Introduction
Global
warming has become such a great concern in the media. Many scientists and some
authorities in some countries are trying to take measures to prevent it or slow
it down. There is a desperate search being made for environmentally friendly
fuels and products to delay what is predicted to be end of the world as we know
it.
Does the Bible say
anything about global warming?
Is there any truth to all that is
being said by governments and scientists, or is it all scare tactics? Does the
Bible say anything about global warming?
Although
it is not known for sure what the weather was like before the flood of Noah's
day, there apparently was no severe hot or cold weather. It is often suggested
that a greenhouse effect kept the earth at pleasant temperatures all the time.
However, after the flood, God made this promise to Noah, “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and
harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not
cease” (Genesis 8:22) ... “Thou hast set all the borders of the earth:
thou hast made summer and winter” (Psalm 74:17).
There
is no doubt that there will one day be drastic changes in the earth, and it is
likely to affect our weather patterns. Can we do anything to stop this
happening? What does the Bible say?
One
day the sun will become extremely hot. God will give power to angels to send
plagues upon the earth. Men will be scorched by the heat of the sun. “And the fourth angel poured out his vial
upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were
scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over
these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory” (Revelation
16:8-9).
God
will also cause changes in the earth's water supply. “And the third angel sounded, and there fell
a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third
part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star
is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many
men died of the waters, because they were made bitter”
... “And the
second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a
dead man: and every living soul died in the sea” (Revelation
8:10-11, 16:3).
God
warns that the weather will be affected, and there will be a great earthquake,
worse than any other earthquake that has ever occurred on the earth before
it. “And
there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great
earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an
earthquake, and so great” (Revelation
16:18). The face of the earth will be changed completely
because of this earthquake. “And every
island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a
great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men
blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was
exceeding great” (Revelation 16:20-21).
God’s
wrath displayed on earth
One
day God will come down in great wrath to finish his judgment upon mankind.
“And I
beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake;
and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And
the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely
figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll
when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of
their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men,
and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free
man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to
the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that
sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his
wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Revelation
6:12-17).
Do
these words frighten you? They should if you do not know Jesus as your Saviour.
One day the Lord is coming back to earth to receive His own. He will take all
those who believe in Him to Heaven to live with Him for all eternity. “For the Lord himself shall descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:
and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the
air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
Will you be going with Him on that day?
Those
who do not know Jesus as their Saviour you will be left behind. Those who have
heard the gospel and rejected it, will believe a lie. “And for this cause God shall send them
strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned
who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2
Thessalonians 2:11-12). Also, they will worship the Antichrist and receive
his mark in the hand or in the forehead. “And
he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a
mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or
sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his
name”
(Revelation
13:16-17). Finally, they will suffer
the wrath of Almighty God because they worshipped the beast and rejected God.
Because they did not trust in Jesus, “the
Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29) they will suffer in the Lake of Fire
for eternity. “And
whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of
fire” (Revelation 20:15).
Is
there any escape?
How
can a person escape the terrible plagues that are coming? Is it possible to
escape the scorching sun, the bitter waters, the earthquakes and great hail?
Repentance for sins and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only way. Planning the
escape route tomorrow may be a day too late. “Seek
ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the
wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return
unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will
abundantly pardon”
(Isaiah 55:6-7) … “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou
shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31) … “Neither
is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given
among men, whereby we must be saved”
(Acts
4:12).
Conclusion
Yes,
the globe will warm up. The weather patterns will be changed. But this does not
need to concern us if we are saved and if we continue to trust in Jesus Christ
as our Saviour.
God
has told us what will happen to the earth and to outer space in the end of time.
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief
in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and
the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are
therein shall be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10).
Where
will we be when these things happen? Where will we spend eternity? Will we spend
our life here on earth trying to battle global warming, trying to keep the
earth from warming up? People are so concerned about saving the planet from
becoming too hot, that they forget about their souls and the fact that they will
spend eternity in the Lake of Fire if they do not come to Christ.
“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain
the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for
his soul?” (Matthew 16:26).
© 4 June 2007