sermon: Warning in the Wind
A Swarm of Spring Tornados
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Given 04-Jun-11; Sermon #1050; 73 minutes
Description: (hide)
Richard Ritenbaugh focuses on the violent weather this spring with over 1,415 tornadoes and 530 deaths (518 of the deaths occurred in the United States). This year alone had more deaths than the 564 that occurred over the last decade as a result of 948 tornadoes. The vortex of the Joplin tornado measured ¾ of a mile, with wind velocities exceeding 250 miles an hour, killing 138 people. The Scriptures have a great deal to say about the significance of these catastrophic storms, beginning with the narrative of Noah, in which the majority of human life was utterly obliterated. This deluge was engineered by Almighty God, in response to the disgusting cumulative, incremental sins of humankind. God can use lethal storms to execute judgment on sinful people. Elihu informed Job that God has sovereign control of the weather, for blessing or cursing. The Psalms suggest that weather patterns fulfill God’s Word; nothing happens without His knowledge. The recent violent weather may not mean may not mean that the individuals who lost their lives were any more sinful than the rest of us, but we should be sobered that God is probably displeased with the general increase of immorality in our culture. Though weather phenomena are not top-tier indications (like deception, famine, earthquakes, etc.) that the end of the world is near, their increase nevertheless should cause us to soberly reflect on the current immoral conditions of our culture, coupled with the disgusting timidity of the ministry to explain the causal relationship between sin and calamity. The trumpet plagues will include some rather large specimens of hail and other forms of inclement weather. We need to regard God as a refuge from these horrible storms.
Topics: (show)
Abomination of desolation Acts of God Battle of Agincourt Birmingham, Alabama Catastrophic destruction of life Catastrophes Clouds Correction Deluge Disobedience Executions 530 deaths Earthquake EF4 EF5 Elihu Ezekiel 13 Fire Funnel clouds Galileens Genesis 6:5-6; 7:1-11 God’s wrath Hail Isaiah 28:1-3; 55:10 Jeremiah 23:9 Job 36:26 Joplin, Missouri Kansas Luke 13:1-5 Mark 13:3 Massachusetts Maine Major prophets Mark 4:35-39 Minnesota Nahum 1:2 Natural weather events Oklahoma Parallelisms Pilate Praise Psalms Psalm 148:7-8 Rain Revelation 16:17-21 Severe weather Snow South Dakota Super cell Super outbreak Tornados Tower of Siloam tragedy Trumpet plagues Tuscaloosa, Alabama 1,415 (1,007 confirmed) in United States Warning Whirlwind Windows of heaven
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