The Christ in Prophecy Journal

God, Judgment and the Weather: The Message

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I believe the message of Katrina is that God is on His throne. God is in control. He cannot be mocked. He will not tolerate the division of His Holy Land, nor will He tolerate gross immorality that mocks everything that is moral and decent.

God loves our nation. He has blessed us today more than any other nation, but the Word of God says to those to whom much is given much is expected. And, the Word of God says God disciplines those whom He loves.

Another thing God’s Word makes clear is that when He sends discipline, the fundamental purpose is never to punish. Let me emphasize it, when God sends discipline as remedial judgments, His fundamental purpose is never to punish. His fundamental purpose is to call us to repentance so that we might be saved. Here is the way Isaiah puts it in Isaiah 26:9, “When the earth experiences your judgments, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.”

I know that verse first hand because when I was fifteen years old growing up in Waco, Texas we had a tornado. It was the worst tornado in the history of Texas to this day. It was like an atomic bomb went off in downtown Waco. That tornado killed more people than in any other tornado in the history of Texas. It killed 114 and injured over 597. What I noticed for the next three months there was standing room only in every church in town because these disasters have a way getting peoples attention and getting them focused on an eternal perspective. The only problem is that due to our fallen nature it only lasted about three months and then people began to forget and the church attendance began to fall off.

With regard to the spiritual impact of Katrina, I think it’s interesting that the governor of Louisiana, Kathleen Blanco, called for a statewide day of prayer. She said, “As we face the devastation wrought by Katrina, we search for those in need as we comfort those in pain, and as we begin the long task of rebuilding we must turn to God for strength, hope and comfort.” Those are noble words, but I want you to notice something, she made not one statement about repentance.

President Bush issued a Presidential Proclamation calling for a National Day of Prayer on September 8. He asked the nation to pray for the victims and to reach out to them in compassion. Again, those are noble words, but there was no expression of repentance.

New Orleans City Council President Oliver Thomas claimed the closest of all public officials in recognizing that Katrina had a spiritual message. On national TV he said, “You know, this all reminds me of Sodom and Gomorrah, and I’m beginning to believe that God has a message for us that maybe he’s cleansing us.” But, cleansing requires a response of repentance, something God is calling for from the whole nation and not just from the city of New Orleans.

No public official in our history has yet seen the spiritual implications of a disaster as clearly as did Abraham Lincoln when he evaluated the cause of the Civil War. In a proclamation which he issued on March 30, 1863, the President called for quote, “A National Day of Prayer and Repentance.” He made this comment, “In so much as we know that by His divine law nations like individuals are subjected to punishment and chastisements in this world. May we not justly fear that the awful calamity of Civil War which now desolates the land may be but a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins to the needful end of our national reformation as a people.”

Lincoln continued by saying, “We have been the recipients of the choices bounties of heaven, we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown, but we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied, enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined in the deceitfulness of our hearts that all our blessings were produced by our superior wisdom and virtue.” Lincoln then ended it with these words, “Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self sufficient to fill the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to God that made us. It behooves us to then humble ourselves before the offended power to confess our national sins and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.”

That’s the kind of proclamation we need today! But, the sad thing is we have become so secular and so pagan that if our President were to issue such a proclamation today, I have no doubt that someone in Congress would issue an indictment of impeachment for the violation of Separation of Church and State.

We as a nation have set our jaw against God. We are tempting Him to move us from judgment to destruction. Our God is merciful. He is patiently sending us one wakeup call after another. He never pours out His wrath without warning.

I want to call you to prayer. Pray that our eyes will be opened. Pray that our hearts will be melted. Pray for a national revival. Pray, too, for the hearts of our leaders to be opened to the significance of Israel in Bible prophecy.

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Dr. David Reagan

Dr. David Reagan is the Founder and Evangelist Emeritus of Lamb & Lion Ministries. He is a life-long Bible student, teacher, and preacher and he led over 45 pilgrimages to Israel. Dr. Reagan was the host of the radio then television program Christ in Prophecy for nearly 40 years.

15 CommentsLeave a Comment

  • Dr. Reagan wrote "…in Waco, Texas we had a tornado…the worst…in the history of Texas…That tornado killed more people than in any other…What I noticed for the next three months there was standing room only in every church…then people began to forget and the church attendance began to fall off."

    C'mon, you aren't saying God sends tornados to fill the pews in church, are you? It sorta sounds like it.

    The proof of Godly people is not judged by the number of people in church. My grandmother didn't go to church but she lived a more Christian life than anyone I've ever met in a church.

  • Oh, please! I just don't buy this line of reasoning. After all, if Christ really paid for our sins–indeed, for the sins of the whole world, then why are people still paying for their sins? It makes no sense, and it makes God out to be such a finicky, angry tyrant!

    No, the cross changed EVERYTHING–it's the dividing line in history. God hasn't changed, but the way He deals with people completely changed after the cross.

    Anything that happened weather-wise after our "rejection" of Israel was a coincidence!

    And please don't drudge up the whole O.T. concept that God curses those who curse Israel. That's part of the OLD way. God's treatment of us under the NEW way is not based on our behavior (thank God)!

  • Billy, I've heard Dr. Reagan tell this story a number of times, and he always puts the emphasis on how natural disasters regardless if they came from God or the cursed earth help make us spiritually wake up, if only temporarily.

  • Again, gang, we're talking about national judgments vs. individual judgments. There is a major difference there.

    A clear and historical precident can be found in U.S. history for God using disasters of various kinds to bring our NATION back to repentance. I refer you to Rev. Peter Marshall's books The Light and the Glory and From Sea to Shining Sea for a listing of the many, many examples. I also point to the entire Tribulation which is used to bring the NATION of Israel to God and a remnant to the Messiah.

  • Nathan,

    I understand what you are saying but I'm having a hard time grasping the concept. I think it is because there is such a thin line separating the two.

    I agree with Dr. Reagan pointing out natural disasters can be used as judgements/punishments on a nation but I also agree with the part of what Laura said in that the price was paid on the cross and individual sins are forgiven and forgotten by the blood of Christ and not subject to judgements/punishments.

    On the other hand, you get into examples of God protecting the faithful from Sodom and the flood. So why would the faithful of today (those covered by the blood of Christ) also not be saved from such punishing destruction?

    The complicated nuance of this is what gets my brain overloaded in trying to think it all through.

  • Don't you think that the judgements on this nation are due to the unrepenent persons here, those that are coming against Israel, not the Christians that understand and support Israel? Just because we are here does not stay God's hand from disciplining the nation as a whole. I am with you Dr. Reagan

    C~ in Salem

  • C~ in Salem

    Well said! it's the same as the sun shining on the righteous as well as on the un-righteous.

    Ha!

    I have just had a mental picture of two people walking down a road together. Over the 'good' person, the sun is shining beautifully, over the baddie is a thunder cloud flashing lightening and roaring thunder (that can't be heard by the goodie) 😀

    At present, good and bad are all in the same physical boat.

  • It is refreshing to see that not all prophecy portals have joined in the slaughtering of prophetic passages. Seems many are abuzz claiming the Egyptian riots caused by inflationary prices in food and fuel are a fulfillment of prophecy. The price index for these particular items continue to rise in many parts of the globe putting them out of reach for many families.

    The U.S. Dollar being the global reserve currency is behind the rise in prices when the true value is measured on international markets. The dollar is losing more value everyday as our debt increases and the printing presses roll full speed ahead to pay for it. When this crisis hits the U.S. which it will without a doubt, will these same "Watchmen on the Wall" find prophecies related to Americans against Americans, when our streets are on fire with rage?

  • Things look very bad for Egypt at this moment and could also spread to Jordan, yet I believe the Word of God to be true. Egypt and Jordan will not collapse while Iran seeks to take advantage of the destabalizing economic factor. Though most scholars identify Sheba and Dedan as being Saudi Arabia, I continue to disagree. I believe Sheba is Egypt and Dedan is Jordan, they will remain in the Pro-Western camp.

    Soon the I.M.F. or Western partners will step in to provide more stable prices for food and fuel and the sea of rage will become a still pond. That is my heartfelt belief.

  • Rodney,

    Where in the Bible does it say Egypt and Jordan's Arab/Islamic governments will not collapse???

    Jordan ceases to be a nation, and will become part of Israel. Jordan doesn't protest millions of Jews coming into their nation as we are told in Revelation because the country just isn't there. Again, Israel expands its territory, and this now belongs to Israel.

    Israel will also take-over 5 Egyptian cities, and they will speak Hebrew.

  • Rodney said… "Soon the I.M.F. or Western partners will step in"

    The IMF, UN, EU, et al are all creations of the Illuminati. They worship the illumination, the light of 'reason' that comes from the "Light-bearer"; Lucifer.

    The end-game that they have mapped out is for a final conflict between, and the total destruction of Islam, Israel, and Christianity, leaving ol' A/C as the surviving 'Messiah' and only true god.

    And who heads up the so-called "Western partners"?

    Why, wouldn't that be our very own Kenyan-born, 1st illegal-alien-in-chief, Muslim pretender, and sock-puppet of the international banksters!!!

    Bail them out?!?
    Or back-stab them and steer them into the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood?

    Egypt now fears Obama a 'Manchurian President'

    No, I see Psalm 83 being set up before our very eyes!

  • I have never posted a comment on this site before and I have to say that I'm pretty disappointed with the first two commentors, especially Laura. I don't know how old Laura is; but she acts like a disrespectful, adolescent know it all. But instead demonstrates that she doesn't know too much. To Nathans credit and goodwill, he didn't address her directly. But I will. Grow up Laura, learn how to write and disagree with someone in a polite and respectful manner. OH, PLEASE! If you were to remove half of Dr Reagan's brain, he would still have ten times more knowledge about God and His Word than you do, not only that but he is a good and respectful man and deserves to be addressed as such. You are the one, not God, who sounds like a finicky, angry, tyrant! I cannot even believe that a real Christian would speak about God in such terms! Are you a "brand new" Christian? You sound like you're still living in the world. As to the content of your comment; Even though Jesus'death paid for the sins of the world; billions of people still reject Him and His sacrifice, and their sins are not covered by the shedding of His blood because they reject this gift — those people are still in their sin and will be punished, either here on Earth, and for certain in hell. As for the believer; just because Jesus' death paid for our sin does not give us the right to do whatever we want to, we cannot continue to live a life of sin; did you miss the many times the word Repentance is mentioned in the Bible? Do you know what the word Repentance means?

    God loves us greatly and the Bible tells us that he chastises those He loves. So if you're sinning; expect to be chastised; if you ignore God's attempts to reach you, and you continue in your sin; expect a greater and louder wake up call. As far as America is concerned; 70 to 80 percent of the people here claim to be Christian; yet those are the same Christians who are having abortions, engaging in Homosexuality, pre marital sex and a host of other sinful behaiviors, this includes churches that are marrying homosexuals and ordaining homosexual and lesbian bishops — not to mention falsely teaching the Bible and spreading apostasy. America's entire culture is sinful and corrupt on almost every level, and Christians being the majority in this country are therefore responsible for much of that sin. And even though Jesus'death paid for our sin;God will chastise us and our nation — this because He loves us. Get over it.

  • Right now Austrailia is suffering from flooding and now wildfires. Is there anything between Austrailia and Isreal that happened that would explain the disasters or is it just nature?

  • Anonymous, Laura's on the level doctrinally and I welcome her input. Her view of God's love is the most encompassing that I've ever encountered, though I disagree with her interpretation of its boundaries some, but she certainly experiences God's love.

    Cheryl, the flooding going on in Australia is tragic and we pray for our brothers and sisters there. Judgment by weather isn't always about Israel, but can be the frequency of natural disasters as a sign of the end times, and we also live on a fallen and cursed world. These three combined make for some very dramatic storms, which will only increase in frequency and intensity until by the end of the upcoming 7-year Tribulation the world is in ruins. Praise the Lord that He'll come back and restore everything for the Millennial Kingdom!

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