President’s Perspective
The Message of the Fig Tree
I
t is called the Doomsday Clock, and as its name
suggests, it is no ordinary time piece! The purpose
of the clock is not to alert you regarding whether it’s time
to get up in the morning, or to make sure you don’t miss
your dental appointment this week; instead, it is a symbol which represents
the likelihood of a human inflicted catastrophic event on planet earth.
Maintained since 1947 by the members of the Bulletin of the Atomic Sci-
entists’ Science and Security Board, the clock was initially an analogy for the
risk and likelihood of global nuclear war. Since 2007, it now includes the im-
pact of global climate change and new developments in the life sciences and
technology with unintended consequences that could harm life rather than
prolong or preserve it.
In the January 2017 Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, issued on the 70th
anniversary of the founding of the clock analogy, the editors seemed more
concerned now than at any
time in the past. A quote
from the January bulletin
editor, John Mecklin, states,
“This year’s clock delibera-
tions felt more urgent than
usual. On the big topics that
concern the board, world
leaders made too little prog-
ress in the face of continuing
turbulence. In addition to
the existential threats posed
by nuclear weapons and
climate change, new global
realities emerged, as trusted
sources of information came
under attack, fake news was
on the rise, and words were used in cavalier and often reckless ways.”
Notice that the Doomsday Clock is not really a predictor of future events;
it is instead meant to be an indicator of present times. Jesus however, was
a predictor of future events. Using the symbolism not of a clock, but of a
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Connection