groovydancer88 said:
I'm talking natural disasters here. People doing bad things to other people happens because without that there would be no free will. But what about things like tsunamis, hurricanes, floods, draughts, storms, earthquakes and so on that people have no control over? Why do you think God allows that to happen? What's his purpose?
One idea is that natural disasters provoke a lot of good deeds, and in many cases helps unite people (not all cases).
What do you think?
When the question is asked of God.....
Only God can answer! And all of God's answers are in His Word- The Bible!
Tragedies began in heaven with the
War between God and Satan...In the end satan lost and was cast out of heaven. Revelation 12:7
"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found anymore in heaven.[ they were cast out]
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world:he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."
It is more than apparent from the account of Jesus' disciple John's rendering of the conflict in heaven between God and satan that the opposite of
Good, Evil was allowed to coexist with God's good from the beginning.
It is also more than apparent from this account that the
EARTH being the place to which satan was confined; that satan would work his evil art as much and even more than he did in God's heavenly abode. The bible as well, documents this fact in : verse 12 of Revelation chapter 12...
".....Woe to the imhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time."
It is true that satan cannot control the natural events of nature unless God allows it; however, it is also true that God allowed the
tragedies of nature because of satan's sins. Tragedies He only allowed ON EARTH when like the angels in heaven, man also joined forces with satan, and sinned against God.
This fact is again documented in the bible.
Genesis chapters 1-2 documents a earth with flora and fauna perfect in every regard that
"GOD SAW THAT IT WAS GOOD" and rested on day seven. However, sometime shortly thereafter satan introduced sin And...in verse 17 of chapter 3...GOD CURSED THE EARTH
" cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shall thou eat of it all the days of your life; verse 18, Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee;.....
Natural disasters accordingly followed in conjunction with man's sinning against God..... again the bible in Genesis 6:5....
"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every imaginationOF THE THOUGHTS OF HIS HEART WAS ONLY EVIL CONTINUALLY And it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth , and it grieved Him at His heart........And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them ; and, behold, I WILL DESTROY THEM WITH THE EARTH".......And the flood was forty days upon the earth.....And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground."[Genesis chapter 7]
A "NATURAL DISASTER", at least to the people of Sodom and Gomorrha, occurred when in Genesis 19:24....
" The Lord rained fire and brimstone fron heaven upon the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha", destroying all plant and animal life.
The scriptures clearly documents that the earth will remain cursed until God makes
"a new heaven and a new earth WHEREIN DWELLETH RIGHTEOUSNESS[ with the emphasis on righteousness. 2 Peter 3:13] As long as there is sin on the earth, the Lord will rain judgements, using nature to bring man's attention to His being God; and because He is God, He demands that all humans of every nation, worship Him and Him alone. Still because us humans refuse to acknowledge the commands of God; He will continue to rain judgements on the earth using ["famines, and pestilences and earthquakes in divers places" Matthew 24:7] God is angry with us humans who persist in sinning against Him; and will rain judgements against us all; just as he rained judgements against the Ante-Deluvians....Like He rained judgements against the Eygptians, with the ten plagues... and like he rained fire and brimstone against the sinners of Sodom and Gomorrha.
God is not partial as to how He uses His nature to punish those who sin against Him-ignoring and disobeying His commands. The people of Israel was not spared when they also chose to sin against Him; and God used nature in the form of poisonous serpents in invade the camp of the Israelites killing thousands of the people He called "His own people".
In the days before His second coming, God will again use nature; and again in the form of
"NATURAL DISASTERS" -which is the name sinful humanity chooses to call His judgements. These judgements as He will use; will be no less in intensity as in the judgements He has been using ever since man chose to join forces with the devil and satan and sin against Him.
Read about these
"NATURAL DISASTERS" yet to come in Revelation chapters 14-18.
Till the Lord comes to renew the earth; and as long as Man of His created humanity continue to disobey Him and sin against Him, He will continue to rain His judgements in the form of natural disasters on the earth.....
"THE WHOLE CREATION WILL CONTINUE TO GROAN AND TRAVAIL IN PAIN" ....Romans 8:22.... And All because of Sin.
precept