Global Warming: God The Heavenly Firefighter

Global Warming: God The Heavenly Firefighter

A few days ago, I was studying with a young man who has walked away from the church. During our discussion of what he believes, he said: “I don’t believe their exact theory for the Big Bang. I believe there had to be stuff going on. I believe in some type of superior being out there. I just don’t know how it all got here.”

I followed up by asking the young man, “Okay, so if there is a higher power out there, then what is His role?”

His exact words were, “I think His role is to keep this planet from catching on fire.”

Huh? Say what? God is a heavenly firefighter?  This young man continued by saying, “I think this whole thing with Global warming and stuff, I think if we keep abusing the planet and it keeps heating up, then I feel like the planet is just going to burst into flames and it will be a so-called hell.”

global warming hoax

Man does not control the weather.

For the next few minutes we discussed Global Warming/Climate Change. It was extremely obvious that this young man had bought into the idea of Global Warming hook, line, and sinker. When I asked him where he got his information from he freely admitted his textbooks.

When I asked if he had actually looked into the data and researched whether Global Warming was real, he kind of chuckled and told me everyone knew it was real. (I made sure to share with him some of the real research that clearly pointed out it was a bogus political sham.)

But here was a young man who had been raised in the church who believed that if there was a higher power out there then His only role was to be a heavenly firefighter.

On that very same day, I received a newsfeed that discussed Union Theological Students who had gathered together to confess their sins to plants. Yes, you read that correctly. These students, who were majoring in Bible, gathered together to confess their climate sins. These “progressive” students were taking part of a class titled Extractivism: A Ritual/Liturgical Response.

While many people recognized the ridiculousness and theological bankruptcy of what these seminary students were doing, the Washington Post covered the story and opined, “I think there is a pressing question that many Christians and people of no faith are grappling with: What is our moral responsibility to nonhuman life-forms?” Moral responsibility to plants? Plants are not self-aware and have no conscientious!

Paul warned in Romans 1:25 about people, “who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” Do your children worship the creation or the Creator? Parents, just how much of the Global Warming Kool-Aid have your children drank?

This goes far beyond recycling and thinking “green.” There are young people today who put caring for the earth far above religion. In fact, Josh McDowell conducted the largest survey ever conducted on Global Warming, and in his survey he discovered young people consider not recycling worse than viewing pornography. I suspect many Christian parents might be surprised to learn just how indoctrinated they are. It’s all throughout the textbooks today.

Do I believe we should be good stewards and dominion keepers over what God has given us (Genesis 1:28)? Absolutely! I believe this is biblical and it is what mature Christians ought to do! But do I think we should be worshipping “Mother Nature” rather than Father God? Not in any form! Our God is a jealous God, and nothing should ever come before Him!

So, am I one of those crazy loons that does not believe in Global Warming? Absolutely! I’ve examined the real data. And I think it is exceptionally arrogant for man to think we can have that much control over the weather and God’s creation (see Psalm 135:7).

In the April 28th 1975, issue of Newsweek the publishers warned the public of the coming Ice Age. Money was appropriated to fund research and now here we are 34 years later consumed with the idea that the earth is warming. Laws are being enacted and once again money is being appropriated.

I asked the question initially what was the motive—and I believe it comes down to one thing: money. Politicians can clamor on for decades with this as a part of their platform, knowing it will be hard to disprove “climate change” and that money will be needed. They recognize no sensible person would advocate destroying the earth. Fear has always been an effective motivator—and that remains true today.

I also think Global Warming allows individuals to overlook or ignore the truth that God is in control. By alarming the world propagandists have been effective at causing many individuals to take their eyes away from God and His power. Unbelievers are trying to satisfy a purpose in their own lives, and climate change has become their purpose. Satan has pulled these individuals into his web of deception. The writer of Proverbs urged mankind to not lean on their own understanding, but rather to trust the Lord (Proverbs 3:5).

The weather we are experiencing today is the result of a global Flood that was delivered to this world because of sin. Prior to that God had described His creation as “Very Good” (Genesis 1:31). As faithful Christians we are to be good stewards His creation (Genesis 1:28; Matthew 25:14-30) in anticipation of the return of Jesus Christ when true Global Warming will occur!

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Degrees of Heaven and Hell in Eternity?

Are there varying degrees of Heaven and Hell?

There’s no biblical evidence that our human spirit will be fundamentally and basically changed after death.  Thus, it’s likely we will be capable of various degrees of satisfaction in eternity, depending upon our capacity for such, since we are capable of different levels of satisfaction in this life.

Eternity happy sad

Whatever you choose by your actions upon this earth, you will deserve the result.

The Bible implies varying levels of reward for the saved.  Jesus’ parable of the 10 minas teaches such (Luke 19:12ff).  He promised to “repay each person according to what he has done” (Matt. 16:27).  “According to” (kata) implies a norm, a standard by which rewards or punishments are given, signifying a proportionately fair dispersal.  Paul knew he would have both joy and glory for converting souls (1 Thess. 2:19-20), yet he also cautioned us to seek true converts over superficial ones because if one’s converts did not endure, he himself would still be saved while also suffering “loss” of the joy and glory of knowing his work of converting those souls would be fruitful for eternity (1 Cor. 3:10ff; cf. Gal. 4:11).  In other words, the more of our converts who endure and finally arrive in heaven, the greater our joy and reward will be.

In like manner, the Bible also implies varying levels of punishment for the condemned.  Cities in Galilee were told it would be “more tolerable” for Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom than for them (Matt. 11:20-24; cf. 10:15).  The knowingly disobedient would be punished more than those who were punished because they ignorantly disobeyed (Luke 12:47-48).  Pilate was told that those who had delivered Jesus to him “have the greater sin” (John 19:11), implying a greater punishment.  Willful, unrepentant sinners under the New Covenant would receive a “worse” punishment than unrepentant sinners under the Old Covenant (Heb. 10:26-31).  The “last state” of apostate Christians would be “worse” than it would have been should they had never been converted in the first place (2 Pet. 2:20-22; cf. 1 Pet. 4:17).

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Joash Stay In Your Lane

Joash Stay In Your Lane

When Amaziah, king of Judah, wanted to meet face to face with Joash, king of Israel, he was warned to stay at home and not “meddle” in some thing that would just bring him harm. Good advice from an evil king.

joash busybody

Mind your own business, don’t seek to meddle in what is not your own.

But the King of kings gives us the same advice even today. By inspiration the apostle Paul instructed that Christians should “aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands”) 1 Thessalonians 4:11. When he wrote his second letter to the church at Thessalonica he said, “We hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies” (2 Thessalonians 3:1).

Seems like mankind has always had this problem. WE tell our children all the time that “it’s none of your business” or “ Mind your own business.” However, where do you think they learn to meddle? Let each of us concentrate on our own business. We will be more productive and less apt to bring harm upon ourselves.

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Young People, Difficult Days are Coming

Young People, Difficult Days are Coming

Solomon, the wisest man of the Old Testament, had so much to say to young people about their lives. A quick search of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes shows that he mentions child, children, son, sons, young and youth over 85 times in these books.

Evidently one of the purposes Solomon wrote these books was to give instruction to his children. He uses the expression “my son” 23 times. He wanted his son to live a life filled with wisdom. Take time to think about his closing words to young people found in Ecclesiastes chapter twelve.

Young people

They are certain they have all the answers and wisdom, perhaps its time to turn to the creator.

“Remember now your Creator…” These words presuppose that young people would be taught about God when very young. You cannot remember what you have never learned. God’s plan is for children to learn about Him from infancy (2 Tim. 3:15).

“Remember now your Creator…” There is an urgency in these words. It is foolish to wait to do right. Hearts are open and tender in our early years, so do it now! It’s always right to do right, right now! Failure to do this is so foolish.

“Remember now your Creator…” lt is true that He is the Creator of the entire universe, but this concept can be so impersonal and vague. It is imperative that young people realize He made them, individually and personally.

“Remember now your Creator…” He is the Almighty God, the origin of any reality you know. Paul described this in these words, “For in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). God has shown this so clearly that there is not a single person who cannot know of His majesty and power (Rom. 1:19-20).

“Remember…before the difficult days come…” One cannot be wise and not make preparation for what lies ahead. You cannot wait until those days arrive and then deal with them. It is in our youth that we must prepare.

“Remember…before the difficult days come …” There is a strong tendency for young people to live only in the present and fail to look to the future. Solomon speaks of the years when trials will come, and you may be unable to cope with them. Life is not always lived on the mountains of carefree happiness. On the other side of those mountains are valleys of trials.

“Remember…before the difficult days come and… when you say, “I have no pleasure in them.” Very few young people realize that it is in our youth that we set the course for the rest of our lives. There is one decision that we must teach our young people to make. That decision is “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come and years draw near when you say, ‘I have no pleasure in them.’” God help us to seriously think about this! 

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A Disposition of Inward Joy

A Disposition of Inward Joy

It is a truth of life that our disposition is determined more by our inward man than by our exterior circumstances.

Consider two friends, working at the same job, facing the same difficulties, and yet approaching them very differently.

“I can’t see things ever getting better,” says the first, “I’m getting older, my health is getting worse; there is hardly enough money to pay the bills, and I find no joy in life.”

“Things are great and getting better,” says the second, “Life is wonderful.”

“How can you say such a thing,” asks the first, “You are no healthier than I, no wealthier than I, and you face many of the same difficulties I do.”

“My outward man is dying, it is true, but my inward man is being renewed daily. My bank account is empty, but I have treasures laid up in heaven. And the difficulties are nothing compared to the joy that awaits me in heaven (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:16; Matthew 6:19-20; Romans 8:18).”

inward joy

Your Joy will not be found in the earthly accomplishment.

Attitude is everything when dealing with life, and God makes it possible to have a great attitude. Not a naïvely unreasonable attitude, but rather an optimistic hope based in the firm promises of God.

One of the great examples of this, oft cited, is that of the men, Paul and Silas, who, having been arrested for preaching the gospel, subsequently beaten soundly, and then locked, injured and wounded, in stocks in the bottom of a dungeon, spent the next few hours singing songs and offering praise to God (Acts 16:25). Their outward circumstances were as sad, tragic and deplorable as could be; but their sins were forgiven and they had been freed in Christ, and thus had joy in their hearts sufficient as to sing.

These two saints were just following the example of Christ, who, having been beaten, tortured, stripped naked, and nailed to a cross, was able to say, in the midst of pain, “Father, forgive them(Luke 23:34).” Though His outward circumstances were horrific, Jesus was able to commend Himself to God, and had the firm and true hope that He would soon be once more in paradise (cf. Luke 23:43, 46).

In Christ, it is possible to have an attitude sufficient so as to weather any storm, or face any trial, and do so with joy, hope, and love.

Such a feat requires, it is true, a good reworking of the inward man, but that is what Christ truly wants to give to us. “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind,” says the Bible (Romans 12:2). Let God renew that inward man on a daily basis (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:16). Learn to think on those things good, lovely and noble (cf. Philippians 4:8).

Unfortunately, many seek only a superficial sort of religion that consists of little more than outward show. Of such was the religion of the Pharisees which Jesus condemned, likening them to white-washed tombs, that, while they looked rather clean and lovely on the outside, were filled with rot and decay (cf. Matthew 23:27). Such a religion is worthless for overcoming the trials of life, and sadly, in such a religion, there is no true hope. If the inward man is dead, the trials of life will too often prove superior to our faith and joy. We will find ourselves feeling bleak and lost. If the inward man is dead, then we truly are lost, and eternity will be bleak.

If you want the full blessings of Christ (cf. Ephesians 1:3) then you must allow Him to work on changing you inwardly, replacing the worldly with the spiritual, the sinful with the righteous, and the temporary with the eternal. Such change begins with faith and repentance, a forgiveness of sins in the waters of baptism, and a new life in Christ. But as we walk with Christ, through our obedience to His word, we allow Him to continue to work on us inwardly.

Such a process is well worth it, producing as it does, joy eternal, peace that passes understanding, and an overflow of love within and without us. With such gifts, we can weather any trial, and come out as victors (cf. Romans 8:35-37).

 

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