When you receive the Seal you will begin to care about the environment. You will have to--global warming is the sign of the end-times approaching. And you will be interested in the court judgment in early February 2008 against the Environmental Protection Agency.
The federal appeals court rejected the plan of the EPA to curb mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants. The court said the EPA was acting in direct opposition to orders from congress. In 2007 the US Supreme Court ruled against the EPA for failing to regulate greenhouse gases. This latest court judgment is another mark against the Bush administration for its environmental policies.
One-third of mercury emissions in the US come from coal-fired power plants. Mercury is known to drop out of the air and get into lakes and rivers where it ends up in the flesh of fish. People who eat the fish eat the mercury too. Mercury is a neuro toxin and contact with a little mercury will kill a person. And if a pregnant mother eats fish with mercury in it her child can suffer developmentally because of the poison.
The EPA in 2005 came up with a plan to trade mercury emissions, a little like the European "cap-and-trade" system for greenhouse gases. Those who pollute more must buy credits from those who pollute less.
Environmentalists have worried that those living near heavily-polluting power plants will live in a pollution "hot spot" but be able to do nothing about it. They sued the EPA and have won the case. So the cap-and-trade system will not go into effect for mercury emissions. Meanwhile, no plan is in effect to regulate mercury emissions, and the greater danger looms on the horizon--greenhouse gases.
Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide are polluting the air in ever-increasing amounts. They are blamed for the warming temperatures of the earth, keeping in the heat from the sun like a greenhouse but not letting it escape.
The earth has been warming steadily for 20 years with no end in sight. Predictions from scientists are dire. There will be mass extinctions among living creatures on earth. There is a consensus among scientists of the world about global warming. And this agrees with the prediction of Jesus Christ. When He was asked about the end-times He described them as a summer.
He told the simple parable of the fig tree. When the fig tree starts to blossom, you know that summer is near. That "summer" is how Jesus described the end-times. And that is how the modern scientists confess the world is ending too.
Natural disasters have already increased in number and severity. There have been increases in floods and droughts, wildfires and windstorms. Never before in recorded history has this been seen. When you are sealed you will begin to care about the environment. However, there is little you can do to save the earth. You can vote and take action to reduce your own carbon footprint. But you can not reduce emissions in developing countries where they will grow the fastest.
When you are sealed you will prepare yourself spiritually to meet God. You will recognize the end-times approaching and prepare yourself for a home in Heaven instead of on earth when you receive the Seal.
