| Topic: |
Religions > Bible |
| User: |
"George" |
| Date: |
15 Dec 2007 07:51:08 AM |
| Object: |
Endtimes Indications - 12/15/07 |
Endtimes Indications - 12/15/07
Global warming linked to Australia's drought severity*
By Tim Dornin
December 14, 2007 04:16pm
Article from: AAP
GLOBAL warming is playing a direct role in Australia's drought, with
higher temperatures having a significant impact on the availability
of
water, scientists say.
Most of southern Australia has recorded its hottest year on record in
2007 and rainfall in some areas has been higher this year than in
2006.
But while there are optimistic forecasts for better than average
falls
over summer, higher temperatures mean much of the water is not
getting
into Australia's storage systems.
National Climate Centre chief Michael Coughlan said it was becoming
clear that the difference between the current drought conditions and
those in Australia's past was that global warming was pushing the
mercury higher.
"Yes, we've had periods in the past where the rainfall has been
reduced," Dr Coughlan said.
"The big difference between those earlier periods and the last five
years has been the temperatures.
"The fact that the temperatures are running at record high values,
suggests strongly that whenever the rain does fall it doesn't get
into
the rivers and our storage systems.
"A lot of it gets captured by the normal vegetation and a lot of it
just
evaporates away simply because of those higher temperatures."
Dr Coughlan was responding to the latest assessment of global climate
conditions released today by the World Meteorological Organisation
(WMO).
It said the decade between 1998 and 2007 was the warmest on record,
with
average temperatures rising by about 0.4C.
The past year was also notable for the decline in the coverage of sea
ice across the globe, with the 4.8m square kilometres the lowest on
record and 39 per cent below the long-term average.
The WMO adopted the assessment from the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change which said the warming of the world's climate system
was
now unequivocal, with increased global air and ocean temperatures,
widespread melting of snow and ice and rising sea levels.
Dr Coughlan said for Australia's water supplies to get back to
normal,
efforts to reduce global warming were vital.
"To get back to normal we need to turn the temperature down or, for
some
reason or other, go into a much, much wetter regime," he said.
"That's not what appears to be happening.
"If anything there's a tendency in the winter time for rainfall to be
on
the dry side, for us to have a more arid winter climate.
"So how we do that is the question of how do we unscramble the egg."
The chief executive of the Murray Darling Basin Commission, Wendy
Craik,
said while inflows to the basin were slightly improved this year,
most
recent figures again showed they were heading in wrong direction.
She said there was enough water to keep most permanent plantings
along
the river alive over summer.
But she warned the level of the Murray in the lower lakes could
plummet
from its present level of one centimetre above sea level to 60cm
below
sea level by March next year.
"The way we are operating the river is like nothing in living
memory,"
she said.
Different Perspectives
There are three major views of the end times, with many variations.
These views are something like the accounts of witnesses to an
accident that are all different because they describe the same event
from different perspectives. In eschatology--the study of end times--
those perspectives come from different ways of interpreting the Bible
and historical events.
The Bible contains a great deal of prophecy that relates to the people
of Israel, the coming of a Messiah, or other events. One of the
wonders of the Bible is that God has revealed himself both very
clearly and very mysteriously. What some scholars see clearly as the
prediction of future events, others see as strong symbolic language to
warn or encourage people, and still others see as layers of meaning
that combine both a present and future purpose.
Revelation is a good example of these perspectives. John was in exile
for his preaching when he wrote Revelation and the church was
suffering persecution. There are differences of opinion about exactly
when John wrote Revelation and how to interpret its symbolism. Some
see John's vision as a prediction of future events. Some see it as a
highly symbolic picture of God's ultimate control suitable for any
reader at any time. Still others see the symbolism in Revelation as a
more obscure way for John to communicate during a time of severe
persecution--a kind of secret message.
Possible End Times Events
First, let's look at a number of events related to the end times. They
are understood differently depending on the view a person holds.
* First Coming of Christ--the birth, death, resurrection (return to
life) and ascension (return to heaven) of Jesus as predicted in the
Old Testament and recorded in the New Testament.
* Second Coming of Christ--the literal return of Christ to earth
* Church Age--depending on the particular view, this can be the same as
the Millennium or a separate period of time before the Millennium
* Rapture--the resurrection of believers at some point before Christ's
second coming.
* Tribulation--a seven year period of severe judgment and persecution
* Armageddon--a name that has come to mean the last great battle at the
end of time, though in some views it is a great battle that will
consume all of Israel at the end of the Tribulation
* Millennium--the earthly kingdom of Christ. It can mean a literal
1,000 years or simply suggest a very long time. It can also mean a
literal or spiritual reign of Christ during this time.
* Final Rebellion--the last global unleashing of Satan and unbelievers
against God, in which Satan will be finally defeated. Some people
equate this with "Armageddon," while others see Armageddon as an
earlier battle at the end of the Tribulation and before the
Millennium.
* Resurrection--the final end of earthly existence with the raising up
of people to face judgment, either all at once (General Resurrection)
or in several stages for believers and unbelievers.
* Judgment--the final accountability of people before God as they pass
from earthly existence (or death) to eternity.
* Eternity--a future timeless existence spent in God's presence
(Heaven) or separated from him (Hell).
Three Prominent Views of the End Times
1) Premillennial
The premillennial view suggests that the Second Coming will occur
before Christ reigns during a literal 1,000-year Millennium. It is the
view portrayed in Left Behind. It was the predominant view of the
early church and became prominent once again in the last century. It
is the most literal interpretation of passages from Daniel and
Revelation.
An additional element important to this view is the role and timing of
the Rapture--the separate resurrection of believers. Left Behind
portrays a pretribulation rapture view, where the rapture occurs
before the Tribulation begins. Others see it occurring in the middle
or end of the Tribulation.
While there are variations in detail (mostly over the exact order and
timing of events), most evangelical Christians today hold a
premillennial view. It is the view promoted by Tim LaHaye, Mark
Hitchcock, and Brian Coffey, all of whom have written books on
prophecy for Tyndale House, the publishers of the Left Behind series.
2) Amillennial
As time passed and Christ did not return, scholars and church leaders
began looking at other interpretations. Amillennialism is the most
prominent of these. It is a view widely credited to St. Augustine, who
lived from A.D. 354-430.
While people holding this view believe that Christ will literally
return, they see as symbolic all of the details that the premillennial
view interprets literally (rapture, tribulation, Armageddon, etc.),
rolling them all into a millennial age. During this period, Christ
does not reign with a physical presence on earth, but builds the
church through his influence in the lives of Christians. It is a time
of continued struggle between good and evil until Christ's return
ushers in the final judgment before eternity. The Roman Catholic
Church and major "mainline" Protestant denominations hold this view
today.
3) Postmillennial
As the Industrial Revolution transformed the world and advanced human
progress immensely in the 18th and 19th Centuries, Postmillennialism
emerged. This view is similar to Amillennialism, except that it sees
steady human progress over evil, progressively leading to a
Christianized world, which sets the stage for Christ's return. Social
and economic reforms as well as evangelism are important parts of
ushering in this "golden age" of spiritual development.
Even with a horrendous Civil War in America and other conflicts
scattered across the globe in the 19th century, the sense of human
progress was so strong that even World War I--in which over a million
people lost their lives--came to be known as the "the war to end all
wars." The world moved ahead into a decade of pleasure and renewed
technological progress in the 1920's.
Then the Great Depression and economic problems around the world led
to radical political change. The world was on the march toward another
global conflict. While considerable technological progress took place
in the 20th century, the blow of two world wars was enough to remove
postmillennialism from its place of prominence.
Conclusion
Regardless of view, there is general agreement that Revelation paints
a powerful picture of God's sovereignty and ultimate triumph, an
exalted view of Christ, and the accountability that everyone must bear
for his or her own relationship with God. Dr. LaHaye makes an
important point in Are We Living in the End Times? (pp 6-7). When
people have taken prophecy seriously in the past, he says, it has lead
to three things:
1) It has challenged believers to holy living in an unholy age; 2) It
has given Christians a greater challenge to evangelize; and 3) It has
caused the church to be more missionary-minded as the church has
realized it must fulfill the great commission before Christ returns.
.
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| User: "Pastor Dave" |
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| Title: Re: Endtimes Indications - 12/15/07 |
15 Dec 2007 10:42:59 AM |
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On Sat, 15 Dec 2007 05:51:08 -0800 (PST), George
<ghach@wi.rr.com> said the following:
Endtimes Indications - 12/15/07
Global warming linked to Australia's drought severity*
This has nothing to do with the "end times"
and is nothing but newspaper prophecy!
Isn't it funny how "the signs of the end times"
change with the daily news? Please!
--
What part of 'THOU SHALT NOT' don't you understand?
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