ADVERSE CLIMATE CHANGES…WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY IS NEXT?

Last week, in Part I of this series, I pointed out that many formerly great cities around the world in the past several thousand years have been literally wiped out by suddenly adverse climatic changes.

Huge numbers of people have been forced to either migrate or perish as once-fertile regions have been turned into barren desert wastelands by years of parching drought. Other areas were ravaged by advancing swamps.

Recently, I have been asked by many folks on what the Bible says about climate change. The Bible is an amazing textbook when it comes to describing the often-disastrous effects of abrupt climate changes, from the days of Noah to Joseph and Moses. There were many migrations in search of "the lands of milk and honey".

The writers of the Old Testament wrote of forests that do not exist today in Israel, formerly Palestine. Trees like oak and maple once flourished in the Jordan Valley. Now their habitat is much farther to the north in areas of much higher precipitation and considerably cooler temperatures.

There is evidence that huge glaciers once existed in northern Israel and Lebanon. The bones of ancient man have been found alongside bones of animals normally found in much cooler climates.

The Dead Sea was once twice its current size. It continues to shrink every year. In records dating back to the third century B.C., there were at least five rivers described as being in Israel. Today, only the Jordan River remains, perhaps a dying remnant from the last great ice age, some 11,500 years ago.

From the descriptions of wells and baths in the regions that can be accurately dated, we know that the climate of Israel has greatly deteriorated since the time of Christ. In fact, the deserts had encroached on most of the once-arable landscape until irrigation was introduced about 50 years ago, shortly after the rebirth of Israel as a nation.

To the northeast of Israel, the Caspian Sea is a very large body of water. It would take long periods of time to substantially alter its water levels to any significant degree. Evidence has been found, however, that proves beyond a doubt that there once were sandy beaches high on the hillsides bordering the sea. Kids still look for sea shells in these areas.

The highest level of the Caspian Sea probably existed during the so-called Golden Age of Greece around the fifth century B.C. The sea was at least 250 to 300 feet higher than today's levels. This certainly supports the hypothesis that the Mediterranean regions were once much wetter and cooler than now for extended periods of time.

What does the Bible say is next on God's climatological "timetable?" Well, there's both good and bad news weatherwise according to Scripture. The way I see it, things are going to get a lot worse before they get better. Even now, however, millions around the world are dying from disease and hunger, particularly in Asia and Africa.

The book of Revelation tells us that "man will curse God" when the hottest and driest weather in recorded history literally bakes this planet during the "Tribulation Period." According to these passages, at least one third of the entire population of the world will die as the result of famine, disease and pestilence.

Then comes the good news!

Following the much-awaited return of Christ, we read in Rev. 21:1: "and I saw a new heaven and a new Earth; for the first heaven and the first Earth were passed away. There were no more storms of life."

For more details concerning this wondrous time to come, contact my pastor, Mike Rima, at the Lake City Community Church in Coeur d,Alene or your own spiritual leader. They will fill you in on these biblical prophecies. Mike's weekly messages have given hope to literally thousands of people in the area. He's one of a kind, to say the least.

Personally, Christ is my only hope of getting out of this world alive! As Mel Gibson said recently, "All other roads are nothing but dead-ends."

90-DAY LOCAL WEATHER OUTLOOK

The month of May, like April before it, has begun on a very dry, warm and windy note across North Idaho and much of the surrounding Inland Empire.

To the southwest of us in California, the first half of the spring season has been the hottest and driest in recorded history.

An almost six-year-long major drought cycle, which began in the late spring of 1998 following the demise of the last big El Nino in the Pacific, has left vegetation in the southwestern corner of the country tinder dry.

A widespread infestation of tree-killing bark beetles has likewise added fuel to an extremely critical fire danger situation.

According to Rich Green, assistant deputy director of the California Forestry Department, "it's shaping up to be an all-time record fire season in the Golden State. We've already seen major wildfires this week in Riverside, San Diego and Santa Barbara counties. Conditions now are as dry as they normally get by late-June or early-July due to the early end this February of the 2003-04 annual rainy season."

While the fire danger levels in our neck of the woods are not yet at the "extreme levels" of those in Southern California, we are facing some unusually dry conditions as well for so early in the fire season. In my climatological opinion, outdoor burning should be generally banned until we see some substantial drought relief. Watering restrictions, especially those pertaining to the "heat of the day," should be put in place throughout the region, not just in Post Falls.

I do see some increase in precipitation locally in the next 30 days, but things overall still look hot, dry and windy thanks to that stubborn ridge of high pressure that refuses to budge. We've already seen readings near 80 degrees at times this spring. The 90s should arrive by no later than late-May or early-June with at least a couple of afternoons by early- to mid-July near or even above the century mark. Stay tuned…