BY VAN YANDELL
Matthew 24: 7 “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places.”
Many never consider how closely the Bible parallels our lives and the events in our current state of existence. Scripture points to the flooding and other disasters in various places we have seen in the summer of 2023.
Bible connections to our lives and events in our world continue to manifest themselves. For anyone challenging the validity of the Bible please continue to read.
The numbers of lives lost in floods amount to an unprecedented worldwide disaster and this year is not over.
The Red Crescent (volunteer humanitarian organization) said at this writing that at least 11,300 people had died and another 10,100 were reported missing in Libya flooding. This is seven times the lives lost in the World Trade Center attack in 2001, yet the world has barely noticed.
The 6.8 earthquake in Morocco has dealt another blow to North Africa (Luke 21: 11). The deaths are not even countable at this time because of remote villages that have not been reached.
Thousands are believed to be buried in the rubble.
Mud brick houses built years ago stood not a chance against the 6.8 shaking of the earth. Victims were literally buried alive and all the bodies may never be found.
Flooding and other disasters in several U.S. states have resulted in billions of dollars in property loss. A few media sources have reported those with a shrug and in some cases focused on how much insurance rates will increase rather than the human tragedy associated with such disasters.
Once again, the human tragedy and the Bible connections have taken a back seat to the monetary losses. “The love of money is the root of all evil,” (1Timothy 6: 10). Had the words “neglect” or “incompetence” existed then, perhaps they would have been added to that verse.
The listing of fires, floods, hurricanes and earthquakes goes on and on, and few realize the scriptural connections associated with these. Extreme heat and droughts in other locations are also disasters. NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) has described 2023 as the worst year on record for disasters.
The Holy Bible also tells us of many future events and these include natural disasters such as the ones we’ve witnessed this year.
The Bible does not say very also much about flooding specifically except in “The Flood” (Genesis 7: 4). In so many cases in scripture, because the world is different today than in Bible times, we have to consider these differences in ascertaining scriptural implications.
When we consider “the world” in scripture we must include “the world as they knew it” to make the statement complete in today’s perspectives. Their world was limited to what is now called “The Middle East” and in New Testament times would have included parts of Europe and North Africa.
The world today is the entire planet. We can literally be on the other side of this earth in 24 hours (Daniel 12: 4) if we make the flight connections. Whereas many of our great-grandparents took two months to sail to the New World, we can be in London from east coast American airports in eight hours.
Floods could be included in “pestilences” as listed in Matthew 24: 7. Also we can easily see floods as overwhelming and/or powerful in nature. These characteristics impress on us the power of nature and consequently the power of God’s creation.
Luke 21: 25 “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the
moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring.” The sheer power of moving water is indeed overwhelming to an unsuspecting victim.
I once experienced that power off the coast of Brazil. Being caught in a rip current is not a pleasant experience and I literally thought for a few minutes, survival was not possible. Apparently God had another plan.
Several points are to be made. We have found there are many in our world claiming the Bible is a fake document but they have not read, much less, studied it. Evidence is compelling to most any logical analytical mind of the validity and authenticity of the Holy Bible, if one will be fair and reasonable in their thinking.
But one must at least consider the information contained therein. Ecclesiastes 1: 7 very clearly explains the hydrologic cycle. All water on the earth is the same as it was at creation (Genesis 2: 1). Water simply evaporates into the atmosphere and falls back to the earth in the form of precipitation. I’m guessing the northern states will have a little snow this coming winter.
El Nino de Navidad is the warming of the waters in the Pacific Ocean in the equatorial latitudes between South America and Southeast Asia. That warming, first noticed by South American fishermen in the early 1600s, has resulted in extreme evaporation of water. This happens every few years and has for hundreds of years.
Consequently that moisture is transferred by prevailing winds (the jet stream) over continents and unusual amounts of rainfall thus flooding are experienced. Ecclesiastes 1: 7 is verified!
In Genesis 2: 1, God said “It is finished!” All matter that was and was to be, had been created by HIM! The laws of thermodynamics (if one requires scientific proof) are the laws of science you may be seeking.
“The laws of thermodynamics are a set of scientific laws which define a group of physical quantities, such as temperature, energy, and entropy, that characterize thermodynamic systems in thermodynamic equilibrium.” “The balance of nature” is not just an assumption, it is scientific fact!
The first law of thermodynamics simply states the same as Genesis 2: 1. “The first law of thermodynamics states that energy/matter neither can be created nor destroyed; only altered in form.”
The second law of thermodynamics confirms creation. It
moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring.” The sheer power of moving water is indeed overwhelming to an unsuspecting victim.
I once experienced that power off the coast of Brazil. Being caught in a rip current is not a pleasant experience and I literally thought for a few minutes, survival was not possible. Apparently God had another plan.
Several points are to be made. We have found there are many in our world claiming the Bible is a fake document but they have not read, much less, studied it. Evidence is compelling to most any logical analytical mind of the validity and authenticity of the Holy Bible, if one will be fair and reasonable in their thinking.
But one must at least consider the information contained therein. Ecclesiastes 1: 7 very clearly explains the hydrologic cycle. All water on the earth is the same as it was at creation (Genesis 2: 1). Water simply evaporates into the atmosphere and falls back to the earth in the form of precipitation. I’m guessing the northern states will have a little snow this coming winter.
El Nino de Navidad is the warming of the waters in the Pacific Ocean in the equatorial latitudes between South America and Southeast Asia. That warming, first noticed by South American fishermen in the early 1600s, has resulted in extreme evaporation of water. This happens every few years and has for hundreds of years.
Consequently that moisture is transferred by prevailing winds (the jet stream) over continents and unusual amounts of rainfall thus flooding are experienced. Ecclesiastes 1: 7 is verified!
In Genesis 2: 1, God said “It is finished!” All matter that was and was to be, had been created by HIM! The laws of thermodynamics (if one requires scientific proof) are the laws of science you may be seeking.
“The laws of thermodynamics are a set of scientific laws which define a group of physical quantities, such as temperature, energy, and entropy, that characterize thermodynamic systems in thermodynamic equilibrium.” “The balance of nature” is not just an assumption, it is scientific fact!
The first law of thermodynamics simply states the same as Genesis 2: 1. “The first law of thermodynamics states that energy/matter neither can be created nor destroyed; only altered in form.”
The second law of thermodynamics confirms creation. It
states that the state of entropy of the entire universe, as an isolated system, will always increase over time. Entropy in simple terms means everything deteriorates; thus, chaos cannot evolve into order.
Don’t expect a pile of garbage to change itself into a brand new car. and never believe we (the human race) or anything else evolved from a piece of slime that washed up on an ancient seashore 60 million years ago. That belief is scientifically and logically impossible! Chaos cannot evolve into order! Entropy is a fact of science and God’s Bible!
When Jesus uttered the words just before His death on the cross, “It is finished,” He was referring to the redemption of mankind (John 19: 30). By His birth, life, death and resurrection, we are given eternity through our faith based belief in Him as our Savior and Lord.
We are also told in the scriptures (John 1: 1-3, John 10: 30, 1 Corinthians 8:6, 2 Peter 1:1) Jesus was God come to earth to die for the sin of mankind. HE was and is the Creator (Colossians 1:16).
I find myself in a state of perplexity almost daily. To understand why anyone would deny the existence of our Creator God as being the entire source of the universe is beyond me. The Bible literally proves itself from within itself. Examined in depth, science and the Bible prove each other.
The Bible is available for all to read and study. Why would anyone take the word of an unbeliever or false teacher when the information is readily available from God? If you do not have a Bible, a local thrift store or church will give you one. Study it and see for yourself. You do not have to take my word for it.
I have several policemen friends, both active and retired. They all tell us, “Follow the evidence! It will lead you to the truth!” You do want the truth, don’t you?
Van Yandell is a retired Industrial Arts teacher, an ordained gospel evangelist and commissioned missionary, from Fredonia, Kentucky. A part of the Bible Connection series. His email: [email protected]