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cal. There is a great God who created
all that exists. He formulated and set
in motion laws that regulate earth's
climate. When human beings inter–
fere with those laws, they suffer the
consequences of their meddling–
upset weather.
Drougbts, ftoods, windstorms and
other violent climatic manifestations
cannot always be laid to quirks of
nature. Mankind has done and is doing
his share to bring them on himself. The
end-time prophecy in Hosea 8:7 cer–
tainly must include tampering with
theweather among man's misdirected
endeavors when it declares, "For they
have sown the wind, and tbey shall
reap the whirlwind"!
God is not only in charge of the
weather by means of the laws He has
set in motion. He directly intervenes
when He sees fit and uses the weath–
er to punisb or bless human beings
for their actions.
In the biblical book of Job, we
have the story of a man who thought
too highly of himself. Job was proud
of his accomplishments. He epito–
mized the pride of human beings in
their abilities. God had to humble.
Job. One of the ways God proved
that His abilities a re vastly superior
to those of Jol>-and to those of all
mankind-is that He· has absolute
control over the weather.
"God lets us see bis wonders; great
things he does, beyond our ken. He
bids the snow fall ... also the heavy
rains . . . storms blow ... and cold
comes ... the ice forms a t h is
breath ... from thecloud bis lightning
scatters, darting here and there, turn–
ing as he directs it, doing whate'er he
bids it over all his world, either smiting
with a curse,or sent in merey."
All tbis God has the power to do.
He continues to humble Job by
asking: ·
" Have you ever entered the stores
of the snow? Have you seen the
arsenals of the hail- the hail 1 keep
for stormy days, for battery and
assault? How are the mists mar–
shalled, that scatter fresh water on
the earth?"
Yes, God can use the weather as a
weapon. He gives orders to the ele–
ments as a general orders his troops.
In contrast to God's power, here is
the challenge to man:
April 1980
A good climate is one of
the blessings God
would have given to any
nation that would
follow His ways.
"Can you control the skies? Can
you prescribe their sway over the
earth? Can you send orders to the
clouds, for water in abundance to be
yours? Can you send out the light–
ning on its mission? Does it say
humbly to you 'Here am 1'?" (Job
37:5-7, 9-13; 38:22-24, 33-34, Mof–
fatt translation.)
Future divine intervention in al–
ready upset meteorological condi–
tions will play a prominent part in
the tumultuous events bringing this
age to a close, as many biblical
prophecies reveal. The result will be
weather disturbances of catastrophic
proportions.
We should consider one other pos–
sible source of sorne manifestations
of "freakish" weather. There is a
powerful spirit being who is the
"prince of the power of the air"
(Ephesians 2:2}. The account in the
first chapter of Job indicates that,
when God permits it, this powerful
spirit-Satan-can use atmospheric
phenomena to wreak havoc. Freak
weather will most certainly be part of
the "great wrath" with which Satan
will afflict the inhabitants of the
earth. (See Revelation 12:12.)
As the effects of so many forces
come together here at the end of the
age, what hope can the individual
have for safety from all the cataclys–
mic upheavals to befall our planet?
Only one: the protection God gives to
those who obey His laws. He is "a
strengtb to the needy in bis distress, a
refuge from the storm, a shadow
from the heat" (Isaiah 25:4).
Coming: True Weather Control
A good climate is one of the blessings
God would have given to aoy nation
that would follow His ways and
submit to His government. He prom–
ised,
" lf
you obey the voice of the
Lord your God, being careful to do
all bis commandments ... all these
blessings shall come upon you ... the
Lord will open to you bis good trea–
sury the heavens, to give the rain of
your land
in its season"
(Deuterono–
my 28: 1-2, 12, Revised Standard
Version).
Of course, no nation has taken
God up on the promise. So no nation
has the right to expect dependable,
seasonal weather.
In the world tomorrow it will be
different. When the violent weather
conditions accompanying the end of
this age are wreaking their destruc–
tion, Jesus Christ will return to rule
the world. Under His government all
nations will be forced to live at peace.
They
wi/1
submit to God's govern–
ment. At the beginning there may be
sorne stubborn nations that will have
to be persuaded to submit to God's
rule. One of the ways this will be done
is through divine climate control!
Notice in Zechariah 14:16 that
those nations which survive the com–
ing holocaust will, under Christ's
government, be directed to go up to
Jerusalem annually to keep the Feast
of Tabernacles.
What if sorne of them refuse?
"And it shall be, that whoso will
not come up of all the families of the
earth unto Jerusalem to worship the
King, the Lord of hosts, even upon
them shall be no rain" (verse 17).
God has the power to bring this
about.
Eventually everyone will see the
benefits of God's ways.
As they do, the prophecy of Ezek–
iel will come to pass: "And, I the
Lord, will be their God ... 1 will
make them ... a blessing ... I will
send down the showers in their sea–
son; they shall be showers of blessing.
And the trees of the field shall yield
their fruit and the earth shall yield its
increase" (Ezekiel 34:24, 26-27,
RSV).
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