let’s continue with the trumpet judgments.

“The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water— the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.” (Revelation 8:10-11)

We have discussed this judgment in a previous post. I believe this is a reference to how the world’s fresh water supplies are becoming polluted in various ways – war, industrial pollution, pesticides, etc. Without a doubt, this is happening today (see links on my website).

Even though these judgments seem terrible, they do not compare to the final seven judgments. These are commonly referred to as the ‘bowl’ or ‘vial’ judgments – God’s final judgments on this world before Jesus returns. The seal and trumpet judgments really don’t give us a specific time reference, so while I believe many of them are present in the world today, it’s not easy to pinpoint exactly when they were introduced – and it’s not really important for us to know this. The important thing to remember is that they are happening now – they are not fantasies that will happen only in the future.

We are, however, given a reference for the beginning of the bowl judgments. For the spiritually mature, we are definitely given a reference for the beginning of the end of this age. Why? So that those who are being persecuted for staying true to Jesus Christ will know that this age is progressing exactly according to God’s will. These things are no longer a mystery because we need to know that God is in control and our redemption is near. It will be a very difficult time, but not unexpected.

Notice carefully what we’re told at the beginning of Revelation 16.

“Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go, pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth." The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image.” (Revelation 16:1-2)

Who is affected by this judgment? People who have received the mark of the beast and worship his image. So, the bowl judgments begin after the mark is introduced in the world and the image of the beast is revealed. What have we said the image is? As we have discussed previously, this is the evil image (likeness) of the Roman Catholic Church after its judgment by fire. We are clearly given a time reference in these verses that we can use to determine when we can expect to see the bowl judgments being poured out onto the earth. Why is this made clear? Why does the Lord give us a clear starting point for the bowl judgments? Because the earth will become a very unpleasant place to live.

The Lord is telling His children to prepare themselves for what is coming. The mark and image of the beast mark the starting point for the most difficult time in human history. This will be a time of unprecedented war, famine, disease, persecution and death. Nothing in human history will compare with this period of time before Jesus’ return. Because of this, God gives His saints a means to pinpoint its beginning.

I believe it is this period of time that Jesus was referring to when he said:

“because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again.” (Mark 13:19)

God is telling us that it is of the utmost importance that we are prepared spiritually for the future. We must be able to stand against evil. Regardless of our circumstances, we must remain focused on Him.

We’ll review the bowl judgments in a future post.