How long, before God pulls the plug?
I am an avid surveyor of the daily news, always on the lookout for items that pertain to creation, God’s work of art, which he has entrusted to us for safe-keeping. In this I follow Karl Barth’s advice: Interpret history from two sources: The news channels and the Bible.
After the Flood God promised never to destroy the earth again, knowing full well that, next time, we will do the job. In several places the Bible tells us that we have entrusted the world to God’s adversary. 1 John 5:19 comes to mind. Here it is: We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. For the sake of his children, God will intervene!
Nevertheless, we have been Satan’s eager helpers, especially since most church people see their future in heaven, leaving the earth to be exploited, even while personal piety prevails. Daily I pray for Christ’s return to earth, as suffering has become universal, affecting us and all God’s creatures everywhere. Yes, God suffers too!
Take the Antarctic.
Take the Antarctic, where, far from human occupation late last year the beach should have been teeming with harems of fertile females and enormous males battling one another for dominance. Instead, it was “just carcass upon carcass upon carcass,” recalled Dr. Uhart, who directs the Latin American wildlife health program at the University of California, Davis. There, H5N1, one of the many viruses that cause bird flu, had already killed ten of thousands of South American sea lions along the continent’s coasts in less than a year. Also, pups of all ages, from newborns to the fully weaned, lay dead or dying at the high-tide line. Sick pups lay listless, foam oozing from their mouths and noses.
Dr. Uhart called it “an image from hell.”
Or take trees.
Just one example: in Italy olive trees, because of drought, slowly choke to death, wither and dry out. They die en masse, leaves dropping and bark turning grey, creating a sea of sad sameness. Since scientists first discovered Xylella fastidiosa in 2013 in Puglia, Italy, it has killed a third of the region’s 60 million olive trees – which once produced almost half of Italy’s olive oil, many of which were centuries old. Farms stopped producing, olive mills went bankrupt and tourists avoided the area. No cure for drought! Only more fires!
Or take the world’s tropical regions.
Unusually high temperatures have caused disruption to education and agriculture across the Asian region: Bangladesh, for instance, was forced to close all schools this past week after temperatures soared to between 40C and 42C in some areas. The same is true for much of Africa as well.
Will Bird flu hit us?
The bird flu epidemic that has whipped around the world since 2020, has prompted authorities on multiple continents to kill poultry and other birds by the millions. In the United States alone, almost 100 million been culled in a futile attempt to deter the virus.
There has been no stopping H5N1. Avian flu viruses tend to be picky about their hosts, typically sticking to one kind of wild bird. But this one has rapidly infiltrated an astonishingly wide array of birds. So far there is only one confirmed human case. Rick Bright, an expert on the H5N1, said that this is the crucial moment. “There’s a fine line between one person and 10 people with bird Flu,” he said. “By the time we’ve detected 10, it’s probably too late” to contain.
Then there is Trump: Satan Incorporated, claiming “I am your retribution”, an expression that has religious overtones.
The Next 6 months.
Looking ahead 6 months: Trump may be re-elected. Already Atmospheric wars are intensifying. Already hot military wars are becoming hotter. Already many nations are close to spending more on interest payments on the debt than on social provisions. The current inflation, due to increasing natural disasters, will jump, signalling economic collapse. It happened to the Hapsburg Kingdom, to Spain, to the Ottoman Empire, the British Empire and pre-revolutionary France. Will it now happen to the world economy?
Us and the Bible.
Here are some verses, “The earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants, as the result of their deeds”. Micah 7: 13.
Or
“The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore—Revelation 18: 11.
This text hints at ‘stagflation’ something that may happen this fall, when rising inflation and a stalling economy will cause the world economy to collapse something the Bible calls, “The Fall of Babylon”, signalling Christ’s Return, the Parousia, the Second Coming!
With all this suffering, ours and God’s/Creation, our fervent prayers should be: Lord! Return!