Introduction
The End of Days begins when Christ opens the first of seven seals, unleashing the first horseman of the apocalypse. With the opening of each of the following five seals, a new tribulation is released upon the world. However, the opening of the seventh seal is different from the other seals, for it releases 7 angels, each with their own trumpet. I believe that this implies that after the sounding of one trumpet, the next trumpet will soon follow, until all 7 are sounded in quick succession.
In the piece, ‘Global Warming – the Hand of God?’, we argued that global warming will be the driving force which will, directly and indirectly, bring about many of the prophecies found in Revelation. I would like to go into greater details in regards to how global warming will be a factor in the prophecies that relate to the opening of the Seventh Seal and the sounding of the trumpets that follow.
The First Trumpet
In Revelation 8:7, we are told of the events surrounding the sounding of the first trumpet:
The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up
This prophecy of Revelation is very clear and straight forward – the blowing of the first trumpet will result in one third of all the forest of the Earth burning, as well as all the green grass. The linkage to the primary and secondary effects of global warming can be seen very clearly. The relationship between global warming and the burning of the world’s trees is clear exemplified in California. Three factors have played a role in the massive forest fires that have been plaguing California in recent years – all which are linked to global warming.
The first and most obvious factor is the increase in average temperatures. The hotter temperatures cause the trees and the surrounding vegetation to dry out, rendering them more vulnerable to fire. The hotter weather is not the only cause for the trees to dry out – California, as well as other parts of the western areas of the US, has been severely affected by drought. The causes of this drought are a complex mix of factors, from the warming Arctic region to the warming of the ocean off the coast of northern California, but all of the factors have links to the overall phenomena of global warming. A secondary effect of the increase in average temperatures has severely aggravated this situation – a massive bark beetle infestation.
The increase in average temperatures have been the driving factor that has caused an explosion of the bark beetle population. First, the increase in temperatures has meant that the bark beetle has a longer ‘season’ to feed and reproduce – the arrival of spring comes earlier and the onset of the winter freeze arrives later, allowing this pest more time to feed upon and kill its tree hosts. Secondly, as average temperatures rise, the bark beetle has been able to expand its geographical range, expanding northward and westward into new forest regions. Lastly, the rise in temperatures and the accompanying decrease in moisture weakens the trees, making them more vulnerable to the attacks of the bark beetle.
These three factors that have caused massive forest fires in California are spreading. Higher temperatures, decreasing moisture, and the onslaught of the bark beetle is devastating forests in the Oregon, California, and British Columbia – and these regions are also suffering from massive forest fires. However, up to this point, this could still be considered a regional, not a global problem – but this is changing as the Arctic regions continue to suffer increases in average temperatures way in excess above the global averages. The warming of the Arctic threatens a biosphere with the same fate – the boreal forests.
The Boreal Forests
The boreal forests are a vast region of forests that are found in the Arctic regions. They stretch from Canada to Russia to Scandinavia –as can be seen in the map below.
The boreal forests represent about 30% of the world’s trees. Just as rising temperatures, drought, and bark beetles are devastating forests in the Pacific Northwest, those same forces are now moving northward, affecting this global network of forests. The massive Fort McMurray fires that occurred this year happened in the Canadian boreal forests. Similar fires have been raging in the boreal forests in Alaska and Russia as well. As the higher latitude regions continue to warm well in excess of global averages, we will see the bark beetles expand into this global biome, and wreck havoc in those trees that will be weakened by heat and drier conditions. There is another massive forest that is suffering due to higher temperatures and drought — the Brazilian rainforest.
Brazilian Rainforest
The Brazilian rain forest has been suffering from sporadic, but severe bouts of drought for the past 6 years. The above map shows that for 2015, most of the rain forest suffered through serious drought. The lack of moisture, combined with increasing temperatures due to global warming, has been killing trees throughout the rain forest. This will render it more vulnerable to forest fires. Though the Arctic region is suffering the largest increase in average temperatures, it will be equatorial regions that will suffer the highest absolute temperatures. As temperatures continue to rise, it will dry out the rain forest and when that happens, massive forest fires will bring devastation.
The destruction of the boreal and Brazilian forests will indeed mean that a third of the world’s tree will burn with the sounding of the first trumpet.
The Second Trumpet
Just as global warming will play a direct role in the burning of one third of the world, due to heat and drought, so too will it be the driving force to turn a third of the world’s oceans to ‘blood’. In Revelation 8:8-9, it is written:
And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
Global warming has not only resulted in higher average global atmospheric temperatures, but it has also raised the average water temperatures of the world’s oceans, as seen below.
Though the average rise in global ocean water temperatures may seem slight, as some regions have cooled while other regions have warmed dramatically.
The warming of the world’s oceans will have many impacts, from causing changing to weather patterns, to the mass migration of sea life, to the melting of the Antarctica land based ice. The warming of the oceans will also have one other consequence – an increase in the size and frequency of HABs.
HAB is the acronym for harmful algae blooms. There are a number of factors that are conducive to the growth of harmful algae blooms. Two main factors that can cause HABs are higher temperatures and a plentiful presence of carbon dioxide – both of which are brought about by global warming. There are several HABs in particular that we are interested in – all of which can cause what is commonly referred to as ‘red tide’. There is alexandrium fundyense, which is found in the Atlantic. In the Pacific, the alexandrium catenella is found. Lastly, in the Gulf of Mexico, there is karenai brevis. These HABs all turn the ocean red when they bloom, and generally referred to as ‘red tide’. I would argue that as global warming worsens, the oceans will continue to grow ever warmer, and in doing so, will result in massive red tides that will turn one third of the ocean the color of blood. Not only does do these HABs turn the ocean the color of blood, but just as the prophecy calls for, the red tide will result in ‘a third part of the creatures in the sea’ will die. As the red tide engulf a third of the world, so its toxicity will wreak havoc and kill all sea life trapped in its blood red waters.
There is one other link between global warming and the coming global red tide bloom. The increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is resulting in a greater absorption of this carbon into the ocean – and this is causing the ocean to become more acidic. Simply put, the carbon dioxide, as it is absorbed by the water, chemically interacts with the water molecules, with the end result being the formation of carbonic acid. Though research on the relationship between ocean acidity and the formation of HABs is still preliminary, initial findings indicate that the growing acidity of the world’s ocean will only help foster the growth of harmful algae blooms.
From higher sea temperatures to growing acidity, global warming in and of itself has the potential to bring about the prophecies as they relate to the sounding of the second trumpet. However, there is one last aspect of the prophecy that invites discussion. The prophecy states that ‘a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea’ – this is an extremely provocative statement.
When the first trumpet is sounded, the world will be engulf in a heat spike so extreme, that the high temperatures will dry out the land, and cause a third of the world’s trees to burn and will kill all the green grass. It is easy to imagine the world’s leaders gathering at the United Nations, calling for drastic action to counter the massive global heat spike. In such a scenario, it is highly plausible that the world will engage in an act of geo-engineering, in an attempt to counter the sudden heat spikes. The simplest experiment to date on geo-engineering as it relates to global warming has been the dumping of iron dust into the ocean. The theory is that the iron serves as a nutrient for algae, causing massive algae blooms. When the algae blooms, it captures carbon from the environment, and when the algae dies, it takes that carbon to the bottom of the sea – where it is temporarily ‘captured’ for a number of years. It is completely plausible that man himself will dump a massive amount of iron into the world’s oceans (‘a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea’), and due to the growing ocean temperatures and growing acidity, the algae blooms will morph into the red tide – turning a third of the world’s oceans blood red and killing all sea life trapped within. This would be consistent with the theme that man will bring calamity upon himself.
The Third Trumpet
And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
A comprehensive study of over 275 lakes around the world has determined that average water temperatures have been rising at a pace of 0.61 degrees centigrade per decade. This represents a rate of warming that is even greater than the rise in atmospheric temperatures over the same period.
Even in normal circumstances, harmful algae blooms occur in the summer months, as the warmer summer temperatures will trigger the blooms. Over recent years, anecdotal evidence has indicated a rise in the frequency and scale of HABs in the lakes of the Northern Hemisphere. We have earlier touched on one mechanism that causes an increase in HABs at warmer temperatures. The P. rubescens is found in most large lakes in the North Hemisphere. P. rubescens and other cyanobacteria now threaten the ecological well-being of some of the world’s largest water bodies, including Lake Victoria in Africa, Lake Erie in the United States and Canada, Lake Taihu in China, the Baltic Sea in northern Europe, and the Caspian Sea in west Asia. They’ve also been found in Lake Kokotel in eastern Siberia, which is next to Lake Baikal, the world’s largest, deepest and most ancient freshwater lake. Baikal contains 20 percent of the world’s total unfrozen freshwater reserve.
Prior to the onset of global warming, the P. rubescens population was kept in check by the natural changing of the seasons. After a cold winter, the spring thaw would raise temperatures of the lake water. This would cause a natural mixing of the lake water — with the upper layer of water sinking and the lower layer of water rising. This mixing would kill this HAB, preventing major blooms from occurring. However, with global warming resulting in milder and warmer winters, the lake waters are not getting sufficiently cold, and as a result, the normal mixing of waters is being hindered. The result is more frequent and larger summer blooms of this toxic algae.
Another toxic algae, perhaps even more common, is the blue-green algae. In the summer months, as lake water heats up, this HAB can plague both smaller and larger lakes alike. This HAB only requires warm temperatures and carbon dioxide to bloom. In the presence of phosphates (from fertilizer runoffs) or other nutrients, this harmful algae can have massive blooms. In America, this HAB has been a chronic problem in Lake Erie, and recently, it has been a massive issue in eastern Florida.
Now imagine, the has been a massive spike in temperatures across the Northern Hemisphere (most like due to the entire East Siberian Sea releasing its methane in an explosive fashion). The heat and drought in the Arctic regions have been so great that literally, the entire boreal forest has caught fire. Not only have atmospheric temperatures soared, but the world’s ocean’s have also warmed to such a degree (by the breakdown of ocean mixing in Antarctica) that a red tide covers a third of the world’s oceans. Lastly, at the peak of the elevated summer heat, the lakes of the North Hemisphere become engulfed in toxic algae blooms.
The above scenario is completely plausible, based on current scientific research. When you combine this research with the prophecies of Revelation, you end up with a compelling argument for what lies before us, in the not so distant future.
The Fourth Trumpet
The sounding of the fourth trumpet, brings darkness to a third of the world, as told in Revelation 8:12,
And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
Earlier, when the sixth seal is opened, a similar phenomenon will happen, where the ‘sun became black as sackcloth of hair’ and ‘stars of heaven fell unto the earth’. I believe that both of these prophecies can be driven from the same phenomena – an eruption from a supervolcano.
In the piece, ‘Science and the Sixth Seal’, we discuss how an examination of ocean sentiment cores have shown that during previous periods where there was significant melting of Arctic ice, there was a major increase in global volcanic activity. Just as a major eruption from a supervolcano can be the manifestation of the opening of the Sixth Seal, so could the same or different supervolcano be the driving force behind the sounding of the fourth trumpet. A giant ash cloud from such an eruption could darken the sky over a third of the world, blocking out the sun, the moon, and all the stars in the sky.
With the opening of the seventh seal, we have argued that global warming will be a key driver in the prophecies that follow the sounding of the first four trumpets. We have previously argued in the piece, ‘Global Warming – the Hand of God’, that natural, self-reinforcing global warming cycles have begun which will cause a sudden acceleration in the pace of global warming. Indeed, it will require severe temperature spikes for global warming to bring about the prophecies we have discussed.