APOCALYPTIC FURY OF NATURE?

Michael · Seventh-day Adventist Joined: 14 May 2004 Posts: 19

APOCALYPTIC FURY OF NATURE?

The years 2004 and 2005, yea the new millennium so far, has seen the forces of nature unleashing unprecedented levels of fury never before seen or imagined. Is it just a coincidence that the year 2004 saw the most tornadoes on record in the U.S, or the most destructive hurricanes on record in the Caribbean, and the the most deaths ever by an earthquake-related "killer" tsunami (seismic tidal waves of sorts), which affected the most countries at any one time? I think not!! There is definitely a reason, which I will get to in a moment.

If we listen to, or read the news bulletins over the last century we should realize the obvious escalation in the horrific scenes of mounting death and destruction caused by floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, and now tsunamis. Let me be rather graphic for a little so you can grasp a little more readily what I am talking about. From 1883 till now the highest number of deaths on record from any one tsunami was 36,000 deaths when the Krakatoa volcano exploded in Indonesia and produced mammoth tidal waves drowning over 36,000 then. Now it has been over one hundred years since, and yet when nature chose to break that record it did so by MORE THAN tripling the number of deaths (over 100,000), and affecting greater areas and more countries (eleven countries in all so far in Southern Asia). And notice, this happened in a year when the most "killer" hurricanes ever formed in any one year (on record) wreaked the most havoc on Caribbean economies and broke previous records (of destruction and financial loss). The U.S. alone had four (4) hurricanes ripping through its domain in less than one month (never happening before), and not to mention that the monster hurricane "Ivan" was just one of them.

I saw on CNN news that the U.S. now has a 2004 record of numerous killer tornadoes touching down all over the country, breaking all previous records of the number of MAJOR tornadoes hitting the country in any one year.

And the 2005 huricane season has started with frightening happenings too-- three NAMED hurricanes/storms even before June (the start of the season) began. And huricane Dennis was just a harbinger of frightening things to come this hurricane season. Watch out all those who live in hurricane threatened areas.

Now scientists are telling us that the mounting fury of hurricanes and tornadoes, and the escalation in their numbers, and growing power of them each season is a sign of things to come. The future looks grim indeed.

As I reflect on this I could not help but hearing the haunting words of the Bible, prophesying about our day and time, that "men's heart will be failing them for fear... of those things coming on the earth"!!! Luke 21:26. Was it not the same Bible that predicted that as the years pass there would be more and more natural disasters-- earthquakes, and the like, and in fact it was specific in saying, "and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring"? Luke 21:25. Was that a direct reference to tsunamis?

I do think that this prophetic pronouncement demands that we sit up and pay attention, since it is being evidenced more and more that this is more than coming true. Earthquakes, and other forms of natural disasters have always existed, but not in an escalating fashion as we have seen in recent times. Jesus was no earthly seismologist, or climatologist studying air pollution and global warming (a phenomenon which is just a recent reality), and yet was able to predict most accurately the fact that we would be distressed more and more by these phenomena as the years go by. That is why I believe it is no coincidence that these things are happening more and more in the new millennium. We are indeed being warned by the forces of nature (as "the whole creation groaneth", says the Bible) that something apocalyptic is afoot.

I think we can and should really believe Jesus when He said He "WILL COME AGAIN", and the "signs" of the NEARNESS of his coming is to be seen not just in society (i.e. mounting corruption, sodomy, crime, and poverty, etc., living side by side with rapidly increasing knowledge, and advancing technology), but even in nature the "signs" would be evident that something is afoot. Make no mistake about it I believe it all tells us that JESUS IS COMING AGAIN!!!! Are you ready?
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THE WORD IS MY SWORD AND SHIELD