I was amazed when I looked the other day at what I wrote 30 years ago about the time just before the return of Jesus. Based on a number of prophecies in the bible, I made a rough outline of what the world would look like shortly before His return. It is all still so relevant today! There are wars (Russia, Middle-East) and rumors of wars (China versus Taiwan) that all could easily end up in a major world war. As we know from the past, most wars are being fueled by the weapon manufacturers.  See:

Who really profits from the war in Oekraine? | Bread on the water

There is now also all this ‘climate change’ blamed on CO2 emitted by mankind – this is now a ‘major global’ problem. XR have got it in one of their ten commandments that the population on earth must be reduced. Once the chaos is complete, it will be the right time for the last anti-christ to bring ‘Ordnung’. Order. He or she will need a scape goat again. I wonder if you already have an idea about who the false prophet could be?

Have a look what I wrote in 1995:

Jesus is coming back!

27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

29 “Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

  Matt 24:27-29 (NIV)

36 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;

39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.

41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.

43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.

44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

  Matt 24:36-44 (NIV)

34 I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left.  Luke 17:34 (NIV)

There is one universal law that nobody can deny or escape. It is the simple fact that everything comes to an end. One day even the sun will stop shining. If the sun does stop shining then I suppose that would be the end of the world. (Vs. 29). Whether the event of the end of the earth takes place as a result of a (natural) catastrophe of cosmic proportion or whether it is due to a (man-made) nuclear disaster causing, for example, a nuclear winter, is not all that important because the end result will still be the same: life will one day come to an end.

I know that the technological progress made in the last 50 odd years or so has been phenomenal. I for one am optimistic enough to believe that mankind will continue to improve himself even further in time to come. But one must be realistic about ideas of mankind one day being able to colonize the universe. I believe that such exploration will have to wait until the time after we have been unified with Christ. In fact, I believe that the chance of there being intelligent life anywhere else in the universe is virtually zero. Certain ideas proposed by some of there being life anywhere else in the universe is “misleading” in the sense that it does take away our “uniqueness” in Christ. I think it is the evil one that wants us to believe that there is life elsewhere in the universe, because then our life here on earth could quite well be considered a coincidence; and that would take our attention away from Jesus… Anyway, whatever the case may be, we all must accept the fact that one day our life on earth will come to an end or that life on earth will end – whichever comes first…

To me, it has always been reasonable to assume that the day my life ends (or the day the world ends) must coincide with the day that Jesus returns because even if there would be a billion or more years that pass after my (the) end, these years would still be as irrelevant to me as the billions of years that have gone by from the beginning of creation to my birth.  Jesus confirms that we will never see death (John 8:51,52) and He has always maintained that death is nothing more than just a state of sleep (e.g. Matt 9:24, John 11:11). When Jesus speaks of dead people He means the people that chose not to follow God and never did His work (Matt 8:22,34 and 40,41). Death, real death, according to Jesus, means forever in darkness, forever being without God. Jesus being the first man that conquered death itself, it is important that we watch exactly what He has to say about it. Jesus does not know the exact date of the day of the end of the world (vs. 36). That is interesting because it means that anyone who claims that he knows this date knows more than Jesus Himself. The information that Jesus gives us is that this day will be very much like any previous day (vs. 38-41). Some people will be working (vs. 40 and 41) whilst others might be asleep (vs. 34). I suspect that the one text about those being asleep was omitted from the text in the book of Matthew because it might not have sounded logical to one of the copiers. How can there be people at work and at sleep at the same time? It was of course because it will be night on one side of the earth and day on the other side. That was not something that was generally known in Jesus’ days.

My personal view of why I think we are moving toward the end of the world is the open proliferation of activities connected to Satanism. On a flea market recently in one of the big cities of Europe, I noticed T-shirts being sold with a penta-cross on it and also on some of these the name ‘Jesus’ printed into a forbidden entry traffic sign. I had recently an opportunity to glance at some of the books on witchcraft, found by police during the course of their criminal investigations. I am now beginning to understand why people get attracted to it. It is all about how to cast spells and how to dominate others and more such things. The prime motive of people joining the coves seems to me the immediate material benefits that ‘their god’ brings them. But the ulterior motive of the evil one is once again to physically destroy the people of God, as before, because Satan is the murderer from the beginning (John 8:44).

When Jesus speaks about the End of the Age, He seems very concerned about finding us not ready when He comes (vs. 43). Right after the speech quoted here from Matthew 24 He tells us a few parables concerning this subject (see Matthew Chapter 25). Many of the other passages of Scripture concerning this issue also caution us to be always alert and ready to meet our Father. We should live every day as if it were our last day.

Jesus does give us a few hints concerning His return. For instance, He quotes from Isaiah 13:10 (vs. 29) and elsewhere He openly refers us to the prophet Daniel (Matt 24:15). I have therefore done a small investigation into all the books of the Bible and gathered all the information that I could find concerning the end of the world and His second Coming, including those pointers that He gave us Himself. I have listed these in numbers from 1 to 64 and they are shown below in the order as they appear in the Bible. I am sure that these are not all the scriptures on this subject but I think they are the important ones. On the basis of all of these scriptures, and compared to each other, it is possible to picture a scenario of the time shortly before the world ends. Bear in mind that the interpretation of prophecies is always slightly subjective and nobody can claim with 100% certainty that his or her interpretation is always exactly correct. Also, please understand that end-time predictions always seem a bit like doom and gloom; unfortunately I cannot change what the scriptures are saying to me. However, I do think that they do hold a wonderful promise, as you will see, and we as Christians should always hold onto that promise. I have tried to look at scriptures from as many different books of the Bible as possible in order to form a more objective picture of what will happen. My conclusions of the Biblical predictions on the end-time are then as follows. (I recommend reading the references I used for reaching these conclusions so that you can determine if you agree with me).

– The (last) anti-christ will be appointed as the leader of the earth, most likely coming from the merging corporate world, doing great signs and miracles, possibly establishing a new or united religion with a (false) prophet and misleading many people in a similar way as Hitler did but this time it will be on a world-wide scale. He or she will be able to control all people with some kind of direct communication system (Rev.13:15) so that the “spirit” of the anti-christ will always be with them. See points 18,39,40,59,60 and 61

– During his/her reign the people of God all over the earth will be harassed and persecuted such as never before. (The word that is often used by the prophets is “distress”). Because they refused to connect with the anti-christ (the “mark”), they will not be able to buy or sell goods and a holocaust on a scale similar or even greater than the one during the 2nd world war seems likely. See points 2,7,10,18,19,22,40,48,59,60 and 61

– There will be a major cosmic upheaval or some other natural calamity such as a big earthquake. Alternatively, some man made nuclear explosion(s) can also cause this disaster. The net result of this disaster is that the sun, moon and stars will not be able to show their light. There is ample evidence to suggest that this upheaval affects all the people living on earth in that time. People will be in terror, wondering what will happen to the world. Possibly because of the darkness, these days will be short and this will be to the benefit of the Christians who are still being oppressed. The people of God who are then still alive will know that the end of their suffering is in sight. See points 3,4,8,11,12,19,22,27,38,46,52,58,62

– Even at this late hour, there is apparently still some time left for people to repent and turn to God for salvation. See points 8,12,21,24,34 and 58

– The world ends/ Jesus returns with His angels and gathers the Holy ones to establish His Kingdom of Peace/ a new Heaven and a new Earth is created! See all points 1 through to 64, except 18, 59, 60 and 61

1.

1 How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!

3 It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.  Psalms 133:1,3 (NIV)

2.

22 Why do you pursue me as God does? Will you never get enough of my flesh?

25 I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.   Job 19:22, 25 (NIV)

3.

9 See, the day of the LORD is coming –a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger– to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it.

10 The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.

  Isaiah 13:9-10 (NIV)

4.

23 The moon will be abashed, the sun ashamed; for the LORD Almighty will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before its elders, gloriously.

  Isaiah 24:23 (NIV)

5.

18 for Mount Zion, which lies desolate, with jackals prowling over it.

19 You, O LORD, reign forever; your throne endures from generation to generation.   Lam 5:18-19 (NIV)

6.

13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.

14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.   Dan 7:13-14 (NIV)

7.

1 “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people–everyone whose name is found written in the book–will be delivered.

2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.

3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. 

 Dan 12:1-3 (NIV)

8.

31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.

32 And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls.   Joel 2:31-32 (NIV)

9.

15 “The day of the LORD is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.

17 But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy, and the house of Jacob will possess its inheritance.  Ob 1:15,17 (NIV)

10.

“In that day,” declares the LORD, “I will gather the lame; I will assemble the exiles and those I have brought to grief.7 I will make the lame a remnant, those driven away a strong nation. The LORD will rule over them in Mount Zion from that day and forever.   Micah 4:7 (NIV)

11.

6 “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.

7 I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty.

8 ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty.

9 ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”   Hag 2:6-9 (NIV)

12.

4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south.

5 You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.   Zech 14:4-5 (NIV)

13.

The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name.  Zech.14:9 (NIV)

14.

10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.   Zech 9:10 (NIV)

15.

1 “See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty.

2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 

 Mal 3:1-2 (NIV)

16.

2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.

3 Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things,” says the LORD Almighty.   Mal 4:2-3 (NIV)

17.

27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.   Matt 16:27 (NIV)

18.

21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now–and never to be equaled again.

22 If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.

23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.

24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect–if that were possible.  Matt 24:21-24 (NIV)

19.

29 “Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

30 “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.

31 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.  

Matt 24:29-31 (NIV)

20.

64 “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”   Matt 26:64 (NIV)

21.

38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”   Mark 8:38 (NIV)

22.

24 “But in those days, following that distress, “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;

25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

26 “At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.

27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.   Mark 13:24-27 (NIV)

23.

62 “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”  

Mark 14:62 (NIV)

24.

26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.   Luke 9:26 (NIV)

25.

39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.

40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”  Luke 12:39-40 (NIV)

26.

24 For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.  Luke 17:24 (NIV)

27.

25 “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.

26 Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.

27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  Luke 21:25-27 (NIV)

28.

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  John 14:3 (NIV)

29.

11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”  Acts 1:11 (NIV)

30.

21 He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.

Acts 3:21 (NIV)

31.

8 He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  1 Cor 1:8 (NIV)

32.

26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.  1 Cor 11:26 (NIV)

33.

4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.  Col 3:4 (NIV)

34.

9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,

10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead–Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.  1 Thess 1:9-10 (NIV)

35.

19 For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?  1 Thess 2:19 (NIV)

36.

13 May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

  1 Thess 3:13 (NIV)

37.

16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.  1 Thess 4:16-17 (NIV)

38.

1 Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you,

2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.  1 Thess 5:1-4 (NIV)

39.

1 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers,

2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come.

3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.

4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.  2 Thess 2:1-4 (NIV)

40.

7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.

8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.   2 Thess 2:7-8 (NIV)

41.

14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15 which God will bring about in his own time–God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords,  1 Tim 6:14-15 (NIV)

42.

8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day–and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.  2 Tim 4:8 (NIV)

43.

13 while we wait for the blessed hope–the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,

14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.   Titus 2:13-14 (NIV)

44.

28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.   Heb 9:28 (NIV)

45.

22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly,

23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect,

24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.  Heb 12:22-24 (NIV)

46.

26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”

27 The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken–that is, created things–so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,

  Heb 12:26-28 (NIV)

47.

7 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.  James 5:7-8 (NIV)

48.

13 But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.  1 Peter 4:13 (NIV)

49.

4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.  1 Peter 5:4 (NIV)

50.

16 We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.  2 Peter 1:16 (NIV)

51.

3 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.

4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 

2 Peter 3:3-4 (NIV)

52.

9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives

12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.  2 Peter 3:9-13 (NIV)

53.

28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.   1 John 2:28 (NIV)

54.

2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.   1 John 3:2 (NIV)

55.

14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones. Jude 1:14

56.

7 Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him.  So shall it be! Amen.  Rev 1:7 (NIV)

57.

11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.  Rev 3:11 (NIV)

58.

12 I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red,

13 and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind.

   14 The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains.

16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!

17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

  Rev 6:12-17 (NIV)

59.

4 Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?”5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months.   Rev 13:4-5 (NIV)

60.

7 He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.

8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast–all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.  Rev 13:7-8 (NIV)

61.

13 And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men.

14 Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.

15 He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.

16 He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead,

17 so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.

18 This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.  Rev 13:13-18 (NIV)

62.

15 “Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.”

16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is done!”

18 Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake.  Rev 16:15-18 (NIV)

63.

12 “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.  Rev 22:12 (NIV)

64.

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.  Rev 22:20 (NIV)

The question asked by a little girl that apparently changed the life of Elon Musk….Do you believe in God, Mr. Musk?

By guest blogger .

I.4 Other consequences of CO2 concentration and temperature increase

I.4.1 Consequences of temperature increase

In the Netherlands, or Western Europe, it is not unusual for the difference between daily maximum and minimum temperatures to be more than 10°C. Nobody finds this strange or dangerous. But according to the media, the earth will irrevocably break down if an average of 1.5°C to 2°C is added. This seems strange because in the (distant) past, such and even higher temperatures prevailed on earth. And yet there were no tipping points…

Figure 2 : Temperature and CO2 concentration from 600 million years ago to the present Source

Late Carboniferous to Early Permian time (315 mya — 270 mya) is the only time period in the last 600 million years when both atmospheric CO ₂ and temperatures were as low as they are today (Quaternary Period) . Temperature after CR Scotese http://www.scotese.com/climate.htm CO2 after RA Berner, 2001 (GEOCARB III)

For long periods, the temperature on Earth was 20 to 25°C, while now it is only about 15°C. It is now about 10°C colder than it has been for most of the time that the Earth has existed. There was also much more CO ₂ in the past , 1000 to 7000 ppm. It is not surprising that the temperature is so low, because we are still living in an ice age :

“ An ice age is a period in which ice caps occur on land. The presence of ice caps on Greenland means that we are by definition living in an ice age . ”

Should one be concerned about a degree more? If one looks at the past, there is little reason to be; the normal temperature on Earth seems to be between 20°C and 25°C. This also means that there can be no tipping points below 25°C, because they have not occurred in the past. The temperature will probably return to somewhere between 20°C and 25°C, the normal temperature. There are advantages to that one degree more, by the way.

I.4.1.1 Fewer climate deaths

The climate always fluctuates, but has remained virtually unchanged since 1850. There are now only slightly milder average temperatures. But even this small average temperature increase results in fewer “climate deaths”. This is because it is mainly the minimum temperatures that are rising, so the average is also slightly higher. Many more people still die from the cold than from the heat.

From a study of deaths in England and Wales:

A.Gasparinni et al. , 2022 :

“Our analysis indicates that the excess in mortality attributable to cold was almost two orders of magnitude higher than the excess in mortality attributable to heat.”

Excess mortality due to cold temperatures was 32 times higher than from heat in Switzerland from 1969 to 2017.

de Schrijver et al., 2022 :

“Total all-cause excess mortality associated with nonoptimal temperatures was 9.19% [95% confidence interval (CI): 7.72, 10.47], which translates to 274,578 (95% CI: 230,657, 312,761) temperature-related excess deaths in Switzerland between 1969 and 2017 (Table 2; Table S4). Cold-related mortality represented a larger fraction in comparison with heat , with 8.91% (95% CI: 7.46, 10.21) vs. 0.28% (95% CI: 0.18, 0.37).”

Excess mortality due to cold was 42 times higher than for heat in China in 2019.

J. Liu et al. 2022 :

“We estimated that 593·9 (95% UI:498·8, 704·6) thousand deaths were attributable to non-optimal temperatures in China in 2019 (PAF=5·58% [4·93%, 6·28% ]), with 580·8 (485·7, 690·1) thousand cold-related deaths and 13·9 (7·7, 23·2) thousand heat-related deaths.”

Excess mortality due to cold temperatures was 12.8 higher than that due to heat “across 612 cities within 39 countries over the period 1985–2019.”

N. Mistry et al. 2022 :

“Here, we perform a comprehensive assessment of temperature-related mortality risks using ground weather stations observations and state-of-the-art reanalysis data across 612 cities within 39 countries over the period 1985–2019. … In general, across most countries, the estimates of the excess mortality are very similar, with a global-level excess of 0.53% (95% eCI 0.50–0.56) versus 0.49% (0.43–0.53) for heat, and 6.02% ( 5.80–6.18) versus 6.25% (6.05–6.41) for cold, from ground stations and ERA5-Country data, respectively (‘Global’ in Fig. 5 and Table S3). These percentages correspond to 357.729 ( 95% eCI 335.138–376.498) versus 326.032 (288.069–357.247) for heat , and 4,030.793 (3,880.068–4,137.579) versus 4,186.014 (4,051,321–4,293,311) for cold .”

Global warming reduces “climate deaths” because about 11 to 13 times more people die from cold than from heat.

I.4.1.2 Higher crop yield

Not only does the number of climate deaths decrease, but there is also a positive effect on plant growth in general. This is especially important when growing food crops.

Gardi et al., 2022 :

“The results revealed that the CO ₂ -induced increase in grain number and grain yield was higher in combination with a temperature level of 21–25 °C as compared to lower levels (< 15 and 16–20 ℃ ) .”
and
“An increase in atmospheric CO ₂ generally exerts beneficial effects on plant biomass by increasing net photosynthesis by 30 to 50% and reducing photorespiration (Drake et al. 1997 ; Poorter and Navas 2003 ; Schapendonk et al. 2000 ). This has been studied for cereals including barley, wheat, rice, oat, and rye ( Conroyac et al. 1994 ; Kimball et al. 2002 ; Long et al. 2006 ).

Chen and Sun, 2024 :
“…, while the main factor that really affects China’s crop yield directly is the local air temperature change. When the air temperature in China is high , the yield will show an increasing trend, and vice versa.”

Figure 3 : Increase in world food production, source

The graph above, figure 3, shows that there is a continuous increase in world food production. The yield is increasing partly due to the “CO ₂ fertilization”

A higher temperature therefore has beneficial effects on greening and world food production.

I.4.2 CO ₂ concentration increase

I.4.2.1 Is CO2 _“ dangerous”?

CO2 is not a “pollutant” or toxic substance, as some people, including the media, claim. The concentration in air exhaled by humans contains up to 40,000ppm CO2 _. From https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/idlh/124389.html : “ It has been reported that submarine personnel exposed continuously at 30,000 ppm were only slightly affected, provided the oxygen content of the air was maintained at normal concentrations [ Schaefer 1951 ]. ” The “Occupational Safety and Health Administration” “Permissible Exposure Limit” (OSHA PEL) is a legal safe limit at which work is allowed and is currently 5000ppm in the US, 12x higher than the current concentration in the atmosphere.

CO ₂ is the building block par excellence of all life on earth. Plants breathe in CO ₂ and use it to produce all kinds of substances that are essential for their life. When there is a shortage of CO ₂ , plants die. And consequently also the herbivores and eventually also the carnivores. That is why CO ₂ is essential for life, also for humans.

I.4.2.2 The earth becomes greener, higher crop yields :

In an article from NASA: https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/goddard/carbon-dioxide-fertilization-greening-earth-study-finds/
there is a short film about how the earth is becoming greener due to increased CO2 _{concentration} , helped by higher temperatures. It refers to a study by Zhu et al, 2016

Zhu et al., 2016 :

“ CO ₂ fertilization effects explain most of the greening trends in the tropics , whereas climate change resulted in greening of the high latitudes and the Tibetan Plateau. LCC contributed most to the regional greening observed in southeast China and the eastern United States. ”

Chen and Sun, 2024 :

“Besides, CO ₂ is an essential element of crop photosynthesis and a major climate change scenario construction indicator. Increasing CO ₂ concentration in the Earth’s atmosphere can increase the photosynthetic rate of crops, which directly stimulates crop growth and increases the dry matter content, resulting in increased food production ( Lawlor & Mitchell, 1991 ; Wang et al., 2014b ; Ziska & Bunce , 2007 ).

May and Crok, 2024 :

“Warmer temperatures and more CO ₂ will mean more food at a lower price for nearly everyone,…”

(text can also be viewed here: https://andymaypetrophysicist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Carbon-Dioxide-and-a-Warming-Climate-are-not-problems_Final_Submission_no_logo.pdf )

A higher CO2 _{concentration} , together with a higher temperature, provides more green and more food (figure 3). This is favourable, given the increase in the world population.

I.4.2.3 Other effects of higher _CO2 concentration

I.4.2.3.1 Better water management

Song et al., 2024 :

“ The CO2 fertilization effect has benefits for both vegetation growth and water use efficiency (WUE).”
and
“…elevated CO ₂ concentrations could indirectly enhance water availability by improving [water use efficiency]… reducing vegetation water demand .”
and
“The relationship between vegetation growth and water availability (referred to as Rvw), representing vegetation responses to water availability, is a key metric for understanding vegetation responses to drought under climate change ( Shi et al 2021 , Zhao et al 2021b , Chen et al 2022 , Smith and Boers 2023 ). Over the past few decades, global vegetation growth has been observed to increase, a phenomenon known as ‘greening’ ( Myneni et al 1997 , Zhu et al 2016 , Huang et al 2018 , Piao et al 2020 ). The vegetation greening trend, attributed to factors such as the carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) fertilization effect, climate warming, and human activities, has been widely studied ( Piao et al 2015 , 2020 , Lu et al 2016 , Zhu et al 2016 )”
and
“The CO2 fertilization effect has benefits for both vegetation growth and water use efficiency (WUE) ( Lu et al 2016 , Humphrey et al 2018 , Wang et al 2020 , Hsu and Dirmeyer 2023 )

I.4.2.3.2 Cooling or less warming

J. Wu et al. 2023 :

“ Our findings illuminate Earth greening’s potential to mitigate hot temperature extremes , offering a pathway toward more resilient and sustainable climate adaptation and mitigation. ”

Li et al., 2023 :

“According to satellite observations, the earth has been experiencing widespread vegetation greening since the 1980s, primarily due to large-scale climate change and CO ₂ fertilization effects ^1,2 . Such greening could mitigate global warming by triggering negative biochemical feedback to the climate system, which refers to increasing CO2 removal from the atmosphere through the vegetation photosynthesis process ^3–5 .”
and
“ Vegetation greening in dry and warm regions significantly cools the land surface ,
and this cooling diminishes and reverses to the warming effect with gradually decreased temperature or increased precipitation (Fig. 1b).”

Y. Cao, 2023 :

“ Here, we provide the first observational evidence of the greening effects on SAT and SAT extremes in China during 2001–2018 using the ‘space-for-time’ method. The results show a negative SAT sensitivity to greening (–0.35 °C m ² m ^–2 ) over China and a cooling effect of −0.08 °C on SAT driven by vegetation greening during the study period. Such a cooling effect is stronger on high SAT extremes, particularly over arid/semiarid areas, where greening could bring an additional cooling of −0.04 °C on the hottest days. An attribution analysis suggests that the main driving factor for the cooling effect of greening is the evapotranspiration change for arid/semiarid regions and the aerodynamic resistance change for humid regions. ” (SAT = near-surface air temperature)

Summary

The earth is becoming greener and the cause of this is an increase in the CO ₂ concentration and the temperature. This greening has a favourable effect on the temperature and results in less warming or even cooling. Partly due to the improved water management of all plants, there is a favourable effect on evapotranspiration. This reduces the risk of droughts.

Check: Claim (5) “It is assumed that an increase in those two, temperature and CO2 _{concentration} , would be harmful(5).” is completely wrong. There are almost only beneficial effects associated with both the increase in CO2 _{concentration} and the increase in temperature. One may wonder why governments want to take “climate measures”? After all, there is nothing wrong with the climate. One could even claim the opposite.

***

To be continued.