Fly sprays and Noah’s Flood.

The problem starts with our sun. Among its warming and beneficial rays are some known as ultra-violet and these in large quantities can be intensely harmful to humans, causing many skin cancers and cataracts. They are believed by some scientists to injure human immune systems as well, although this has not yet been proved. They can even be lethal under certain conditions. Too many also inflict damage to land and sea plants, and through the food chains affect all of earth’s creatures.

To prevent these rays reaching the earth in harmful amounts while at the same time allowing the other beneficial rays to pass through easily, there is a layer of ozone molecules (O₃) surrounding the earth at a height of about 40 kilometres or 25 miles. This bounces most of the UV rays back into space. The ozone, if measured at sea level pressures would only be about 3cm or about one inch wide, although it is much thicker in the lower pressures of the stratosphere. Thus the safety of humanity rests on a very fragile but effective protection which has endured for thousands of years.

However, in the 1920’s scientists developed a very useful gas by combining chlorine (CL) with fluorine (F) and carbon (C). This gas, known as chloro-fluoro-carbon or CFC for short, was ideal for fly and hair sprays, air conditioners, and refrigerators, as well as other industrial uses. It was safe, easy to use in industry, and appeared to have no harmful side effects. One of its trade names is "FREON". Today it is also used as the "airhole" spaces in some plastic drinking cups, in many of the polystyrene containers of fast-food outlets, and as "air space" in packaging fillers.

However, when the 1968 Apollo mission crew saw our worldwide environment for first time and showed us pictures of it, many people began to realise the earth is a gigantic spaceship with totally enclosed eco-systems, and have since restudied many of our ideas. By 1974 warnings of danger from CFC’s were being sounded. In 1979 the United States banned their use in sprays and the apparent threat was averted. Unfortunately, a total ban did not occur and many other countries continued using them.

It is now known that when the CFC’s are released into the atmosphere they begin to slowly rise up into the air. This occurs during industry testing, from leaks in air conditioners, and when old refrigerators and freezers are broken up, as well as aerosols. It takes from 12 to 24 months but eventually the CFC’s rise above the ozone layer and become exposed to the full unfiltered rays of the sun. This soon breaks up the unity of the atoms of each molecule. The carbon and the fluoride atoms do not seem to play a part in the next process and for our purpose can be overlooked. What happens is, the chlorine atom (CL) seeks out a spare oxygen atom (O) to combine with, and finds it in the ozone (O₃), effectively turning it into (O₂) and thereby weakening the ozone layer. The resulting "hole", or thinner layer, allows the harmful ultra violet (UV) rays through to the earth in larger quantities.

The effects of the thinning of the ozone layer are being measured above the poles with the south pole "hole" being three times the size of the entire United States of America this year (2000) and growing larger all the time. It has been estimated that within 10 years from 2000 the number of skin cancer patients will increase dramatically, with some scientists even believing that by the end of the next century some cities may have to have protective domes built over them. This is why we are today being warned about the need to protect ourselves and our children from the new and harmful effects of the sun. Sun burn warnings are a regular part of our weather forecasts now. Who knows what effect they are having on our immune systems which guard us against disease germs and viruses, and on the other living beings on our earth?

What has this to do with Noah?

Those who understand the character of God, "merciful, gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth", (Exodus 34:6) as Jesus explained to Moses, know that He did not actively cause the Flood.

It was brought about by the selfish and careless actions of humans over a period of 120 years even though God tried hard to warn them, and we can now see how it could have been done. (Genesis 6:3).

Although God blames Himself for the Flood, (Genesis 7:4) this is because He is not an accuser (that is left to Satan, Revelation 12:9), and He accepts the responsibility of having arranged the vapour in its chemical composition and position above the atmosphere. He did try to warn humanity of the consequences of their actions, and did manage to save eight people from the multitudes of the earth. This shows that this catastrophe was not His idea.

So what does that have to do with us?

Are we willing to take the Son of God’s warning, "As it was in the days of Noah... "? (Matthew 24:37).

And what are we going to do about it?

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