Global Warming

“The fourth angel emptied his bowl on the sun, and it began to scorch people like fire. Everyone was scorched by its great heat, and all of them cursed the name of God who had power over these terrible troubles. But no one turned to God and praised him.” – Revelation 16:8, 9 – CEV

I can picture in my mind doomsday scenes from movies like “The Day After Tomorrow” which follows a global warming scenario that results in mega twisters hitting Los Angeles, super Tsunami’s flooding New York and Europe being freeze dried by an instant Ice Age. It once was great sport poking fun at robed prophets standing on street corners waving signs ‘The End Is Near.” Now Hollywood is doing the same thing, but with a much larger budget and backed up by politically driven science. Anyone voicing an other view than the political correct one is immediately and effectively marginalized.

I don’t know about you but I’m just as afraid of politically driven science as I am of religiously driven politics. Politics is all about favoring one view over another and achieving power. Religiously controlled government or politically driven science will eventually deprive people of their rights, their beliefs, their thoughts and freedoms. Global warming is a fact of life. The jury is still out on deciding on its cause or if it is as temporary as the Ice Age hype of the '70s.
It’s always politically expedient to affix blame for a problem to one's opponent especially in a run up to an election and all too often politicians think the answer to the problem is money. One recent example: New Orleans--got a lot of money after Katrina, but I think we all agree it was grossly mis-managed.

What we do know:
1. The decade of the 1990’s was the warmest since record keeping began.
2. Northern Hemisphere Spring thaw begins 9 days earlier than 150 years ago.
3. The Northern Hemisphere Fall freeze begins 10 days later than 150 years ago.
4. Average temperatures in Alaska have increased by 4 degrees Celsius in 50 years.
5. Warming and cooling cycles on Earth happen about every 100,000 years.
6. Since 1978 Arctic sea ice area has shrunk by some 9 percent per decade.
7. 15 degree warming spike occurred in Greenland in one decade during the last Ice Age.
8. The Solar cycle lasts about 11.3 years.
9. Geophysicists are aware of increased solar activity reaching a 1000 year high.

There is much conjecture as to the cause of global warming; the most popular (and politically correct) being that human activity is responsible for it (pushing CO2 into the atmosphere through automobiles and industry).
Scientists monitoring the Martian polar ice cap (solid CO2) have noticed that the its been shrinking for the past decade. It's an indication that the Sun may be the cause for our global warming rather than man.

Other Articles on this topic:
Mars Melt Hints at Solar, Not Human, Cause for Warming, Scientist Says
Sun's Output Increasing in Possible Trend Fueling Global Warming

“…new studies suggest that the increase in solar radiation absorbed at the earth’s surface had almost 10 times as much warming power during that time as the concurrent increases in carbon dioxide, the main global warming gas. Therefore, the warming observed over the past 20 years must have little to do with changes in greenhouse gases.”- World Climate Report

Recent increases in just two areas, (1) volcanism and (2) thousands of out of control coal mine fires, (some have been raging for many decades) add may far exceed the total output of industry and transportation. Undersea volcanism may even be a cause of the El Nino effect. It's debatable. Then there’s a third source for much of the CO2 released into the atmosphere; it comes from the sea and occurs near the equatorial oceans.
So why mention this in a Christian blog? Well, there's been a lot of propaganda out there that Christians aren't concerned with the environment. That misinformation needs to be countered. From the beginning God's instructions to man were to care for the earth. Does it matter how we treat the environment if global warming turns out to be caused by factors beyond our control. Yes it does! I believe the vast majority of Christians are practicing environmentalists.

But aren't natures upheavels a sign that we're in the last days of the world system?
I'm working on a write up for a future blog about that but for now let's just take a peek at a few of the signs of the times according to Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ explained some signs leading to the end-time world events. Words in red are Jesus’ and parentheses are mine.

“When you see Jerusalem surrounded by soldiers, (fulfilled – AD 70) you will know that it will soon be destroyed. If you are living in Judea at that time, run to the mountains. (Many Christians survived the destruction of Jerusalem because of these very words) If you are in the city, leave it. And if you are out in the country, don't go back into the city. This time of punishment is what is written about in the Scriptures. It will be an awful time for women who are expecting babies or nursing young children! Everywhere in the land people will suffer horribly and be punished. Some of them will be killed by swords. Others will be carried off to foreign countries. Jerusalem will be overrun by foreign nations until their time comes to an end (In 1967 Jerusalem came under the control of Israel).

Strange things will happen to the sun, moon, and stars. The nations on earth will be afraid of the roaring sea (tsunamis) and tides (rising sea levels) and they won't know what to do. People will be so frightened that they will faint because of what is happening to the world. Every power in the sky will be shaken. (could be a reference to nuclear war) Then the Son of Man will be seen, coming in a cloud with great power and glory.” - Luke 21:20-27 CEV