Will the End of Days arrive via climate change?
The End of Days has been covered in quite a lot of detail in the Bible. It is clear that there will be economic suffering in addition to oppressive leadership. There will also be a lot of physical suffering.
I heard what sounded like a voice coming from
among the four living creatures, which said, "A kilo of wheat for a
day's wages, and three kilos of barley for a day's wages. But do not
damage the olive trees and the vineyards!"
Revelation 6:6
The Bible verse above indicates an extremely expensive price for food. Could this occur via a route of climate change and/or ecological disaster? The answer is yes it's possible, but alternative routes are also possible. The Bible spells out the results of the end of days, but not the exact route it will happen. So we cannot know for sure the exact path it will take. As I have mentioned before, the Bible tells us THAT something will happen, but not HOW or WHEN.
An illustration of a prophecy coming to pass is during the siege of Samaria by the Arameans, which caused a severe famine in Samaria. During the famine, which went on for a long time and caused starvation, the prophet Elisha heard from God and told what was going to happen:
But Elisha said, “Hear the word of the Lord: thus says the Lord, Tomorrow about this time a measure of choice meal shall be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.” Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned said to the man of God, “Even if the Lord were to make windows in the sky, could such a thing happen?” But he said, “You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat from it.”
2 Kings 7: 1-3
It seemed unbelievable to the captain that the famine they were experiencing would end in just 24 hours. Elisha added that the captain would see this happen with his own eyes, but not eat from any of the food. Indeed, these events came to pass:
For the Lord had caused the Aramean army to hear the sound of chariots, and of horses, the sound of a great army, so that they said to one another, “The king of Israel has hired the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Egypt to fight against us.” So they fled away in the twilight and abandoned their tents, their horses, and their donkeys leaving the camp just as it was, and fled for their lives.
2 Kings 7: 6-7
The people of Samaria realized that the Arameans had fled, and looted their camp to get food.
2 Kings 7: 16-20
When the prophecy was first spoken, no-one had any idea how it would come about. Indeed, it seemed so implausible to the captain that he did not believe that the famine would end in less than 24 hours. But the prophecy was indeed fulfilled - the famine ended, and the captain was able to see this with his own eyes but did not get to eat from the food, since he was trampled to death.
Getting back to the question of whether the End of Days will arrive via climate change, in a sense, this is a similar situation to the prophecy during the siege of Samaria. We know that the End of Days will come, because it is prophesied many times in the Bible by different prophets. Yet we do not know how it will come.
Yes, climate change is a possibility. But there are other possibilities too, and we should not get tied up in guessing by which route the End of Days will occur. The other problem is that climate change is (at least currently) inextricably tied up in financial policy, economics, and also in other things such as corruption. It's difficult to separate out climate change from other things. For example, should we say "climate change could cause the End of Days?" or "Fiscal policies that ignore environmental damage could cause the End of Days?" or "Corruption leading to environmental harm could cause the End of Days?"
Of course, it might be none of the above. We know that the final day will arrive via a cosmic event, so perhaps the preceding events on Earth are likewise linked to specific cosmic changes that have nothing to do with climate change.
It's also entirely possible that the happenings will arise in a path involving our own idiocy, or rather the idiocy of a few powerful people. As an example, the end of days could arise via a complex system of far-away satellites or "umbrellas" that are meant to somehow help fix the issues of climate change by limiting sunlight, actually making problems on Earth even worse and limiting crop growth (see here for why I think limiting sunlight will have bad ramifications), causing exorbitant food prices. These satellites could then wind up accidentally colliding with a passing asteroid which as a result is deflected to Earth on the last day. That's just a theoretical example.
The how doesn't really matter, ultimately. While we do have our own free will, we also know that certain specific events that God has prophesied in the Bible will come to pass, no matter what. And these events can come to pass a lot quicker than we might think. The 24 hours referenced by the prophet Elisha was unbelievable to the captain. Yet it happened. Are YOU ready for the day when Jesus will come? What about if that was to happen within 24 hours? If you're not ready, have you considered talking with Him? He will never hide from anyone who is seeking Him.
Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart
Jeremiah 29: 12-13
and
“Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
Matthew 7: 7-8
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