|
At 10 pm on Saturday, August 27, 2005, the
National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane
warning for the north central gulf coast
from Morgan City, Louisiana, eastward to the
Alabama/Florida border including the city of New
Orleans. A hurricane warning means that hurricane
conditions are expected within 24 hours and
preparations to protect life and property should
be rushed to completion. At the time of the
warning, the center of Hurricane Katrina was
located about 335 miles south-southeast of the
mouth of the Mississippi River. Tens of thousands
heeded the warning and the highways going out of
New Orleans were choked with cars alternating
between stop and 10 mph.
Hurricane Katrina arrived at 6:30 Monday morning,
August 29, 2005, as a category four hurricane. A
couple of days later, people began to realize
that it was one of the greatest natural disasters
that have ever occurred in the United States
history. The swath of destruction covered 90,000
square miles (about the size of Kansas).
Currently, more than 300,000 people have lost
their homes. Engineers estimate that as much as
eighty percent of New Orleans flooded because the
levees and water pumps failed. The damage caused
by wind and water could total more than 100
billion dollars. The area between New Orleans and
Mobile, Alabama clearly resembles the destruction
caused by the tsunami that hit southern Asia in
December 2004. Given the biblical proportion of
this event, here are some thought questions to
consider:
1.
Was Hurricane Katrina an act of God that
is, a deliberate punishment?
2.
Did God time the arrival of Hurricane Katrina so
that the Southern Decadence convention could not
be held? (The Southern Decadence convention is a
gay and lesbian version of Mardi Gras that has
been ongoing in New Orleans since 1972. This orgy
and drunken celebration lasts four or five days
and more than 120,000 revelers attended last
year.)
3.
Did God target New Orleans and the cities of the
gulf coast because citizens there are more wicked
than other cities in the United States? Is it
possible that New Orleans and the gulf coast
cities had exhausted Gods grace and
protection?
4.
Are a majority of the victims of Hurricane
Katrina evil people?
5.
Were you surprised at the lawlessness and looting
that occurred in New Orleans?
6.
What will be Katrinas influence on the
United States economy in days to come?
7.
As you watched Katrinas drama unfold, did
you think about coming events?
Commentary
I believe Hurricane
Katrina, like the tsunami in southern Asia in
December 2004, was another birth
pain, and you need to be aware that several
more birth pains are coming. As the
Second Coming of Jesus draws near, events of
biblical proportion will escalate in severity and
frequency, and their purpose is fourfold: First,
disasters forcibly remind us that material things
are temporal. The things in life that matter most
are the people around us loved ones and
neighbors. Second, disasters bring out the best
and worst in people. True character is revealed
in anarchy. Caring people respond to the needs of
those around them and selfish people think only
of them selves and their survival. The problem
with the carnal nature is that a large number of
people (both rich and poor) are law abiding only
because they are forced to be so. Price
gougers, thieves and looters are of the same ilk.
Third, the economic ripple caused by huge
disasters forces those who were unaffected
to sympathize with those who lost everything.
Last, horrific events are prophetic samples of
things to come. They make the scope of
Revelations story easier to comprehend. The
powers of nature are truly awesome and in this
light, birth pains are for the
benefit of the current generation.
According to His
sovereign authority, the Father predetermined
long ago that random and violent acts of nature
would sharply increase near the end of the world.
Terrible events will grow in frequency and
strength as we draw closer to the Second Coming.
The forces that create these natural events were
built in from the beginning of
creation. God designed that nature itself would
draw attention to the fact that this planet is
predestined for destruction. The cancer of sin is
about to be eliminated and the appointed hour for
the total destruction of Earth is near.
You may ask, How do
we really know the end of the world is
near? Basically, there are three ways to
know that the time of the Second Coming is near.
First, the apocalyptic prophecies of Daniel and
Revelation prove that the end is near because
they are chorological in nature. Remember, the
book of Daniel was sealed up until the time of
the end (Daniel 12:4,9), and now that we
understand the four rules of apocalyptic
interpretation that were sealed up in Daniel, we
find that Daniel and Revelation chronologically
chart the progression of time from 605 B.C., to
the Second Coming. In other words, the sequence
of events presented in Daniel and Revelation
means there is no other possible conclusion than
we are near the end. Second, the frequency and
intensity of birth pains indicate the
Second Coming is near. Sooner or later, the whole
world will be affected by these catastrophic
events and as a result of these calamities; many
will awaken to the fact that planet Earth itself
is dying. Third, the degenerate condition of
people indicates the Second Coming is near. Paul
wrote, But mark this: There will be
terrible times in the last days. People
will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money,
boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their
parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love,
unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control,
brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous,
rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than
lovers of God having a form of godliness
but denying its power. Have nothing to do with
them. (2 timothy 3:1-5)
The
Beginning of Birth Pains
Just before His death,
the disciples of Jesus asked about signs that
would herald His return and the end of the world.
Jesus said, You will hear of wars and
rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not
alarmed. Such things must
happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will
rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be famines and earthquakes in various
places. All these are the beginning of birth
pains. (Matthew 24:6-8, italics
mine) The apostle Paul also associated
birth pains with the Second Coming.
He wrote, For you know very well that
the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the
night. While people are saying, [we
need] Peace and safety, destruction will
come on them suddenly, as labor pains
on a pregnant woman, and will not escape. (1
Thessalonians 5:2,3, italics and insertion mine)
Calamitous events are
often blamed on God (called acts of God) because
God is sovereign. Many people believe that God
controls everything that happens, but this is not
the case. If this were true, then sin itself
would never have happened. However, Bible history
does indicate that God does destroy nations and
punish people. He even destroyed the whole world
in Noahs day. There is one major difference
between violent acts of nature and Gods
wrath. God lets people know what He is about to
do before He does it! This is a crucial point. In
fact, this is why the book of Revelation demands
understanding. There is a specific warning for
Earths final generation in the book of
Revelation. This warning can be understood before
the Great Tribulation begins and if people choose
to reject it, they do so at their own peril. Surely
the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing
his plan to his servants the prophets. (Amos
3:7)
Hurricanes, tsunamis,
famines, earthquakes and runaway fires are not
necessarily a deliberate punishment sent from
God. God has used and will use such events as
punishment, but when He does, He sends a specific
warning. In todays context, calamitous
events that come without divine warning should be
understood as birth pains. God has
not yet punished New Orleans and other
notoriously wicked places on Earth, but that day
is coming.
Currently, God is trying
to speak to our generation, but unfortunately,
too few people listen to His Word. For example,
millions of Christians are acquainted with the
term, The Great Tribulation, but the
irony is that very few people believe it applies
to them. Most Christians fall into one of two
categories. The larger group believes they will
be in Heaven when the Great Tribulation begins
because of a so-called pre-tribulation rapture.
The other group believes the bulk of Revelation
happened in the past, that is, it is historical
in nature. The net effect in both cases is the
same Christians conclude the seven
trumpets of Revelation will not affect them! How
sad. How delusional. Jesus said that birth pains
would indicate the end of the world is coming and
the good news is that birth pains will eventually
give way to the creation of a new order. Like
Abraham, lets keep looking for the city
whose builder and maker is God. (Hebrew 11:10)
|