Prophetic Pulpit: Natural Disasters

                                                                                                                                                  Creation is speaking! Are we listening?

Matthew 24: 4-8 Jesus answered, "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah,' and will deceive many. 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." 

It is so plain to see that just in the last 10 years natural disasters have escalated in both frequency and in intensity. In fact, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) recorded that in 2023 alone natural disasters have occurred in record breaking levels. Floods, tornados, wildfires, just to name a few, escalated at alarming rates. 

In a 2023 report, the NOAA stated, "The U.S set an unwelcomed record for weather and climate disasters in 2023, with 28 disasters that exceeded more than $1 billion in damage each...While it wasn't the most expensive year overall-the costliest years including multiple hurricane strikes-it had the highest number of billion-dollar storms, floods, droughts, and fires of any year since counting began in 1980, with six more than any other year."

As Christians, we know this is a large part of what Jesus described as "birth pains" just before His coming. I think all of us have an idea of how birth pains work. The closer the baby is to being born, the more frequent and intense the pain becomes. Creation itself is telling us, "Look up! Jesus is coming! Make sure your heart is genuinely right with the Lord! Don't store up your treasures in this earth (remember Lots wife) because this world is quickly coming to a close. Set your affections on things above because very (very) soon Jesus is coming to take His people to their heavenly home...Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus. Blessed are those who love His appearing."