The Day of the Lord is coming--Beware!

My place is of the sun and this place is of the dark
I do not feel the romance I do not catch the spark
I don't know when I noticed life was life at my expense
The words of my heart lined up like prisoners on a fence
The dreams came in like needy children tugging at my sleeve
I said I have no way of feeding you, so leave
But there was a time I asked my father for a dollar
And he gave it a ten dollar raise
When I needed my mother and I called her
She stayed with me for days
And now someone's on the telephone, desperate in his pain
Someone's on the bathroom floor doing her cocaine
Someone's got his finger on the button in some room
No one can convince me we aren't gluttons for our doom
But I tried to make this place my place
I asked for Providence to smile upon me with his sweet face
But I'll tell you
My place is of the sun and this place is of the dark
I do not feel the romance I do not catch the spark
My place is of the sun and this place is of the dark
(By grace, my sight grows stronger and I will not
be a pawn for the Prince of Darkness any longer)
Maybe there's no haven in this world for tender age
My heart beat like the wings of wild birds in a cage
My greatest hope my greatest cause to grieve
And my heart flew from its cage and it bled upon my sleeve
The cries of passion were like wounds that needed healing
I couldn't hear them for the thunder
I was half the naked distance between hell and heaven's ceiling
And he almost pulled me under
Now someone's on the telephone desperate in his pain
Someone's on the bathroom floor doing her cocaine
Someone's got his finger on the button in some room
No one can convince me we aren't gluttons for our doom
I tried to make this place my place
I asked for Providence to smile upon me with his sweet face
But I'll tell you
My place is of the sun and this place is of the dark
I do not feel the romance I do not catch of spark
My place is of the sun and this place is of the dark
(By grace my sight grows stronger, grows stronger)
I do not feel the romance I do not catch the spark
(And I will not be a pawn for the Prince of Darkness any longer)

As I write this, my son is somewhere in Canada, driving to Alaska where he hopes to winter in Anchorage.  Given that autumn has officially arrived, and that Alaska is in the upper regions of the Northern Hemisphere, he will experience a third less daylight than those of us in the lower 48.  Many people become depressed (I've heard) when they spend time in Alaska, for although they are surrounded by awesomely beautiful scenery and wildlife, the seasons play havoc with their emotions.  In the summer, there is a third more daylight than normal, leaving precious little cover of night for good, sound sleep.  And in winter, the darkness is pervasive, causing many to fall in to deep depression.  I would be worried for my son, except for his extensive social network--not just with Facebook and other social media, but within his church and other friends and relatives who can support him if he calls for help.

I can't imagine spending a dark winter in Alaska without a network of close friends for support.

Darkness is also a common prophetic figure used of the Day of the Lord, and is generally a metaphor for distress and suffering.  Hell itself is described as a "lake of fire", but the flames are not bright, cheery yellow flames that we think of when we plan to go camping, singing songs around the campfire and roasting marshmallows.  Revelation 19:20 describes the capture of the Beast and of the False Prophet, and together "they were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur."  Sulfur has a blue flame that emits sulfur dioxide, a vile smell that is found in skunk odor and fertilizer. Molten sulfur assumes a dark red color.  In utter and complete darkness, these dark colors would not give enough light to read by, much less to be able to discern the faces of friends and relatives who abide there with you.  Those who joke, "I'll see you in hell" are sadly mistaken, for the darkness there is so intense that you can feel it.

That is why in Revelation 8-9, the judgments of God are each preceded by a trumpet blast.  Trumpets are used in the Bible to warn God's people of danger, and to muster the troops against the enemies of God.  So when we read the following verses from  Revelation 8:12-13, we should take it very seriously:

The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark.  A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.  As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice:  "Woe!  Woe!  Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded the the other three angels!"

In the ninth plague on Egypt, thick darkness covered the land for three days.  References to the Egyptian plagues suggest that in Revelation we have the final exodus of God's people from the bondage of a world controlled by hostile powers.  Exodus 10:21-23 says, "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt--darkness that can be felt.' So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days.  No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days.  Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived."  You can see why I draw a parallel between this plague, which only lasted three days, and hell, which will last an eternity: first, it is a darkness that can be felt; second, there is no leaving or even seeing anyone else (suggestive that even if they tried to light a candle during this period, it shed little or no usable light); and third, the chosen ones of God did not suffer in this way.

Ezekiel 32:7 says, "When I snuff  you out, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light."  Nowhere is this imagery of darkness more stark than in the second chapter of Joel.  Joel 2:1-2 says, "Blow the trumpet in Zion, sound the alarm on my holy hill.  Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming.  It is close at hand--a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness.  Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come." Joel 2:10 says, "Before them the earth shakes, the sky trembles, the sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine."  Joel 2:31 says, "The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord."

Many today say that they look forward to the Day of the Lord, but they are not ready.  Amos 5:18 says, "Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord!  Why do you long for the day of the Lord?  That day will be darkness, not light."  The time when God will show himself to be the victor over the world, vindicating his claims to be the Lord over all the earth, will not be a happy time for those who have not made Him Lord of their lives.  Israel expected to be exalted as his people and longed for that day to come.  Amos warned that the day would come, but not as Israel expected--it would be a day of "darkness, not light" for her, because she had not been faithful to God.  Zephaniah 1:15 says, "That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness."

Today in my daily Bible reading, I was in Revelation chapter 21.  The verse that stands out to me is verse 8: "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice the magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.  This is the second death."  Note it does not say those who are not Jews; it does not say those who don't belong to a certain church; it does not say those who fail to take the sacraments, or tithe, or do good works.  It DOES say the cowardly (those who are unfaithful, who fall away), and those who do not believe (that Jesus is the one and only Savior of mankind), and those who do vile things, like commit murder, or adultery (including pornography, brethren), and those who place their faith in the magic arts (any of you ladies follow your horoscope?), and those who worship anything other than God, and those who do not follow the truth (with their lives as well as their lips)--those are the ones who will be eternally separated from God.

Some Christians believe in the Rapture, the time when God removes the Church from the earth so that Christians will not be subject to the judgments of God on those who dwell in the earth.  Others believe that God knows who we are, and that by the sign of the cross on our foreheads and on our right hands (and in our hearts), we will avoid the judgments just as the Israelites did in the plagues of Egypt.  Revelation 12:12 says, "Therefore, rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them!  But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you!  He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short."  Every generation sees more demonic activities, as Satan realizes that the Day of the Lord is ever closer.

Revelation 3:10 says, "Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth."  If you call yourself a Christian, rejoice!  You will be saved from the trials and tribulations that the rest of the earth will be subject to, as well as the fiery lake of burning sulfur prepared for the Beast and False Prophet.  Friend, do not be deceived.  The God who promised heaven to the faithful also promised hell to the unbelieving sinners.  Jesus spoke more about hell during His time on earth than He did about heaven.  The idea that a loving God would not send anyone to Hell flies in the face of Scripture.  Open your eyes and read.  Open your heart and receive.  You can know the truth, and the truth can set you free.

When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more,
And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
When the roll, is called up yonder,
When the roll, is called up yonder,
When the roll, is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there.
On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise,
And the glory of His resurrection share;
When His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
When the roll, is called up yonder,
When the roll, is called up yonder,
When the roll, is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there.
Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun,
Let us talk of all His wondrous love and care;
Then when all of life is over, and our work on earth is done,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
When the roll, is called up yonder,
When the roll, is called up yonder,
When the roll, is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there.

Wormwood

thanks to ChristArt.com 

You live your life like a tornado.Destruction follows everywhere you go.And you have no plans to stop or slow (oh).I will not let this bitter root grow in me.I will not let you leave that legacy,But it gets so hard when pain is all I see (oh).
And every time I find healing, you're making a new mess,And I am learning the real meaning of forgiveness.
And I tried to remove myself from your path,But I keep on waking up in the aftermath.So I pick up again and say I won't look back (oh).And I will not let this bitter root grow in me.I will not let you leave that legacy,But this constant fight is breaking me (oh).
And every time I find healing, you're making a new mess,And I am learning the real meaning of forgiveness.
And it hurts when you hit at the hearts of the ones I love;When everything you touch is rubble and dust.And it gets so hard to know how to trust,But I will not let that bitter root grow.I will not let it, no no.But it gets so hard (oh).
And every time I find healing you're making a new mess,And I am learning the real meaning of forgiveness.And I could move and never send you a forwarding address,Or I could learn the real meaning of forgiveness. 

 Last week we talked about a fiery mountain falling into the sea as a judgment on the earth.  That imagery is as vivid as the angels who are blowing the seven trumpets--if you close your eyes, you can just see it happening. That image followed the image of fire falling from heaven and destroying much of nature.  In fact, the first four trumpet judgments all deal with acts against nature, with only passing references to their effects on people.  It's almost like each judgment is the undoing of a major miracle found elsewhere in the Bible.  We see this trend continue in Revelation 8:10-11:

"The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water--the name of the star is Wormwood.  A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter."

This passage is so rich! Again, we see vivid imagery of a heavenly being sounding a trumpet blast, summoning judgment on the earth. And like the second trumpet judgment added on to the first, so the third trumpet judgment adds on to the second.  To recap, the first trumpet judgment brought hail and fire mixed with blood, thrown onto the earth to burn up a third of the trees and grass. The second trumpet judgment brought death to a third of the sea, and to the ships on the sea, and to a third of all the rivers and streams that flow to the sea.  Now the third trumpet judgment brings a meteor or falling star striking the earth and making a portion of the water that is left (that was not turned to blood by the second judgment) unpalatable.  Many people, unable to find sweet tasting water to drink, simply give up and die.

That is a literal translation of the passage.  But many commentaries that I read had a more figurative translation of the passage.  To them, the falling star was a great military leader, like Atilla the Hun perhaps, who brought defeat and devastation to many people, and left bitterness in his wake.

I'll confess I do not know whether to believe the figurative or the literal.  But I do know that there is a parallel passage in Exodus 15:22-25 where the children of Israel complained bitterly about where Moses had led them.

"Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur.  For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water.  When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water because it was bitter. (That is why the  place is called Marah.)  So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?"  Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood.  He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.  There the Lord made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them."

"Marah" means "bitter".  In fact, it is the root word of the name "Mary".  Ruth 1:20 says, "Don't call me Naomi, she told them. Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter." So in this passage the Israelites were three days from the victory that God had won for them over the Egyptian army, and three days from the miracle of crossing the Red Sea on dry ground.  But they were thirsty.  Their water supply had dwindled.  So they were bitter.  And when they did come upon a pool of water, it was not fit to drink.  It was bitter.  Moses prays to God, and God shows him a piece of wood to throw into the water to make it miraculously sweet, and good to drink.  What a contrast from the passage in Revelation!  And, by the way, I do believe that this passage in Exodus was a literal event--whether the story in Revelation that mirrors it is literal or not.

Back to the third trumpet judgment.  The star falls--whether it is literal or figurative--it falls from the sky.  Where have I heard that before?  Isaiah 14:12 says, "How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn!  You have been cast down to earth, you who once laid low the nations."  Now many Bible scholars believe this passage speak of the fall of Satan.  They reference Luke 10:18, where Jesus says, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven."  Also, the Hebrew word for "the morning star" is "Lucifer", a name which we have associated with the devil.  But there are other verses that describe Jesus as the Morning Star.  2 Peter 1:19 says, "And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts."  Revelation 22:16 says, "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches.  I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."

Numbers 14:17 says, "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near.  A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.  He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the sons of Sheth."  Perhaps this verse was initially fulfilled in King David, but ultimately it is fulfilled in the coming Messianic Ruler.  Israel's future Deliverer will be like a star.  The star that fell to the earth like a comet was a poor reflection, a bad copy of the bright Morning Star that is Jesus.

Wormwood is a bitter herb.  It is also a name that some ascribe to demons.  In his book The Screwtape Letters, "Wormwood" is the name given to the junior demon who is sent to plague the struggling Christian. Bitterness will do that.  Proverbs 5:3-4 says, "For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword."  Lamentations 3:19 says, "I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall."  So we see that bitterness can  drive you away from God, or at least become a major distraction so that you are spiritually ineffective.  We have all known bitter people--folks that don't have a kind word to say about anything or anyone.  These people are speaking judgment on themselves.  If we speak the name of Jesus and have his praise continually on our lips, then we are speaking victory to sin.  But if we speak nothing but bitterness and complaints, we speak defeat to our spirits and to ourselves.

Judgment in near, people.  Jeremiah 23:15 says, Therefore, this is what the Lord Almighty says concerning the prophets: I will make them eat bitter food and drink poisoned water, because from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has spread throughout the land."  Be careful who you listen to; be careful what words you allow into your life.  We do not want to be bitter, or speak bitterness and poison into our lives.  We want to speak the Word of Life to all men.

When we are raising our children, how many times do we tell them, "Be sweet." Usually this is in response to some outburst from them, sometimes consisting of verbal or even physical violence.  To stop them from hurting themselves or others, we admonish them to "be sweet"--use kind words, think better of people, treat others well.  How much more should we do what we encourage our children to do?  Ephesians 4:29, 31 says, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may be beneficial to those who listen...Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice."  Why? Because bitterness ruins our witness. It is not God's will that any should perish; if you constantly stir up bitterness with your words, you may be the Wormwood that keeps someone from partaking in the Living Water.  And we don't want that, do we?

Like a deer that had been panting for the waterI was thirsting for so longI was so drySo I set out on my journeyNot sure just what I'd findBut I found an everlasting river of life
Ooh, it's just life fallin' rainI will never thirst again
Living water, bread of lifeCome and quench this thirst within meFill this hunger deep insideFor so long I have been empty
Nothing else will satisfyYou alone are what I need LordLiving water, bread of life
I had searched this whole world over for the answerWanting just to fill this void insideAll the things that were materialThey could not satisfyFor my hungering was for the bread of life
Ooh, it came like manna from aboveI can never get enough
Living water, bread of lifeCome and quench this thirst within meFill this hunger deep insideFor so long I have been empty

Fighting fire with power and love

The sadness locked inside of you. The beauty of nothing. The absence of sacrifice, of pain. Fortress of solitude. burn it down. buried by arrogance. stones crumble. walls fallen from clenched fists that feel no pain. the fists that built them. Shadows of a scarred and skeleton world remain. You are still alone. nothing can protect you now. fortress of solitude. burn it down. no fortress. no fire. no flame. Birth takes a new meaning when it's into death. reinforced misconceptions. the plague of apathy that threatens to consume us all. fortress of solitude around this cold heart. burnt to the ground. afraid to face another day. still afraid to die. the fear remains. --"No Fortress, No Fire, No Flame" by Beneath the Ashes

There is no braver profession on this earth than that of firefighter.  When the flames engulf your home, you are grateful when they arrive.  You are encouraged by their presence, and you watch in grateful awe at the work they do.  It is no wonder that children want to grow up to be them.  But when they leave, you are left with charred remains of what once was yours.  The bigger the fire, the more the devastation left behind.  Last summer there were huge wildfires in different parts of the country.  Many square miles of land and homes were scorched.  The brave men and women who were called upon to extinguish the flames worked valiantly, but they were not able to restore what had been lost.

This was the result of the First Trumpet judgment in Revelation chapter 8 that we talked about last week.  The fire and brimstone that had fallen from heaven was too big to control, and it burned a third of the earth. When the dust settled, there may have been "hot spots" that firefighters simply had to let burn, so that it would burn itself out--there was no saving it.

Now, I want you to imagine a burning mountain.  In the days before air travel, mountains were seen as obstacles.  They impeded travel.  They were rocky and steep, unfit for most settlers and farmers.  So a promise like that found in Matthew 21:21 where Jesus said, "If you have faith....you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea', and it will be done" was a wonderful thought.  Nowadays we view mountains differently--we see them as beautiful scenery; and since those who went before us built roads and bridges and tunnels to make traveling through them easier, we do not look at mountains as so much of a threat.  And now that we have airplanes, we can fly above a high mountain, even higher than the clouds.  But imagine if that mountain was on fire.  Pilots would rather avoid flying through the smoke.  The beautiful plants, trees and animals would all die because of the flames, not to mention the pollution rising in the sky, blocking out the sun.  Something beyond human ability would have to intervene to stop the devastation to our environment: the fresh air lost, and the millions of gallons of water and chemicals used to control the fire.

Now that you have that image in your mind, I'd like you to read Revelation 8:8-9:

The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea.  A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures of the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

 The same supernatural force that started the fire has seen it contained on a huge mountain, and intervenes to stop it, but not without consequences.  God is like that.  When we call on Him, we are usually in a panic--we tend to forget about Him when things are going well, but when disaster strikes, we call out "Oh, my God! Help us, Father."  God Himself can stop the disaster dead in its tracks, but the scars remain.  Jeremiah 51:25 says, " 'I am against you, O destroying mountain, you who destroy the whole earth,' declares the Lord. 'I will stretch out my hand against you, roll you off the cliffs, and make you a burned-out mountain.' "

When God calls on us to evangelize the world, we often see obstacles in our path.  We see mountains in our way that loom large to us, but to God, they are nothing.  Zechariah 4:6 says, "What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground.  Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of 'God bless it! God bless it!' "  Remember Isaiah 28:16? "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed."  Paul said in Ephesians 2:20 that Jesus himself is the chief cornerstone.  When John the Baptist was met by the Pharisees, who asked if he were the Messiah, he quoted Isaiah 40:3, but we would do well to add in verses 4 and 5 to that prophecy:

A voice of one calling in the desert, prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.  Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.  And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it.

Yes, Brothers and Sisters, God will make Himself known to all people one day.  This is what the prophecy in Revelation 8 is about--God revealing Himself as more powerful than nature.  Like we said last week, there are those who worship nature instead of nature's God.  They will be shocked at the devastation that God wreaks on the earth in order to show his power.  Isaiah 41:15 says, "See, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth.  You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff." Those who grew up believing the half-truth that "God is love" will also be shocked to see Him demonstrate His power in this way.  The dual nature of God is a paradox to many, but it should not be.  1 Corinthians 13:2 says, "If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing."  God, in His fullness, can prophesy  with 100% accuracy; He can fathom all mysteries, and has all knowledge; He can move mountains (that He Himself created); yet he is the epitome of love.

So God can demonstrate His power by throwing a flaming mountain into the sea, but the consequences are that the ocean's water will be destroyed.  Like the first plague in Egypt, described in Exodus 7:17-21:

This is what the Lord says: "By this you will know that I am the Lord:  With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood.  The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water."  The Lord said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt--over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs--and they will turn into blood.  Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in the wooden buckets and stone jars." Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded.  He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and h is officials and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was changed into blood.  The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water.  Blood was everywhere in Egypt.

Notice that it was not just the river water that turned foul--every drop of water in the streams, in the ponds, in the reservoirs, in the jars and buckets, all of it turned to blood.  The people could not drink anything until Pharaoh relented (several days later) and God allowed the water to be turned back into useful, life-giving, thirst-quenching liquid.  Similarly, in the second Trumpet Judgment, God only affects a third of all the water on Earth.  So there will be provision made for some, and other will suffer; those who harden their hearts and turn away from God will be like the third of the fish that perish, or the third of the ships that are destroyed when God throws the burning mountain into the sea.

Instead of being impressed with this supernatural event, men will turn their backs on God.  Men will curse God and die rather than believe on Him and be saved.  Would that it were not so!  It is not God's will that any should perish, but that all would come into a saving knowledge of Christ.  Which will you be?  Will you curse God for the devastation his hands have wrought?  Or will you bless him for his supernatural power coupled with his deep love for you?  This love was so great that he sacrificed His only Son that you might be saved from the devastation that is to come.  Think about it.

Our God is, a consuming fire,
A burning holy Flame, with glory and freedom
Our God is, the only righteous judge,
Ruling over us with kindness and wisdom 

We will keep our eyes on You
We will keep our eyes on You 

A mighty fortress is our God
A sacred refuge is Your Name
Your Kingdom is unshakable
With You forever we will reign 

Our God is, jealous for His own
None could comprehend, His love and His mercy
Our God is exalted on His throne
High above the heavens
Forever He's worthy... 

We will keep our eyes on You
We will keep our eyes on You 

We will keep our eyes on You
We will keep our eyes on You
So we can set our hearts on You
Lord we will set our hearts on You!

Father God vs. Mother Earth

“TREES” – by Alfred Joyce Kilmer (1886–1918)
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

There is, I think, a religion of environmentalists.  Their mantra appears to be, "save a tree, save the Earth".  Yet in the Day of Judgment, God Himself will destroy everything that Man has worshiped, including the Earth and the trees.  The Revelation of John describes three rounds of seven judgments descending upon the Earth, and in the second round of judgments, called the Trumpet Judgments, God destroys a third of the planet.

Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.  The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth.  A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. --Revelation 8:6-7

The trumpet in the Bible was used to get people's attention.  Joel 2:1 says, "Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand".  1 Corinthians 14:8 says, "Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?" But with all of the distractions and white noise of the modern era, many will not heed the trumpet call.  So God has other plans to make Himself the center of attention and to make all of the distractions irrelevant.  Matthew 24:31 says, "And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other."

After the first angel sounds his trumpet, God will send hail and fire mixed with blood.  Ezekiel 38:22 says, "I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him."  See, God has done this before, although most people alive today do not know it or believe it.  Remember the plagues in Egypt?  Exodus 9:18 says, "Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded until now." That hailstorm was accompanied by fire.  I am not sure whether the fire was started by lightning, or whether God sent brimstone (burning sulfur) as He had done at Sodom and Gomorrah.  But I do know that the land of Goshen, where God's chosen people lived, was not affected by this plague.

A similar scene played out later in Israel's history, when they were driving out the Amorites and taking over the land that God had promised them.  Joshua 10:11 says, "As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them from the sky, and more of them (the Amorites) died from the hailstones than were killed by the swords of the Israelites."  So, you see, those who are out of step with God suffered from the hail and fire, and their blood ran through the streets.  But God's people were spared.  Isaiah 30:30 says, "The Lord will cause men to hear his majestic voice and will make them see his arm coming down with raging anger and consuming fire, with cloudburst, thunderstorm, and hail."  Psalm 11:6 says, "On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot."  Sounds a lot like the prediction of hell, don't you think?

Much to the dismay of tree-huggers everywhere, God decrees that on this day of judgment, a third of the grass and a third of the trees on the earth will be destroyed.    Revelation 9:15, 18 say this: 

And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind....A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths."

This fraction indicates that the punishment announced by the trumpets is not yet complete and final--the same fraction appears in each of the next three plagues, as well.  A smaller fraction (a fourth) of devastation accompanied the opening of the fourth seal.  During this time of Tribulation, God will still allow people to choose to follow Him, although it will become more and more difficult as time goes on.  People will be running for their lives, not contemplating spiritual matters.  Like the plot of "The Hunger Games", the object will be physical survival, not spiritual salvation. "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." (John 1:12)  What, then, are the benefits of believing in Jesus as the Son of God and being sealed as His own? Revelation 9:4 says, "They (the angels) were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads."

Those who pledge to protect the Earth may believe they are doing God's work.  But God will take care of His own, and environmentalists are in danger of worshiping the created rather than the Creator.  If we trust in Mother Earth, she will be destroyed.  If we trust in Father God, He will sustain us.  On that day when everything that Man has worshiped is destroyed, we will all know that God is supreme: not our idols, not our possessions, not our environment--only God.

You are not a God created by human handsYou are not a God dependent on any mortal manYou are not a God in need of anything we can giveBy Your plan that just the way it is
You are God alone from before time beganYou were on Your throne, You are God aloneAnd right now, in the good times and badYou are on Your throne, You are God alone
You're the only God whose power, none can contendYou're the only God whose name and praise will never endYou're the only God who's worthy of everything we can giveYou are God that's just the way it is
You are God alone from before time beganYou were on Your throne, You are God aloneAnd right now, in the good times and badYou are on Your throne, You are God alone
UnchangeableUnshakableUnstoppableThat's what You are
UnchangeableUnshakableUnstoppableThat's what You are
You are God alone from before time beganYou were on Your throne, You are God aloneAnd right now, in the good times and badYou are on Your throne, You are God alone
UnchangeableUnshakableUnstoppableThat's what You are