“For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” (Matthew 24:5-8)

In the light of current natural disasters around the globe, much has been said concerning the “whys” of these events. Many have declared that God is punishing America and God is the one who purposely sent hurricane Katrina to wipe out New Orleans. When these people are asked why they think God would single out New Orleans, they say it’s because of all their wickedness…including their Marti Gras celebration every year. Now, while it is true that New Orleans has its share of wickedness, it is equally true that most cities in this great country could be singled out for the same things.

This reminds me of a well-known Christian author who wrote several years ago that America was so wicked that it was going to be totally destroyed by hydrogen bombs! What was sad was the number of Christians who just automatically fell into agreement with this prophet of doom. At the time, I went to the Lord with this book and asked Him to reveal the truth to me. God reminded me of the wickedness of ALL NATIONS on this earth…that’s right, I said, “all nations!” But, He also showed me that, even in its wickedness, there are hundreds of thousands of Christians in this country who are literally standing in the gap through prayer for our nation. God also reminded me of all of the missionaries and the money to support them that comes from America. Yes, America is evil but America also has more Christians than anyone else. Believe me, that means something to the Lord!

So, why did Katrina happen? Why does it appear that natural disasters are increasing throughout the world? Two thousand (2,000) years ago, Jesus prophesied that these things would happen during the “last days” and you can read it in the scripture at the top of this page. Jesus didn’t deal with the issue of who or what was going to cause these things to happen and I’m not sure we should either. Some people claim these things aren’t judgments but, rather, “warnings” to get our acts together. The “whys” aren’t that important to me. What’s important is that Jesus said these things were going to take place.

Some of you might be thinking that there have always been disasters in man’s history. Why are these times any different. What makes it all different is found in the same chapter of Matthew: “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened,” (verse 22). The truth is, Jesus is coming back before man totally annihilates himself and we’ve only now had that capability in all the centuries since Jesus left…and, what is it? It’s the ATOM BOMB! Jesus is coming back or no flesh will be saved – and I believe, He’s coming very soon!

Disclaimer: Many of the articles on the site were written many years ago. While the lessons and teachings are certainly applicable to issues of today, please note that some of the references mentioned in the article may be dated or otherwise proved inaccurate due to the passage of time. We bring you these articles in their original format. Thank you.