Is God Judging Us?

[Chris]

Is God Judging Us?

Is God Judging Us?
By Jack Kelley

The weather is in the news again and I’ve received a number of questions about it. With another 500 year flood along the Mississippi and the worst tornado season since the 50s people are once again wondering if God is judging us for our sins. So we can better understand what’s going on here’s some perspective on the issue.

Based on my study of the nature and power of God, I’m convinced the world was perfect when He finished creating it. After all He pronounced His work of creation good 7 times during the week in which He performed it and when He was finished He declared the whole project very good. I don’t believe there was a single thing wrong with the way it worked. I think there was a world wide sub-tropical climate and every day was perfect. There were twelve thirty day months and a year was 360 days long. I think the leap years, storms, earthquakes, volcanoes and other natural disasters we’re all too familiar with were unknown to Earth’s earliest residents.

But when sin was introduced into the world things began to work differently, the way a computer program works differently after a virus has been introduced into it. And life on Earth really changed when that sin had to be judged. The world has literally never been the same since.

Paul confirmed this when he wrote that we humans are not the only ones in bondage due to sin. He said the creation itself eagerly awaits to be liberated from its bondage and has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth ever since it was subjected to frustration. (Romans 8:18-22)

We need to understand that when sin entered the world it knocked the finely tuned creation out of balance, and when God judged the world in the Great Flood it caused both short and long term consequences. As subterranean water broke through the Earth’s surface, God collapsed the giant water canopy He had placed above the sky (Genesis 1:6-8) providing enough water to completely cover the earth’s surface (Genesis 7:11-12, 18-19).

How Old Are You?

One of the earliest consequences of the flood was the reduction in life spans. A quick comparison of pre and post flood life spans in Genesis 5 and Genesis 11:10-32 is all that’s necessary to confirm this. Some believe it happened because the water canopy had prevented harmful rays from outer space from entering earth’s atmosphere and damaging the regeneration process of human cells. They claim the loss of this protection caused the aging process to accelerate rapidly.

So while Adam lived 930 years and 9 generations later Noah lived to age 950, his son Shem, who was 98 years old when the flood came, lived only a total of 600 years. But even so he outlived 8 of the first 9 generations of his post flood descendants. Although Abraham wasn’t born until 291 years after the flood came, he was already 59 years old when Noah finally died. Abraham died at the age of 175 years, 35 years before Shem. And Moses died at 120. ( Source: From Adam To Abraham)

The collapse of the water canopy along with the increased size of the oceans also meant that weather would no longer be perfect and mankind would be subject to periodic storms. The first mention of wind blowing on earth is in Genesis 8:1 just after the flood, and storms are first noted in Exodus 9:24, but Job, who probably wrote about the time of Joseph, also spoke of storms several times.

The next change in the creation was when the single land mass was divided into the continents of today. In Genesis 1:9 we see that God caused the land to be separated from the water on the third day of creation. Scientists speculate that there was originally only one large land mass. (In the early 1900′s the German scientist Alfred Wegener named this super continent Pangea, meaning all land, in connection with his theory on continental drift.) But Genesis 10:25 says that after the flood, the land was divided, eventually resulting in seven continents. This division may have caused the earth’s outer crust to be fractured into giant pieces, called plates, on which the continents and oceans rest. It’s the movement of these plates that causes earthquakes.

Baby It’s Cold Outside

Then came the Ice Age. The huge increase in the surface area of Earth’s water caused by the flood caused increased evaporation which led to the world becoming almost completely enclosed in dense cloud cover. The cloud cover brought lower temperatures which caused the supersaturated clouds to condense into precipitation. Outside the equatorial zones this precipitation fell as sleet and snow instead of just rain and as more of the earth’s surface became covered in snow the temperatures fell even lower. When the clouds finally cleared the sun melted much of the snow and ice but the polar regions have never recovered from this and are still frozen, even though undigested tropical vegetation has been found in frozen animal carcasses chipped out of the polar ice. The increased precipitation combined with snow melt caused ocean levels to rise submerging numerous coastal settlements. Remnants of these settlements can still be seen 100-300 feet below the surface at many points around the world. The land bridge that once connected the British Isles and Europe disappeared. (Source: Ice Age Civilizations, James Neinhuis)

About 701 BC what was apparently a close flyby between Earth and Mars knocked both planets off their orbits. Having taken 360 days for Earth to circumnavigate the Sun ever since the creation it thereafter began requiring 365.25 days. All the calendars of the world had to be changed. Somewhere along the way the Earth’s axis began to tilt, a process that continues to this day. This has the effect of making summers hotter and winters colder in much of the world than they were before. And lately we’ve learned that the Earth’s magnetic poles are adrift and are probably going to be reversing within the next year or so.

So, as soon as sin was introduced Earth’s days were numbered and things were destined to get progressively worse. Natural disasters have been part of man’s existence ever since the Flood and at many times have been much worse than they are today. In fact one could logically wonder how the earth has managed to survive this long. The answer is in Paul’s letter to the Colossians. Speaking of Jesus he said:

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:15-17)

Because of all this, when people ask if the Lord is judging us for our sins, my response is not yet. We’re still experiencing the consequences of the last judgment. Besides the Church has already been judged and the penalty paid for our sins. It happened at the cross. Unbelievers won’t be judged until the Church is gone and when they are it will make what’s happening now seem like small potatoes.

Therefore it’s my opinion that for the most part the extreme weather the world is currently experiencing is part of the ongoing effect of the judgment the Lord visited upon Earth at the time of the Great Flood.

Times Of The Signs

But I think there are also two things happening that may be unique to our time and both are signs from the Lord. One is for the Church and the other is for America’s leaders.

Both Jesus and Paul indicated that we would see signs in the creation that would alert us to the nearness of the End times. These signs would appear before the end times scenario actually unfolds, in other words before the 70th Week begins, but would hint at its closeness. He called them the beginning of birth pangs (Matt. 24:8). Paul used the same phrase in Romans 8:22 referring to the creation. Birth pangs begin mildly and are far apart, but as the time for the birth approaches they become more frequent and more intense. Jesus specifically mentioned earthquakes, so let’s see if the trend in earthquakes meets the pattern of birth pangs. In the 1930s and 40s earthquakes measuring 5.0 or larger averaged around 17 per year. In the 1990s the average was just under 30 but for the last 4 years we’ve averaging about 50. (Source: National Geophysical Data Center) I believe this is the Lord alerting the Church to get ready for the rapture.

The other one is a warning to America’s leaders to take their hands off His land. By selectively relaxing His hold on the now flawed creation to coincide with American led demands that Israel trade some of His land for the false hope of peace, He’s trying to get their attention. While the disasters His relaxation permits are no where near the record setters of world history, some have been bigger than anything this generation of Americans is used to. (You can easily Google up a list of the 20th Century’s worst disasters to verify this.) As you can see from the list below, these warnings have conspicuously followed on the heels of American decisions to pressure Israel into forfeiting part of the Promised Land for peace.

1. October 30, 1991: The Perfect Storm – As President George H. W. Bush is opening the Madrid (Spain) Conference to consider “land for peace” and Israel’s Middle East role, the “perfect storm” develops in the North Atlantic, creating the largest waves ever recorded in that region. The storm travels 1000 miles from “east to west” instead of the normal “west to east” pattern and crashes into the New England Coast. Thirty-five foot waves pound Kennebunkport,Maine, the summer home of the Bush family.

2. August 23, 1992: Hurricane Andrew – When the Madrid Conference moves to Washington DC and the peace talks resume, Hurricane Andrew, the worst natural disaster ever to hit America, comes ashore and produces an estimated $30 billion in damage and leaving 180,000 homeless in Florida.

3. January 16, 1994: Northridge Earthquake—President Bill Clinton meets with Syria’s President Hafez el-Assad in Geneva. They talk about a peace agreement with Israel that includes giving up the Golan Heights. Within 24 hours, a powerful 6.9 earthquake rocks Southern California, This quake, centered in Northridge, becomes the second most destructive natural disaster to hit the United States, behind Hurricane Andrew.

4. January 21, 1998: Lewinsky Scandal – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with President Clinton at the White House and is coldly received. Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright refuse to have lunch with him. Shortly afterwards on that day, the Monica Lewinsky scandal breaks into the mass media and begins to occupy a major portion of Clinton’s time.

5. September 28, 1998: Hurricane George – As Secretary of State Albright works on the final details of an agreement in which Israel would give up 13 percent of the West Bank, Hurricane George slams into the United States Gulf Coast with 110 mph winds and gusts up to 175 mph. The hurricane hits the coast and is stalled there. On September 28, Clinton meets with Yasser Arafat and Netanyahu at the White House to finalize this land deal. Later, Arafat addresses the United Nations about declaring an independent Palestinian state by May 1999, as Hurricane George pounds the Gulf Coast, causing $1 billion in damage. At the exact time that Arafat departs the country, the storm begins to dissipate.

6. October 15-22, 1998: Texas Flooded – On October 15, 1998, Arafat and Netanyahu meet at the Wye River Plantation in Maryland. The talks are scheduled to last five days with the focus on Israel giving up the aforementioned 13 percent of the West Bank. The talks are extended and conclude on October 23. On October 17, awesome rains and tornadoes hit southern Texas. The San Antonio area is deluged with rain. The rain and flooding in Texas continue until October 22 and then subside. The floods ravage 25 percent of Texas and leave over one billion dollars in damage. On October 21, Clinton declares this section of Texas a major disaster area.

7. November 30, 1998: Market Capitalization Evaporates – Arafat comes to Washington again to meet with President Clinton to raise money for a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as the capitol. A total of 42 other nations were represented in Washington. All the nations agreed to give Arafat $3 billion in aid. Clinton promised $400 million, and the European nations $1.7 billion. On the same day, the Dow Jones average drops 216 points, and on December 1, the European Market had its third worst day in history. Hundreds of billions of market capitalization were wiped out in the U.S. and Europe.

8. December 12, 1998: Clinton is Impeached – As Clinton lands in the Palestinian-controlled section of Israel to discuss the “land for peace” process, the House of Representatives votes four articles of impeachment against him.

9. May 3, 1999: The Powerful Super Tornado – On the day that Yasser Arafat is scheduled to declare a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as the capital, the most powerful tornado storm system ever to hit the United States sweeps across Oklahoma and Kansas. The winds are clocked at 316 mph the fastest wind speed ever recorded. The declaration is postponed to December 1999 at the request of President Clinton, whose letter to Arafat encourages him in his “aspirations for his own land.” He also writes that the Palestinians have a right to “determine their own future on their own land” and that they deserve to “live free, today, tomorrow and forever.”

10. Week of October 11, 1999: Hurricane, Earthquake and Dow Collapse – As Jewish settlers in 15 West Bank settlements are evicted from covenant land, the Dow-Jones financial averages lose 5.7 percent in the worst week since October 1989. On October 15 the Dow lost 266 points, and a hurricane slams into North Carolina. On the next morning, October 16, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake rocks the southwest in the fifth most powerful earthquake in 20th Century. The earthquake was centered in the California desert and did little damage but was felt in three states. (source: TruthOrFiction.com-Is that forwarded email Truth or Fiction? Research into stories, scams, hoaxes, myths, and urban legends on the Internet)

11. August 29, 2005. Hurricane Katrina. One week before Katrina made landfall, Israel carried out the evacuation of 9,500 residents from Gush Katif and four Samaria communities. Residents were forced from their homes by Israeli troops, some dragged away kicking and screaming and placed on buses that took them from the area. The Gaza evacuation had been supported and even urged upon Israel by the US. Estimated to have caused damages in excess of $100 billion Katrina was one of the most expensive natural disasters in US history (Source: Did God send Katrina as judgment for Gaza?)

12. Sept. 1, 2010 US Pres. Obama welcomed PM Netanyahu (Israel) Pres. Abbas (Palestinians) Pres. Mubarak (Egypt) and King Abdullah (Jordan) to the White House, having invited them all to dinner on the eve of the first direct negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians in nearly two years. As the talks began, Hurricane Earl (a category 3 storm) was headed for North Carolina where mandatory evacuation orders were issued in some coastal areas. Hurricane warnings were established all the way up the East coast to Cape Cod. Although many experts felt the timing was wrong, and in fact no tangible results came from the talks, over $40 million in damages were attributed to hurricane Earl.

The Law of Cause and Effect is clearly established in the incidents I’ve described above. Even those who deny the existence of God have seen the trend. More than one observer has commented that it takes a lot of effort to miss the point of these warnings. And that is, of all the places on Earth, God has claimed that land for Himself. There’s no nation powerful enough to give even one inch of it to anyone else at any time for any reason without suffering the consequences.

So back to the original question. Is God judging us for our sins? Not yet. But is He warning us that His judgment is coming soon? You bet. You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. 06-04-11

[tjplaw]

Always enjoy Jack's articles

Billy Graham once said, If God doesn't judge America, He'll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.

[Sean Osborne]

Is God Judging Us?

In a word, no, we are not being judged by God.

Judgment of ALL nations will come after the Harpazo, not before.

The signs are not just for America's leaders, they are for ALL mankind.

European and other world leaders have their hands as firmly affixed to Israeli affairs as we do. In fact the real-world political reality is that entire international "Quartet" (US, EU, UN and Russia) has its hands firmly affixed on Israel's affairs.

Unfortunately Jack Kelley makes the minor mistake of only citing maladies which have befallen America since the Quartet began its work in Madrid, Spain about a decade ago and about a decade previous to that. There's a big world out there with a lot of unfortunate things occurring during the same time span. They don't get so much as a mention. The law of cause and effect applies to the whole world, not just America. Sinful acts are not America-centric. The world is full of equal opportunity sinners. I reject this midset as unnecessary America bashing. That's my opinion.

One of America's purposes in being established by God was to bring the Gospel to the whole world, and this is something America is still very much engaged in. It is the mission of the Bride of Christ in this nation. This mission will continue until the bride is taken in the Harpazo.

No, the judgment of God Almighty is not occuring at this time.

The ever increasing frequency and severity of the birth pangs heralding the coming of His Kingdom are occurring.

[readytogo]

I agree with Jack Kelley (and Sean). God is not judging this country. That will come later after the church is gone. But I DO believe that we're experiencing "cause and effect" of the promise made to Abraham. Those that bless Israel will be blessed and those who curse Israel will be cursed. I agree with Sean also in that Jack didn't point out any of the other "disasters" that have befallen other countries as a result of the leaders turning their backs on Israel or openly supporting Israel's enemies. We may or may not hear about disasters in other countries (because of our press) but we certainly rarely hear what that country has done vis-à-vis Israel.

BTW, Billy Graham's statement 'sounds good' but doesn't take into account that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed before the age of grace.

[tjplaw]

There is a difference between judging and judgment. I agree that the US isn't under God's judgment yet, however, He is allowing events, "birth pangs" in an effort that can bring about repentance.

[mattfivefour]

That is correct, tjp. God's judgments in this dispensation are always corrective. They are more properly called chastening. The purpose is to correct and to cause to be restored.

[Twinklingofaneye]

[Claire Voyant]

Don't know . . . But you have me curious now. I read this out loud to my husband. He wanted to know about other nations that have "cursed" Israel. Found this press release from Japan . . .dated March 11, 2010:

(sorry, don't have enough post count to include a link). To read the full text, copy part of text and paste into a search engine. The rebuke was exactly one year to the day before the great earthquake & tsunami.

The Government of Japan deplores the decisions of the Government of Israel to give permission for the construction of 1,600 housing units in East Jerusalem in addition to 112 units in West Bank just after the Israeli and Palestinian leadership’s acceptance of the start of indirect talks. The Government of Japan does not recognize any act that prejudges the final status of Jerusalem and the territories in the pre-1967 borders. Japan demands that the plans should not be implemented.*


The Government of Japan continues to request strongly that both parties will act in a way that enhances mutual confidence. Japan sincerely hopes that the indirect talks in the peace process will swiftly develop into the resumption of direct talks between the two parties.

[readytogo]

Don't know . . . But you have me curious now. I read this out loud to my husband. He wanted to know about other nations that have "cursed" Israel. Found this press release from Japan . . .dated March 11, 2010:

(sorry, don't have enough post count to include a link). To read the full text, copy part of text and paste into a search engine. The rebuke was exactly one year to the day before the great earthquake & tsunami.

I don't know if this is the article that I'd read before, but this came out 10 before the earthquake and tsunami.

Japan Donates 32.5 mln USD for PNA Projects

[GlennO]

Sean said:

Unfortunately Jack Kelley makes the minor mistake of only citing maladies which have befallen America since the Quartet began its work in Madrid, Spain about a decade ago and about a decade previous to that. There's a big world out there with a lot of unfortunate things occurring during the same time span. They don't get so much as a mention. The law of cause and effect applies to the whole world, not just America. Sinful acts are not America-centric. The world is full of equal opportunity sinners. I reject this midset as unnecessary America bashing. That's my opinion.

Kelly missed the mark IMO

[YeuEmMaiMai]

Of course sin is not American centric but I believe that without a doubt that God IS using these disasters to tell us as a nation NOT TO MESS with his land. Since we the people are directly responsible for who gets placed into power at the local state and part of the federal level, we are being warned.......and judged.....

No way one can refute the national disasters being in line with the USA doing harm to Israel either directly or indirectly........

Looking at Europe and their current pressure on Israel and all of the troubles they are having........

[Sean Osborne]

No way one can refute the national disasters being in line with the USA doing harm to Israel either directly or indirectly...

With all due respect, I can and do most strenuously refute such thinking. I think it is very erroneous thinking. I think you know that because I have so stated this in a couple of threads in the past few weeks.

So, let's get to "the short list" I have compiled and been holding to refute a re-emergence of this erroneous thinking.

What about all the natural disasters that occured in the US well prior to Israel's rebirth into existence in 1948?

The 1816 Year Without Summer - Tambora Volcano which caused widespread famine in the US that year.
The 1889 Johnstown Flood - 2200 dead.
The 1893 Cheniere (Louisiana) Hurricane - 200 dead.
The 1893 Sea Island Hurricane in Georgia/South Carolina with 2000 fatalities.
The 1900 Galveston Hurricane - estimated up to 12,000 fatalities.
The 1906 E-Quake and Fire that destroyed San Franciso - estimated up to 6,000 fatalities.
The 1925 5-State Tornado (MO, IL, IN, KY and TN) killed over 700 and did $1.6 Billion (in 2005 $) in damages.
The 1928 Okeechobee-Florida Cyclone that killed and did $800 million in damgages (in 2005 $).
The 1929 Great Depression.
The 1931-39 Dust Bowl Drought.

And what about all of those natural disasters which befell these United States in the half-century between 1948 and very, very recently while we were Israel's best friend?

The list goes on and on, and my point is made.

[daygo]

No I do not think so, at the moment, My opinion is that the stage is being set and the characters are being positioned for the final act to start ie the tribulation, so we are in the interval so to speak.

[DanLW]

Is God Judging Us?

Is God Judging Us?
By Jack Kelley

Jesus specifically mentioned earthquakes, so let’s see if the trend in earthquakes meets the pattern of birth pangs. In the 1930s and 40s earthquakes measuring 5.0 or larger averaged around 17 per year. In the 1990s the average was just under 30 but for the last 4 years we’ve averaging about 50. (Source: National Geophysical Data Center) I believe this is the Lord alerting the Church to get ready for the rapture.

This portion is incorrect per the United States Geological Survey.

Their centennial catalog lists earthquakes from 1900 to 1999.

Centennial Earthquake Catalog
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/research/data/centennial.pdf

It is important that when looking at the data, you read this paragraph from the first link (emphasis mine):

For recent years (1964–present) a cut-off magnitude of 5.5 has been chosen for the catalog, and the catalog is complete down to that threshold. For the period prior to 1964 (also referred to as "historical instrumental" or simply "historical" period) the cut-off considered is magnitude 6.5. Between the 1930's and 1963 the catalog is complete to the magnitude 6.5 threshold, but prior to that, the catalog is only complete down to magnitude 7.0.

Earthquake data from the 1930s and 40s is incomplete due to the less sensitive instruments in use at the time.

If anybody wants to do their own research, here is a link to the USGS archives page which links to all sorts of statistics and studies:

Earthquake Lists & Maps

What is on the rise is the number of video cameras. Just about anybody who has purchased a cell phone in the last several years has a video camera on them at all times. If there's pictures and video, it's news. If there aren't pictures and video, it's not news.

[tjplaw]

Sean said:

Kelly missed the mark again :rolleyes

Righty-O !!
:thumbup:thumbup

In my opinion GlennO the thumbs up emoticon is really disrespectful. Jack is obviously a gifted writer and a gifted Christian man. He has a gift in taking the plain sense of scripture and presenting it so it's easily understandable. He makes a lot more sense than the majority of prophecy writers today.

I think that the plain point of his article has been missed by some in this thread. God can choose to warn nations of their sin if it produces repentance.

I believe that this is the point Jack was trying to convey.
So back to the original question. Is God judging us for our sins? Not yet. But is He warning us that His judgment is coming soon? You bet.

[mattfivefour]

I think that the plain point of his article has been missed by some in this thread. God can choose to warn nations of their sin if it produces repentance.

I believe that this is the point Jack was trying to convey.
So back to the original question. Is God judging us for our sins? Not yet. But is He warning us that His judgment is coming soon? You bet.

Proceeding from a scriptural basis, I believe this to be true. God's judgments in this dispensation (as in the preceding dispensation) are always corrective and redemptive. "Chastening" best describes them. Only a fool ignores such, for the judgments are also progressive. God gives man every opportunity to obey. And obedience is all He desires. 1 Samuel 15:22

[tjplaw]

Proceeding from a scriptural basis, I believe this to be true. God's judgments in this dispensation (as in the preceding dispensation) are always corrective and redemptive. "Chastening" best describes them. Only a fool ignores such, for the judgments are also progressive. God gives man every opportunity to obey. And obedience is all He desires. 1 Samuel 15:22

“Receive the word with all readiness of heart but search the Scriptures daily to see if those things be true.” (Acts 17:11)

[Sean Osborne]

Matt's post above gets to the heart of this issue from the basis of Scripture.

The basis upon which humanity exisits on this earth is wholly within the parameters of the several Dispensations of God. Most adhere to a total of 7 Dispensations, and within those dispensation lies the ONLY Scriptural basis to address this issue of whether or not God is judging the earth and its inhabitants.

The best compendium and reference point I have found is this one from GotQuestions.Org (emphasis added):

Question: "What are the seven dispensations?"

Answer: Dispensationalism is defined as a method of management used by God to carry out His will, work, and purposes toward mankind. There are generally considered to be seven dispensations, although some theologians believe there are nine. Depending on the viewpoint, dispensations can number as few as three or as many as thirty-seven. For the purposes of this article, we will limit ourselves to the seven basic dispensations found in Scripture.

The first dispensation is called the Dispensation of Innocence. Found in Genesis 1:28-30 and 2:15-17, this dispensation involves the period when Adam and Eve are in the Garden of Eden. The basis of the dispensation is obedience to God's commands to (1) replenish the earth with children, (2) subdue the earth, (3) have dominion over the animals, (4) have a vegetable diet and not eat meat, (5) care for the garden, (6) abstain from eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, (7) the warning of punishment of physical and spiritual death for disobedience. This dispensation was a short-lived and was brought to an end by the temptation of Eve and Adam by Satan, which was part of the overall plan of God.

The second dispensation is called the Dispensation of Conscience, and its duration was some 1,656 years from the time of Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the garden until the flood (Genesis 3:8–8:22). This dispensation demonstrates what mankind will do if left to his own will and conscience which have been tainted by the inherited sin nature. The five major aspects of this dispensation are 1. a curse on the serpent, 2. a change in womanhood and childbearing, 3. a curse on nature, plants and animals—some became meat eaters, 4. man has to work and sweat to produce food because of the curse on the land, and 5. the promise of Christ as the seed who will bruise the serpent's head (Satan).

The third dispensation is the Dispensation of Human Government, beginning in Genesis 8. Now that people were born with an inherited sin nature, the world became evil and corrupt. God destroyed the world by a flood, saving just one family to start the human race over again. The worldwide flood destroyed all air-breathing and living animals, birds, and human beings. After they came out of the ark, God made promises to Noah and family as follows:

1. God will not curse the earth again.
2. Noah and family are to replenish the earth with people.
3. They shall have dominion over the animal creation.
4. They are now allowed to eat meat.
5. The Law of capital punishment is now established.
6. There never will be another flood again.
7. The sign of God's promise will be the rainbow.

But the people did not scatter and fill the earth as God had commanded. Genesis 11:7-9 says there was only one language and one people and the people decided to build a tower. The building of this tower and God's dispersion of the people happened about 325 years after the flood. God decided it was time to go down and create different languages and make them move apart. Thus we see the development of different nations and different cultures that produced the different races. From this point on, there is still some direct contact with God individually but on a nationwide basis as well. Human governments now have become a reality. This dispensation does not end completely, but another dispensation starts with Abraham. Some of the terms of this dispensation are still in effect today.

The fourth dispensation, called the Dispensation of Promise, starts with the call of Abraham and includes the patriarchies and mostly ends with Moses and the exodus of the Jewish people out of Egypt, a period of some 430 years. This is God's method of developing a great nation that He has chosen to be His people to whom He gave a special task to perform (Genesis 12:1–Exodus 19:25).

Some of the terms of the Abrahamic Covenant are

1. From Abraham would come a great nation that God would bless with natural and spiritual prosperity
2. God would make Abraham’s name great
3. God would bless those that blessed Abraham’s descendants and curse those that curse him.
4. In Abraham shall all the families of the earth be blessed. This is fulfilled in Jesus Christ and His work of reconciliation.
5. The sign of the covenant is circumcision.
6. This covenant is confined to the Hebrew people and to the 12 tribes of Israel.

The fifth dispensation is called the Dispensation of Law and starts with the Exodus and is set aside with Jesus Christ, a period of some 1,491 years. This dispensation is directed only toward the Jewish nation and will start up again during the Millennium with some modifications. This new nation is designed by God to have 12 tribes, one of which (the Levites) will be the priests of God's laws given on Mt. Sinai. The law and guidelines are found in Exodus 19–23. God allowed man to govern himself under a commonwealth of laws and guidelines with a visible system of a temple worship directed by the priests. At this time, God spoke through the priests and prophets He had chosen to be His mouthpiece. A system of rituals and festivals was also devised to help the people stay true to God. This was to be a theocratic system, beginning with Moses, then Joshua, and the Judges, in which God would rule through those assigned to relate His will. Eventually, due to the people’s disobedience, the tribes end up being carried off into bondage.

The sixth dispensation is the Dispensation of Grace, represented by the New Covenant through Jesus Christ and His death on the Cross. This “Church Age” occurs between the 69th and 70th week of Daniel. It starts with the birth of Christ and ends with the Rapture of the church as revealed in 1 Thessalonians 4. This dispensation is worldwide and includes both Jews and the Gentiles. It is the divine plan of reconciliation by Christ to call people to repentance and become a part of the family of God who will spend eternity in the final state of the new heaven and earth with Him. This dispensation includes the work of the Holy Spirit indwelling believers (John 14:16-26) as the Comforter. The terms of this dispensation are simply expressed in John 3:16 and John 14:1-6. Jesus said you must be born again. This dispensation has been going on for over 2,000 years, and no one knows when it will end. We do know that it will end with the rapture of all born-again believers from the earth to go to heaven with Christ, followed by the judgments of God which will last for 7 years. During this time of judgment will be revealed the Antichrist, the false prophet, the mark of the beast, and an all-out war against the Jews and anyone who will not worship the idol the Antichrist sets up in the temple. During this time many people will come to Christ and be born again and many will die for their faith in Christ. This dispensation ends with the battle of Armageddon and the death of all non-believers.

The seventh dispensation is called the Millennial Kingdom of Christ and will last for 1,000 years as Christ comes to set up His throne on earth and rule as a visible presence. This becomes the fulfillment of the prophecy to the Jewish nation that He will return and be their Messiah and King. The only people allowed to enter the Kingdom are the born-again believers who were able to survive the seven years of tribulation. No unsaved person is allowed access into this kingdom. Satan is put into the bottomless pit but will be loosed after the 1,000 years to reorganize a great army and wage war against Christ and His followers. This period ends with the supernatural death of all non-believers, after which comes the final judgment of Christ on the Great White Throne (Revelation 20:11-14). The old world and earth are destroyed by fire and the New Heaven and New Earth of Revelation 21 and 22 will begin. This is the perfect age and the eternal state or heaven in which all believers will remain forever.

The only operative Dispensations for us at this time are the aspects of the Third Dispensation (Human Government) and the Sixth Dispensation (Grace through Christ). All of other Dispensations have expired, and the Seventh had not occurred yet.

Of those elements of the Third Dispensation which are still in effect we find nothing stating that God will be executing judgment on the earth, or the descendants of Noah's family, until the termination of the Sixth Dispensation at the beginning of Daniel's 70th Week.

Scripture is pure, perfect and complete; it cannot be opposed or argued with because its source is Almighty God.

[Twinklingofaneye]

Here are some of the disasters in the U.S. in the last FIVE MONTHS!

One of the worst winters on record. Affecting most of the U.S.
Forest fires in Texas. Hundreds of thousands of acres.
Forest fires in Arizona. 193,000 acres.
Drought in Texas. Driest March on record. Worst since 1895.
Drought in Oklahoma. Driest four months since 1921.
Drought in Louisiana. Second-driest year on record.
Mississippi flood. Worst on record.
Kansas floods.
Montana floods.
North Dakota floods.
Missouri River floods.
California "river" storm system and floods.
U.S. super outbreak of tornadoes. Other outbreaks not included in this bunch.
Tornados in winter? Starting Jan. 1st. 29 in Jan.
Tornados in California, Oregon, Washington and Nevada?


If these are not birth pangs and or being cut to pieces, does anyone want to go into;
The economics of the U.S. and the world, unemployment.
Animal deaths.
Signs in the sun, moon and stars.
Middle east unrest.
Israel.
Housing depression worst since great depression.
Politics.
Cold hearts, hatred, language, lies, anger and theft.
muslims and islam. <---I purposfully do not capitalize these things.
Our president.
Natural disasters.
Man made disasters.
Loss of crops, famine.
Bee and bat deaths.
Attacks against Christianity.
Civil unrest.
Homosexuals, DADT, gay marriage.
Plagues.
The EU, UN and Jerusalem.
Takeover of the internet, DHS, DOJ, obamacare.
Strange tides and seas roaring.
Sun and earth's magnetic field.
Volcanoes, earthquakes in various places.
Drugs and hopelessness.
Insect plagues.
UFO's at the temple mount.
Apostasy.


All these things are happening THIS YEAR, IN THE LAST FIVE MONTHS! Can anyone pick out a previous date in history where more than a few of these things happened in one year? Picking out one year in history where we had ONE of these things happen and saying that today is just the same as then is just naive. It's different and I have met many online in the last few months that are saying the same thing.

Why are rapture websites getting hits into the thousands recently? Are others seeing something that you are not?

What will it take to get people to open their eyes? Regardless of whether you and I have a different outlook on our future and the times we are in, I look forward to meeting all of you in paradise.

[GlennO]

From an earlier thread..........as you requested.
You can find this kind of stuff easy if one wants to dwell upon Fear/Uncertainty/Doom


I like this focus:
Joh 14:27-29
(27) Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
(28) You heard me say to you, 'I am going away, and I will come to you.' If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
(29) And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.



1985-86 in review

Chernobyl disaster - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Challenger disaster

Iran contra political disaster for Reagan

Us Bombs Libya

Historic Earthquakes 8.0 mg At least 9,500 people were killed, about 30,000 were injured, more than 100,000 people were left homeless

The last sighting of Halley’s Comet occurred on October 16, 1982, and the comet came closest to the sun on February 9, 1986. In March 1986, five robotic spacecrafts approached the comet to collect information about it.

Volcano erupts in Colombia; 1000s killed

1986 asending to 1990 Solar Maximum

Unemployment 7.1 %