Hurricanes and other 'natural' disasters C/A

Actually ...

The NOBTS site is up - just too many people hitting it at the same time ... and it has been up for some time. They had an arial picture of the seminary campus.

 

Hello dianetavegia.

Did the city lay on transport for the poor before the storm struck and if so was there places of safety prepared for them to go to?

john.

 

Why do we in arrogance (I am not accusing anyone in particular here) question God in this matter? Who can know the mind of the Lord? Is not God just in all His doings? The fact is, that this entire counry, no this entire world, is one huge cess pool of sin and depravity. Mankind is deserving of God's judgemnt each breath he takes but God is longsuffering and allows man to continue.

Remember Job and the tragedy that befell him. Job eventually came to the point where he began to question why God sent the tragedies upon him that He did.

God answers Job with a seires of questions that Job cold not answer. He shows Job that He is wonderful and mighty beyond the understanding of man and that He is right all the time. But not only that he is right all the time, but that His goodness always has a purpose, though we as men do not always understand that purpose.

Was Katrina God's judment? Why then did the righteous suffer along with the unregnerate? The point is we don't know the purposes of God but one and that is He will be glorified in all His doings.

Yes the wicked suffered, but also the righeous and in both God is accomplishing His perfect will.

Let us stand in awe of His wonder and delight in His power and bow oursevelve before His perfect ways. Who can know the mind of the Lord?

We don't know why God sent Katrina or other natural disasters, but we do know that we are to glorify Him in all He does. We do know we ought to love our neihgbors that are suffering so terribly. We do know we ought to testify of the goodness of God and share the Gospel of grace to fallen humaninty. Certainly God will use this tragedy to bring glory to Himself, certainly there are many in His harvest that He will gather to Himself during this time.

Let us pray that His will be done.

 

monergist, whatever,

Great posts!

Everybody,

There is a certain wrath to come. Meager storms are as nothing. Sometimes God causes such things as storms to bring people to Him.

God may storm the earth as He pleases.

For Christians, death is the door to life. Where is it's sting? Are we afraid of our future glory? What has this earth to offer? God may require our lives at any time He wills.

We all can sit here and speak of all these terrible things that an angry God can do to sinful people. Sin is serious with God.

As I was reading over the posts I was reminded, who among us is with any excuse of our own? For ALL have sinned and fall short.

Are we any better than other sinners?

Which of us could have stood and fought against what was due to us? How could we have resisted the wages that we have earned?

Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; as it is written, 'THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE.'"

In Romans 3:10-19 we are told all about the rotten human heart.

We ALL have a sinful nature! We are just as guilty of a sinful inner and outer nature.

Storms, famine, plagues, floods, etc. All of these are as nothing compared to the wrath that God poured out upon His very own Son.

Wasn't this done because of OUR sin? He who had no sin became sin for us. My sin alone was enough to merit the full wrath of God upone ME!

Do we have ANYTHING at all to boast about!

Don't you know that the wrath of God due us has been taken by someone else?

It pleased God to bruise Him.

Scripture says things like;

I give my back to those who beat me and my cheeks to those who pull out my beard. I do not hide from shame, for they mock me and spit in my face.

The people of the earth will die like flies, but my salvation lasts forever. My righteous rule will never end!

Many were amazed when they saw him--beaten and bloodied, so disfigured one would scarcely know he was a person.

Who has believed our message? To whom will the LORD reveal his saving power? My servant grew up in the LORD's presence like a tender green shoot, sprouting from a root in dry and sterile ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected--a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care.
Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God for his own sins! But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed! All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the guilt and sins of us all.

He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. From prison and trial they led him away to his death. But who among the people realized that he was dying for their sins--that he was suffering their punishment? He had done no wrong, and he never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man's grave.

But it was the LORD's good plan to crush him and fill him with grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have a multitude of children, many heirs. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD's plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of what he has experienced, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. I will give him the honors of one who is mighty and great, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among those who were sinners. He bore the sins of many and interceded for sinners.

Oh people! Do not think that we are any better or more deserving of any favor! We were not! We are not!

You are SAVED ONLY by GRACE!

Nothing more! Nothing more!

God bless! KJB

 

For_His Glory,

GREAT POST!

The message we should give to all;

Flee the wrath of God! Take refuge in Jesus Christ!

KJB

 

So, how does this explain the 300 SBC pastors missing and not accounted for? Were they the object of God's wrath?

 

webdog,

In His Fathers house there are many rooms! Certainly enough for 300 pastors!

When God calls home...who will resist? Do we have a free-choice in the matter?

God bless, KJB

 

I find things to agree with and disagree with in just about every post.
Sure, some people made poor choices not to leave. But many, possibly the majority were not foolish, they simply did not have resources or were elderly and/or ill.

I know that God is omnipotent and the One in sovereign control. I know that He is just, loving, holy, righteous, and merciful in all that He does.

I do not pretend to know why God allowed or directed this storm, whichever term you prefer.
My pastor said that we are asking the wrong questions. He said that we should be asking:
Am I personally right with God?
What can I learn from this horrible event?
What can I do to help and serve the ones who are victims? Yet our tendency is to try to put God on trial.

He urged each of us to contribute to disaster relief, and he is organizing specific things.

From this thread, I am wondering: Certainly if God was specifically punishing people, many innocent babies died. And many flamboyantly sinful people were spared.
But do the innocent NEVER suffer when God acts in judgement?
Once again, I do not know God's purposes in this storm, but some here seem to be saying that if any innocent suffer, that it PROVES that God is not acting in judgment in any way. Theoretically, maybe God is longsuffering, sparing some people to give them every opportunity to repent. And for Christians caught in this horrible situation, God promises to work things together for good.

If I am not hearing you right, please clarify.

What we are called to right now is compassionate action. When I was buying relief supplies at Walmart, I was pleased to see how empty the shelves were getting of some basic supplies and how many people around me had full carts of supplies that they were buying to donate. Please join in as you can.

Karen

 

Karen,

God NEVER punishes the innocent in any way. When God acts in judgement the innocent DO NOT suffer.

You may ask, why do so many seemingly innocent people suffer in these tragedies?

The reason is- They are not innocent. ALL are born into sin, All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, ALL are at enmity with GOD.

So the innocent do not suffer. The reason that all suffer is because none are innocent.

 

Thank you and Amen. We ought to urge men to repent and turn to Christ. God WILL bring in His harvest. Praise be to God for His glory and grace!

 

That is not the point. The point is that we don't know this was formed as God's judgement like has been expressed. I gave my reasons why I don't think it was.

 

Karen,

God NEVER punishes the innocent in any way. When God acts in judgement the innocent DO NOT suffer.

You may ask, why do so many seemingly innocent people suffer in these tragedies?

The reason is- They are not innocent. ALL are born into sin, All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, ALL are at enmity with GOD.

So the innocent do not suffer. The reason that all suffer is because none are innocent. </font>[/QUOTE]Yes, we all, including babies, inherit original sin, a sin nature.
You have made a correct theological distinction. Yet are you saying that a Christian, redeemed and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, is still at enmity with God?

"Innocent" used here would, I believe, refer to young babies born prematurely (a number were because of Katrina), 300 SBC pastors unaccounted for, 800 SBC churches damaged or destroyed. I don't know the sad numbers of other churches and pastors. 87-year-old and 98-year-old women homeless. Many other incredibly sad situations.
Meanwhile, many less relatively innocent escaped harm or will suffer soon-passing troubles.

So, is ONE of God's purposes EVER judgment when the "relatively innocent" suffer great harm and very godless people escape? Many on this thread have seemed to say that the "relatively" innocent suffering PROVES that judgment is not possibly one of God's reasons for "allowing" or "directing" the storm. Whichever term one prefers.
Once again, I do not presume to know God's purposes, and I am exceedingly sorry for what has happened. I am merely asking theological questions.

Karen

 

If that were true, then why would most of the people affected be people who have nothing to do with these events? That's like the people in the NT who blamed the blind man's blindness on the sins of his parents. Jesus considered that mentality hogwash, and proved that point by healing the blind man.

I don't see it that way. If I build my house on an expressway, my house will eventually get hit by a car. It would be presumptuous to assume that my damaged house was a sign that God's hand of protection was absent. When you build hour house in an area that's below sea level and prone to hurricanes, you're eventually going to get flooded. It many be infrequent, but it will happen. And when it does, it has nothing to do with God's hand of protection.

 

Seems that you are saying that if you followed ALL the "safe & correct" practices (physical and spiritual) then you are in no danger whatever of any "judgement" OR natural catastrophe.

I really don't think you mean to say OR imply such, but I don't see the point of this statement sans that meaning.

Please elaborate!

Do you honestly believe that God has not had His hand of protection over MOST, if not ALL of this country for years, and is now withdrawing same?

Seems to me that disasters are getting more frequent and more severe;( but it could be that I'm just more aware now or there's better coverage.)

At any rate, I believe God IS removing His protection on this country since we told Him many years ago that He is old fashioned and no longer welcome in our public life. And, being the gentleman He is, He is slowly and quietly removing Himself and His attendent protection.

May be wrong; just the musings of an old codger who's had God pull him from many a hole in the past!

 

Not at all. I'm saying that even if you follow "all" the "safe & correct" practices, you are not immune to life simply happenning. As scripture says, the rain falls and the sun shines on the just and unjust alike. It's no reflection upon God's hand of protection being upon us, or being withdrawn from us.

That's a human view that based on relativity at best. I believe that God blesses, or refrains from blessing, individuals, and that He could care less about national politics.

The latter is likely. We're only 200 years old. How many disasters have we really had? Relatively few, and many of those, like this one, are due more to persons proverbially building houses on highways, as per my previous post.

 

Well, I don't totally agree with your philosophy, but I do better understand where you're coming from!

Thanks!