Blog note. Jesus indicated that ‘fearful sights’ (various natural disasters) would occur leading up to the time known as the Tribulation and Great Tribulation (a combined seven year period of great destruction on earth). Although these types of things have occurred in the past for centuries and thousands of years, they could be identified as the ‘season of the times’ due to the ferociousness of these events. They would be occurring in greater intensity, severity, frequency, size, duration, scope … just like the pains that a woman experiences in labor the farther along she is in the labor process. We are in the ‘season of the times’ that comes just before the seven (7) year Tribulation/Great Tribulation period

… And great earthquakes shall be in diverse places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. (Luke 21:11).

… And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; (Luke 21:25)

… Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken; (Luke 21:26)

… This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. (2 Timothy 3:1)

Jesus is giving a series of prophecies about what to look for as the age of grace comes to a close. These verses are several of many such prophecies from throughout the Bible. 2017 was the worst year in recorded history for the intensity, frequency, severity, duration and occurrence of a large number of severe natural disasters worldwide. Earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones, torrential flooding, unprecedented wildfires in unusual places, devastating droughts, excessive/scorching heat setting records everywhere, record snowfalls in Europe and Russia. Snow in the Arabia. This list can go on. Most studied Eschatologists believe these ‘fearful sights’ and massive natural disasters are all part of the ‘CONVERGENCE’ of signs that this Biblical and prophetic age is closing. Most people who study prophecy are familiar with the routine reference(s) made that these things will be like a woman having labor pains, growing in intensity, frequency, size and duration.

If Endangered Species Act ends, no amount of money can bring back extinct animals.

Ron Magill. Miami Herald•August 19, 2019

Recently, the United Nations, a nonpartisan global authority, issued a sad and sobering report stating that under the present conditions, there is a strong possibility that up to 1 million species of wildlife will become extinct within the next several decades.

We currently are experiencing what is officially called the “Anthropocene,” also known as “The Sixth Mass Extinction,” which is the highest rate of extinction since the loss of the dinosaurs 45 million years ago.

Yet, rather than striving to provide additional support toward preserving the world’s precious wildlife, this administration has chosen to eviscerate the Endangered Species Act, the most effective piece of legislation ever written in this country to protect our world’s precious natural treasures.

For more than 45 years, the Endangered Species Act has protected endangered and threatened species and the habitats in which they live because Congress found, “These species of fish, wildlife and plants are of aesthetic, ecological, educational, historical, recreational and scientific value to the nation and its people.”

I am dumbfounded trying to understand how at a time when we are losing species at a rate of up to 1,000 times faster than past historical times, this administration is trying to make it easier to remove species from the protected list while making it harder to place a species on it.

There are two especially glaring changes that are particularly disturbing.

The first is that climate change cannot be considered a factor when deciding if a species qualifies to be protected. This is ludicrous.

Climate change is not some fantasy condition made up by extremists with no qualifications. It is possibly the most serious challenge facing our planet today that has been proven by science and supported by some of the most respected and intelligent minds in the world.

The fact is that it could be the single greatest factor in determining the survival of countless species.

To eliminate it from consideration when designating species for protection is analogous to not allowing a jury to see a video clearly depicting someone committing a crime because there are questions as to how the video was obtained.

The second major issue is the change that now allows governments to consider the “cost” of protecting a species.

In other words, it considers how much money is being forfeited by not being able to disturb a protected habitat to dig for oil or gas, allowing the financial benefits of the exploitation of the land to trump the importance of protecting it for future generations.

When an administration starts to put a price tag on something that is priceless, we are going down a very slippery slope.

The bottom line is that these changes are being driven by human greed.

The big money behind oil and gas, as well as coal and other mining operations, is trying to feed that greed by falsely stating that these changes will allow for greater economic growth while providing more transparency regarding the protection of wildlife.

Nonsense.

Though it will certainly provide economic growth for the tiny minority of those who have a financial interest in fossil fuels and in the destruction of wildlife in order to obtain them, it will cause irreparable damage to the nation’s natural treasures that belong to all of us.

The Endangered Species Act plays an important role in maintaining the biodiversity that is key to the health of our planet.

Without that biodiversity, the delicate balance that is necessary for the quality of life for everyone is altered and can lead to catastrophic consequences.

Were in not for the ESA, it’s possible that species such as the bald eagle, California condor and Florida manatee would not be here today.

The act has successfully protected 99 percent of all species ever listed.

Whether it be an endangered bat that plays a key role in pollinating plants that help feed our nation, or a tiny fish that feeds on mosquito larvae thereby helping to control the population of an insect that is responsible for more human deaths than any animal, each species is a link in a delicate chain of wildlife that is directly connected to the quality of life for all of us.

There is an old saying that states, “We have not inherited this Earth from our parents, we are borrowing it from our children.”

The reality is that extinction is forever and once we lose a species, we have lost something that all the money in the world will not be able to bring back.

And, sadly, we will have also robbed our children and their children after that, of being able to experience some of nature’s priceless treasures.

Ron Magill is a well-known South Florida animal expert and activist. He wrote this Opinion article for the Miami Herald as a private citizen.