The Abomination of Desolation - St. Marys Coptic Orthodox Church

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SIGNS OF HIS COMING
Before the first trumpet sounds, St. John sees an angel offering incense,
together with the prayers of the saints. Here is a reminder that the
prayers of the Church on earth are not forgotten before God.
“The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled
with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of
trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.” (Rev 8:7)
Many are of the view that this represents an environmental plague.
God is using man’s failure to protect the earth as a warning sign that the
end is near. We are all aware of the menace of acid rain and its
devastating effects on the trees and vegetation.
The problem of acid rain originated with the Industrial Revolution,
and it has been growing ever since. The severity of its effects has
long been recognized in local settings, as exemplified by the spells of
acid smog in heavily industrialized areas. The widespread
destructiveness of acid rain, however, has become evident only in
recent decades. One large area that has been studied extensively is
northern Europe, where acid rain has eroded structures, injured
crops and forests, and threatened or depleted life in freshwater
lakes. In 1984, for example, environmental reports showed that
almost half of the trees in Germany's Black Forest had been
damaged by acid rain. The northeastern United States and eastern
Canada have also been particularly affected by this form of
pollution; damage has also been detected in other areas of these
countries and other regions of the world. 1
The latest report on the condition of the European forests, published
in 1996, shows that one quarter of Europe’s trees is either sick or dying,
and that acid rain is among the chief causes of the death of Europe’s
forests. 2 A recent radio newscast tells us that the planet has already lost
one third of its trees because of environmental mismanagement.
THE SECOND TRUMPET:
“And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain
burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea
1 Encarta Encyclopedia.
2 Time Magazine: Special Report, November 1997.