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Phoenix
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I so hate clicking the wrong button. I had described everything to answer this question in detail, and it appears I am not meant to do so as I accidentally closed the wrong tab. *sigh* I'll start over I guess.
God, according to the bible, will not destroy the earth. He will stop those who are destroying the earth from doing so. Unfortunately, mankind, through wars, famine, and disease, will manage to kill half the human population of the earth, and 1/3 of the remaining natural world prior to this act of divine intervention. During this tribulation, yes, there will be divine judgment leveled against the wicked nations, but not until this specific period of seven years. The catastrophic natural events occurring right now are not necessarily God acting out in some kind of rage. They are predicted, but prediction does not necessarily equate with cause. When I saw the World Trade Center buildings damaged from the airplanes, I predicted they would collapse within an hour. That prediction came true, but did my saying to myself, "these buildings are going to fall," actually cause them to fall, or did I simply recognize the outcome of events based on what I was witnessing? Biblical prophecy works a bit differently as it is revealed by God directly to the prophets so it is more certain than the simple logical conclusion I drew about the two towers, however the same principle is at work in that if God is revealing something to a prophet it does not necessarily mean that God Himself is directly causing the event, only that God is telling the prophet what the event will be irrespective of the actual cause.
I do not believe the events we are seeing now are the wrath of God. Wrath is reserved for the time of tribulation, which is marked by the appearance of the Antichrist and lasts for seven years. We are not in that time, and I can say that with certainty because there is not a seven year peace treaty negotiated between the Antichrist and Israel (see Daniel chapter 9). The events happening today are to be marked as signs that this time of tribulation may be very near, and that Christ's promised return also may be very near. That is not supposed to be a sign of doom to a believer, but a sign of joy. Unfortunately it's a bittersweet joy because while we look forward to the return of our Lord, we know what must preceed it, so it is tempered with sorrow for the suffering we know is coming to the world. That only increases a feeling of urgency to warn about what we believe is coming. It's not that we want to scare people into believing in God, but that, believing that this time is near, out of love and concern, it is a duty to alert people to what might be on the way so they can know and not be caught unaware. It does not take away the personal right and responsibility of choice and freewill concerning belief in God. However, if the time to make that choice is drawing short then that particular point is rather important! If you saw someone's roof was burning, would you not warn them that the whole house may soon be on fire? Perhaps the fire will burn itself out, but perhaps it will consume the whole structure and kill everyone inside. The sooner they know the house could burn down, the sooner they can do something about it. They can still choose to ignore it but by seeing the fire and saying nothing how much harm would someone through inaction have done, and how much good by warning could have been accomplished? That's the risk I take with silence, and it is a risk I cannot take with good conscience. If what I say changes nothing, then I have lost nothing but some of my own time by speaking out, and it's a loss I do not mind as I have all eternity to spend as I please once my time here is done. I cannot say with certainty that this is the time preceeding the tribulation, but what I can say is it looks pretty damned close to what was predicted, and I'm not going to keep my beak shut if I think I can do some good. Besides, I'm too old to do much else. I won't be around too many more years and I'm going to squawk with what time I have left.
According to everything I understand about the bible, and according to what many scholars understand, God does not want to destroy the earth. Why should he? Look at the vast universe. If you made all that, why destroy it unless you were insane? Consider Christ and the cross. The Gospels teach that God's justice demands man pay for his sins, but that God's mercy is such that he sent Jesus to take the place of man, and that Jesus went willingly to torment and death to obtain for man what man could never obtain for himself. He did this because he loves man and wants man to spend eternity in a place of eternal joy, happiness, and fellowship with God. If you were an eternal being, would you not want that which you make and love to last forever too? That is not the picture of a God who wants to destroy in wrath and rage, but a God who is willing to give everything, even to suffer the most horrible torments, for that which he loves. God loves life, and loves the earth, and everything and everyone in it. He even loves all those who choose to spend eternity apart from Himself. As for feeling, imagine how a father would feel whose children reject his love. Imagine your own children turning their backs on you, how that would make you feel. Yet, a loving father gives his children a choice to make their own way, so some choose heaven, and some choose hell. If God went through all the trouble of the Crucifixion and Resurrection, which do you think he'd prefer people choose? Many like to blame God, or deny God, saying if God exists how could he allow such cruelty and evil in the world, how could he allow pain and suffering, especially when it falls upon people who do not deserve it? Yes, God allows evil to be in the world, but he spared not his own son, and who has suffered worse than the man who led a perfect life and did no wrong, and was scourged and crucified, bearing the crushing weight of the world's sins, past, present and future, on him as he died? Who would willingly go to such a fate? If man suffers, God suffered worse for man's sake out of his unending love for his creation. If God allows evil in the world, consider that if man would stop doing evil to fellow man then would there be any evil to allow?
The earth will not be destroyed. It will be beaten, and blackened, and scourged by war, but ultimately it will be redeemed, and renewed. The earth and all the heavens will be purged and cleansed with fire, but as I die, decrepit and aged and corrupt in body, and rise renewed from my ashes, so shall all of Creation also be renewed one thousand years hence from the time of Christ's return and the final rebellion which shall come after that time. My very life is a prophecy that people have long forgotten the meaning of, and while somehow still grasping the symbolism they forgot the greater reality of which it reflects. All of life bears witness to this process. Do not the seasons teach this? The earth dies in the winter, and becomes barren and cold, then in spring it is renewed to life again. The old forest burns, but from the ashes the new forest rises up. Even the stars teach this. The old star dies in the fire of a supernova, and from its nebulous ashes, a new star is born, with planets and moons, on which one tiny world life is created. I am but a dim reflection of the great miracle that is to come. If the bible teaches anything about God it is that His mercy and patience far exceed His wrath, and that His ultimate goal is to renew and make the earth and the whole universe even better than it is now, and in fact, to make it perfect, not to obliterate it and drive it into some kind of oblivion.
As for myself, I do not see my view of the world's events as overly negative. I pray and hope for mankind. I look for the good in all humans, and when I see it I rejoice. It is when people choose to hurt each other and do cruel and wicked things that I am grieved. If man stopped doing evil I'd have no problem with mankind, and if man would start doing good as a matter of course then mankind would have an instant and eternal friend in me. I don't fail to notice when people do good. I look at the outpouring of aid toward Burma and China for what has happened, and despite the junta's interference, some of it is getting through. The Buddhist monks are risking their lives to help the people their government doesn't give a damn about, and there are people with next to nothing giving what little they have to help those who have nothing at all. No, I see great opportunities for people to choose to do good and help those in need. Even if it's only a penny or a prayer, there is some good left in this world and every bit, no matter how small, helps. You could look at my warnings as being negative if you wish, but if one heeds the signs and chooses to be prepared then how much more good can they accomplish that way? Another rather simple bit of logic. If one prepares himself to avoid danger, then the resources that would be needed to help that person could be freed to help someone who could not avoid it. Triage is an ugly business and simply staying out of harm's way by keeping one's eyes open can mean the difference between life and death for many others should a disaster strike. Imagine if the junta had warned their populace to prepare for the storm how things could have been different. Would I be no less guilty if I knew what was coming and kept silent as well? But how much of a blessing if I warn and no disaster falls? I can rejoice at the good fortune of all instead of lamenting my own inaction. I don't see that as being negative, I see it as the only logical and pragmatic course of action considering my understanding of the world today.
The plain truth is I may hate mankind for the evil that men do, but I am not without compassion and I don't want to see any creature suffer, least of all those I know and consider to be friends, and whether they are close friends or not makes no difference to me. I know nobody believes I am what I say I am, but that's never mattered to me so much. We are different in so many ways, but we are alike in so many more, and those differences mean squat to me. Why should they? I'm no better than anyone else here in God's eyes, and whether you have fur, scales, or feathers, you're God's creatures the same as I am, and I am every bit as flawed as humanity. Perhaps that's part of my learning since I have a problem with pride and arrogance, who can say, but I do care about all of you and why else would I be here? It is out of love and concern that I warn, not because I have no hope. If I had no hope, I would have flown off in despair into solitude long ago. Hope is all that gives me life, and I trust that whatever happens, God will make some good out of it in ways I cannot see, whether people listen to me or not. It is my hope that everyone I have ever traded words with here, whether in pleasant conversation or heated argument, whether good friend or bitter enemy, will meet me in eternity and I can greet them with a joyful heart. Until that time, I know suffering is a reality on this world, and I've got to do what I can to help lessen it, and maybe I'm a fool and the sky is not falling, but I'd be a bigger fool to not try to help my friends. I can live with being one kind of fool, but not the other.
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