davidbowerkingwood

So Far So Good

Congratulations everyone, we are over half way through 2012 and the world is still in one piece. Of course the “crucial” Mayan date of December 21st is still ahead of us and the threatened solar flares have been moved back to 2013 so we may not be out of the woods yet.

I thought it might be timely to take inventory of the list of calamities that have been predicted for 2012 and see where we stand in the eighth month of the year. So far I’ve been grateful that our summer has had much more rain than it did last year when the drought killed so many trees in the Houston area. The temperatures have also been noticeably cooler and that has been another blessing for which I am grateful to our Lord.

On August 5th of last year I wrote a blog called “2012, Is a Storm Coming?” In this blog I discussed the possibility of sunspot activity and its potential impact on the earth.

Sunspot Activity

It appears the sun is still moving toward a solar maximum within the coming twelve months. What I’m reading now suggests activity will peak around the second quarter of 2013. We have been in Solar Cycle 24 since January of 2008; which means the 24th cycle since 1755 when solar sunspot activity was first recorded. Some indicators now seem to suggest a rather mild solar maximum this time around.

Some new research has revealed there are weak spots in the Earth’s magnetic shield; the impact of these weak spots in the event of sunspot activity would depend on a number of variables so it is difficult to determine how much impact they would have on lives and technology. The general impression I’m getting is one of cautious optimism; it appears less likely that the sunspot activity will have too serious an effect on us next year. For better or worse we have less than a year before we find out exactly how strong it will be.

Israel and the Middle East

While there seems to be less of a threat from the sun I’m not sure we can say that about the Middle East. It seems as if there is new saber rattling going on over there every day and it seems to be growing in intensity. Iran has stated very clearly its desire that the USA and Israel be eliminated from the world stage. As their nuclear capability grows such a possibility grows along with it.

One carefully placed nuclear weapon exploded above the USA could throw this country back 200 years technologically speaking. The electromagnetic pulse of such an explosion could knock out all electrical or electronic equipment for hundreds of miles in every direction. It is difficult to even imagine the havoc that would create for everyone within the blast area; life would return to levels more similar to 1812 than 2012 except that our situation would be vastly worse as nothing in our society is set up to operate on an 1812 basis.

The situation in the Middle East reminds me of the analogy with the pot of water boiling away on the stove. As the heat gets turned up higher the water begins to boil faster and faster until finally it can boil over if the heat is not turned off. It does not appear anyone has been able to even reduce the heat over there and it would certainly be reasonable to expect that pot to eventually boil over. When that might happen and the exact nature of the mess it will create is not known at this point. It does happen to fit in perfectly with the situation the Bible has prophesied for the end times so it seems safe to say this is only a matter of when, not if.

Our National Situation

The financial plight of the USA is well known all over the world; what is ironic is the same people who got us into this mess are the ones who are supposed to get us out of it. The next election will likely be pivotal as the electorate chooses which path this nation will take in the future.

I am always mindful that God is the one who controls governments and leaders. This means that our underlying problem is spiritual not fiscal in nature. Our elected leadership is systematically removing the Christian influence from our nation and entirely too many of the electorate are blithely skipping down the road towards secular humanism and it’s not a pretty sight.

A Potential Catalyst for Disaster

Although there is no shortage of worldly events that could trigger major problems in the USA there are, in addition, those events that would reflect direct divine intervention. These can range from natural disasters to divinely influenced actions by national leaders who are unwittingly serving as servants of God.

Among those I would be inclined to say the Rapture of the Church, which is due at any time, would be the most decisive change in the fabric of the world and cause the most panic and turmoil. I speculate that the Rapture will be the trigger for an attack on Israel and the USA by Islamic forces.

Israel has the promise of God’s protection; the USA does not enjoy any such promise. Events following the Rapture may well provide the explanation for the absence of the USA from Bible prophecy.

As Christians we too have many promises from God which include “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” and “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” So there you have it; we are to rest in God’s faithfulness to us and rejoice in His unfailing love.   

Even so, come Lord Jesus.