by Pat Lunsford

Created on: December 14, 2010   Last Updated: July 20, 2011

Could the increase in natural disasters around the world actually be the judgment of God? “Does disaster come to a city, unless the LORD has done it?” (Amos 3:6)

The Bible clearly states that nothing happens in this world apart from God which includes disasters. But calamity isn’t always the results of judgment. Admittedly, God has used disaster many times in judgment but some disasters could be merciful warnings that beg repentance.

New Orleans has been known for years as a place of drunkenness and sex which was devastated by Katrina. Haiti is known for its witchcraft and was torn apart by a massive earthquake as was China which is known for the worship of idols. Pakistan is a land of idol-worship as well which has suffered severe loss of life due to flooding and the whole world has seen the Asian tsunamis that shocked us all.

Is God warning the nations?

In the Old Testament, (Gen.15:16) God sent the Israelites to Egypt for 400 years because the sins of the Amorites weren’t complete and therefore undeserving of judgment at that time. At the end of the 400 years, God used the Israelites to administer judgment upon them because their iniquities had reached its limit.

Apparently, sin has a limit and once it has reached its limit, God executes judgment. “Come out of her my people and be not partakers of her sins and receive not of her plagues.” (Rev. 18:4)

Job lost his children when heavy winds destroyed the house they were in. When Job heard the crushing news about his children he said, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:19)

Job attributed the death of his children to God. Actually, every calamity that happened in the book of Job was attributed to God. “And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him.” (Job 42:11)

Was God punishing Job’s children? It is interesting that in the first chapter of Job we find that he offered continuous sacrifices for them. “…and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all… Thus Job did continually.”

What does Jesus say about disasters?

We live in a fallen world. Jesus said in Luke 13 that disaster could strike good people as well as bad at any given moment.

“There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

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