Storm Warning

When a violent storm is coming it’s best to take shelter immediately. Don’t wait.

Thankfully modern methods of forecasting storms and tornadoes are much more accurate that they used to be. Forecasts now give people in a storm’s path plenty of warning and save lives.

Unfortunately we haven’t developed a good method to forecast economic or political storms.

The October 2008 economic crash caught many off guard and we still haven’t recovered. The political uprisings in the Middle East came out of nowhere and continue to surprise us.

What’s going on in the world? Why do these events catch us off guard?

One answer is that people are distracted pursuing their own agenda. They think they’re in control of events and fail to see the larger drama unfolding on the world’s stage.

God is moving the world toward an amazing series of events that many, including world leaders, continue to ignore. The good news is that God told us his plan in advance.

“Now hold on just a minute,” you say. “What makes you think God is controlling events?”

The Bible. It has a flawless track record for predicting world events. People, on the other hand, don’t. We’re much better at predicting the weather than interpreting the times we live in.

Jesus said, “You say, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.”

In his day Jesus warned Israel about the events that were coming but very few believed him. And it’s the same today. People dismiss the Bible even as it’s coming true all around them.

The Bible’s prophetic scriptures paint the ‘big picture’ of God’s plan. As a result, New York Times best-selling author Joel Rosenberg could write in his book, “Epicenter,” “The earthshaking events that lie ahead can actually be forecast with a surprising degree of accuracy.”

Rosenberg continued, “To truly understand the significance of global events and trends, one must analyze them through…the lens of Scripture. Only then can the picture become clearer.”

For decades the eyes of the world have been fixed on the Middle East. Why? Because Israel has been the focus of God’s plan for much of human history. And it continues to be so.

Every day our headlines carry lead stories about Libya, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iran. Most of the stories mention Israel in one way or another. And that’s amazing.

Why? Because for centuries Israel didn’t exist. And then in 1948 the nation was reborn.

Israel is unique. Never before in world history has a nation been destroyed and then revived after hundreds of years. How could such a thing happen?

Because God said it would. In the Bible book of Ezekiel, chapters 36 and 37, God promised to bring the nation of Israel back from the dead and bless her. And he has. Israel is by far the most free and prosperous nation in the Middle East.

With such a track record, we ought to ponder the Bible’s description of our times: “There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power.”

So what should we do? Listen to the Apostle Peter. He said, “Repent then, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.”

Are storms coming in this world? If so, now might be the time to turn to Jesus. You decide.

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!