By Dianne E. Butts:
Image by Salvatore Vuono: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
It’s April and storm season, the time for violent weather. If we look into Scripture, it’s possible we can find God in prophecies of chaotic weather.
In Luke 21:25-26, Jesus was talking about the Signs that would come before His second coming when He comes to judge the world. He said,
“There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.”
Some people think this Bible verse could refer to increased intensity in chaotic weather patterns on earth.
We’ve certainly seen a lot of intense weather in the United States in recent years. The National Weather Service sent out strong warnings prior to and during the weekend of April 14 – 15, 2012. And tornadoes did form across the Midwest, tearing up towns like Woodward, Oklahoma.
The largest tornado outbreak ever recorded occurred just a year ago. According to Wikipedia, the 2011 Super Outbreak, occurred from April 25 to 28, 2011 when destructive tornadoes hit Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia.
The Wikipedia article says, regarding that 2011 outbreak, “In total, 353 tornadoes were confirmed by the National Weather Service in 21 states from Texas to New York and even isolated tornadoes in Canada. Widespread and destructive tornadoes occurred on each day of the outbreak, with April 27 being among the most prolific and destructive tornado days in United States history with a record 208 tornadoes touching down that day. Four of the tornadoes were destructive enough to be rated EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which is the highest ranking possible; typically these tornadoes are only recorded about once each year or less.”
The number killed as a result of those tornadoes: 346 people.
Less than a month later, on Sunday afternoon, May 22, 2011, Joplin, Missouri, was struck by an EF5 multiple-vortex tornado. “It was part of a larger late-May tornado outbreak sequence and reached a maximum width of in excess of 1 mile (1.6 km) during its path through the southern part of the city,” Wikipedia says. The number of deaths directly linked to the tornado: 160.
Jesus also mentioned “the roaring and tossing of the sea.” If you’re curious about earthquakes and tsunamis, I wrote about those in these two articles: “Find God in Prophecy about Earthquakes” and “Signs of the End Times? – Earthquakes and Tsunamis.”
Throughout the Bible we can see that, because of His great love for all people, God always sends warnings before He sends His judgments (which are disasters meant to put a stop to or slow down increased sin. His ultimate judgment will be His second coming.). But people don’t always listen. They say, “It’s not God. It’s global warming.” Do you think God is warning us through tornadoes and other disasters? If yes, are you listening? If you are, then you might find God in prophecies of chaotic weather.
© Dianne E. Butts. Dianne is a freelance writer, author, and screenwriter. Her latest book is Deliver Me is for those in an unplanned pregnancy or with one in their past, and just won “Book of the Year” at Christian Small Publisher’s Association. Her first book Dear America is now available on Kindle. Follow her writing at www.DeliverMeBook.blogspot.com.
April 2012 Tornado Videos
At TornadoVideos.net, see: Update from the April 14, 2012 tornado outbreak.)
Also see this video below, showing what an amazing creator we have:
From YouTube: Top 20 Amazing Weather Phenomena
