Nang
TOL Subscriber
This post from nickolai_42 on the "Wot's YOUR Favourite Disaster thread, gives some thoughtful perspective upon catastrophes, for sure:
"I don't know that I have a "favorite" disaster (the term favorite doesn't associate with catastrophes in my mind) but many of them do call to my mind the power and Sovereignty of God in our day and in history. I think that if history were written more by people who believed in this that we would see more understanding of God's judgments in the earth. And to His Sovereignty and the greatness of His creation, I find myself chuckling at the Global Warming crowd who think man is responsible for burning a hole in the ozone layer and warming the earth up a degree or two (when, in actual fact, it has lately been cooling). One large volcanic eruption does more to impact the earth's atmosphere than all the CFC's man can throw upwards. Not that smog isn't a problem that we have created, but total environmental disruption is, I think, man thinking too much of himself.
And the one disaster that I find most fascinating would be actually multiple related disasters that brought the curtains down on the Roman Empire about 1500 years ago. There was an interesting book written on the subject entitled Catastrophe by David Keys. And in it, he makes the case that a volcano erupted and impacted every part of the earth in multiple ways (environmentally, politically, economically and healthwise). He describes how the plague totally changed the way the world looked in a few years (again, politically) and how this was done by "nature".
In describing some of the effects of this time of great upheaval, he quotes (directly or paraphrase, I can't recall) one John of Ephesus who was apparently a clergyman and an historian (as those often went hand in hand). John describes the plague that ravaged the empire and talks of those who were infected by the disease as well as those who weren't. Apparently there was natural immunity that some had. He talks of bodies piling up in the streets and entire families being wiped out - and in some instances one or two in a family who survived in despair. Essentially left alone when their loved ones were killed, they would try to get the disease by throwing themselves on the corpses (but to no avail). In reading that, I became aware that scripture spoke to that :
I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.
Luke 17:34-37
And while I don't say (necessarily) that this is a direct, complete fulfillment of that prophecy, it certainly does highlight the manner of God's judgment being consistent - and shows that judgment is what the passage is talking about.
The book puts on display how even the smallest of organisms (fleas) can literally turn the world upside down. How natural disasters can change things in an instant. The volcano that Keys believes erupted is said to have caused most of the earth to have heavily filtered sunlight for the better part of a year. It has been shown in different ways that this happened - reminding one of prophecy to this effect :
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Matthew 24:29
That it should be a part of the same discourse Jesus gave on the signs of His coming is interesting and probably not coincidental. And even if it is not the final fulfillment of that prophecy (could "end of the age" refer to the fall of the Roman Empire?), there certainly was the Lord coming in judgment at that time. The whole world experienced massive political change in that time (again, from Keys' book) which falls in line with the stars falling from heaven and the powers of the heavens being shaken.
The bottom line for me was that this confirmed that history does (for those who will look for it) reveal prophetic fulfillment of God's work in the earth. It also helped solidify the idea in my mind that we aren't in some parenthetical age but that God's prophetic plan continues to unfold as He has willed it from the beginning."
Nang
"I don't know that I have a "favorite" disaster (the term favorite doesn't associate with catastrophes in my mind) but many of them do call to my mind the power and Sovereignty of God in our day and in history. I think that if history were written more by people who believed in this that we would see more understanding of God's judgments in the earth. And to His Sovereignty and the greatness of His creation, I find myself chuckling at the Global Warming crowd who think man is responsible for burning a hole in the ozone layer and warming the earth up a degree or two (when, in actual fact, it has lately been cooling). One large volcanic eruption does more to impact the earth's atmosphere than all the CFC's man can throw upwards. Not that smog isn't a problem that we have created, but total environmental disruption is, I think, man thinking too much of himself.
And the one disaster that I find most fascinating would be actually multiple related disasters that brought the curtains down on the Roman Empire about 1500 years ago. There was an interesting book written on the subject entitled Catastrophe by David Keys. And in it, he makes the case that a volcano erupted and impacted every part of the earth in multiple ways (environmentally, politically, economically and healthwise). He describes how the plague totally changed the way the world looked in a few years (again, politically) and how this was done by "nature".
In describing some of the effects of this time of great upheaval, he quotes (directly or paraphrase, I can't recall) one John of Ephesus who was apparently a clergyman and an historian (as those often went hand in hand). John describes the plague that ravaged the empire and talks of those who were infected by the disease as well as those who weren't. Apparently there was natural immunity that some had. He talks of bodies piling up in the streets and entire families being wiped out - and in some instances one or two in a family who survived in despair. Essentially left alone when their loved ones were killed, they would try to get the disease by throwing themselves on the corpses (but to no avail). In reading that, I became aware that scripture spoke to that :
I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.
Luke 17:34-37
And while I don't say (necessarily) that this is a direct, complete fulfillment of that prophecy, it certainly does highlight the manner of God's judgment being consistent - and shows that judgment is what the passage is talking about.
The book puts on display how even the smallest of organisms (fleas) can literally turn the world upside down. How natural disasters can change things in an instant. The volcano that Keys believes erupted is said to have caused most of the earth to have heavily filtered sunlight for the better part of a year. It has been shown in different ways that this happened - reminding one of prophecy to this effect :
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Matthew 24:29
That it should be a part of the same discourse Jesus gave on the signs of His coming is interesting and probably not coincidental. And even if it is not the final fulfillment of that prophecy (could "end of the age" refer to the fall of the Roman Empire?), there certainly was the Lord coming in judgment at that time. The whole world experienced massive political change in that time (again, from Keys' book) which falls in line with the stars falling from heaven and the powers of the heavens being shaken.
The bottom line for me was that this confirmed that history does (for those who will look for it) reveal prophetic fulfillment of God's work in the earth. It also helped solidify the idea in my mind that we aren't in some parenthetical age but that God's prophetic plan continues to unfold as He has willed it from the beginning."
Nang
