Author Archives: Director

More Data and Confirmations Would Be Nice!

Posted on by

Science and Bible: Looking Forward 

Are there data to support the real location for the Ark of the Covenant, Noah’s Ark, the site where the Israelites crossed the sea?  Perhaps more convincing than UFOs or bumps that we hear in the night, archeological evidence for places and events recorded in the Bible can and have come to light.  In fact, many archaeological digs within the borders of Israel have aligned very nicely with clearly stated Scripture.

 Consider This!

Recently, we were sent an e-mail with an attached Power Point presentation.  The file for this PPS file can be downloaded here and you can view this without the software used to make the presentation.

Click on image to watch presentation

We offer this more for fun than as proof.  Even the title of the presentation asks if we are witnessing fact or fiction.  Being objective is fair-minded.  Making a conclusion on limited information really requires more information.  From the WindowView perspective, more solid evidence and scientific confirmation would substantiate the information as presented.  Still, events are described and places where these events or objects are placed do exist.  So there is a story here to hold our interest.

 Multiple Perspectives – Make Your Own Conclusions

Still, part of what we share here involves the work of Ron Wyatt, now deceased.  Information is posted on a web site that directly supports his claims and listings along with speculations are given on a well-known wiki.    The Wyatt Museum  site even has withdrawn certain claims because those who now run the web site appear to be making an effort to post only what they can say is reliable.  That wins us over a bit, but still opens the questions to what is reliable evidence.  And that point you will see made at Wikipedia.  We welcome you to do some exploring on your own.  Our disclaimer is to be aware that this may be more for fun than data that is backed up with clarifications and further data.  Still, like noted above, the events and places cited have backing from writings that have many times been shown reliable.

 Is There Life Elsewhere in the Universe?

And then we are reminded that Scripture states that in time, like now perhaps, humanity will be approached by incredible findings.  The prospect that a current NASA probe to Mars may confirm former life activity on the now barren red planet could be likewise impressive.  At the Window we think it possible to be in possession of data that back up both the biblical accounts as well as data for ancient extinct life on Mars.  How so?  Other writings support the notion that microbial life on Mars could have easily originated from age-old Earth ejected materials landing on Mars.  Water on Mars is no longer of great quantity due to the loss of Mars ability to hold onto surface waters.  And NASA is driven by their compulsion to explore.  Images of the Mars’ surface strongly suggest water.  But if we find evidence for organic life once on that planet, it may be years before we understand the true origin of that life.  And we think the confusion will drive many a person to believe we are mere material beings with no spiritual hope of a greater truth.  And that point is critical to understanding who we really are, in reality.

Isn’t The Real Point Already Self Evident!

The point we are going to leave you with here is simple.  There is so much to the biblical account that is self-evident that further data in support of the explorations of a Ron Wyatt are really not so necessary.  In fact, the issue of sin is so self apparent and the Bible’s treatment of the subject so clear, we are well advised to contemplate the truths inherent in Scripture.  If you need a reminder as to the problem of sin, look at the evening news!  Look at the news from around the world!  So the information in the Power Point presentation is indeed interesting, certainly worth a deeper look, but not required to know that a faith in the God of Israel is warranted.  And that is where the future events lead all of humanity to a cross roads of decision.  An eternal destiny is in the balance … yours!

The photos and many points presented in the linked presentation are worth your attention.  If at the very least it opens the window a bit more and gets you to think about who you are and why we are alive … and what Eternity holds for us all … then that’s the main point … take a look and enjoy.

Director, WindowView.org

Share

The State of the World Changes NOW

Posted on by

This post is being put to both our ‘Press’ and ‘Harmony’ blogs because the topics that we have just posted to our WindowView time line speak of a convergence of events on both the scientific and Scripture sides of the window’s view.

WindowView

If you wish to visit the recent events of this year, go to the TimeLine  and scan down the page.

Take note, that in a true biblical fashion, we are seeing a turn of major events in a number of significant venues.  This is incredible pause for thought, yet it’s not some dire straights scenario, not yet anyway.  Yet, that’s the point that many are wondering about in the back of their minds.  Is it another depression coming over the surface of the entire globe, or does this fit something else equally significant.

Put it together in the following fashion, some events occur in the natural world (fire, drought, tsunami, earthquakes, weather events) that cause significant impact on the human psyche–globally, not just in one or two local areas.  Then there is the economic venue which is of human making and this is of proportions that could topple governments, stock markets, and retirement funds–employment and commerce are at risk.  A third factor is the unrest between nations.  Events around the globe can all spin down to a critical focus on the Middle East.  Unrest in the Middle East can undo a lot of progress or recovery elsewhere might that come along.

And we see signs of progress and ends to technical accomplishments as medicine finds solutions to disease and mean while a space program comes to a historic end.

The global signs are ‘Signs of the Times‘ as expressed in the Bible.  This all unfolds slowly, right before our eyes.  to the material minded, the physical well-being seems uneasy.  To the spiritually minded, the words of Scripture echo in the background.

One of the most popular areas of the WindowView is the Time Line.

Come for a look and think about what changes are altering the state of our world today!

Director, WindowView.org

Share

Where Have All The Predators Gone?

Posted on by

This WindowView is a holistic look … that’s a ‘big picture’ view. This isn’t a Twighlight Zone treatment of reality. But if you stop to look at what both the science data and scriptural texts say, it may strike you as something odd is happening these days. Scientists are frightened by the prospects of our Earth’s life support systems are spinning off into an unbalanced state. Food webs and ecological relationships may be dynamic, but what if conditions go so off course that a recovery is marginal or even impossible. That, today, is a reality.

For the reader of Scripture there is a storyline where in a final segment of time, many things hit end time events that in themselves seem part of natural scenarios, including: famines, earthquakes, and events described as birth pangs (leading us out of this current era and into the next).

On Thursday, July 14, 2011, Darryl Fears published an article in the Washington Post concerning the loss of predators in the wild. The article starts with: “The decline of large predators such as big cats, wolves, sharks and giant whales may be “humankind’s most pervasive influence on the natural world,” causing prey animals to swell in population and throw food chains out of balance, a new report says. Humans have touched off the world’s latest mass extinction, according to the report, published Thursday in the journal Science, and the consequences are being felt on land and in water systems as large predators vanish.”

lion © 2011 windowview.org

WindowView contains a number of articles related to ‘warning signs’ and ‘storm warnings’ for the times we live in. Further, these buttress the notion that all the data and denial over climate change is just a tip of an iceberg of woes that go to global changes. Narrow-sighted minds focus just on climate, discerning people step back to see the awesome and monolithic effects of cumulative changes sweeping the globe. What if predators aren’t there in the wild to balance out the natural dynamic that has given us stable ecosystem relationships?

Fears states: “Recent research suggests that the disappearance of these animals reverberates further than previously anticipated,” says the report, “Trophic Downgrading of Planet Earth.” In addition to creating an overabundance of prey, the dwindling number of predators contributes to the spread of disease, wildfires and invasive species. The decline of wolves in Yellowstone Park is cited as an example of what can happen. Elk and deer in the park once flourished on willow trees and saplings, threatening a crucial part of the forest on which other creatures rely.”

“The report also mentions the slaughter of lions and leopards by hunters and herders in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. As a result of the killings, disease-carrying olive baboons have thrived without their top predators and inched closer to food crops and people.”

Changes are not merely limited to Earth’s land surface.

“The decimation of sharks along the U.S. Atlantic Coast has allowed their main prey, the cow-nosed ray, to proliferate and dine heavily on the threatened Chesapeake Bay oyster.”

And one impact brings other consequences … this is why change is a matrix of events and not simply one cause and one consequence … there are cascades of consequences we see today:

“A reduction of big herbivores such as buffalo and wildebeest in East Africa through hunting is also a problem, the report says. Their demise has led to increases in plants that fuel giant wildfires in the dry season.”

Our point here at WindowView is taking in the broader view and thus appreciating changes humans are seeing around the globe. The effects become integrated into significant consequences!

Fears’ article notes: “Other studies have examined the collateral damage caused by the near-extinction of large predators and herbivores. But the report in Science is the first to tie together the impact on land animals as well as salt and freshwater marine life, … .

Much of the science in this area of study has focused on the threat to life at the bottom of the food chain, theorizing that small animals and plants are important because so many creatures rely on their survival.

Although “bottom-up” research is fundamental and important, the report says, “top-down” research deserves wider consideration “if there is to be any real hope for understanding and managing the workings of nature.”

The report acknowledges that top-down research of the food chain is difficult to conduct, noting that it can take decades to measure the effects of the disappearance of large predators.

“The irony . . . is that we often cannot unequivocally see the effect of large apex consumers until after they have been lost” and the ability to restore the species has also been lost, the report says.

“Large predators, or apex species, include animals that people adore, such as otters, and others not so popular, such as vultures.

“On the Pacific Coast, from Alaska to the southern tip of California, sea otters were hunted in the 1900s to near-extinction for their pelts. Their absence started a chain of events that nearly eliminated the kelp forests that nurture all manner of marine life on the coast.

“Sea otters feed on sea urchins, which dine on kelp. Without otters, the sea urchin population exploded. The kelp forest started to disappear. When sea otter populations elsewhere were re-introduced to a few areas along the coast, the kelp started to rebound.

“A telling consequences of the absence of large predators can be found on the Scottish island of Rum, where wolves have been gone for more than 250 years and red deer thrive, the report says. The once forested island is now treeless.”

In an era of social, economic and national crises, the impacts and consequences in nature go on without close attention. A global response to natural systems would be needed and until humanity can corporately deal with global issues, Earth’s infrastructure is revealing consequences … indeed, what do we do when the predators are gone?

Director, WindowView

Share

A NASA Headline Without Discernment Misleads

Posted on by

NASA researchers have found some of the building blocks for life in meteorites, indicating that the components for life on Earth may have originated in outer space.  Is this news?  Is the story complete? Does the media discern or mislead?

What the recent article says: “Meteorites contain a large variety of nucleobases, an essential building block of DNA.”  Okay, there is fact to the statement, but where does this lead us?

Consider that there will always be those humans who want a material and scientific explanation for life in the universe. But the same science that brings data is also the platform for discernment. Wishful thinking by space agency personnel may relate to the desire for new funding and more exploration. To be clear, this blog post would be in favor of more exploration. Science can be awesome, fun, and wonderful.  But assumptions are not science at its best, so consider the following words from the IBTIMES:
—–
IBTimes Headline
NASA: DNA Found on Meteorites Indicates Life May Have Originated in Space. (full article here)
from August 9, 2011 12:51 PM EDT

“Researchers from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., report evidence that ready-made DNA parts could have crashed to the surface on objects like meteorites, and then assembled under Earth’s early conditions to create the first DNA.

“The discovery was made using samples from 12 carbon-rich meteorites, nine of them from Antarctica. The team extracted small fragments of the meteorite and ran them through a process to determine their structure. What they found was adenine and guanine. These are two of the nucleobases needed to make the rungs of DNA’s spiral ladder (in addition to thymine and cytosine, which were not present in the sample).”
—–

For our readers we say the fact of utmost importance is knowing the chemistry. Is this news story a springboard to a realistic scenario that potentially leads to a credible account for a chemical origin to life on earth. What the story does not tell you is that there are physical/chemical reasons why the meteorites have the guanine and cytosine, but not the early earth. Further even if the other two of four building blocks were present (and possibly not so because of other physical/chemical reasons in space) the odds of these chemicals surviving on early earth present huge problems.

You, the unsuspecting reader, are left with huge assumptions. And the vast majority of the initial problems to be surmounted by the presence of the building blocks and making any DNA what so ever on early earth … all that has been addressed already by scientists who have written on this topic. We recommend a reading of “The Mystery of Life’s Origin” by Thaxton, Bradley, and Olsen. The authors of this short book outline a methodical approach to considering the conditions on early earth and how chemicals would occur or encounter. The survival of enough chemistry on early earth, of the right type and sufficient quantity, leaves life out of the picture as opposed to leading to a plausible scenario.

You can obtain a free copy of the PDF version of the book shown here:

The media fail to bring other important facts to your attention. Let’s say enough of all the building blocks could exist on earth, all in the right spot, under the right conditions. Would that do the trick? Chemistry is not the entire story. Information coded into DNA, even if it could be made from the four bases, is the next problem. And the rather implausible leap from chemicals to complex information is also not mentioned by the IBTIMES. They just have no discernment, like NASA has no increases to it’s budget for the near future!

To address the latter part of the DNA and life story, you really need to read “The Signature In The Cell,” by Stephen Meyers. The complex information in DNA and the manner in which DNA is made poses what might be identified insurmountable problems. Real science looks at every aspect to the larger story. Origin of life symposia over the past several decades has lead scientists flat with no plausible scenario for a workable chemical origin to life. From there, no plausible explanation other than raw chance is provided for the high order of information that is present in our DNA of the cells in our bodies and in all of life.

So, the IBTIMES does you a huge disservice if you read their article and say … “Wow, maybe it’s really true that life is everywhere in the universe.” The prospects for livable planets in all of the galaxies across the entire universe is still another problematic area. Here too, as we describe on another page of WindowView, is a prospect that is diminishing and less likely.

A good imagination and deep scientific questions are all good stuff, but really, in further consideration, life on earth is more ‘the only’ than ‘one of many.’ And that we believe, in spite of life anywhere else (that, yes, may exist), is important to getting us to reflect on purpose to life. And that is a question built into our awareness, but not by chance.

The purpose of this blog post is much like the entire WindowView web presence.  We really want you to think that Science and Scripture both have something to tell us.  If you think science is the ‘last word’ on our being here, you have not thought it through and not considered all the ‘data’ that exists here.  If you read the suggested books and look at the links provided here, you will have an opportunity of a life time … let us know if you do, we think it will change your life.

Director, WindowView

Share

An End on Planet Earth

Posted on by

Many of our readers to this blog have come with a mind set on explaining our being as a result of something material. We are born out of a biological and physical explanation. On the surface, and by a lot of scientific thinking, that might explain it. But it doesn’t hold much water in the face of some other facts. While this blog space is reserved more for the science side of the Window’s View, let’s mix it up a minute.

Calling Out © 2011 WindowView.org

The End Approaches

Why? Because of some biblical reason? Inherent in each of us is some kind of awareness that life, being alive, just existing right in the present moment, goes beyond reason. Like why is this even happening? Why am I in this? It all might not have happened, but is!

So, science is great at explaining the stage of life, but it just doesn’t give us the philosophical or the theological. Science is one part in three. But what is happening now on the world stage, right now in front of our very eyes, is also not philosophical. Biblical maybe, beyond mere philosophy, and in the material space science describes well in so many ways.

GLOBAL WARNINGS

The stock markets crash and tumble, again, and again. They are saying it’s just another cycle in the economy and it’ll turn around. Economies are weak, fragile, teetering on a brink of collapse, globally, nation to nation. Is there stability and if not who caused instability? The famine on the news will go away with the next rainy season. Rain comes and it’s not enough, it’s too much, floods, famine returns later. The scale is unprecedented! Intense storms, earthquakes, sea level rise, are just physics in reality. But on the flip side, everything described thus far is a spring board for our entering the last stretch of road to what the scriptural texts recorded a long way back. That truth, in truth, is catching up with us. But can you see the validity to this? Ah, the blog post is here for this very question.

Signs We Ignore or Bring Awe

Here are a series of SPIKES that have come in time. Let’s think of these in a logical series. Only in relatively recent time have the ranks of humanity grown. Not slowly now put in a population spike of alarming proportions. This unchecked progression of stratospheric growth means a crash is inevitable in biological terms. The spike of upward human numbers is unsustainable. We live in the microbiologist’s petri dish and the resources within are limited. Earth is limited. Resources are being burnt at a rapid clip and climate changes stress the reserves quickly, by flood, heat, fire, storm, and more. Read about the Population spike here.

Consuming OUR WAY to an End Time

The interesting thing is we could make materialism a culprit and say we are consuming ourselves into oblivion. Material markets only measure success in greater growth and greeter consumption.

The Consumption Spike grows along side and along with the Population Spike. As we turn to smart technologies and recycling materials, it looks hopeful, but just remember, the sins of consumption past have left the entire northern Pacific Ocean a sea of shredded plastic particles afloat without anyone concerned for the clean up or consequences. (read about the desperate state of our global oceans at OCEANA.org!) Materialism and global consumption made the ocean a wasteland of debris! You don’t see it, but it’s a consequence and it IS out there!

Consumption Drives Extinction

Ah, yes, one more spike for Extinction of species. We have stripped the ocean of species to feed ourselves. Over 1 billion people depend on ocean species for food. The rest of the world will eat of the same resource and the demand has not only over-fished the desirable species but driven nets to catch the less desirable and so we strip the food web of the seas’ diversity. But worse, we have changed the atmosphere by carbon inputs from fossil fuels (Carbon Spike) and that means carbon dioxide enters the oceans waters … and that means the acidity of the bottom waters now creates another complex threat to sea life. Fishing from the surface, acidity from within, the oceans are shrinking and we are headed to the end of this age.

The Coming Horizon © 2011 WindowView.org

STORM WARNINGS

The WindowView includes a series of articles that relate to change. The real storm warning puts the physical realm on a footing with the spiritual awareness we have all been given deep from within our being. Read about this added sense of what is really happening from the mix of warning signs recognized a while back.

Then think about the headlines today. The markets are in ever greater turmoil today because the global scenario and multiple weaknesses are revealing how humanity has made its own mess, but can’t clear it up. We have boxed ourselves in by famines we cannot respond to, wars that keep on going, banking and mortgage sins that rob the honest investors, shortages and stockpile inventories putting our being at risk … and all of a sudden we wonder, how do we get out of this mess.

There is one added scenario that was recorded well over 2000 years ago that actually describes the historical track we are now on–today! We will call this Chapter 15 and if you are interested, we recommend a read. If you are perceptive enough you’ll see that the world is ripe for a single leader who will tell you that if you give him complete control he’ll make life on earth work well. But this story is a wolf in sheep’s clothing … read why in Chapter 15 (Download the PDF document to read at your leaser, while the world continues on its present hectic course of events).

Director, WindowView.org

Share

Climate for a Tribulation

Posted on by

Blog posts have to say the conclusion up front or you’ll move on quickly.  The main point here is that too much has changed in recent decades that all of the troubles humanity faces are getting beyond our abilities and resources to effectively respond.  Here is an UPDATE and even a link to a report on change. [Read the full article on the WindowView page on Climate for a Tribulation]

The POINT IS a present material dilemma soon leads to revisiting a spiritual question.  What is life?  How do we respond to mounting global woes?  Is change leading us to some kind of tribulation period?

The following account is an update of sorts.  WindowView.org could include hundreds of articles and commentaries on climate change, but in reality, just a little information comes to some basic conclusions.  You can go everywhere else to read all the rest.

Our MAIN CONCLUSION is, in the face of global changes, not just climate change, we as a human race face the biggest dilemma on a spiritual scale.  How we respond to change and respond to humanity in a time of need and trial, that’s the point.  How you respond is sustainable, even if life on the planet loses its sustainability over time.  Our responses will encounter psychological stresses and a growing cry to fix it, do something, reverse the damage, make the planet a safe place for life.

————–  CHANGE UPDATED   —————-

There are numerous sources documenting humanity’s impressions on climate change–some scientific and others not so.  In fact, we paused on writing a lot about climate change due to the multitude of science sources and numerous doubts expressed by non-data driven counterpoint groups.  Why?  Simply because a key WindowView conclusion is that the most vital element to change is not in the OMINOUS consequences but instead it is HOW humans will respond.  Part of that response is to one another and ultimately relates to a spiritual reality beyond our physical condition. What we believe matters a great deal!

From the believer’s perspective, all things work together to God’s will and purposes.  In that context we need to accept what ever changes are at play, globally, and then consider the broader and deeper implications. The ultimate reality comes down to the interface between events and the dilemma of finding faith in the midst of chaos and emotional responses.  THIS IS the point we are highlighting here.

Belief is not an emotional response if also based on well grounded truth.  Let’s consider some information related to immediate episodes of change and think how the human condition is confused before grasping well founded faith.

The Australian Climate Commission just released their publication entitled: THE CRITICAL DECADE Climate science, risks and responses.  As we recall elsewhere in WindowView, the Sigma Xi scientific society called the 90’s a critical decade for responses to global change–to no avail–humans sat on their hands.  At the start of the Aussy Climate Commission’s document they note the following:

“Climate science is now being debated outside of the normal discussion and debate that occurs within the peer-reviewed scientific literature in the normal course of research. It is being attacked in the media by many with no credentials in the field. The questioning of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the “climategate” incident based on hacked emails in the UK, and attempts to intimidate climate scientists have added to the confusion in the public about the veracity of climate science.”  [Get your own PDF copy of the 2011 report HERE]

 

So clearly we have a population that sees both evidence for and against validation of climate change. Ironically, within the WindowView, we see so much evidence for precipitous GLOBAL changes (the list is long and way beyond climatic parameters) just by what an ever enlarging human population does, and that regardless of any CLIMATE considerations. People are just blind to the obvious implications.  As long as the consequences are not yet local, denial is okay. Once the reality sets in by some kind of poverty under the superficial affluence, or outright bare bones impoverished state of just surviving, then the cries of the affected are glossed over. Are we hoping the consequences can be ignored long enough the effects will just go away.

In biblical terms, consequences bring a kind of self inflicted or unintended judgment.  But how does one “get the concept,” as intended here?  If one says dry conditions are due to drought driven by extreme episodes of local climate change, then dry ground and brush fires occur.  But is that all?  Might other consequences reveal a more histerical component that will drive people askew?

The Climate Commission notes:

“For example, there is little doubt that extreme weather events such as bushfires and floods have significant impacts on human health and well-being. The 2011 Queensland floods have led to long-term, mental health and related problems, such as depression, bereavement, post-traumatic stress disorders and other mood and anxiety disorders; and the 2009 Victorian bushfires also led to considerable psychological distress, some of it prolonged, to those who experienced the fires and survived (A.J. McMichael, personal communication). Such extreme weather events have occurred before the advent of human-induced climate change, and the degree to which climate change affects risks associated with extreme events is a very active area of research.”

As long as the consequences seem removed from you, the thoughts of what life really means can be put off. But tornadoes in the middle of the US (a record breaking 875 in April 2011 alone — see NOAA Report), earthquakes around the world ( as described here in another blog post here), fires in Australia, floods all over the globe, and other physical and climatic challenges ALL are pause for thought.  And not just survival now, but thoughts on the value of our lives, what existence is, and the eternal implications. There are in fact eternal implications. Life now, and at no other time, is your opportunity to embrace the greater reality … or just live in denial of the greater truth.

If you are interested, you can visit the Australian Climate Commission on the web and download the report, or again visit the WindowView link here to download the PDF.

————- REVISITING THE CONCLUSION ————-

There is a lot that is EMOTION driven about all the climate issues.  We know some reject the science because of personal beliefs.  But when changes occur, the emotions of the moment are in response to the ominous events.

The human response in the material moment should be to helping others get through the moment.  On the spiritual level, we need remember that our lives are temporal and the challenges we face may in fact help us to grow a deeply rooted faith.

Change brings tribulations.  The Bible speaks of a time of tribulations to come.  There may e some interplay between the biblical timeline and the global changes that create a human theater of sorts.  Will some god-like figure promise humanity a way out?  But there is no way out of the truth that our physical existence is only for a time.  The real God inure at the root of faith is one that supposes the temporal dilemmas we face in the present time.

The material thinkers will decry we must counter change to make the planet safe for life.  If you do a web search regarding the report cited here, you’ll see a lot of diverse reactions, but none bring into perspective the real reason for tribulations or finding solace in a greater biblical truth.

————  THE REPORT HIGHLIGHTS ———-

We say: Just remember, humans are at war, struggle over water rights, try to grow food to sustain the entire population, strive to achieve market success and expanding growth to build wealth, struggle politically, fall short of achieving peace, and fail to reach a harmonious and unified front to solve global problems.  We are a fractured family and species in peril. Global change is a growing matrix of complex issue!

They say a lot just about climate and you can read their summary points from the Australian report at the conclusion of our full article at Climate for a Tribulation (a WindowView page on Change).

Director,  WindowView.org

 

Share

Bin Laden is Gone but … A Greater Evil Is Coming

Posted on by

This is the Internet, so here is the bottom line up top. Bin Laden is dead YET the whole world will see something worse than the likes of this reclusive super terrorist. WHERE on Earth does one come to such a conclusion?! Here is the tag line that leads to the main message here: “The real threat is a terrorist–a materialistic man of great strengths– who will be accepted as a champion, a populist global governing leader in whom so many will misplace trust.”

Radical ‘religious driven’ idiologies may be part of the driving forces in play today, but global change–we are talking really BIG picture here– is the overall super matrix of problems that will drive human emotions in time to come. Circumstances yet to be realized will pit humanity against the greatest need for a single leader … to be (y)our ‘material savior.’ Yes, materialist, because the next ‘terrorist’ will hold the world’s population hostage to the idea of our ultimate physical survival needs. At what point is our survival threatened–globally? Might that be ‘tomorrow?’

World food supply, water, Earth as shelter … all are at perceived risk. Insufficient food or water to sustain us? Earth’s environment altered in frightening ways, to scare the collective psychology? Real or unreal, the emotional drive for survival will push for someone or something to make a world of 9 BILLION people, survivable, sustainable–if that is possible, even practical. That is the direction WE are all headed into. Who will hold out the survival promise? Actually, there is an answer to the question! Read on …

We can attribute one thing to Mr. Bin Laden … He has cost all people, even those he would espouse call his own, by a legacy at every airport security area. Increased law enforcement and security forces world wide have cost the collective economies of all nations–billions. Monies spent one way to address terrorism, are robbed from resources to provide a greater global need. Just think of the diversion of funds … that could have made the planet more secure for energy, food, water and life. Mr. Bin Laden, now even in his absence, is cause for diverse global insecurities in the face of continued changes.

With the death of Osama Bin Laden, the pundits all say the world has seen a most historic event. Is the world safer now? Like so many current events, there are milestones for humanity. From a biblical perspective, HOWEVER, the Bin Ladens of today will one day be eclipsed by something more ominous. WHAT is the bigger threat? The greatest terror that could ever be foisted on all of humankind comes, yet, as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Consider how the world is a merging of economies to meet human material needs. The former great powers are losing their edge and new players gain strength in an ever more interdependent global economy. We are at the brink of a global reorientation where it becomes ever more possible for a world with one global government.

The scenario for the ascension of a single global leader is already detailed in the biblical texts. It takes first the Hebrew writings of Daniel, and later the Greek manuscript by John, to put this storyline together. What is not clear is how something like the global change concerns we see today play a driving role in this future leader’s rise to power. But then the scenario is a mix of various material and spiritual factors. What we do know for certain is we draw ever closer to the alignment of events already described in the BibLe. The material resources of the globe that could promote peace have been robbed by terrorist aspirations. Other changes, the storms of this era, rob us further as humanity attempts a material repair. The earth quakes, the tsunamis are generated and the Earth draws ever smaller to the single truth, we are all facing one corporate truth of our life’s ultimate reality.

Where do you place your trust? How do you discern what is really happening? So, what is that biblical scenario of Daniel and John? If you like, here is a place to read some of the details.

Mean while, the world only has one less terrorist and we need to think deeply about the real truth to life. This is why the Window was assembled for thinking and seeing. From the material to the spiritual, from science to scripture, life is an opportunity to put it all together, a time to “Step Up To Life!”

Director, Windowview.org

P.S. See our companion posting about a recent perspective on the events in Israel and a further note on bin Laden at the WindowView Harmony blog.

Share

Science Data, Current Events, and Nature as Biblical Indicators

Posted on by

Earthquakes and Tsunamis Abound

Maybe you would not agree that just because an earthquake occurs something prophetic is about to take place.  On the other hand, prophetic statements that base a premise on certain occurrences, if true, mean that we can take note of conditions just in case the signs of the time are relevant.  The dilemma might be in the ‘if true’ condition.  Still, let’s just take note of the recent 12 to 18 months to make an incredible observation.  A series of earthquakes in various locations and a pronounced set of related tsunami waves have come to our attention in recent time.  Even places that typically do not experience earth quakes have had seismic activity.

[Graphic above of March 11, 2011 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration image overlaying a representation of the intensity of the post-quake tsunami on Pacific after Japanese quakes; tsunami energy moves left to right]

Take a look at the following news clips and the dates.  Then we’ll put this in a biblical context:

2009

Earthquake in Italy Kills at Least 92 (Apr. 6): An earthquake of magnitude 6.3 strikes central Italy, killing at least 92 people and leaving 40,000 to 50,000 people homeless. The town of L’Aquila is the epicenter of the earthquake, but as many as 26 towns are reportedly affected. (Apr. 7): The death toll of the earthquake has rises to 235 with many still missing, said Italian primeminister Silvio Berlusconi. The number of people left homeless has been reduced to 17,000. Rescuers are still working to pull bodies from the debris.

Earthquake in Indonesia Kills 60 (Sept. 2): About 60 people die when a 7.1-magnitude earthquake hits the island of Java, which is the most populous area of the country.

2010

7.0-Magnitude Earthquake Devastates Port-au-Prince, Haiti (Jan. 12): The beleaguered country of Haiti is dealt a catastrophic blow when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake strikes 10 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, the country’s capital. It is the region’s worst earthquake in 200 years. (Jan. 13): Prime Minister Préval expects fatalities to near 100,000. The United Nations mission in Haiti is destroyed, 16 members of the UN peacekeeping force in Haiti are killed, and hundreds of UN employees are missing. (Jan. 14): International aid begins pouring in, and the scope of the damage caused by the quake highlights the urgent need to improve Haiti’s crumbling infrastructure and lift it out of endemic poverty (Jan. 19): Authorities attempt to bury those killed during the earthquake and its aftermath, experts estimate a staggering death toll of 200,000 people.

Chile Hit By 8.8 Magnitude Earthquake (Feb. 27): Fatalities are relatively low, with some 750 people killed in the devastation. However, as many as 1.5 million people are displaced. Strict building codes in urban areas, helped to limit the amount of damage. Buildings and homes in poorer areas—many built with adobe—did not fare as well. Chile’s electricity grids, communication, and transportation systems are badly damaged, severely hampering rescue and aid efforts. The epicenter of the quake was 70 miles northeast of Concepcion in central Chile. Massive waves continue to cause additional damage along the coast.

7.2 Earthquake Shakes Mexico & California, Kills Two (Apr. 4) A 7.2 earthquake, centered in Mexico is felt for miles, shakes California and kills two. It is the strongest earthquake the state has experienced in 20 years.

Earthquake in China Kills Hundreds, Injures 10,000 (Apr. 14): A 7.1-magnitude earthquake strikes China’s Qinghai Province, killing at least 400 people and injuring another 10,000. Many buildings and homes have collapsed, though since the area is less densely populated than the Sichuan Province, where the devastating 2008 earthquake occurred, the death toll and overall damage is expected to be lower.

2011

Earthquake Strikes New Zealand’s Second Largest City (Feb. 22): A 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit Christchurch, New Zealand, killing at least 75 people. The United States Geological Survey reports the earthquake is part of an aftershock sequence from a 7.1 earthquake that hit the same area last September.

Earthquake Strikes Japan (March 11): Off shore quake of 8.9 magnitude sent a tsunami wake onto Japan.  Hours later tsunami wave hits Hawaiian islands and tsunami watches are alerted to the west coast of North and South America.

Scripture Quotation

Mark 13:8 (King James Version): “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.”

Take Note — The Window View!

“Beginnings of sorrows.” is a reference to the last part of the current period of time before the Messiah of Israel returns.  Will it … might it … happen?

Let’s just say people have noticed the recent set of quakes.  It jogs the mind of those who can relate to what Scripture says.  In this case, the recent series of quakes seem like a backdrop to other layers of events on earth.  As this blog entry is being written the ongoing unrest in the Middle East continues with some leaders being ousted from office and active battles raging in Libya.  The nation rising against nation would be a reference to other conflicts and not just the civil based uprisings within specific countries, but both kinds of occurrence are now in the news!  The recent spike in food process and other troubles, including prevalent hunger and localized famines do in fact exist today.

The question we will leave you with is simple, if true … then when might that be?  Might the pronounced set of events of this day be worth reflection, to the point of considering that biblical truth exists in the midst of all we see?

Also remember, the Bible speaks of ‘birth pangs,’ which are episodes of activity much like the contractions that come one after the other just before a child is born. This set of earthquakes comes ‘together’ in yet one more ‘pang’ of compression that is a driving force moving us to the end of this age.

These are the very events that come into the Window’s view.  Something just like this, if NOT THIS exactly, is what will characterize the biblical events that are to come.  The point is the conditions have picked up, arisen to our attention, and are cause for reflection.  To those who pass off such events as just natural phenomena, there will be one day, the surprise that the ‘if true’ becomes ‘is true.’  And after that … all bets are off and the biblical results come rolling in like tsunami hitting the beach.

Think about it!

Director, WindowView

Share

CLIMATE CHANGE — Conference 2010

Posted on by

What Does A War In Iraq Have to Do With Global Change?

What Does More Science Data Do For Us?

The November 30 San Diego Tribune states that progress at the recent Cancun IPCC conference on climate change is characterized by:  “Deep-seated disputes within the conference continue to block agreement on a new binding global accord requiring rich nations – and perhaps some emerging economies – to reduce emissions. At best, the delegates are expected to concur in a handful of decisions on secondary issues.”

If you view our WindowView introductory video on Change, you’ll see that it’s not climate or even global change that is the real issue!  So, what is?  We suggest it’s how humanity as a whole responds to change that IS the ISSUE!  But the question remains: Can we, all humanity, really respond?  Something IS happening …  the Tribune, quoting Rajendra Pachauri, the chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), reveals:

“The trend is very clear,” said the Indian engineer and researcher. “We have and will continue to have increasingly more floods, more droughts, more heat waves, more extreme precipitation events.”

One key response to change is EITHER collect more data on change OR just respond in some way that makes sense.  Can deciding not to go to war, but to make a move to head off climate change, be part of the real solution?  And was an opportunity missed when the war in Iraq started? Let’s consider the difference!

Watching Changes And Wondering

We should expect scientists to say more study is needed–that’s what scientists do.  This was the first cry from the scientific community in the late 80s and early 90s.  But back then, it was clear decisions needed to be made during the 1990s to have a real counter effect to the first of changes to come.  Now, scientists ask again for more data.  But what decision can be made now, such that we humans can counter changes before they grow further?

Go back to the quote at the top of this blog post … it says nations and organizations are in dispute.  Dispute is another word for friction, stalling, and failure to collaborate on a global scale.  And in the Window, we see that one day, according to the scriptural texts, there will be a one-world government.  Perhaps in the name of having global coordination? But this change will not be about coordinating a response to climate change!  Well, maybe in the name of making global responses, but the foundation of the one-world government will be about some other kind of power struggle–on a spiritual level.

The San Diego Tribune goes on to further describe the need for information.  It’s about thawing ground up north or the change in acid levels in all the world’s oceans.  This is all occurring to one degree or other … right now.  This comes in advance of a one-world government.  The environmental shift has started; again from the Tribune:

“It’s basically the fact that people have not carried out enough measurement so that we can get a handle on how this is going to change in the future, what sort of increase of temperature will occur with the melting of the permafrost,” Pachauri said.

Similarly, he said, “the oceans require a lot more concentrated attention.”

Researchers are growing deeply worried about the growing acidification of the oceans, from their absorption of excess atmospheric carbon dioxide. More acidic waters make it more difficult for coral, oysters and other undersea life to produce their calcium carbonate shells, threatening to blow holes in the oceanic food chain.

“We need to understand how this will affect marine life,” Pachauri said.

And beyond that, he said, scientists must try to gauge the oceans’ ultimate capacity to continue operating as a “sink,” absorbing carbon dioxide. If that stops – and researchers believe they have detected a slowing of absorption in the seas north of Antarctica – the planet will be in even deeper trouble.”

Climate change is wrapping up the whole Earth in its grip–all the oceans make this a big deal.  AGAIN, from the Window’s View we ask … how can humanity respond?  Isn’t our response so telling about our future–in the material and spiritual sense!

WAR or PEACE-full solution

Within the Window we have given thought to recent historical events.  Extremist terrorism has had an interesting counter effect to global climate change–consider this point and take a look at the Window’s TimeLine.  Think of it this way, had the US President had the courage to leave Iraq alone and to take all the Billions of dollars spent on war … and then offered these dollars to homeowners and businesses for solar power, wind power, or geo-thermal utilities, the entire world would have seen a very different result–more than dealing with extremism.  Sort of outside the box thinking! Progressive and forward thinking. But …

The Real Difference

On the one hand, investing in solutions, would take an energy-intensive country further off line–to be less vulnerable to extremists.  The underlying need for future Iraqi oil would diminished.  Electric cars would have, by now, been in the development and release stages of more than one American auto maker … and global climate change would have had a real response–especially by one consumer base that uses a lot of energy resources.  The expenditure of billions of dollars on solutions would have also created millions of jobs!

Instead, a President went to war … against a country and extremists, but not war against the larger overriding set of changes that continues to quietly grip the planet.  A huge opportunity was missed!  And let’s NOT depend on the world’s league of nations to come around to solutions … because like decades ago, today they are in dispute!

Yet as the world cries out because solutions are not coming quickly, we are not surprised.  The Window’s TimeLine looks to a horizon of events that are on the way–coming soon to visit all of humanity. It is not just one president who missed it … the entire human race is missing the point.  Did everyone chip in to create THE solution … or are we still waiting, watching, and wondering? Change is about how we do or don’t respond.  The WindowView is about seeing the big picture and understanding what lies ahead … come take a look through the Window!

Director, WindowView.org

Share

Unsettling Thoughts — Humanity’s Narrow Existence

Posted on by

The Window is a thinking place in cyberspace.  Some material here relates to biblical prophecy (a prediction).  Some information here relates to changes in our environment.  We do not prophesy (that is make predictions), nor do we care for sensational claims.  There is enough stern faced Bible thumping and irate environmentalism to have us want to move on … but if there is pertinent information regarding things biblical, even in environmental terms, then it might be worth a look at dimensions of information put before us long ago.  Let’s just look at what evidence is there already.

A BIG BURN:  ALL GREEN GRASS and ONE THIRD of TREES

Some number of years ago I, Director of WindowView, attended professional scientific meetings and heard what might be the early descriptions of global climate change.  Scientists from around the US and the world, attended the annual meeting for the American Association of the Advancement of Science (AAAS).  The latter part of the same year, now two decades ago, came with another scientific symposium on global change and the prospects for humanity in the face of coming change.  Scientists were beginning to grasp the fullness of changes that were just beginning to reveal themselves.  Yet, change itself had not just begun, it was humanity’s consciousness of change that was beginning.  There is a difference here.  Some consequences were obvious, others to come.

Because of a biblical and scientific awareness, it seems important if not simply interesting to wonder if there are links between what we see currently in nature and what the Bible tells us about the future.  The sensational approach might be a screaming claim and you need to get down on your knees to pray for salvation or otherwise escape to the hills to save yourself.  Actually, at this point, it’s all a bit more subtle than that. This brief article simply points to something rather interesting.  You can form a personal conclusion if you like.

SCIENCE

The AAAS meeting presented an opportunity to hear scientists who follow the weather, those who explore ice core evidence for past climate, modelers who try to predict consequences to desert or rain forest–should patterns persist and change have greater effect.  But a while back, the models used to predict complex systems, like what might happen to the Amazon rain forest, were too simple.  More computer strength, more computation power, more variables, more of a lot of sophisticated approaches needed to be brought online.  Modeling was a growing field.  But could I ask a question about models, change and a Bible prediction?

BIBLE

Let’s just start with a few briefly stated points.  Many people are aware that the Bible contains prophecies.  Some have been declared and fulfilled, others declared and await fulfillment.

One ‘waiting prophecy’ concerns a time when all green grass and one third of all trees burn.  Let’s just consider something interesting about consequences in relation to this prediction.  We equate this prediction to an environmental change and thus label this an ‘environmental type.’ We say ‘type‘ because it relates to circumstances in the present, yet this looks to the future.

First, if you are alive on the only known habitable planet in the solar system, or perhaps in the galaxy, or even perhaps the only habitable place in the universe, if you saw a huge fire consuming the Earth’s vegetation, would you not be concerned?!

Second, if that burn appears in order of a lager sequence of events, other pre-recorded prophetic predictions, might that garner further attention?  You have to admit, if someone pointed out the parallel occurrence, you’d give it some thought–wouldn’t you?

Third, green grass only grows in one of the Earth’s hemispheres at a time.  That is, it is only summer in the northern or southern hemisphere, but not both at the same time.   The Bible is predicting a rather large prophetic event for all green grass in one hemisphere.  If the northern hemisphere, it’s a lot of green that burns.

FOURTH, major point, 80 PERCENT of the foodstuffs we eat as humans (from plant sources) come from species of crops in the grass family!  Wheat, barley, corn, and other related crops are grasses.  And many domestic animals depend on the grasses for the food and thus all green grasses going away in rapid fashion also impacts farming.  Totally, a big impact.

Do we have your attention at this point?

From an economic point of view, the result on obtaining foodstuffs means what food remains after this event is a matter of possession–the cost to buy food will be out of sight.  And if you have some food, you’re not likely to give any out, at any price.

Survival?  Material existence and the meaning of life, will be keenly accentuated by an incredible predicament.

SCIENCE AGAIN

So I called up a scientist at NASA and asked: “What would be the consequences to the Earth’s environment if all green grass (in one hemisphere) and all trees burned at one time?”  He asked why I asked!  I was forthcoming about the concept based on the Bible’s prediction.  He told me I was crazy and had no interest in answering my question.

I then wrote a letter to Dr. James Lovelock, the author of the GAIA Hypothesis.  You can explore this hypothesis on your own (just use an Internet search engine).  This time I was careful to explain that I was not seeking to be sensational, but was scientifically curious.  I explained the scenario and its source. [also see a write up on this correspondence in relation to environmental types at WindowView (book outline here, plus you can click on the title to download Chapter 22 to read further about environmental types)]

Interesting and surprisingly, I got a reply.  Now, to be clear, the answer was to a hypothetical and by someone who is not concerning himself with the Bible or its predictions.  But the answer is remarkable.

SURVIVAL and THINKING

The answer I got described consequences to the biomass burn (grass and trees) in terms of loss of sunlight reaching the earth surface, boost in carbon dioxide level, and negligible change in oxygen level.  Temperature would also change over time.  BUT remarkably, humans alive throughout this event would survive.  At least they would live to see the end of the fires.

Humans would have to think about what happened.  What you you think about in such a time as that?

CONCLUSION (one of many)

Today we are in possession of data of a much greater degree concerning global changes.  We know that some rather dramatic shifts can or are taking place.  Science gives us better models and better data sets to understand that we, humans, on the only habitable planet we know of, are living on a thread of life support.

If Bible be true and science information helpful, then the concept of all green grasses burring along with one third of all the trees (at one particular time), then this event will stare humanity in the face not only as prophetic, but with a question!  So many will yell: “Oh my God!”  So, do they believe?  Is there a God?  How do people in that moment respond?  Knowing ahead of time, how do you respond?

The idea behind WindowView is to tease out thoughts and to get you to think.

The Bible’s prophecy is for a time yet to come, but it begs a question.  When faced with the evidence in the material realm, how do we respond to something that goes to the spiritual realm?  And what if that provides an opportunity to walk through an open door from here to hereafter?

It’s that, or starve, because food will be in very short supply on that day.

Think about that!  Each day we live is a gift dangling from a thread of life support.

Director, WindowView.org

[See Revelation 8:7: The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.]

Share