Extreme Weather in Prophecy: Part 1 of 3

 Extreme Weather in Prophecy: Part 1 of 3 - By Nathan Jones - https://www.raptureready.com/2022/12/03/extreme-weather-in-prophecy-part-1-of-3-by-nathan-jones/ According to Genesis 1, at the beginning of human history at the Creation, everything that exists was made by God to be originally perfect. But then, sin entered and corruptedeverything, so God placed a curse upon the world (Genesis 3). Mankind has long awaited the restoration of the Creation, which will happen upon Christ’s return, for then “the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the gloriousliberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). Christians have long been waiting for that glorious day when Jesus Christ returns and fixes all that has fallen into sin. But, in the meantime, we live in a world where naturehas been thrown into a great upheaval. Because of this great upheaval, extreme weather often occurs due to our out-of-kilter weather system. Weather Used to Signify Important Events God, at times, uses signs in nature to underline the importance of major events. For example, when God etched the Ten Commandments and then gave them to Moses and the Israelites, the Bible says in Exodus 19 that this divine event was covered in smoke andrumblings and great fire on the mountain. “Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was veryloud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled… Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly” (Exodus 19:16-18). Also, when Jesus was born, God placed the star of Bethlehem up in the sky to show people where the Messiah had been born. The wise men asked: “Where is He who has been bornKing of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him” (Matthew 2:2). And again, when Christ was crucified, for three hours, darkness blotted out the daylight, and Jerusalem experienced a great earthquake: “from the sixth hour until the ninthhour there was darkness over all the land… and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split” (Matthew 27:45,51). God used and still does use weather to point to significant events in history. Weather Used as Remedial Judgments At other times, God uses the signs of nature, such as extreme weather, as remedial judgments for the purpose of calling wicked nations to repentance. For example, in Deuteronomy28, Moses warned the Israelites that if, as a people, they became exceedingly wicked, exactly which curses would befall them: •“Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks” (v. 18). •“And your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you shall be iron. The Lord will change the rain of your land to powder and dust;from the heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed” (vv. 23-24). •“You shall build a house, but you shall not dwell in it; you shall plant a vineyard, but shall not gather its grapes” (v. 30). Moses noted God’s purpose for His remedial judgments should the Israelites refuse to repent and return to Him and live by His moral law: “Moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandmentsand His statutes which He commanded you. And they shall be upon you for a sign and a wonder, and on your descendants forever” (vv. 45-46). Sure enough, once the Israelites had become steeped in sin, God would inflict them with remedial judgments through extreme weather. When the Prophet Elijah called King Ahaband the nation of Israel to repent, Ahab flat-out refused, and so God sent a drought that withered the crops for three-plus long years (1 Kings 17-18). Another time when Israel had become lethargic in their relationship with their Heavenly Father, God cursed the land with a great locust swarm that quickly consumed all ofIsrael’s crops. As God had desired, the Israelites did repent (Joel 1-3). Also, after the Jews had returned from captivity in Babylon and were tasked with rebuilding the Temple, they only got as far as the foundation before they gave up and stoppedworking for 14 long years. God waited until, finally, He decimated their crops with root rot and mildew and sent furious hail storms to cut the remaining plants down. Again, as God had desired, the people repented and right away started back working on theTemple’s reconstruction (Haggai 1-2). Now how do we know the difference between a natural disaster caused by a fallen world and when God uses nature as a remedial judgment? Three points. One, the timing of theevent as it relates to the sins of the nation can help the people discern which is which. Two, the magnitude of the event reveals whether God is speaking or not because remedial judgments are designed to produce great shock value in order to capture people’sattention and force them to think with an eternal perspective. And three, the prophet’s declaration, for the prophet speaking for God would say, “I am doing this to get you to repent.” So, we can know the difference based on the timing, the magnitude, andthe prophet’s declaration concerning natural disasters. Pointing to Christ’s Return Some may be thinking, “That’s the Old Testament! Aren’t we living in the Age of Grace? God doesn’t use the sign of nature anymore, right?” Well, not according to Jesus Christ.In the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24, Luke 21, Mark 13), Jesus provided ten signs that would point to His soon return. He said they would increase in frequency and intensity – like the birth pangs of a woman in labor – the closer we got to His return. “Butall these things are merely the beginning of birth pains” (Matthew 24:8). Note in particular how birth pains increase in frequency and intensity the closer to the baby’s birth. Some of the signs of the end times that would grow increasingly worse until Christ’s return: war: “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And therewill be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places” (Matthew 24:7). Other signs would involve “fearful sights and great signs from heaven” (Luke 21:11). Likewise, “there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earthdistress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Luke 21:25-26). This is the point when these signs become so violent and happen so frequently that “then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Luke 21:27).Haven’t Christians been longing for Christ’s return? Jesus adds great hope that “when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28). The Apostle Paul confirmed that Christians are meant to be able to discern the signs that point to Jesus’ soon return so as not to be taken unaware. He noted this in 1 Thessalonians5:1. “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as athief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. Youare all sons of light and sons of the day…” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-5) For those who know Jesus Christ as their Savior, they are a son or daughter of the light and son or daughter of the day. They can most certainly recognize the signs of thetimes that Jesus has provided that foretell His return to this earth. In the second part of this teaching about the end times sign of nature as it relates to extreme weather, we will scour the data to see if, in truth, natural disasters areindeed increasing in frequency and intensity. -------------------------------------------------- https://christinprophecyblog.org Extreme Weather in Prophecy: Part 2 of 3 - By Nathan Jones - https://www.raptureready.com/2022/12/10/extreme-weather-in-prophecy-part-2-of-3-by-nathan-jones/ In Part 1 of this teaching about the end-times sign of nature as it relates to extreme weather, we looked to the Bible to see that God does indeed exhibit a pattern of usingextreme weather to get a wayward people’s attention and call them back to a right relationship with Him. In this part, we will scour the data to see if, in truth, natural disasters are indeed increasing in frequency and intensity. Today’s Extreme Weather What are we witnessing happening all around the world today? All sorts of weather calamities! Out-of-control hurricanes, record numbers of tornadoes, increasing earthquakes,devastating floods, and destructive forest fires are occurring more and more frequently and causing greater and greater damage with each and every passing year. We can all admit that we recognize nature has been getting out of hand, and it’s been getting worse. Natural News released an article by David Gutierrez titled “Natural Disasters Up More Than 400 Percent in Two Decades.” The article notes that: “natural disasters are increasingin frequency, ravaging the world, our countries, and even our own homes…. The number of natural disasters around the world has increased by more than four times in the last 20 years, according to a report released by the British charity Oxfam.” The earth iscurrently experiencing approximately 500 natural disasters per year, compared with 120 per year in the early 1980s. A report by The Weather Channel titled “Nine Billion-Dollar Weather Disasters So Far In 2022,” written by Jan Wesner Childs, notes that the National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration (NOAA) reports that the past two years saw record lists of billion-dollar disasters, thanks largely to drought plus devastating wildfire and hurricane seasons in the second half of the year. Other recent years have also been active. From 1980to 2017, there was an average of $7.7 billion-dollar weather disasters per year. But, in just the past five years, that number has gone up to $17.8. Here are the nine-billion-dollar weather disasters that have occurred so far in 2022: 1. Tornado Outbreak — On March 30, a string of 83 tornadoes hitseveral Gulf Coast states. Homes, businesses, schools, and other buildings were damaged or destroyed at a cost of $1.3 billion. 2. Tornado Outbreak — On April 4-6, a combined 100 tornadoes werereported rampaging across Texas to South Carolina over the course of three days. The strongest, rated EF4, destroyed several neighborhoods in Pembroke, Georgia. Total damage added up to $1.3 billion. 3. Severe Weather Outbreak — From April 11-13, an outbreak of severe weather swept across several southern states due to damaging winds and dozens of tornadoes. $2.2 billion in damages. 4. Hail — On May 9, in parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin, baseball-sizedhail pummeled cars and homes, leading to $1.2 billion in damage. 5. Severe Weather Outbreak — On May 11-12, tornadoes, hail, andhigh winds targeted several northern central states including South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, causing $1.3 billion in damage. 6. Hail — On May 19, severe hail storms, including several reportsof golf-ball-sized hail, pounded homes, vehicles, and businesses in southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Total damages added up to $1.3 billion. 7. Severe Weather Outbreak — On June 7-8, damaging winds, hail,and more than two dozen tornadoes caused $1.4 billion in damage across Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Iowa, and Ohio. Nebraska was hit especially hard with hail and wind damage to homes, businesses, vehicles, and farms. 8. Derecho — On June 13, a line of thunderstorms ripped across several states including Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan. Winds reached an estimated 90 mph to 95 mph. 9. Drought — Drought in the western and southern plains. Lastyear, drought in the west racked up nearly $10 billion in damages, including crop losses. Not only has severe weather plagued the world in increasing destruction over the past few years, but so too have earthquakes. NBC News wrote in their article “Worldwide Surgein ‘Great’ Earthquakes Seen in Past 10 Years” that the annual number of “great” earthquakes has nearly tripled over the last decade, “providing a reminder to Americans that unruptured faults like those in the northwest United States might be due for a BigOne.” The article notes that between 2004 and 2014, 18 earthquakes with a magnitude of 8.0 or more rattled subduction zones around the globe. “That’s an increase of 265 percent over the average rate of the previous century, which saw 71 great quakes, accordingto a report to the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America.” The report concludes that, on average, there are normally only 16 major earthquakes (M 7.0-8.0+) worldwide per year. In addition, we experience an average of 142 strong earthquakes(M 6.0-7.0) worldwide annually. The Week released an article titled “The World’s Most Extreme Weather Events of 2021,” written by Julia O’Driscoll, that lists the top ten most devastating natural disastersthat happened during 2021. 1. Record-breaking Snowfall, Madrid — Snow Storm Filomena createdrecord-breaking snow, which left many people stranded. The storm ended up causing 1.6 billion dollars of damage. Madrid just doesn’t see weather events like this lately. Reports say this storm was the worst snowstorm Madrid has experienced in 50 years. 2. Storm Christoph, UK — Reports say this storm caused one ofthe wettest three-day periods on record, affecting both northern Wales and northwest England. Residents there claimed the storm caused a tremendous atmosphere of anxiety and disbelief. 3. Cyclone Ana, Fiji — Fiji was hit by Cyclone Ana just afterthey had already been hit by another cyclone. The cyclone caused 10,000 people to take refuge. Some 318 evacuation centers across the country had to be opened to help the people who’d been hurt by the storm. 4. Polar Vortex, Texas — Texas was affected by a natural disasterinvolving a tremendous cold snap due to a weather anomaly called a polar vortex. Temperatures dropped to a chilling -5 degrees Fahrenheit, or -15 degrees Celsius, which is unheard of in this hot area of the country. Many, many people lost power and had theirpipes burst, leaving them without heat and water for days. Some people even froze to death. 5. Dust Storm, China — A huge dust storm engulfed China. It totallyblacked out the skies, causing hazardous breathing conditions for the people who live in that area of the world. The residents of Beijing said the sky turned orange. 6. Flooding, Sydney and New South Wales, Australia — Australianresidents felt the devastating effects of extreme flooding due to heavy downpours, which lead to rivers and dams overflowing. Thousands had to be evacuated from their homes. 7. Cyclone Seroja, Indonesia — Indonesia was hit by Cyclone Seroja,causing dramatic flooding and landslides. Residents claim they hadn’t seen anything like it in decades. Over 22,000 people were displaced and had to flee from their homes because of this natural disaster. 8. Record Temperatures, Moscow — Russia residents were scorchedby a record-breaking heatwave. 9. Heat Dome, Pacific Northwest — A heat dome formed over theU.S. and Canada in the Pacific region of our country. People there experienced a record heatwave with temperatures nearing a blistering 115 degrees Fahrenheit. While that wouldn’t be too weird for people in some parts of the world, there it was devastating.People living in those milder climates were just not prepared for that sort of hot weather. 10. Bootleg Fire, Oregon — Horrific fires raging across the Pacificarea of the United States in California and Oregon. The Bootleg Fire was the biggest fire that Oregon claims to have ever experienced. Last reported, the wildfire had destroyed 160 homes and ranches. 11. Flooding, West Germany — Western Germany endured floods thatengulfed whole streets and swallowed up homes. 12. Flooding, China — The floods China experienced were quiteawful. Some weathermen said it was the most rain that area of the world has seen in a thousand years. 13. Wildfires, Greece — Wildfires raged across Greece, killing12 people. Not just Greece but Turkey and Italy also were plagued by wildfires spreading all over the Mediterranean due to a heatwave. 14. Hurricane Ida, US — Hurricane Ida left a tremendous amountof damage, especially terrible flooding in New York. The storms were so intense that the floodwaters filled up New York City subway stations. Millions of people were without power. 15. Monsoon Flooding, India and Nepal — Several Nepalese regionsand two Indian states were hit by “heavy late monsoon rains” in October, Reuters reported. Deadly flash floods took the lives of more than 180 people as homes were submerged or crushed by rocks. 16. Tornadoes, Kentucky — More than 30 tornadoes tore throughKentucky and seven other states, claiming the lives of at least 90 people and leaving thousands of residents homeless. The state’s governor said that this was the most devastating, most deadly tornado event in Kentucky’s history. 17. Typhoons, Philippines — The Philippine Red Cross described complete carnage in coastal areas of the country after Super Typhoon Rai sent some 400,000 people running for safety on December 16th.Winds at around 120 mph ripped through the nation’s southeastern islands, injuring at least 500 people. A further 375 people are known to have died. As bad as 2021 turned out to be, 2022 continued the crazy weather onslaught. People, in their article titled “The Most Extreme Weather Events of 2022 (So Far),” written byDiane J. Cho, reported the natural disasters plaguing the world during the first four months of 2022. 1. Winter Storm Izzy — In January, North Carolina, South Carolina,Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky were hit particularly hard by winter storm Izzy, which brought on freezing temperatures, high winds, snow, and ice to the southeast region of the United States. The frigid weather event left more than 100,000 people withoutpower, and places like North Carolina saw up to 10 inches of snow. North Carolina highway patrol responded to 300 car crashes. 2. Snow Storm Malik — In January, in Northern Europe, the stormbrought on hurricane-level winds, floods, and at least 130,000 homes in England lost power. One was a nine-year-old boy who died when a tree fell on him, and a person in the Czech Republic was killed after sustaining injuries from a wall that was blown downby the wind. 3. Malaysia Hit by Massive Flood — In January, more than 125,000people had to evacuate as heavy rain caused massive floods in Malaysia. The country’s annual monsoon season usually brings a lot of rain, but this year’s unusually heavy rainfall displaced more than 8,000 people and filled up more than a hundred relief centers.At least 50 people died in the floods. 4. Texas Icing — In February, the Northeast was pounded with snow,sleet, and ice. Moving from New Mexico to New England, the freezing cold front buried neighborhoods with more than a foot of snow in New York and New England. Texas Governor Greg Abbott called the winter storm “one of the most significant icing events thatwe’ve had in the State of Texas in at least several decades.” 5. Antarctic Heatwave — In March, the coldest location on theplanet had reached up to 70 degrees above normal for more than three days in March. From minus 63 degrees to 0 degrees. The staggering leap broke the record for hottest ever in the region so far. 6. India’s Heatwave — March was the hottest month on record forIndia in 122 years. The country basically skipped spring and zoomed right into summer. 7. Tropical Cyclone Gombe — The death toll rose to at least 50people after Tropical Cyclone Gombe pummeled Mozambique in March. Southern Africa has seen a rise in cyclones that have become more deadly over time. 8. Alabama Tornadoes — In April, the southern states endured floods,hail storms, and dangerous winds, but the National Weather Service announced that Alabama had the most tornado warnings out of all the states this year, 115 to be exact, as of April 18. Coming in second was Mississippi with 110, Texas with 104, and Arkansaswith 88. 9. Tropical Storm Megi — In April, Tropical Storm Megi ravagedthe Philippines, where landslides from the relentless rain buried a remote community, killing at least 123 people. The summer of 2022 continued to see the ongoing collapse of the Australian Reef. In recent years, Australia has suffered severe drought, historic bushfires, successive yearsof record-breaking floods, and six mass bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef. Gizmodo reported on what’s being called “America’s Mega-Drought.” The western and southwestern U.S. is wilting under the biggest drought in 1,200 years.” As the Great SaltLake Dries Up, Utah Faces what some are calling an “Environmental Nuclear Bomb.” Long-sunken history and even evidence of past crimes are emerging from the receding waters. First, a barrel containing a body showed up in Lake Mead. Less than a week later, separateskeletal remains surfaced. Elsewhere where droughts are occurring, similar dead bodies are literally popping up out of the earth. In the third and last part of this teaching about the end-times sign of nature as it relates to extreme weather, we will look to the book of Revelation to see how God willuse natural disasters to judge the world during the coming Tribulation period. https://christinprophecyblog.org ------------------------------------------- Extreme Weather in Prophecy: Part 3 of 3 - By Nathan Jones - https://www.raptureready.com/2022/12/27/extreme-weather-in-prophecy-part-3-of-3-by-nathan-jones/ In Part 1 of this teaching about the end times sign of nature as it relates to extreme weather, we learned from the Bible that God does indeed exhibit a pattern of using extremeweather to get a wayward people’s attention and call them back to a right relationship with Him. In Part 2, we scoured the past two years of weather data and confirmed that natural disasters are indeed increasing in frequency and intensity. In this last part,we will look to the book of Revelation to see how God will use natural disasters to judge the world during the coming Tribulation period. The World’s Response What’s interesting is how scientists are interpreting these extreme natural weather phenomena. In all of the reports, what has been the conclusion of every single article?These natural disasters are due to “man-made global warming.” The O’Driscoll article reports: “Scientists long warned that climate change would contribute to an increase in both the frequency and the severity of freak weather.” How interesting that the articlenotes an increase in “frequency” and “severity.” Those words sound very familiar. It all sounds rather biblical, doesn’t it? Germany’s former Chancellor Angela Merkel warned: “We have to get faster in the fight against climate change. Global leaders also have to come to the same conclusion afterthe UN delivered a code red for humanity.” So, the world is interpreting these natural disasters, which they agree are increasing in frequency and intensity, as the result of mankind’s pollution problems. But Christiansknow better, right? Christians know that God alone is in control of the weather. He controls the weather, not mankind. Remember that God doesn’t wish that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Therefore, God always warns before He executes His wrath. And,for thousands of years, God has chosen climactic and catastrophic weather to get our attention. Why? Because God controls the weather! The Bible contains at least 47 different verses that declare that God is in control of the weather. Here are some examples: •“What kind of man is this that even the winds and the sea obey Him” (Matthew 8:26-27). When Jesus stood up in the boat and calmed the storm, He demonstrated that He controlledthe weather. •“Fire and hail, snow and clouds, stormy wind, fulfilling His word” (Psalm 148:8). •“He did not leave Himself without witness, that He did good and gave you rains from heaven, and fruitful seasons” (Acts 14:17). •“I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or in any tree” (Revelation 7:1). So, again and again and again, in at least 47 references, the Bible says that God is in control of the weather. God is sovereign, and nothing happens that He does not allow,either in His perfect will or His permissive will. That is the reason the Bible attributes all natural disasters to God. Let’s go back to how people are noticing that these freak storms have been increasing in frequency and intensity. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 24:8 concerning the signsof the end times, which include natural disasters and extreme weather. He foretold that they would increase in frequency and intensity, just like birth pains, leading up to His return. God uses these end times signs, such as climactic weather, to wake us up, calling the world to come back to Him. God is warning us that He is upset with our sins. He is upsetwith all of the evil that’s going on here on the earth. And, He’s crying out: “I love you! Repent and come back to me!” Yes, freak weather might be contributed to by mankind’s pollutive tendencies, but again, it is God who controls the weather. We can take into account, of course, that certainnatural disasters occur because the weather is off-kilter due to the curse on the world. But God still utilizes freak weather in an attempt to try and wake people up to their sins and need for a Savior. Tribulation Judgments The ultimate climax to all of these weather signs will be a judgment called the Tribulation. The Lord will rescue and rapture His Church out of this world before His truewrath comes upon it. But leading up to that time, God is going to increase the signs of natural disasters, just like we are seeing, along with the other end times signs such as social, political, war, economic, and so on. These disasters will all increasein frequency and intensity leading up to the Rapture of the Church, and then the world will plunge headlong into God’s wrath during the Tribulation. As bad as the weather has gotten today, nothing compares to the disasters foretold in the book of Revelation. These weather-related judgments will devastate the world, forGod will be pouring out His wrath in the Tribulation era due to the corruption of its people. 1. Third Seal Judgment (Revelation 6:5-6) — food scarcity andfamine. 2. Fourth Seal Judgment (Revelation 6:) — death by starvationand wild beasts. 3. Sixth Seal Judgment (Revelation 6:12-17) — great earthquake;the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood, the stars of heaven fell to the earth, sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 4. Seventh Seal Judgment (Revelation 8:1-6) — noises, thunderings,lightnings, and an earthquake. 5. First Trumpet Judgment (Revelation 8:7) — hail and fire followed,mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up. 6. Second Trumpet Judgment (Revelation 8:8-9) — a great mountainburning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood, and a third of the living creatures in the sea died. 7. Third Trumpet Judgment (Revelation 8:10-11) — a great starfell from heaven, burning like a torch; it fell on a third of the rivers, and many men died from the water. 8. Fourth Trumpet (Revelation 8:12-13) — a third of the sun wasstruck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. 9. Two Witnesses (Revelation 11:6) — “These have power to shutheaven so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.” 10. Two Witnesses Killed (Revelation 11:13) — “In the same hourthere was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed.” 11. Seventh Trumpet Judgment (Revelation 11:15-19) — there werelightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail. 12. Second Bowl Judgment (Revelation 16:3) — “The sea became bloodas of a dead man; and every living creature in the sea died.” 13. Third Bowl Judgment (Revelation 16:4-7) — rivers and springsof water; they became blood. 14. Fourth Bowl Judgment (Revelation 16:8-9) — the sun scorchingmen with fire, great heat. 15. Sixth Bowl Judgment (Revelation 16:12-16) — great river Euphrateswater dried up. 16. Seventh Bowl Judgment (Revelation 16:17-21) — “…thunderingsand lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth, Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, every island fled away, and the mountainswere not found, great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent.” 17. Fall of Babylon the Great (Revelation 18:1-8) — plagues willcome in one day, death and mourning and famine, utterly burned with fire. 18. Satanic Rebellion Crushed (Revelation 20:7-10) — fire camedown from God out of heaven and devoured them. The Response for Which God is Looking God’s Word makes it crystal clear that when He sends discipline, the primary purpose is never to punish. Instead, the primary purpose is to call wayward mankind to repentanceso that we might be saved. Here’s how the prophet Isaiah expressed it, “For when Your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness” (Isaiah 26:9b). Our God is so merciful. He is patiently sending us one natural disaster wake-up call after another because He never pours out His wrath without warning. And the greatest “comingwrath” already visible on the horizon is the seven-year Tribulation. Our Lord wants as many people to get saved as possible and become part of the Church before the Rapture happens. But that great day of wrath is coming one day soon, and when that happens,all of nature is going to break loose! How does God want us to respond to these end-times signs, particularly the sign of nature as it relates to extreme weather? First, we each need to repent individually for our own rebellion and selfishness. God is calling us to repent. He wants us to repent. And so, call on the Holy Spirit and readthe Bible so that we can be discerning. Second, we need to repent as a nation for removing God from our society, for idolatrously worshiping ourselves, for our 63 million murders in the womb, for our obsession withsexual promiscuity, for our fascination with the occult, and for our lack of support for Israel’s right to exist, among other sins. We as a nation need to accept Jesus as our Savior, for that is the only way by which we will be rescued from the “coming wrath.” Once Jesus finally returns, the curse on this earth will be lifted, and these natural disasters will cease to persist. So, we have hope. We can live by this hope as Romans13:12-14 proclaims: “The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” https://christinprophecyblog.org