And the first angel blew his trumpet, and it was that hail and fire mixed with the blood were thrown to the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. Rev. 8:7.
If nuclear war ever breaks out, here's a suggestion on where to take cover. North of Yellowstone National Park, in a place called Paradise Valley, you will find a remarkable number of places to hide underground. In the splendid scenery of Paradise Valley one could easily overlook the clues: ventilation equipment, vaultlike doors in hillsides, a watchtower that could double as a machine gun nest. One of the shelters is called Mark's Ark, a sort of Motel 6 location 20 feet under the ground. When someone asked the builder, "Why don't you live down here?" he said, "are you nuts? The only reason I'd come down here would be because I had to."
The first 90 feet of walking gets you through the entryway to Mark's Ark. It's cluttered with spare parts that might be useful in a long-term disaster. Next you go through a decontamination room and an engine room with a large amount of stored fuel. The main shelter is 32 feet across and 132 feet long. It has three floors and 40 bedrooms! They're individually furnished by families who plan to live in them someday, if things get really bad outside. The place even has an auxiliary shelter for pets. Dehydrated food, lentils, beans, and oatmeal pack the long corridors. The shelter also has a well-stocked clinic and a big community kitchen. "Easily feed 150," says the builder.
But why would 150 people want to go underground for a year? It started in the 1980s with predictions of nuclear war by a controversial local religious group, the Church Universal and Triumphant. The shelter craze spread to the church's neighbors. The area now has about 30 community shelters.
Today the same people talk less about the nuclear threat and more about natural catastrophes involving extreme wind, as when the earth tips on its axis. According to one potential resident, "Now if that happens, it throws the whole kilter of the air cycles off. The jet stream, instead of staying up there, could come right down on the surface, and man--300 mile-an-hour winds would just change your life entirely." In Paradise Valley they think the rest of America is woefully underprepared.
A large percentage of these people are conservative Christians, who see in the trumpets natural disasters that will affect all people. But they misunderstand the text. According to Revelation, the trumpets are judgments of God that fall on unbelievers (Rev. 8:3-5; 9:4). So the best safety against the judgments of God is not shelter in Montana, but rather obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Lord, whenever my world "caves in," help me to trust You rather than my own devisings.
If nuclear war ever breaks out, here's a suggestion on where to take cover. North of Yellowstone National Park, in a place called Paradise Valley, you will find a remarkable number of places to hide underground. In the splendid scenery of Paradise Valley one could easily overlook the clues: ventilation equipment, vaultlike doors in hillsides, a watchtower that could double as a machine gun nest. One of the shelters is called Mark's Ark, a sort of Motel 6 location 20 feet under the ground. When someone asked the builder, "Why don't you live down here?" he said, "are you nuts? The only reason I'd come down here would be because I had to."
The first 90 feet of walking gets you through the entryway to Mark's Ark. It's cluttered with spare parts that might be useful in a long-term disaster. Next you go through a decontamination room and an engine room with a large amount of stored fuel. The main shelter is 32 feet across and 132 feet long. It has three floors and 40 bedrooms! They're individually furnished by families who plan to live in them someday, if things get really bad outside. The place even has an auxiliary shelter for pets. Dehydrated food, lentils, beans, and oatmeal pack the long corridors. The shelter also has a well-stocked clinic and a big community kitchen. "Easily feed 150," says the builder.
But why would 150 people want to go underground for a year? It started in the 1980s with predictions of nuclear war by a controversial local religious group, the Church Universal and Triumphant. The shelter craze spread to the church's neighbors. The area now has about 30 community shelters.
Today the same people talk less about the nuclear threat and more about natural catastrophes involving extreme wind, as when the earth tips on its axis. According to one potential resident, "Now if that happens, it throws the whole kilter of the air cycles off. The jet stream, instead of staying up there, could come right down on the surface, and man--300 mile-an-hour winds would just change your life entirely." In Paradise Valley they think the rest of America is woefully underprepared.
A large percentage of these people are conservative Christians, who see in the trumpets natural disasters that will affect all people. But they misunderstand the text. According to Revelation, the trumpets are judgments of God that fall on unbelievers (Rev. 8:3-5; 9:4). So the best safety against the judgments of God is not shelter in Montana, but rather obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Lord, whenever my world "caves in," help me to trust You rather than my own devisings.
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