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The
Evidence
The
Footsteps of an Approaching God
By Ryan McCoy
"For the day of the Lord is right upon
the world when evidence shall be made sure." -{11MR 361.2}
"The present is a time of overwhelming interest
to all living. Rulers and statesmen, men who occupy positions of trust and
authority, thinking men and women of all classes, have their attention fixed
upon the events taking place about us. They are watching the strained, restless
relations that exist among the nations. They observe the intensity that is
taking possession of every earthly element, and they realize that
something great and decisive is about to take place--that the
world is on the verge of a stupendous crisis." {Mar 266.3}
There are 2
purposes to this study
- To instill an awareness of just how close we are to
the end, and Christ's second coming. We need to understand just how
close Christ's second coming is if we are to avoid being complacent.
- To dispel the deist myth that God does not take direct
control of world events at times, and that He is not above judgment of the
wicked.
As I studied this bible text: "It is
time for thee, LORD, to work: for they have made void thy law."
-Psalm 119:126, I was impressed to look it up in Ellen G. White's writings. As
I looked at what she wrote on this subject, I was impressed that Katrina and
Rita were not just another set of catastrophic hurricanes.
The word "pre-judgment" being defined here as a
disastrous "natural" event that happens before the final judgment (hence the
"pre"), before the final plagues of Revelation are poured out, before National
Ruin, but more specifically, just before the close of probation, and is a
mixture of mercy and wrath, designed to wake up the world in a series of “great
shocks” to the fact Jesus is coming soon and to prepare our lives, and to warn
others.
Overview
We are told specifically to warn
the world that these "pre-judgments" are coming. Once this series of
"pre-judgments" is started in motion, it cannot be stopped by man, and the
interval of time between each of them will be shorter and shorter, and they will
increase in their destructive power. Large, wicked cities are specific objects
of these "pre-judgments." These judgments will vary in intensity according to
their wickedness, and the light of truth that they have been shown. We know
that even the world will see these "pre-judgments" as judgments from God.
Thousands of cities will eventually be affected, and as a result the protestant
churches will unite on the legislation of worship. This will be done
specifically by the passing of “Sunday (worship) Laws” in a vain attempt to stay
the judgments of God. This “national apostasy” will swiftly be followed by
“national ruin,” the results being social, economic, and spiritual. Those that
keep all of God's Holy law, and more specifically “Sabbath-keepers” led by the
Holy Spirit will raise their voices against the church led nations proclaiming
this counterfeit day of worship created by Rome. (Rev. 14:8 & 18:2,3) Because
they speak with great power and authority (Rev. 18:1) against the established
churches, the popular ministers will stir up the people against them and they
will be led to be viewed as the cause of these "judgments" and great persecution
will follow them. This will result in their complete suspension of all buying
and selling in an attempt to force them into submission. (Rev. 13:17) But their
voices raised speak with a power that many will not be able to deny. They will
hear in their warning the voice of God and will leave these fallen churches.
(Rev. 14:9-11 & 18:4,5) Sometime after this, the probation for the wicked
persecutors will close, and just as in Noah’s day the door to the spiritual
“ark” will again be sealed shut. God's people will be sealed inside, the
wicked marked for total destruction... then will be seen the scenes of “great
tribulation” (Dan. 12:1) as have never been nor ever shall be, and the final
plagues of God will be poured out without mixture on the wicked. (Rev. 16)
I believe that the "Katrina" and "Rita"
hurricanes were a set of "pre-judgments" or direct acts of God. Their purpose
being to warn and correct. This is not an easy conclusion for some, but there is
much evidence for this. God has no joy in his punishment of the wicked, and
every person who survived, is a living testimony to the fact that these
“pre-judgments” will be mixed with mercy. After the close of probation, no such
mixture is granted.
If Katrina was a “pre-judgment” from God
beginning a rapidly occurring, final series of judgments, as I am convinced that
it was, then we have but a very short time until not only the next
“pre-judgment,” but the National Sunday laws will be coming very soon. (There
is also some evidence that the earthquake/tsunami in Indonesia was also a
“pre-judgment”, however I lack knowledge of that area of the world, so I cannot
make a case for the tsunami at this time.) Pay attention to the interval of time
between these great events unfolding before our eyes. We have no time to waste
in the service for God. Our churches need revival, and only the “straight
testimony” will bring that about, as well as “the shaking.” We desperately need
the “straight testimony” to go out in Holy boldness warning our family, friends,
church-members, and the world of the events that are not only about to transpire
in short order, but have already started.
Please read the following short story. A
detailed outline of evidence follows.
Lightning from the Earth
The tower bell of Old St. Mary's on California
Street rang out five times on the still, cool air. It promised to be another
beautiful day for San Francisco; there was no fog that morning and the streets
were quiet. The dance halls at the Barbary Coast and the houses of ill fame on
Pacific Street had closed shop for the night, as a few drunken stragglers made
their way home. A city, forgetting its sins, was beginning to arise.
It was
Wednesday, April 18, 1906; at 5:08 the streetlights dimmed and went out. A few
cable cars and overhead trolleys had already left the streetcar barns to begin a
new day. At 5:12, Police Sergeant Jesse Cook stopped at the corner of Washington
and Davis to chat with Al Levy, a young worker in the fresh produce district
that stood two blocks back of the waterfront. The clocks on the tower of the
Ferry Building said that it was 5:15-they were running a little fast that
morning. But it would be months before they would run again.
For at that instant the earthquake struck.
Leaping out of the sea at seven thousand miles
an hour, like some gigantic animal, it first tore out the Point Arena
Lighthouse, ninety miles north of San Francisco. And then it sprang southward.
Moving rapidly, it unsheathed its bolts of earthen lightning—and sent them into
the City by the Bay.
The animals sensed it first, as the horses
shifted and whinnied. Jesse Cook, later to become police commissioner, heard
behind him a deep rumbling. It was strangely distant. "Deep and terrible," he
later called it. Turning, he looked up the hill of Washington Street—and saw it
coming toward him. "The whole street was undulating. It was as if the waves of
the ocean were coming toward me, and billowing as they came." Packing more power
than all the explosives of World War II, the quake hit the city in full force.
Compression waves flowed beneath streets, buildings, and people. Earth-waves,
two and three feet high, rolled in on the city.
In the next moment, Cook saw both men and
animals crushed beneath falling brick walls.
Over on Market street, the business hub of the
city, a man ran into the middle of the street: " 'Keep to the middle of the
street, Mac!' I shouted to one of my friends. . I was thrown prone on my back
and the pavement pulsated like a living thing. Around me the huge buildings,
looming up more terrible because of the queer dance they were performing,
wobbled and veered. Crash followed crash and resounded on all sides. Screeches
rent the air as terrified humanity streamed out into the open in an agony of
despair."
The shock only lasted 65 to 75 seconds—but it
seemed an eternity. The dance of death toppled towers and chimneys, crumpled
rows of wood frame houses, threw cornices and walls into the streets, sunk
buildings into the ground, twisted steel rails, bridges and pipelines.
The deafening roar produced by the quake was
intense. John B. Farish, a mining engineer in town on business, awoke in the St.
Francis Hotel. "I was awakened by a loud rumbling noise. . [and] a concussion,
similar to that caused by the nearby explosion of a huge blast, shook the
building to its foundations. .And then began a series of the liveliest motions
imaginable, . . followed by tremendous crashes as the cornices of adjoining
buildings and chimneys tottered to the ground.',"
Within seventeen minutes, nearly fifty fires
were reported in the downtown area. Fire engines rushed to answer the calls but
found that the water mains were broken. They stared at their hoses. The
resulting conflagration burned down much of the city.
Like
Port Royal in Jamaica, that wicked haunt of pirates and slave-dealers, which
was hit by a powerful earthquake in 1692, San Francisco had been struck down.
Port Royal slid into the sea; San Francisco burned. (see:
The Port Royal Project, and
The Port Royal Project – History (Texas A&M University))
Shortly thereafter, a small lady was taken by
carriage through the city whose destruction she had agonized over. For she had
predicted it. With tear-dimmed eyes she viewed firsthand the results of warnings
given earlier.
"Not long hence these cities will suffer under
the judgments of God. San Francisco and Oakland are becoming as Sodom and
Gomorrah, and the Lord will visit them in wrath." -Manuscript 114, 1902.
Again she had warned:
"1 am bidden to declare the message that cities
full of transgression, and sinful in the extreme, will be destroyed by
earthquakes, by fire, by flood. All the world will be warned that there is a God
who will display His authority."-Manuscript 35, 1906.
Driving amid the stifling stench of the
destruction, she gazed in shock at the terrible judgment. It was but two days
before this devastating disaster that, she saw in a night vision the quake and
the carnage that now lay spread out before her.
"There passed before me a most wonderful
[awesome] representation. During the vision of the night, I stood on an eminence
from which I could see houses shaken like a reed in the wind. Buildings; great
and small, were falling to the ground. Pleasure resorts, theaters, hotels, and
the homes of the wealthy were shaken and shattered. Many lives were blotted out
of existence, and the air was filled with the shrieks of the injured and the
terrified.
"The destroying angels of God were at work. One
touch, and buildings so thoroughly constructed that men regarded them as secure
against every danger quickly became heaps of rubbish. There was no assurance of
safety in anyplace. I did not feel in any special peril but the awfulness of the
scenes that passed before me I cannot find words to describe. It seemed the
forbearance of God was exhausted, and the judgment day had come.
"Terrible as was the presentation that passed
before me; that which impressed itself most vividly upon my mind was the
instruction given in connection with it.
"The angel that stood by my side declared that
God's supreme rulership, and the sacredness of His law must be revealed to those
who persistently refused to render obedience to the King of kings. Those who
choose to remain disloyal, must be visited in mercy with judgments, in order,
that, if possible, they may be aroused to a realization of the sinfulness of
their course."-Manuscript dated April 16, 1906 (Letter 137, 1906, in
Testimonies, Volume 9, page 92).
Awakening from the above vision, she turned on
the light. It was 1:00 am., Monday, April 16. Four years earlier, in 1902, she
had first predicted the devastation of San Francisco. Within 53 hours it was to
take place. '"
490 city blocks were destroyed; 256,000 were
left homeless. Mercifully, only 498 died. Property was destroyed at the rate of
one million dollars every ten minutes by the earthquake and fire following it,
Which burned at times with blast furnace heat, ranging up to 20000 F. Yet she
later warned of still more destruction in the future upon these and other wicked
cities.
"The light given me is that the wickedness in
the cities of San Francisco and Oakland is beyond all imagination. God's wrath
is upon many of the inhabitants of these cities." Manuscript 25,1908.
"'These things make me feel very solemn,
because I know that the judgment day is right upon us. The judgments that have
already come are a warning, but not the finishing, of the punishment that will
come on wicked cities." –Letter 154, 1906.
"I feel sure that San Francisco and Oakland
will again be visited with the judgments of God."-Letter 2,1909.
Seismology—the study of earthquakes —was yet in
its infancy. But warnings given then, are recognized today by leading scientists
as facts to be fulfilled again along the San Andreas Fault.
When a prophet speaks, it comes to pass.
-PROPHET OF THE END, Ch. 1, "Lightning from the
Earth"
According to the Spirit of Prophecy, The Great
San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 was a “pre-judgment” from God. It is clearly
pointed out that more judgments will come to other wicked cities, and that San
Francisco and Oakland will again be visited in judgment from God if they are not
warned, and repent.
"Pre-Judgments"
1.
What is a "pre-judgment?"
1.1.
"Pre-judgment" is a disastrous nature related event that happens before
the main judgment, before the close of probation, and before the final plagues
are poured out. This clearly being a direct act of God in judgment, it's
purpose being "correction." (Job 37) These "pre-judgments" are a mixture of
justice and mercy, unlike the plagues, that are "poured out without mixture."
a)
Natural event
·
Bible evidence:
·
"And there will be famines,
pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.
All these are the beginning of
sorrows." -Matthew 24:6-8
·
"For He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth’;
Likewise to the gentle rain and the heavy rain of His strength.
He seals the hand of every man, That all men may know His work.
The beasts go into dens, And remain in their lairs.
From the chamber of the south comes the whirlwind,
And cold from the scattering winds of the north.
By the breath of God ice is given, And the broad waters are
frozen.
Also with moisture He saturates the thick clouds; He scatters His
bright clouds.
And they swirl about, being turned by His guidance, That
they may do whatever He commands them On the face of the whole earth.
He causes it to come, Whether for correction,
Or for His land, Or for mercy." -Job
37:6-13
·
"But
the LORD sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a
mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up."
-Jonah 1:4
·
"Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind,
and said:" - Job 38:1
·
"The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;
The lightnings lit up the world; The earth trembled and shook.
Your way was in the sea, Your path in the great waters,..."
-Psalm 77:18
·
EGW evidence:
·
"They will point to calamities on land and sea--to the
storms of wind, the floods, the earthquakes,
the destruction by fire--as judgments indicating God's
displeasure..." -Southern Watchman, June 28, 1904. {ChS 155.2}
·
“How frequently we hear of earthquakes and tornadoes,
of destruction by fire and flood, with great loss of life and
property! Apparently these calamities are capricious outbreaks of disorganized,
unregulated forces of nature, wholly beyond the control of man, but in them all
God's purpose may be read. They are among the agencies by which He seeks to
arouse men and women to a sense of their danger.”--PK 277 (c. 1914). {LDE 28.3}
·
At His own will God summons the forces of nature to overthrow the
might of His enemies--"fire, and hail; snow, and vapor; stormy wind fulfilling
His word." Psalm 148:8. When the heathen Amorites had set themselves to resist
His purposes, God interposed, casting down "great stones from heaven" upon the
enemies of Israel. We are told of a greater battle to take place in the closing
scenes of earth's history, when "Jehovah hath opened His armory, and hath
brought forth the weapons of His indignation." Jeremiah 50:25. "Hast thou," he
inquires, "entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the
treasures of the hail, which I have reserved against the time of trouble,
against the day of battle and war?" Job 38:22, 23. {PP 509.3}
b)
Before close of probation
·
"Already a few drops of God's wrath have fallen upon the
earth; but when the seven last plagues shall be poured out without
mixture into the cup of His indignation, then it will be forever too
late to repent, and find shelter." {CET 187.3} (Note: The seven last plagues
signal the end of probation, and that mercy is no more, notice evidence that
a few drops of God's wrath will fall before the close of probation.)
·
"These plagues are not universal, or the inhabitants of the earth
would be wholly cut off. Yet they will be the most awful scourges that have ever
been known to mortals. All the judgments upon men, prior to the
close of probation, have been mingled with mercy. The pleading
blood of Christ has shielded the sinner from receiving the full measure of his
guilt; but in the final judgment, wrath is poured out unmixed with mercy."
{Mar 267.3} (Note: Obviously there will be judgments "prior to the close of
probation." That would be the time we are in now.
·
Even before the last great destruction
comes upon the world, the flattering monuments of man's greatness
will be crumbled in the dust. God's retributive judgments will
fall on those who in the face of great light have continued in sin. Costly
buildings, supposed to be fire-proof, are erected. But as Sodom perished in the
flames of God's vengeance, so will these proud structures become ashes. I have
seen vessels which cost immense sums of money wrestling with the mighty ocean,
seeking to breast the angry billows. But with all their treasures of gold and
silver, and with all their human freight, they sank into a watery grave.
Man's pride will be buried with the treasures he has accumulated by fraud.
God will avenge the widows and orphans who in hunger and nakedness have cried
to Him for relief from oppression. {ST, October 9, 1901 par. 3}
·
God's judgments are abroad in the land. Shall we allow these
things to come upon the world without telling the people the meaning of
these terrible calamities, and how every one
may escape from the wrath to come? Shall we let our
neighbors remain in darkness without a preparation for the future life? Unless
we ourselves realize where we stand, the day of God will come upon us as a
thief. . . . {PM 312.3}
c)
Poured out in a mixture - Justice and mercy
·
"Already a few drops of God's wrath have fallen upon the
earth; but when the seven last plagues shall be
poured out without mixture ..." {CET 187.3} (Note: the few drops
of wrath have had a mixture of mercy, the plagues will have no such mixture of
mercy)
·
"Those who choose to remain disloyal must be visited in
mercy with judgments, in order that, if possible, they may be
aroused to a realization of the sinfulness of their course. {9T 93.3}
(Note: This is what the angel told EGW during her vision regarding the San
Francisco earthquake.)
2.
Are all natural disasters "pre-judgments?"
2.1.
No, some are directly from God, some from Satan (or the withdrawal of
God's divine protection)
a)
God
·
Bible evidence
·
“And
the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in
His heart. 7So
the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the
face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air,
for I am sorry that I have made them.”” - Genesis 6:6 NKJV
·
“And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth,
to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the
breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die.”
-Genesis 6:17
·
“So
He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground:
both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed
from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark
remained alive.” -Genesis 7:23 NKJV
·
“And
the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing,”
-Genesis 18:17 (note: This is Jesus speaking to His angels, in the presence of
Abraham as he walked with them out of his camp, and just prior to the
destruction of Sodom.)
·
“And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and indeed
it is a stiff-necked people! Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath
may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make
of you a great nation.” Then Moses pleaded with the LORD his God, and said:
“LORD, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought
out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the
Egyptians speak, and say, ‘He brought them out to harm them, to kill them
in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn
from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. Remember
Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self,
and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and
all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall
inherit it forever.’” So the LORD relented from the harm which He said
He would do to His people." -Exodus 32:9-14 (note: God's
people/church is not above correction/judgment)
·
“Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way;
and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them,
and He did not do it.” -Jonah 3:10
·
“Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel:
“Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, As I have
punished the king of Assyria." -Jeremiah 50:18
·
"Then the angel of the LORD went out, and killed in the camp
of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when
people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead."
-Isaiah 37:36
·
"Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah ever put him to death?
Did he not fear the LORD and seek the LORD’S favor? And the LORD relented
concerning the doom which He had pronounced against them. But we are
doing great evil against ourselves.” -Jeremiah 26:19 (note: This was a judgment
God was about to bring upon Judah)
·
So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand
men of Israel fell. And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As
he was destroying, the LORD looked and relented of the disaster, and said to the
angel who was destroying, “It is enough; now restrain your hand.” And the angel
of the LORD stood by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. -1 Chronicles
21:14,15
·
“And it happened, as they fled before Israel and were on
the descent of Beth Horon, that the LORD cast down large hailstones from heaven
on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died from
the hailstones than the children of Israel killed with the sword.” -Joshua 10:11
·
“And it shall come to pass at that time that I will search
Jerusalem with lamps, And punish the men who are settled in complacency,
who say in their heart, ‘The LORD will not do good, nor will He do evil.’
Therefore their goods shall become booty, and their houses a desolation;
They shall build houses, but not inhabit them; They shall plant
vineyards, but not drink their wine.” - Zephaniah 1:12,13
·
"Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for a light
by day, The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night,
Who disturbs the sea, And its waves roar (The LORD of hosts is
His name):"-Jeremiah 31:35 (note the same wording as in Matthew 24 "the sea and
the waves roaring")
·
I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and
create calamity; I, the LORD, do all these things.’ -Isaiah 45:7
·
EGW evidence
·
“The destroying angels of God were at work.”
-Manuscript dated April 16, 1906 (Letter 137, 1906, in Testimonies, Volume 9,
page 92). (Note: This is from her vision regarding the San Francisco
earthquake, also note: that these scenes were to be repeated, see below.)
·
"As we near the close of this earth's history, we shall have
the scenes of the San Francisco calamity repeated in other places. . . .
These things make me feel very solemn because I know that the judgment day is
right upon us. The judgments that have already come are a warning, but not the
finishing, of the punishment that will come on wicked cities. . . ." {LDE
114.4}(note: Notice the word “places” would indicate more than one occurrence of
this great calamity.)
·
He will visit transgressors in wrath for persistent
disregard of His law." {9T 93.2}(Note: This is from her vision regarding the
San Francisco earthquake.)
·
If Heaven's Warnings Go Unheeded.--I am bidden to declare the
message that cities full of transgression, and sinful in the extreme, will be
destroyed by earthquakes, by fire, by flood. All the world will be warned
that there is a God who will display His authority as God. His unseen agencies
will cause destruction, devastation, and death. All the accumulated
riches will be as nothingness. . . . {Ev 27.2}
·
The crisis is fast approaching. The time for God's
visitation has about come. Although loth to punish, nevertheless He
will punish, and that speedily. {CET 186.3}
·
“But his (Pharaoh's) determined stubbornness called
for still greater manifestations of the power of God, and plague
followed plague, until at last he was called to look upon the dead face of his
own first born, and those of his kindred; while the children of Israel,
whom he had regarded as slaves, were unharmed by the plagues, untouched by the
destroying angel.” -{CC 89.4}(note: This is in reference to
Pharaoh, also the Destroying angel here is an angel of God)
·
“As the violence of the storm increased, trees, buildings, rocks,
and earth were hurled in every direction. The terror of man and beast was beyond
description. Above the roar of the tempest was heard the wailing of a people
that had despised the authority of God. Satan himself, who was compelled
to remain in the midst of the warring elements, feared for his own existence.”
{PP 99.3}(note: Satan is obviously not always in charge of natural disasters.)
·
At His own will God summons the forces of nature to
overthrow the might of His enemies--"fire, and hail; snow, and
vapor; stormy wind fulfilling His word." Psalm 148:8. When the
heathen Amorites had set themselves to resist His purposes, God
interposed, casting down "great stones from heaven" upon the enemies of
Israel. We are told of a greater battle to take place in the closing
scenes of earth's history, when "Jehovah hath opened His armory, and
hath brought forth the weapons of His indignation." Jeremiah 50:25. "Hast thou,"
he inquires, "entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the
treasures of the hail, which I have reserved against the time of trouble,
against the day of battle and war?" Job 38:22, 23. {PP 509.3}
b)
Satan
·
There is plenty of bible and EGW evidence stating Satan can and
will cause plenty of destruction and that is not the focus of this study.
3.
What is "God's Purpose in Calamities?" (LDE 27.4)
3.1.
Bible evidence:
a)
"He causes it to come, whether for correction, or for
His land, or for mercy." - Job 37:13 NKJV (read all of Job 37 for
more)
·
Correction and judgment are the same.
·
Bible evidence:
·
"...You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You
have marked them for correction." -Habakkuk 1:12 NKJV
b)
EGW evidence
·
The judgments that have already come are a warning,
but not the finishing, of the punishment that will come on wicked cities. . .
." {LDE 114.4}
·
The plagues of God are already falling upon the earth,
sweeping away the most costly structures as if by a breath of fire from heaven.
Will not these judgments bring professing Christians to their senses?
God permits them to come that the world may take heed, that sinners
may be afraid and tremble before Him.--3MR 311 (1902). {LDE 28.1}
·
“God has a purpose in permitting these calamities to occur.
They are one of His means of calling men and women to their senses. By unusual
workings through nature God will express to doubting human agencies that which
He clearly reveals in His Word.” --19MR 279 (1902). {LDE 28.2}
·
How frequently we hear of earthquakes and tornadoes, of
destruction by fire and flood, with great loss of life and property! Apparently
these calamities are capricious outbreaks of disorganized, unregulated forces of
nature, wholly beyond the control of man, but in them all God's purpose
may be read. They are among the agencies by which He seeks to arouse men
and women to a sense of their danger.--PK 277 (c. 1914). {LDE 28.3}
·
"Those who choose to remain disloyal must be visited in mercy
with judgments, in order that, if possible, they may be
aroused to a realization of the sinfulness of their course. " {9T 93.3}
·
The Time of God's Judgments a Time of Opportunity for the
Unwarned--The time of God's destructive judgments is the time of mercy for
those who have no opportunity to learn what is truth. Tenderly will the
Lord look upon them. His heart of mercy is touched; His hand is still stretched
out to save, while the door is closed to those who would not enter.
Large numbers will be admitted who in these last days hear the truth for the
first time.--Letter 103, 1903, p. 4. (To G. B. Starr and wife, June 3,
1903.)
·
“In tender compassion God himself is speaking to an
impenitent world through judgments; and he will continue to speak in this manner.”
{RH, July 5, 1906 par. 7}
·
“The Lord is soon to come. In fire and flood and earthquake,
he is warning the inhabitants of this earth of his soon approach. O,
that the people may know the time of their visitation!” {RH, May 24, 1906 par.
19}
·
“God's judgments are abroad in the land. Shall we allow
these things to come upon the world without telling the people the meaning of
these terrible calamities, and how every one may escape from the wrath to come?
Shall we let our neighbors remain in darkness without a preparation for the
future life? Unless we ourselves realize where we stand, the day of God will
come upon us as a thief. . . .” {PM 312.3}
4.
Why does God use natural disasters for judgments?
4.1.
God uses natural disasters because He is the God of creation. By using
nature as a tool for judgments men cannot claim that it is from man.
a)
Bible evidence
·
“Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I
am the LORD your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to
shame.” - Joel 2:27
b)
EGW evidence
·
“God has a purpose in permitting these calamities to occur. They
are one of His means of calling men and women to their senses. By unusual
workings through nature God will express to doubting human agencies that which
He clearly reveals in His Word.” --19MR 279 (1902). {LDE 28.2}
5.
Will we know these "pre-judgments" are coming?
5.1.
Bible evidence
a)
"And
you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for
all these things must come to pass,
but the end is not yet.
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom
against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in
various places.
All these are the beginning of sorrows."
-Matthew 24:6-8
b)
"His thunder declares it, the cattle also, concerning the rising storm."
-Job 36:33 (note: thunder is used as a representation of God's voice all over
the Bible)
5.2.
EGW evidence
a)
"Those who walk in the light will see signs of the approaching
peril..."{CET 186.3}
b)
"You knew of these terrible judgments that were
coming. We were associated together, but you did not tell us. Why
did you not warn us, that we might have escaped?" May God help us
that we may not have upon our garments, because of our neglect, the blood of
souls! {RH, August 15, 1907 par. 13} (note: this is what those that
receive of these “pre-judgments” say to God's people)
6.
Who do these judgments fall on?
a)
Wicked cities
·
Bible evidence
·
"But
the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against
the LORD." -Genesis 13:13
·
"So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the
LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in
extent." -Jonah 3:3
·
"Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the
ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on
themselves." -Romans 13:2
·
EGW evidence
·
"The angel that stood at my side then instructed me that but
few have any conception of the wickedness existing in our world today,
and especially the wickedness in the large cities. He
declared that the Lord has appointed a time when He will visit transgressors
in wrath for persistent disregard of His law." {9T 93.2}(Note: This
is from her vision regarding the San Francisco earthquake.)
·
"As we near the close of this earth's history, we shall have the
scenes of the San Francisco calamity repeated in other places. . . . These
things make me feel very solemn because I know that the judgment day is right
upon us. The judgments that have already come are a warning, but not the
finishing, of the punishment that will come on wicked cities. . .
." {LDE 114.4}
·
If Heaven's Warnings Go Unheeded.--I am bidden to declare the
message that cities full of transgression, and sinful in the
extreme, will be destroyed by earthquakes, by fire, by
flood. All the world will be warned that there is a God who will display His
authority as God. His unseen agencies will cause destruction, devastation, and
death. All the accumulated riches will be as nothingness. . . . {Ev 27.2}
·
“The Lord will not suddenly cast off all transgressors or destroy
entire nations; but He will punish cities and places where men have given
themselves up to the possession of Satanic agencies. Strictly will
the cities of the nations be dealt with, and yet they will not be
visited in the extreme of God's indignation, because some souls will yet break
away from the delusions of the enemy, and will repent and be converted, while
the mass will be treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath.”--Manuscript 35,
1906.
b)
Those who say "peace and safety."
·
Bible evidence:
·
"For
when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction
comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And
they shall not escape. " -1 Thessalonians 5:3 NKJV (note: When a nation
"says" something, they say it with laws, or with force. The US has actively
deployed forces in the war on terrorism, their goal being "peace and safety."
7.
What are some Conditions in the cities that bring on “pre-judgments?”
7.1.
Bible evidence
a)
““As
I live,” says the Lord GOD, “neither your sister Sodom nor her daughters have
done as you and your daughters have done. Look, this was the iniquity of
your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride,
fullness of food, and abundance of idleness;
neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were
haughty and committed abomination before Me;
therefore I took them away as I saw fit.” -Ezekiel 16:48-50
7.2.
EGW evidence
a)
“There is coming, rapidly and surely, an almost universal guilt upon the
inhabitants of the great cities because of the steady increase of
determined wickedness. ... As in the days before the Flood, so now
the time is right upon us when the Lord God must reveal His omnipotent power. .
. .” {HP 345.2}
b)
God's Spirit Gradually Withdrawn.--The days in which we live are solemn
and important. The Spirit of God is gradually but surely being withdrawn from
the earth. Plagues and judgments are already falling upon the despisers
of the grace of God. The calamities by land and sea, the unsettled
state of society, the alarms of war, are portentous. They forecast approaching
events of the greatest magnitude. {Ev 31.5}
c)
“The cities of today are fast becoming like Sodom and Gomorrah.
Holidays are numerous; the whirl of excitement and pleasure attracts thousands
from the sober duties of life. The exciting sports--theatergoing, horse
racing, gambling, liquor drinking and reveling--stimulate every passion to
activity.” {9T 89.2} (note: What would her examples be today?)
d)
“The Lord will not suddenly cast off all transgressors or destroy entire
nations; but He will punish cities and places where men have given
themselves up to the possession of Satanic agencies. Strictly
will the cities of the nations be dealt with, and yet they will not be visited
in the extreme of God's indignation, because some souls will yet break away from
the delusions of the enemy, and will repent and be converted, while the mass
will be treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath.”--Manuscript 35, 1906.
e)
“Terrible as was the representation that passed before me, that which
impressed itself most vividly upon my mind was the instruction given in
connection with it. The angel that stood by my side declared that God's supreme
rulership, and the sacredness of His law, must be revealed to those who
persistently refuse to render obedience to the King of kings. Those
who choose to remain disloyal must be visited in mercy with judgments, in order
that, if possible, they may be aroused to a realization of the sinfulness of
their course.”-- Testimonies, vol. 9, p. 92. (1909)
f)
“The angel that stood by my side then instructed me that but few have any
conception of the wickedness existing in our world today, and especially the
wickedness in the large cities. He declared that the Lord has appointed a time
when He will visit transgressors in wrath for persistent disregard
of His law.” {Ev 28.3}
8.
When do these "pre-judgments" start?
8.1.
Once the cup of iniquity is full.
a)
Bible evidence
·
“But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for
the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” -Genesis 15:16
(note: God told this to Abraham 400 years before it happened.)
·
”And
the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and
because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they
have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me;
and if not, I will know.”” -Genesis 18:20,21 (note: Jesus came down to see it
for himself.)
·
“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it;
for their wickedness has come up before Me.” -Jonah 1:2
b)
EGW evidence
·
Had the antediluvians believed the warning, and repented of their
evil deeds, the Lord would have turned aside His wrath, as He afterward did from
Nineveh. But by their obstinate resistance to the reproofs of conscience and
the warnings of God's prophet, that generation filled up the measure
of their iniquity, and became ripe for destruction. {PP 97.2}
·
The flames that consumed the cities of the plain shed their
warning light down even to our time. We are taught the fearful and solemn
lesson that while God's mercy bears long with the transgressor, there is a
limit beyond which men may not go on in sin. When that limit is
reached, then the offers of mercy are withdrawn, and the ministration of
judgment begins. {CC 53.2}
8.2.
They start during a time when "peace and safety" is being pursued.
a)
Bible evidence:
·
"For
when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction
comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not
escape. " -1 Thessalonians 5:3 NKJV (note: The war on terrorism is in the name
of peace and safety.)
b)
EGW evidence
·
"The world, full of rioting, full of godless pleasure, is asleep,
asleep in carnal security. Men are putting afar off the coming of the Lord. They
laugh at warnings. The proud boast is made, "All things continue as they were
from the beginning." "Tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant." 2
Peter 3:4; Isa. 56:12. We will go deeper into pleasure loving. But Christ says,
"Behold, I come as a thief." Rev. 16:15. At the very time when the world
is asking in scorn, "Where is the promise of His coming?" the signs are
fulfilling. While they cry, "Peace and safety," sudden destruction is coming.
When the scorner, the rejecter of truth, has become presumptuous; when the
routine of work in the various money-making lines is carried on without regard
to principle; when the student is eagerly seeking knowledge of everything but
his Bible, Christ comes as a thief." {DA 635.3}
8.3.
Some of these judgments have already started to fall.
a)
EGW evidence
·
God's Spirit Gradually Withdrawn.--The days in which we live are
solemn and important. The Spirit of God is gradually but surely being withdrawn
from the earth. Plagues and judgments are already falling upon the
despiser's of the grace of God. The calamities by land and sea, the
unsettled state of society, the alarms of war, are portentous. They forecast
approaching events of the greatest magnitude. {Ev 31.5}
9.
How close together are these "pre-judgments?"
9.1.
Bible evidence:
a)
"For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction
comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall
not escape." -1 Thessalonians 5:3 NKJV
9.2.
EGW evidence
a)
"These calamities will increase more and more, one disaster will
follow close upon the heels of another..." -Southern Watchman, June 28,
1904. {ChS 155.2}
b)
"We are standing on the threshold of the crisis of the ages. In
quick succession the judgments of God will follow one another,--fire,
and flood, and earthquake, with war and bloodshed. We are not to be surprised at
this time by events both great and decisive; for the angel of mercy cannot
remain much longer to shelter the impenitent.-- Prophets and Kings, p. 278."
{ChS 51.1}
c)
The time is nearing when the great crisis in the history of the world
will have come, when every movement in the government of God will be watched
with intense interest and inexpressible apprehension. In quick succession
the judgments of God will follow one another,--fire and flood and
earthquakes, with war and bloodshed. Something great and decisive will soon of
necessity take place. {BCL 65.1}
d)
Calamities will come--calamities most awful, most unexpected; and these
destructions will follow one after another. If there will be a
heeding of the warnings that God has given, and if churches will repent,
returning to their allegiance, then other cities may be spared for a time. But
if men who have been deceived continue in the same way in which they have been
walking, disregarding the law of God, and presenting falsehoods before the
people, God allows them to suffer calamity, that their senses may be awakened.
{CL 7.5}
e)
“Even now he is at work. In accidents and calamities by sea and by land,
in great conflagrations, in fierce tornadoes and terrific hailstorms, in
tempests, floods, cyclones, tidal waves, and earthquakes, in every place and in
a thousand forms, Satan is exercising his power. He sweeps away the ripening
harvest, and famine and distress follow. He imparts to the air a deadly taint,
and thousands perish by the pestilence. These visitations are to become
more and more frequent and disastrous. Destruction will be upon both man
and beast. "The earth mourneth and fadeth away," "The haughty people . . . do
languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they
have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting
covenant." Isaiah 24:4, 5. {CH 461.1}
10.How many
cities will be affected?
10.1.
Bible evidence
a)
"Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of
the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give
her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath." -Revelation 16:19
(note: "cities" (more than one)
10.2.
EGW evidence
a)
"O that God's people had a sense of the impending destruction of
thousands of cities, now almost given to idolatry."--Ev 29 (1903). {LDE
111.4}
11.What are
the conditions for an event to be a “pre-judgment” and not just another natural
disaster?
11.1.
Poured out on the wicked. (see # - Who do these “pre-judgments” fall on?)
a)
Does not kill God's true children.
b)
Bible evidence
·
“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” -Genesis
6:8 NKJV
·
“Then the LORD said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your
household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me
in this generation.” -Genesis 7:1
·
The righteous were spared at Sodom. (Lot and his family) -Genesis
13 (note: not all who claim to be righteous are, as in Lot's wife)
c)
EGW evidence
·
“When the Lord comes forth as an avenger, He will also come as
a protector of all those who have preserved the faith in its purity, and kept
themselves unspotted from the world.” {CET 187.1}
·
“Earthquakes, hurricanes, flame,
and flood cannot injure those who are prepared to meet their Saviour in
peace.” {8MR 347.5}
·
“God made it evident upon whom rested His favor, who were His
people.” {CC 89.4}
·
What mean the accidents by land...The Lord will not
interfere to protect the property of those who transgress His law, break His
covenant, and trample upon His Sabbath, accepting in its place a spurious rest
day. {LDE 27.4} }(note: God will protect his children as well as
their possessions during this time of “pre-judgments” just as he did with
the children of Israel in the land of Goshen.
d)
Other evidence:
·
“But what of Seventh-day Adventists and Adventist Church
properties in San Francisco? While there were a few injuries,
no lives were lost. The treatment rooms, sometimes referred to as the
branch sanitarium, superintended by Dr. Lamb at 1436 Market Street, were housing
some patients. When the earthquake struck, the brick walls fell away from the
building, but the patients, uninjured, were soon placed in the custody of
relatives. The vegetarian cafeteria at 755 Market Street and the health-food
store at 1482 Market withstood the quake but in a few hours were swept by
flames. The building on Howard Street that housed a number of denominational
workers went up in flames. A number of Adventists lost their homes.”
{6BIO 85.3}
·
“The new post office and some of the largest stores in the town
had been leveled to the ground--totally destroyed. Other buildings were badly
wrecked. And when we saw the fallen walls of the Pacific Press, we were sad
at heart; but we could not help rejoicing over the fact that no lives
were lost.”--Ms 45, 1906, pp. 1, 2. ("A Visit to Mountain View,
California," May 6, 1906.) {5MR 110.2} (also note: part of the Seventh Day
Adventist church Pacific Press were damaged. If you place your institutions or
make your homes near or in large wicked cities they will be damaged or you will
lose them.)
·
“It’s been reported that at least fifteen Adventist churches in
New Orleans and surrounding areas are under water but no Adventist
families have suffered casualties." -Adventist Community Services (http://www.communityservices.org/national_002.html)
(This qoute from ACS is amazingly similar to those in SOP listed above.)
12.Is there
anything man can do to stay these “pre-judgments?”
12.1.
Bible evidence
a)
"For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes
upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not
escape." -1 Thessalonians 5:3 NKJV
12.2.
EGW evidence
a)
"Calamities will come--calamities most awful, most unexpected; and these
destructions will follow one after another. If there will be a heeding of
the warnings that God has given, and if churches will repent, returning to their
allegiance, then other cities may be spared for a time. But if men who
have been deceived continue in the same way in which they have been walking,
disregarding the law of God, and presenting falsehoods before the people, God
allows them to suffer calamity, that their senses may be awakened." {CL 7.5}
13.Will
some judgments be worse than others?
13.1.
Yes
a)
Bible evidence
·
"According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay,
fury to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; the coastlands He will fully
repay." -Isaiah 59:18
b)
EGW evidence
·
"The end is near and every city is to be turned upside down
every way. There will be confusion in every city. Everything that can be shaken
is to be shaken and we do not know what will come next. The judgments will
be according to the wickedness of the people and the light of truth that they
have had."--1MR 248 (1902). {LDE 111.3}
14.What are
some examples of warnings?
14.1.
Bible evidence
a)
"Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits; and the kings
of Sodom and Gomorrah fled; some fell there, and
the remainder fled to the mountains. Then they took all the
goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and
went their way. They also took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son who dwelt in Sodom,
and his goods, and departed." -Genesis 14:10-12 (note: Notice this is a
“pre-judgment” against Sodom, they were conquered, and all their “goods” and
“provisions were taken, as well as some that died, some fled, and some were
taken as captives. You can see Sodom did not regard the “pre-judgment” sent in
warning against them, and were fully destroyed later. Also take note how this
applies to today, Lot (a man of God) went right back to Sodom as well, and did
not take notice of the “pre-judgment.”)
b)
"and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned
them to destruction, making them an example to those who
afterward would live ungodly;" -2 Peter 2:6 (note: The destruction of
Sodom was not only a direct judgment of God against them, but it is also a
warning to others.)
c)
"Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty
works had been done, because they did not repent:
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if
the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they
would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for
Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.
And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven,
will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you
had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”" -Matthew
11:20-24 (note: Even Jesus took time to warn the cities.)
d)
“And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was
Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in
Christ. Now as he reasoned about righteousness,
self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was
afraid and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call
for you.” -Acts 24:24,25
e)
"By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet
seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his
household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the
righteousness which is according to faith." -Hebrews 11:7,8
f)
"Then Jeremiah spoke to all the princes and all the people, saying:
“The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city with all
the words that you have heard. Now therefore, amend your ways and your doings,
and obey the voice of the LORD your God; then the LORD will relent concerning
the doom that He has pronounced against you. As for me, here I am, in
your hand; do with me as seems good and proper to you. But know for certain
that if you put me to death, you will surely bring innocent blood on yourselves,
on this city, and on its inhabitants; for truly the LORD has sent me to you to
speak all these words in your hearing.”" -Jeremiah 26:12-15 (note: Don't
shoot the messenger)
g)
"I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved
children I warn you." -1 Corinthians 4:14
h)
"Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly,
comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all." -1
Thessalonians 5:14
i)
"Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not
lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as
were some of them. As it is written,
“The people sat down to eat
and drink, and rose up to play.” Nor let us commit sexual immorality,
as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt
Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor
complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written
for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come." -1
Corinthians 10:6-11
j)
“Him we preach, warning every man and
teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man
perfect in Christ Jesus.” -Colossians 1:28
14.2.
EGW evidence
a)
"San Francisco and Oakland are becoming as Sodom and Gomorrah,
and the Lord will visit them. Not far hence they will suffer under His
judgments." --Ms 30, 1903. {LDE 114.1}
b)
"The great earthquake of San Francisco is to be followed by
earthquakes in other places. We need not be surprised if after a time
Oakland should become so wicked that calamities will fall on this city also.
Those who do not believe that the Lord is coming soon are building without
stopping to consider why the Lord wiped out a greater part of the city of San
Francisco; but the leading men of San Francisco are no pattern for us to
follow. {SpTB09 37.2,3}
c)
"The light given me is that the wickedness in the cities of San
Francisco and Oakland is beyond all imagination. God's wrath is upon many of the
inhabitants of these cities." -Manuscript 25,1908.
d)
If Heaven's Warnings Go Unheeded.--I am bidden to declare
the message that cities full of transgression, and sinful in the extreme,
will be destroyed by earthquakes, by fire, by flood.
All the world will be warned that there is a God who will display His authority
as God. His unseen agencies will cause destruction, devastation, and death. All
the accumulated riches will be as nothingness. . . . {4MR 90.5}
e)
"The Lord, in his great mercy, does not bring judgments upon the
earth without giving warning to its inhabitants by the mouth of his servants.
Says the prophet Amos, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he
revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." [AMOS 3:7.]
When the iniquity of the antediluvians moved him to bring a flood of waters upon
the earth, he first made known to them his purpose, that they might have
opportunity to turn from their evil ways. For a hundred and twenty years
was sounded in their ears the warning to repent, lest the wrath of God be
manifested in their destruction. But the message seemed to them an idle
tale, and they believed it not. From unbelief they proceeded to scorn and
contempt, ridiculing the warning as highly improbable, and unworthy of their
notice. Emboldened in their wickedness, they mocked the messenger of God, made
light of his entreaties, and even accused him of presumption. How dare one man
stand up against all the great men of the earth? If Noah's message were true,
why did not all the world see it and believe it? One man's assertion against the
wisdom of thousands! They would not credit the warning, nor would they seek
shelter in the ark." {4SP 208.2}
f)
"Had the antediluvians believed the warning, and repented of their evil
deeds, the Lord would have turned aside His wrath, as He afterward did from
Nineveh. But by their obstinate resistance to the reproofs of conscience
and the warnings of God's prophet, that generation filled up the measure
of their iniquity, and became ripe for destruction." {PP 97.2}
g)
"The Lord gives warnings to the inhabitants of the earth,
as in the Chicago fire and the fires in Melbourne, London, and
the city of New York.--Ms 127, 1897." {LDE 111.2}
15.Were the
hurricanes Katrina and Rita "pre-judgments?"
15.1.
Bible evidence
a)
"A noise will come to the ends of the earth—For the LORD has a
controversy with the nations; He will plead His case with all flesh.
He will give those who are wicked to the sword,’ says the LORD.”
Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Behold, disaster shall go
forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up
from the farthest parts of the earth." -Jeremiah 25:31,32
b)
"The waters saw You, O God; The waters saw You, they were afraid; The
depths also trembled.
The clouds poured out water; The skies sent out a sound; Your
arrows also flashed about.
The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;
The lightnings lit up the world; The earth trembled and shook.
Your way was in the sea, Your path in the great waters,
And Your footsteps were not known." -Psalm 77:16-19
c)
"You will be punished by the LORD of hosts with thunder and
earthquake and great noise, with storm and tempest and the flame
of devouring fire." -Isaiah 29:6
d)
"The coastlands saw it and feared, the ends of the earth
were afraid; they drew near and came. Everyone helped his
neighbor, and said to his brother, “Be of good courage!”" -Isaiah 41:5,6
e)
"According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay, fury
to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; the
coastlands He will fully repay." -Isaiah 59:18
15.2.
EGW evidence
a)
The Judgments of God on our Cities - "The time is near when large
cities will be swept away, and all should be warned of these coming
judgments."--Ev 29 (1910). {LDE 111.5}
b)
"We should let it be well understood that we regard this
terrible calamity as the stroke of an offended God, because His treasure has
been lavishly spent to glorify self. Let our works be such that men
can see that we are but sojourners here; that we are seeking a better country,
even a heavenly." {SpTB09 37.4} (note: this is in reference to the 1906
earthquake) Many rich, lavish casino's and hotels were completely destroyed by
these two hurricanes, not to mention the oil platforms of some of the richest
corporations in the world.
15.3.
Other evidence
a)
KATRINA: STORM OF A GENERATION - "When you have been watching weather
patterns for as long as I have 30+ years, since childhood), it becomes less
likely that a storm will "impress" you." "...so many extreme events have come
and gone in my 30 years of weather fascination, that it takes something
very bizarre to impress me. Well, Katrina has made that fateful
list. She replaces Camille (whom I tracked as a kid living in Philly
back in the summer of 1969) as the foremost hurricane of my generation. I look
for her name To be retired from the National Hurricane library. Never again will
a storm be named Katrina." "...My take on Katrina, the hurricane of my
lifetime!" - (http://www.wsaz.com/tony_cavalier.php)
Tony Cavalier, WSAZ Newschannel 3, Chief Meteorologist
b)
Fires Hit Galveston's Historic District - "Wind from Hurricane
Rita whipped up dramatic fires in this city's historic Strand District and parts
of Houston, sending out swirls of sparkling embers even as rain poured down in
sheets. One building was nearly destroyed in Galveston; two others appeared
heavily damaged. A burning electric pole was lying on one of the buildings. "It
was like a war zone, shooting fire across the street," Fire Chief Michael Varela
said early Saturday. ...The Strand District includes historic buildings, night
clubs and shops. It is the site of a massive Mardi Gras celebration
and an annual Charles Dickens festival." -(http://www.kplctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3892816)
Pam Easton - Associated Press Writer
16.Was the
lesson from a "pre-judgment" learned?
16.1.
Was the “pre-judgment” lesson learned at Sodom before it's destruction?
Obviously not.
16.2.
Was the “pre-judgment” lesson learned in San Francisco? Apparently not...
a)
"I feel sure that San Francisco and Oakland will again be
visited with the judgments of God."-Letter 2,1909.
16.3.
Consider the following articles...
a)
Don't give up your Mardi Gras plans
"Over the last week I've heard several national news reporters state that there
would probably not be a Mardi Gras next year. It's obvious to me that these
individuals know little about New Orleanians. If there were only two
people left in the city, next year on
Mardi Gras day one would be on the street throwing beads and the other
would be on the sidewalk catching them. That's just the way it is in New
Orleans." -New Orleans for Visitors (http://goneworleans.about.com/)
(Note: Notice what God says about Sodom: "Then he (Abraham) said, “Let not
the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found
there?”[righteous within the city] And He said, “I will not destroy it for
the sake of ten.”" - Genesis 18:32-33
b)
Reuters - Strippers Help Tease Back New Orleans Night Life - “In a sign
that things may be returning to normal in New Orleans, strip shows are back in
the city's famous French Quarter. Erotic dancers and strippers are entertaining
crowds of police, firefighters and military personnel instead of the usual
audiences of drunken conventioneers and tourists in Bourbon Street's Deja Vu
club, which reopened this week. - (Reuters-Yahoo
- Strippers help tease back New Orleans nightlife)
c)
The Party Must Go On - After being almost wiped off the face of the
earth, New Orleans is proving remarkably adept at bouncing back: residents are
returning to their homes, bars are reopening and rumor has it that even the
prostitutes are back in business. But can the city ever really get back to
normal?...The Return of Sin - One of the men at the bar
announced that there are rumors that the first prostitutes have come back to
town. "Even sin returns," he says. His colleagues hoot.
The return of prostitutes to the Big Easy, on Day 17 after Katrina, is a
good sign. - (http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,375138,00.html)
- Matthias Gebauer SPIEGEL ONLINE – September 16, 2005, 07:21 PM
17.If
Katrina was a "pre-judgment" why is it important?
17.1. &nb | 
