Volume 42 Issue Nine September 2023
Last Trumpet Ministries · PO Box 806 · Beaver Dam, WI 53916
Phone: 920-887-2626 Internet: http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org
“For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?” I Cor. 14:8
Hazards“And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.”
Revelation 16:8-9
As another summer draws to a close, many people around the world are likely relieved to see it ending. Much of the world has endured sweltering heat, including parts of the United States, Europe, and Japan. Hot and dry conditions have provided a favorable environment for wildfires, which have broken out in the United States, Canada, Europe, and elsewhere. Tropical storms and hurricanes are ramping up in our world’s oceans, and even the sun is exhibiting unusual behavior with solar storms strong enough to impact life on earth. A report from NBC News, published on August 22, 2023, highlights the eventful summer, stating, “Wildfires, hurricanes, and heat: The U.S. is getting hit by extreme weather from all sides.” The article quotes Gonzalo Pita, an associate scientist at Johns Hopkins University, as saying, “We’re looking at a multi-hazard situation, where we’re being hit by a string of different events over a short period of time. It’s like a double or triple whammy, and even when they happen frequently or at the same time, the negative effects are compounded.” (1)
If you asked people to describe the summer of 2023 with just one word, many would likely choose the word “hot.” In fact, many regions experienced soaring temperatures that were well beyond the norm. This includes Phoenix, Arizona, where temperatures exceeded 110 degrees Fahrenheit for thirty-one consecutive days throughout July of this year. (2) In Death Valley, California, which is known to be one of the hottest places on earth, temperatures in July topped 120 degrees Fahrenheit for seventeen days in a row. (3) In El Paso, Texas, local news described the summer as “hellishly hot” after experiencing a record-breaking streak of forty-four days where temperatures cracked 100 degrees. (4) The heat index in Miami, Florida, exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit for 46 days in a row in a record streak that finally ended on July 27, 2023. (5) Record high daily temperatures were recorded in Grand Junction, Colorado; Gallup, New Mexico; Kingman, Arizona; and Reno, Nevada. On July 26, 2023, Kansas City, Missouri, reached 120 degrees, and St. Joseph, Missouri, reached 122 degrees Fahrenheit. (5) Elsewhere around the world, a remote town in China reached an astonishing temperature of 125 degrees Fahrenheit on July 16, 2023. (6) On July 19, parts of the Sicilian region in Italy exceeded 116 degrees. Greece and Spain also recorded scorching heat. (7) Scientists claim that July 2023 was the hottest month ever recorded since recordkeeping began. “Last month was way, way, warmer than anything we’ve ever seen. It’s very likely that July 2023 was hotter than any month in any year since at least 1850,” said Sarah Kapnick, the chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. (8)
The abnormally high temperatures persisted in the month of August in various regions including southern Florida. A startling report from the Miami Herald published on August 10, 2023, indicates that it was so hot in Miami that the temperature of the sand at South Beach measured 137 degrees. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the rubberized flooring on the children’s playground at Miami’s Bryan Park measured 177.9 degrees. (9) Remarkably, it was reported on August 23, 2023, that about 130 million Americans in twenty-two states were under heat advisories. (10) Another report from CBS News published on August 25, 2023, claims that more than 3,600 records for high temperatures in the United States were broken over the preceding thirty days. (11)
To be sure, these hot temperatures are unusual. Most scientists claim that climate change is responsible for these oppressive heat waves. However, a report from Reuters indicates that the current climate pattern known as El Niño is at least partially responsible for the warmer temperatures. “El Niño is a natural phenomenon that in addition to contributing to higher temperatures in many parts of the world, also drives tropical cyclones in the Pacific and boosts rainfall and flood risk in parts of the Americas, Asia and elsewhere.” The article later informs that the El Niño cycle could cause economic losses of three trillion dollars worldwide. (12)
