Tag Archives: Environment

Revelation and Global Warming

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Revelation and Global Warming

Revelation. Jesus Christ … Revealed! The line is longer to read the latest scandal revealed in the tabloids than this. That said there is no shortage of speculation about what these words mean. “When is the end? “, seems to be the major concern.

In recent years I have been struck by the correlation between the projections for what will occur if the world warms 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 degrees on average. At one degree (about where we are now) there begin to be noticeable changes in rainfall, drought, and ocean levels. These events and their effects are daily in the news. However as the global average temperature creeps toward the point of averaging 3 degrees above average (the point where future increases and their effects are irreversible) these effects become increasingly dramatic.

I am certainly no expert on global warming but I have observed a correlation between these effects and the description of the process of world judgment in the second vision of Revelation (4:1 – 16:21). In Revelation 8:7-12 one third of sea life dies, one third of freshwater becomes un-potable, and the heavenly bodies become dimmed in the night sky by one third. I cannot help but see the correlation here to the effects upon our planet of our life here.

No generation since the Revelation of Jesus Christ was given has seen these things. Jesus said, “But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:28).
We must therefore give greater heed to the things of eternity for we surely have less time than we imagined.

Noise

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Noise

We live in a world full of more noise than we can even comprehend. Traffic, radio, television, computer games, musical instruments, people speaking, cell phones ringing, dogs barking, clocks ticking, bells ringing- the list is infinite. Even in the quietest moments, there is still no escape from it entirely.

It is difficult to hear the quiet Voice of God in the midst of this noise all around us. Only once knowing the comfort and joy of this familiar voice do we seek it, fleeing all the noise and confusion of this world. This One Voice is gentle and kind. He waits for us to seek Him out in the quiet, and push the incessant noise of our lives away. How easy it is to forget amidst the ever present sights and sounds of this world, the real life giving power of His Still Voice. But in so seeking Him in the stillness, we find the respite we so desperately need. Today make your escape plan. Tune in to Him and turn off the world. Amen.

The Ocean and the Pond

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The Earth flag is not an official flag, since ...

The Earth flag is not an official flag, since there is no official governing body over Earth. The flag holds a photo transfer of a NASA image of the Earth on a dark blue background. It has been associated with Earth Day. Although the flag was originally copyrighted, a judge ruledhttp://www.tabberone.com/Trademarks/CopyrightLaw/Copyrightability/articles/EarthFlagVsAlamoFlag_A.shtml that the copyright was invalid. Earth Flag Ltd. v. Alamo Flag Co., 154 F. Supp. 2d 663 (S.D.N.Y. 2001) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Ocean and the Pond

“One of the religion scholars came up.” Mark 12:28

At times when I have been attending various conferences or seminars, I become aware of men who are wise, or more accurately, those who think they are. Every person I encounter sees themselves as a scholar of something. Of course, most of my experience has been with those who see themselves so in some area of religion: language, liturgy, denominations. Then there are the alternative scholars who are experts at history, language, anthropology, the arts, ancient cultures to name just a few. The list is endless. Most scholars will tell you very quickly about their field of expertise.

However, every person’s knowledge or understanding of any subject is like a pond. It represents a body of knowledge. But the size, length, breadth and depth are limited by geography. From a given perspective along the edge, it may seem vast. However, a little probing or shifting of vision to the right or left quickly reveals the limitation of its ability to hold its contents by borders or bottom. Some indeed may seem to stretch out of sight, but this is only by virtue of our inability to walk along the perimeter the entire distance.

The ocean, by contrast, is like the cosmos compared to a spec. Standing beside the pond, no matter how large, once you’ve seen the ocean, you can never imagine the pond to be very large and never again would you think that the pond held a great volume of water. The scholars, who think of themselves as such, have not visited the ocean of God’s mind. They become so lost in the illusion of the expanse of their pond that tales of the ocean seem to them as idle chatter…..

Those who excitedly return from the ocean bring tales of vast beaches and endless horizons, with the understanding that no matter how far you walk or how high your vantage point, the limit of its reach, the deepest depths of it cannot be found. To the pond dwellers, those who have seen the ocean appear to be fools. Nothing will ever convince them of the errors of their thinking until they visit the ocean. You must leave the pond behind in order to do this. Evangelism is all about helping people to experience the ocean! Amen.