Dead birds and fish…signs of the end?

Lot’s of people are talking about all the dead birds and fish lately. For a bird to die, it’s really no big deal, but for like tons of them to be found on your lawn in the morning? Well, that IS weird! That’s enough to get anyone talking—and people definitely are talking. Then there is the mysterious incident of one species of fish turning up dead, by the thousands, and all of this happening in the central part of Arkansas. Weird is the word and of course not everyone seems satisfied with the answer—firecrackers? And now there are like two million fish dead in Maryland—quite a distance from Arkansas and then a bunch of dead birds in Louisiana, not too far from Arkansas, but the dead birds in Sweden really are far away. It’s really weird, if you lump it all together.

Well, in my network some folks are speculating about this being a sign of the end times. You know how it is, when we can’t explain something we turn to the supernatural or say it’s a sign of the times or another sign we are approaching the end. That’s what we do, and talk about it a lot. We like to talk about weird things. This is weird, isn’t it?

In the beginning (Oh no, Prophecy Dude is going back to the beginning!) God gave mankind authority over the birds and fish.

So God created human beings in his own image.
      In the image of God he created them;
      male and female he created them.

Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky…Genesis 1:27-28

When God turned the earth over to Adam and Eve, he gave them authority over a lot of stuff, and that included birds and fish. 

You know the rest of the story, how through disobedience, they lost authority and became subjected to the curse; this resulted in disorder and the new order of things wasn’t God’s perfect best. Then we go through the long process of redemption that began with the promise in Genesis 3:15 until Christ was crucified and from there it continues until the final redemption when things come back together to fulfill God’s prophetic plan for mankind, the earth, and all creation.

So when weird things come along affecting creation, many people who know just enough of Bible prophecy to be dangerous, begin to speculate. These critters are going to be affected during the tribulation, for the Bible tells us so…

• ...one-third of all things living in the sea died, and one-third of all the ships on the sea were destroyed. Revelation 8:9
• Then the third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from the sky, burning like a torch. It fell on one-third of the rivers and on the springs of water. Revelation 8:10
• Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse. And everything in the sea died. Revelation 16:3
• Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, shouting to the vultures flying high in the sky: “Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has prepared. Come and eat the flesh of kings, generals, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great.” Revelation 19:17-18

All of creation will suffer during the tribulation period, but when it’s over the curse will be lifted, the earth will be redeemed and God will remake planet earth as prophesied by Peter:

On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames.  But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.

 And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight. 2 Peter 3:12-14

We aren’t in the tribulation period which is clear—the judgments listed in Revelation are not yet happening. Those judgments are not going to begin gradually either and sort of slip up on people. They are deliberate, methodical, and timed judgments and when they happen there will be no doubt of their severity or extent because the whole world will be affected; not just Arkansas

The curious things happening now is receiving media hype. If the media hear of something similar from someplace else they will lump it together because hysteria, at any level, is good for business because it sells papers. Whether something really is going on or not, I can definitely say good is coming of it—it’s getting people to thinking and talking. They are thinking about the things they heard about the end times (remember, most people know just enough eschatology to be dangerous) and hopefully these unusual events with birds, fish, and whatever other creature will stir them to draw closer to God to where their relationship with Him will become better established. One thing I know for sure; birds or no birds, we are drawing closer to the end. The advice from Peter is always relevant:  “so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.” Amen? Yes, Amen!

PD