Prophecy

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"I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain; another had none and dried up." AMOS 7:4 NIV

Every day, we hear another news report on global warming. It happens so often we begin to wonder if there is some truth to these claims.

Is mankind the earth's enemy? Do we have the power to heat it or to cool it? Many people believe we do. I believe we do also, except not the way the secular's believe.

To the seculars, there is always a reason, and it is always man's fault. When I was a youngster the seculars were sure we were headed for another deep freeze. Yes, we were told another Ice Age is right around the corner.

Now, it's warming. We're told there is too much carbon in the air. Is this true? In a June 3, 2005 article, published in Sci-Tech Today, the writer, G. W. Burrows said carbon makes up .03% of the total gasses in the earth's atmosphere. He writes, "The amount of carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere by human activities (2 percent of 0.03 percent, which is 0.000006 percent) when compared to water that is always present (range of 0.5 percent to 4 percent) is a very small amount. Pound for Pound, water absorbs two times more heat energy than carbon dioxide."

Droughts and other disasters have always been here. The earth continues to go through heating and cooling cycles. Sometimes it happens naturally and sometimes supernaturally.

For instance, the drought in the Southeast part of this nation is it natural or is it supernatural? Whatever the reason, I believe the fallout from this drought could be staggering.

Due to this drought, Atlanta is the first major city in the Southeast to have its existence threatened by this drought. Those who run Atlanta tell us their city will be out of water in just a few weeks. If this happens, the ramifications could be far reaching, as Atlanta is the hub of the South. From air flights, to distribution and financial centers, the South depends on Atlanta.

Now, imagine this city without water. Millions of people would have to leave this city. Where would they go? Behind them, they would leave hundreds of thousands of homes, jobs, families and friends. If this were to happen, how would it affect the Mid-South and Southeast when distribution centers, financial institutions, air travel and other important regional businesses cease to operate?

If Atlanta were to go dry, no doubt the seculars would cry "Global Warming." This would put Global Warming on the front page and raise fears in people's hearts. And while the seculars would rant and rave about the cause, the possible reason for this drought would remain under the radar.

Is Ancient Israel a Warning to Us?

During the time of ancient Israel the people turned from their God. They followed after their own desires and served pagan gods. God tried to get their attention. He wanted them to return to Him, but they would not listen. Their hearts were stubborn. Oh, they tithed every three years and performed sacrifices to their false gods. They had the form of godliness, but they were not seeking Him, nor were they honoring His laws.

So what did God do? He caused a drought to come upon the land. That's right. The Word says He controls the winds. According to His Word, He can make it rain where He wants it to rain. He can bring the heat when He needs to do that too. He uses nature to discipline nations and its people.

In Amos 7:4 we read, "I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain; another had none and dried up."

What happened to the people of Israel after God withheld the rain? Amos writes, "People staggered from town to town for water but did not get enough to drink, yet you have not returned to me," declares the Lord" (Amos 4:9).

The people could not find enough water to drink. They traveled from town to town, but remained unsatisfied. They probably thought the drought was a natural occurrence. They did not see God behind the drought. For this reason, God did not relent. He did not give in. He withheld the rains trying to gain their attention, but they were spiritually blind. Thus, the water could not satisfy them. For the drought was only a reflection of the spiritual drought in the land. They needed water to satisfy their physical thirst, and they needed living waters that flow from their God to satisfy their true thirst. Thus, God kept the pressure Israel to repent by withholding the rain and disrupting the people's lives.

What About Our Weather?

Following the news, we find areas where there is an abundance of rain, while other areas remain dry. The dry areas can be found from Coast to Coast. But none seem so frightening as the thought of Atlanta going dry. We're talking many times more people displaced in comparison to New Orleans after Katrina. Without water, the city could become a giant ghost town, playing out scenes found in those old apocalyptic movies from late Sixties through the early Eighties.

While I cannot say for certain why God is doing this or why He's not doing that, I can read the Word and see how He reacted under similar situations. Since God has not changed the way He deals with nations throughout history,God may be orchestrating this whole event to bring us to our knees.

1929 All Over Again?

Look around, droughts, the housing collapse, the dollar collapse and soon a possible stock market collapse. Some predict 1929 all over again.

In an article by Harry J. Sage, called "The Roaring Twenties," He writes, " In fact, the 1920s may have been the decade of the greatest social change in American history. The decade began amidst the ashes of the Great War, blossomed into a riotous age of spending and profit making, cheap automobiles and new consumer products. Everybody seemed to be on a roll. Then, in 1929 the Crash hit the stock market, and for many complicated reasons the Great Depression followed. The Twenties were in a sense a reactionary decade, a reaction against Victorian ideas of morality that saw young men and women openly defy what their parents still viewed as proper behavior for relationships between the sexes."

According to Sage, people were buying everything: ready-made clothes, appliances, stocks and automobiles. It seemed as though the good times would never end. But they did. October 29, 1929, the Crash changed everything and the "Roaring Twenties" came to an abrupt end.

How Bad Can it Get?

Already reeling from the Crash of '29, 1930 saw something very similar to what we see going on today. Drought and poor conservation practices created the dust bowl of the 1930's.

From the Library of Congress: An article about "The Dust Bowl" reminds us how bad it was for many in this country: "In his 1939 book The Grapes of Wrath, author John Steinbeck described the flight of families from the Dust Bowl: "And then the dispossessed were drawn west--from Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico; from Nevada and Arkansas, families, tribes, dusted out, tractored out. Car-loads, caravans, homeless and hungry; twenty thousand and fifty thousand and a hundred thousand and two hundred thousand. They streamed over the mountains, hungry and restless--restless as ants, scurrying to find work to do--to lift, to push, to pick, to cut --anything, any burden to bear, for food. The kids are hungry. We got no place to live. Like ants scurrying for work, for food, and most of all for land."

We Honor Him with Our Lips, but our Hearts are not Near

Our nation, beginning with our churches and those of us who call ourselves Christians, needs to repent. If God is withholding the rain, in Atlanta and other parts of this country, then we need to pray for rain and for repentance.(We pray He honors the people's prayers).

Many of us call ourselves by His name, but our actions are far from Him. We have divorced faith from morality. We don't see the relationship. We get our fire insurance and then live our lives the way we wish to live.

Many believe all we have to do is say some words and we have Christ. This is not always the case. If the Spirit is not doing the drawing and if there is no change in a person's life, I have my doubts about salvation.

Truth is we cannot claim Christ as our Lord and continue in sin, without feeling ashamed. By this, I mean if we are His, then our hearts will condemn us when we sin. 1 John 3:19-20 states, "This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything." Thus, if we do not feel guilt and shamel when we sin we must ask ourselves, "Are we really saved?"

The Need for Revival

A black cloud hangs over this land, from drought to terrorism, from immorality to attempts to redefine gender and marriage; from death to the worshipping of other gods and God's creation rather than the Creator. Yes, we have lost our thankfulness. We have turned form Him, blaming the heat on Global Warming, believing we can control the rain, the winds and the storms. Truth is, nothing we do will lower the temperature or eliminate droughts. Only by turning back to Him, will we ever see any relief. In other words, without repentance, I believe the heat will continue.

What Were Israel's Sins?

God said, "You hate the one who reproves in court and despise him who tells the truth" (Amos 4:10 NIV). Amos speaking for God said, "For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins. Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph" (Amos 4:12-15 NIV).

The people did not repent. The destruction would change the people's lives. Farmers would weep, and the mourners would wail. The day would become dark. Finally, the Lord said, "I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! "Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the desert, O house of Israel? You have lifted up the shrine of your king, the pedestal of your idols, the star of your god-- which you made for yourselves'" (Amos 4:21-26).

Lack of truth, exchanging evil for good, wicked judges, worshipping other gods, do these sound familiar? In this land the seculars proclaim there is no truth. We celebrate the depraved, while we impugn goodness and righteousness. Our courts remain wicked, tearing down everything good about this nation while protecting those who would bring destruction on us.

But let us not believe we are immune to God's judgments, here on earth. Oh, His mercy is wonderful and His grace never-ending for the believer. However, God is still God and when His church falls asleep He will wake us through His discipline. For His discipline drives us to the Father.

Today, we have watered down the Gospel, turned Christianity into a social doctrine, discounted His Word and continue in our evil ways while proclaiming Christ as our Lord.

We have created a new god: one that is tolerant of sin: One who never judges and is only love: One who will never harm us or bring destruction upon us: One who accepts abortion, accepts homosexuality, accepts the redefining of marriage and gender. Yes, this is the god we have established in our own minds. But it is not the real God. It is an idol god, a god we have created through our own evil imaginations.

Yes, the true God can bring the heat when He wants to, and He can bring the rain. He can bless, and He can remove the blessings. There is little chance that our carbon emissions are warming the planet. There is a greater chance God may be disciplining us. Blame carbon emissions and those who serve the creation will lead us down a path of destruction. Repenting of our sins and turning away from our wicked ways will give us the support we need. Even if the droughts are not from God, He can still bring the rain.

Psalm 103 tells us about God's love toward us. The Psalm reminds us how we do not receive the punishment we deserve for the sins we commit. For our God is long-suffering and merciful toward us. And while God is long-suffering, He is still in the correction business. Psalm 103:13 says, "As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;"

Remember, the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. If we fear Him, we will not continue in sin. If we fear Him, we will stand against evil and pray. If we fear Him, we are not going to urge others to sin. If we fear Him, we will know we are His. Because we are His, we will feel guilty and shameful before Him when we sin.

Is God judging believers? Is He trying to wake up His church? Only God knows for sure. All I know is this, seeing the evil in this country and judging from history, there is no doubt it's time to repent. It's time to turn our hearts toward God, seek His forgiveness and resolve to live our lives to serve Him. If not, history is clear, God will not always remain long-suffering toward us.

Please pray for the people of Atlanta.

Note: Just before I wrote this article, Atlanta's Mayor called for a day of prayer. Of course the atheists came out to protest the prayer. At the time, I thought this is a classic case of Elijah verses the Baals. I asked the Lord to honor their prayer and show the atheists who is in charge of the heavens. Frankly, I was not sure God would move, but he did. A day or two later it rained some. And lately the rain has poured all across the South. Praise the Lord!


Sources:

Burrows, G. W., "Skipping Stones, A Perspective on Global Warmin, Sci-Tech Today, June 3, 20005.

Sage, Henry J., "The Roaring Twenties" 2005, 2006. http://www.sagehistory.net/twenties/Twenties.htm

Library of Congress, "The Dust Bowl, THe Great Depresson and WWII," updated 9/26/2002
Copyright 2007

Lynn Sheldon, Founder GodFire Revival and Discipleship Outreach. GodFire creates and develops discipleship material for their Faith 'n Fire Power Schools.

Websites: http://godfirerevival.org | Creating DiscipleshiP Material | Discipleshipleship Programs`

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