Merciful Servants of God

Why does God allow hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters?

The GREAT God has provided us with a book called the Bible that answers why He allows hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters.

"Behold the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.

"For your Hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has muttered perversion. No one calls for justice, nor does any plead for TRUTH (John 14:6; 17:17 - The TRUTH is God's word and Jesus Christ - emphasis mine). They trust in empty words and speak lies; they conceive evil and bring forth iniquity . . . Their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.

"Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they have not known, and there is no justice in their ways; They have made themselves crooked paths . . . " (Isaiah 59:1-4, 6-8 NKJV - New King James Version used throughout unless notated)

". . . I am the Lord and there is no other; I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity . . . if there is calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it?" (Isaiah 45:7; Amos 3:6)

"You will be punished by the Lord of hosts with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with storm and tempest (hurricanes - emphasis mine) and the flame of devouring fire. The multitude of all the nations who fight against Ariel (Jerusalem - emphasis mine), even all who fight against her and her fortress, and distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision. It shall be as when a hungry man dreams, and look - he eats; but he awakes, and his soul is still empty; or as when a thirsty man dreams, and look - he drinks; but he awakes, and indeed he is faint, and his soul still craves: so the multitude of all the nations shall be, who fight against Mount Zion (Jerusalem - emphasis mine)." (Isaiah 29:6-8)

"How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge. TURN AT MY REBUKE; surely I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.

"Because I have called you and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, because you disdained all my counsel, and would have none of my rebuke, I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, when your terror comes like a storm, and your destruction like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.

"Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, (the fear of the Lord is to HATE evil - Proverbs 8:13 - emphasis mine) they would have none of my counsel and despised my every rebuke. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies. For the turning away of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil." (Proverbs 1:22-33)

"I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold, a man more than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth will move out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts and in the day of His fierce anger." (Isaiah 13:11-13)

Eventually, this world will truly be peaceful when Jesus Christ comes back to rule it (Revelation 11:15-18; Isaiah 9:6-7). Wars and poverty will no longer exist (Isaiah 2:2-4; Isaiah 41:17-20) and people will learn to love their neighbors as themselves.

Yet, how much more suffering do we have to go through to finally understand that we are not completely obeying God? How much blood needs to be spilled before we repent and change our minds (our way of thinking)?

We are living in the generation that really doesn't care for the poor: 2.8 billion people are poor in the world today.

"There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and whose fangs are like knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men." (Proverbs 30:14)

The Bush administration (the U.S.), Russia, the European Union and the United Nations is encouraging Israel (the Jews) to give the land that God has given them to the Palestinians.

That land belongs to the Jews! And, God is against ANY nation that encourages the Jews to give up their land.

"I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will enter into JUDGMENT with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; they have also divided My land." (Joel 3:2)

"And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars. But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this? Therefore I also said, 'I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you." (Judges 2:2-3)

History repeats itself (Ecclesiastes 1:9-10). As long as the nations continue to encourage the Jews to give up their land and the Jews allow the nations to influence them to give up more land-earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters will continue worldwide until the nations and the Jews repent or change their mind and start to obey God's whole Torah (law).

"Behold, the Lord makes the earth empty and makes it waste, distorts its surface and scatters abroad its inhabitants. And it shall be: as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor.

"The land shall be entirely emptied and utterly plundered, for the Lord has spoken this word. The earth mourns and fades away, the world languishes and fades away; the haughty people of the earth languish. The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell in it are desolate.

"Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned and few men left. The new wine fails, the vine languishes, all the merry-hearted sigh. The mirth of the tambourine ceases, the noise of the jubilant ends, the joy of the harp ceases. They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink is bitter to hose who drink it. The city of confusion is broken down; every house is shut up, so that none may go in. There is a cry for wine in the streets, all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone. In the city desolation is left, and the gate is stricken with destruction." (Isaiah 24:1-12)

New Orleans is famous for Mardi Gras and Southern Decadence (a gay event). God destroyed Sodom and Gommorah for the following sins (Ezekiel 16:49; 2 Peter 2:6; Jude 7):

• Pride
• Eating TOO much
• Abundance of laziness
• Failure to help and care for the poor and needy
• Sexual perversion-including homosexuality (Romans 1:26-32)

On August 29, 2005, God destroyed New Orleans for the same reasons. God also destroyed the many casinos in the Mississippi area because gambling is a sin and all that gambling money should be used to help the poor and needy; to share with other human beings instead of fulfilling lusts for more money (Deuteronomy 5:21; 1 Timothy 6:9-10).

Interestingly, hurricane Katrina struck the area of the United States where the majority of Black Americans live. Black Americans have the highest percentage of poverty among their population (24.7%). Please refer to my article on Almsgiving. Similarly, God caused the South Asia tsunami to occur in one of the poorest regions in the world. Of course, He swept away a lot of wickedness in that region via the tsunami.

God is definately getting the world to focus on the poor and the affilicted because they are being greatly neglected EVERY day. The world is more unequal today than it was 10 years ago (UN finds global inequality rising, BBC News, August 25, 2005). And, the poorest are doing worst today than 15 years ago (Life 'worst for the poorest', BBC News, September 7, 2005).

The sins of Sodom just doesn't describe New Orleans, Mississippi and Alabama. The sins of Sodom describe the United States, Britain and Israel today. And, if these three nations and the entire world does not repent or change their minds, then God will punish the world so bad that only a few men and women will be left on the earth. We must realize that we need to start obeying God's whole Torah (law). We must realize the reason why there are hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters is because we are not collectively & totally obeying our GREAT creator God.

God loves mankind and wants mankind to learn how to obey Him so that mankind will receive blessings not cursings.

"My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?

"But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitmate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?

"For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best for them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:5-11)

God "sweeps" away evil by hurricanes:

"The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet . . . When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more . . . Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord has gone forth in fury-A VIOLENT whirlwind! It will fall violently on the head of the wicked. The anger of the Lord will not turn back until he has executed and performed the thoughts of His heart. In the latter days (the days of the 21st century - emphasis mine) you will understand perfectly." (Nahum 1:3; Proverbs 10:25; Jeremiah 23:19-20)

The leaders of this world (especially the President of the United States) must encourage the entire world to fast so that we start to sincerely care for the poor and the needy and repent of our wickedness so that God will prevent any future disasters. The ONLY way that we will ultimately & completely avoid more destruction is if we turn to God, live by every word of God (Matthew 4:4) and obey His whole Torah (law). (Joel 2:12-17; Proverbs 11:4; Psalms 119:172)

"Is this not the fast that I have choosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh?

"Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.'

"If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail." (Isaiah 58:6-11)

We should not wait for another earthquake or hurricane to occur to realize that we should sincerely and consistently give to the poor and the afflicted:

"How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to the wicked? Defend the poor and the fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy; free them from the hand of the wicked. They do not know, nor do they understand; they walk about in darkness; ALL THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE EARTH ARE UNSTABLE." (Psalm 82:2-5)

God desires to help the poor & the needy and commands creditors to discharge ALL debts every seven years; commands those who have luxury and excess to open your hands WIDE to the poor & needy so that they can effectively survive in the land (Deuteronomy 15:1-11; Leviticus 25:35)

God's definition of a righteous human being:

"But if a man is just and does what is lawful and right; if he has not eaten on the mountains (eat meat without disposing of blood properly at the Temple or to worship pagan deities by eating sacrifices of the dead - Jewish Study Bible, Oxford University Press 2004, pg. 1073 - emphasis mine), nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of Israel, nor defiled his neighbor's wife, nor approached a woman during her impurity; if he has not oppressed anyone,

"But has restored to the debtor his pledge; has robbed no one by violence, but has given his bread to the hungry and covered the naked with clothing; if he has not exacted usury nor taken any increase, but has withdrawn his hand from iniquity and executed TRUE judgment between man and man; if he has walked in My statues and kept My judgments faithfully (My laws and kept my rules - Jewish Study Bible)-He is just; He shall surely live! Says the Lord God." (Ezekiel 18:5-9)

God reveals the works of evil specifically at Galatians 5:19-21 and Matthew 15:19-20.

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