Which do you believe; Doomsday Clock or God’s Clock?
There are well grounded reasons why bible believing people needn’t be shaken by or be fearful of pending catastrophes; financial crashes, physical cataclysms, climate change and so on. In contrast, doomsdayism would warn us of the severity of these pending disasters, cause fear in our mind and would urge us to make preparations for such times now; for example with a “survival” kit and food…
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of
God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the LORD has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10 He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.’
11 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of
God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the LORD has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10 He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.’
11 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
PSALM 46.
The following headlines caught my eyes recently. Press release: It is now 3 minutes to midnight, CLIMATE CHANGE AND NUCLEAR TENSIONS, PUSH DOOMSDAY CLOCK HANDS FORWARD “Extraordinary and Undeniable” Climate, Weapons Threats Cited for Movement; Doomsday Clock Adjustment is 1st in 3 Years and is Accompanied by Urgent Call for Action. WASHINGTON, D.C. – January 22, 2015.
The opening paragraph of the statement from the Board reads as follows: “In 2015, unchecked climate change, global nuclear weapons modernizations, and outsized nuclear weapons arsenals pose extraordinary and undeniable threats to the continued existence of humanity, and world leaders have failed to act with the speed or on the scale required to protect citizens from potential catastrophe. These failures of political leadership endanger every person on Earth.”
According to the Bulletin, the last time the Doomsday Clock minute hand moved was in January 2012, when the Clock’s minute hand was pushed ahead one minute from six to five minutes before midnight. Since its creation in 1947, the Doomsday Clock has been adjusted only 18 times, ranging from two minutes before midnight in 1953 to 17 minutes before midnight in 1991. The last time the Doomsday Clock was at three minutes to midnight was 1983, when “U.S.-Soviet relations were at their iciest”.
In unveiling the change to the Doomsday Clock, Sharon Squassoni, a member of the Science and Security Board, Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, and director and senior fellow at the Proliferation Prevention Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies, said:
'Since the end of the Cold War, there has been cautious optimism about the ability of nuclear weapon states to keep the nuclear arms race in check and to walk back slowly from the precipice of nuclear destruction. That optimism has essentially evaporated in the face of two trends: sweeping nuclear weapons modernization programs and a disarmament machinery that has ground to a halt. Although the United States and Russia no longer have the tens of thousands of nuclear weapons they had during the Cold War, the pace of reduction has slowed dramatically in recent years, well before the crisis in Crimea. From 2009 to 2013, the Obama administration cut only 309 warheads from the stockpile'.
Richard Somerville, a member of the Science and Security Board, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, and a distinguished professor emeritus and research professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, said:
‘Efforts at reducing global emissions of heat-trapping gases have so far been entirely insufficient to prevent unacceptable climate disruption. Unless much greater emissions reductions occur very soon, the countries of the world will have emitted enough carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by the end of this century to profoundly transform the Earth's climate. The resulting climate change will harm millions of people and will threaten many key ecological systems on which civilization relies … We call upon world leaders to take coordinated and rapid action to drastically reduce global emissions of heat-trapping gases, especially carbon dioxide. We also urge the citizens of the world to demand action from their leaders. This threat looms over all of humanity. We all need to respond now, while there is still time’.The final paragraph of the statement from the Board warns: ‘In 2015, with the Clock hand moved forward to three minutes to midnight, the board feels compelled to add, with a sense of great urgency: “The probability of global catastrophe is very high, and the actions needed to reduce the risks of disaster must be taken very soon”’ (http://thebulletin.org/press-release/press-release-it-now-3-minutes-midnight7950).
The article above warns us of the high probability of a global catastrophe, because of current insufficient efforts to prevent warming of earth and the setback of efforts to reduce world nuclear arsenals and of the disarmament process. Scientists and climatologists believe that insufficient action to slash worldwide emissions of greenhouse gases can produce global climactic catastrophe. A number of decades ago, the main threat was felt to be “global cooling”, i.e., the coming of a new ice age rather than “global warming”.
Today however, the more general term “climate change” is increasingly used. This ambiguity implies that emissions of greenhouse gases are damaging the environment but their real effects are uncertain. Scientists unanimously recognise the fact that the earth has gone through significant climate changes in her long history, and that they were caused by nature rather than human activity. Nevertheless, today they seem to be convinced that the primary cause of climate change is attributed to human activity as the article above shows.
How can we seriously take their arguments and warnings from a biblical view point?
It seems that there are 2 different motives behind this conviction, apart from genuine conclusions from data analysis. One is the “climate change mindset” with a sort of religious fervour. There seem to be many environmentalists who are so obsessed with their goal of protecting “Mother Earth” that they will support whatever arguments effective to achieve it. The other is the “climate change mentality” for financial gain, supporters of which are those who are in advantageous position to be able to get financial gain from green laws and technologies. Not necessarily everyone who promotes the theory of climate change seems to stand on a well-informed foundation and pure motives. In other words, despite such a stern warning from the Board of Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, their opinions should be examined with skeptical and critical eyes as well as respectful hearts.
In passing, according to its profile, the organisation was founded in 1945 by University of Chicago scientists and it subsequently created the Doomsday Clock in 1947, using the imagery of the apocalypse (midnight) and the contemporary idiom of nuclear explosion (countdown to zero), to convey the level of threat to humanity and the planet. The decision to move the minute hand of the Doomsday Clock is made by the Bulletin's Board of Directors in consultation with its Board of Sponsors, which includes 17 Nobel Laureates. The Clock has become a universally recognized indicator of the world's vulnerability to catastrophe from nuclear weapons, climate change, and emerging technologies in the life sciences.
Then what does the Bible teach about climate change? The Bible predicts that the world will get worse until the wrath of God falls on earth, which would be caused by natural disasters as well as man-caused disasters in the end of times. However, there is no specific mention of a threat of climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions. Although much effort and concern with environmental quality improvement should undoubtedly be made on man’s side, the Bible does not impose a responsibility of saving the planet on man at all.
No matter how serious climate change may be, what the Bible proclaims is that God is sovereign and in control over the earth to the end, when the present heaven and earth will be replaced with New Heavens and New Earth. As long as God, who created the universe desires so, the earth will continue to be safe for man to inhabit. God Himself has assured us of this and His promise will never be broken:
‘This is what the LORD says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar – the LORD Almighty is his name: “Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,” declares the LORD, “will Israel ever cease being a nation before me.”’ (Je.31:35-36).
There are many passages in Scripture which proclaim God’s sovereignty over the earth. The verses from Psalm 46 quoted at the beginning are one of them. This splendid psalm depicts troubled earth and troubled life on it in the first paragraph; vs.1-3. Psalmists, Korah and David believed that the land and the sea were created and continually being controlled by God. Even witnessing fearful earthquakes, floods, landslides or else, they boldly proclaimed: ‘we will not fear’, because ‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.’
Although our generation may have a much better understanding of how the natural world works compared to the Old Testament people, only more fears and worries have been put into our hearts. The concept of nuclear winter, global cooling/warming have created more fear, and no doubt there will be an increasing number of threats created out of the roaring and quaking earth. However if we remain in God’s Word, we will be able to stand in the same confidence as the psalmists had.
The second paragraph; vs.4-7, depicts a troubled city and troubled faith community. The turmoils of the previous paragraph also echo the uproar of nations and the collapse of kingdoms, which may represent a flood of materialism and persecution upon God’s people. However, no matter what happens upon God’s city and His people they won’t be shaken because the believers in the Lord can envision the bright future beyond now:
‘But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel’ (He.12:22-24).
God who created the earth can also renew it after overthrowing every evil power and things on it and ultimately recreate it into an eternal dwelling place for His people and Himself. The Lord promises to be both “with us and our fortress”. In other words, He will be within the eternal city, ‘heavenly Jerusalem’ and at the same time His people will take refuge in Him.
The third paragraph; vs.8-11 depicts troubled evil people, where all evil people such as the warmonger are in due course to find themselves in great trouble, utterly devastated. The whole earth will end wars, and the returned Lord, Christ will reign the whole world at the end of the present age. So, the psalmist calls for the believers in Him to be still and see the power of God to destroy wickedness on earth and in turn, sustain His people, who are what should remain alone.
The following excerpt from William MacDonald’s devotional ‘One Day at a Time’ is a wonderfully summarised reminder for those who believe in God’s perfect care for His creation, as long as the present aeon of earth lasts under God’s Clock.
The Bible is fairly full of tokens of God’s marvelous care for His people. During Israel’s forty-year trek through the wilderness, they ate food from heaven (Exodus 16:4), had an unfailing supply of water (1 Corinthians 10:4), and were equipped with shoes that never wore out (Deuteronomy 29:5).
It is the same in our wilderness journey. To prove this, our Lord reminds us how His care for us is so much greater than His care for birds, flowers, and animals. He speaks of sparrows, for instance. He provides their food (Matthew 6:26). Not one of them is forgotten before God (Luke 12:6). Not one falls to the ground without Him (Matthew 10:29), or, as H. A. Ironside said, “God attends the funeral of every sparrow.” The moral of the story, of course, is that we are of more value to Him than many sparrows (Matthew 10:31).
If He clothes the lilies of the field more beautifully than Solomon was ever attired, He will much more clothe us (Matthew 6:30). If He makes provision for the care of oxen, how much more will He care for our needs (1 Corinthians 9:9)!
As our High Priest, the Lord Jesus bears our names on His shoulders—the place of power (Exodus 28:9-12) and on His breast—the place of affection (Exodus 28:15-21). Also our names are engraved in the palms of His hands (Isaiah 49:16), a fact that inevitably reminds us of the nail wounds He sustained for us at Calvary.
He knows the exact number of the hairs of our head (Matthew 10:30). He numbers our tossings at night and keeps count of our tears in His book (Psalm 56:8).
Whoever touches us, touches the apple of His eye (Zechariah 2:8). No weapon formed against us can prosper (Isaiah 54:17).
Whereas the heathen carry their gods on their shoulders (Isaiah 46:7), our God carries His people (Isaiah 46:4).
When we go through the waters, the rivers, or the fire, He is with us (Isaiah 43:2). In all our afflictions, He is afflicted (Isaiah 63:9).
The One who guards us neither slumbers nor sleeps (Psalm 121:3-4). Someone has called this characteristic of God “the divine insomnia.”
The Good Shepherd who gave His life for us will not withhold any good from us (John 10:11; Psalm 84:11; Romans 8:32).
He cares for us from the beginning of the year to the end (Deuteronomy 11:12). He bears us even to old age (Isaiah 46:4). In fact He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). God really cares!
(http://www.thebereancall.org/content/January-2015-extra-he-cares-for-you)