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Old Time Country Preacher

Does God Still Use Weather like He did in the Old Testament as Blessing/Punishment?

Acts-pert Poster Posts: 15570 **6/9/16 9:05 pm**

Does God still use the weather as a tool for either/both judgment or blessing? For example:

1. Ample rain for yielding a great harvest as a sign of his favor?

2. Storms (hurricane, tornado, flood, etc.) and inclement weather as a sign of his displeasure/judgment?

Quiet Wyatt

[Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 12817 **6/9/16 10:28 pm**

It is not clear why we should assume He is no longer sovereign over nature. Jesus said that the Father makes the sun to rise and the rain to fall on both the just and the unjust. That covers everybody. It is not evident that there should be exceptions in which rain/weather just happens on its own, as a Deist might claim.

Ps 135:5 For I know that the LORD is great,
and that our Lord is above all gods.
6Whatever the LORD pleases, he does,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all deeps.
7He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,
who makes lightnings for the rain
and brings forth the wind from his storehouses. ESV

The above passage does not tie the weather to the Mosaic Covenant per se, but appears to be univeral in application to all weather, just like Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount.

Da Sheik

Acts Enthusiast Posts: 1865 **6/10/16 1:34 pm**

Interesting question. I feel like you already have an answer in mind, but let me offer a few cent's worth. If one holds to that belief then it would also stand to reason that God deals with geographical regions due to righteousness or wickedness. I lean toward the belief that this isn't the case. Some of the most wicked places on earth have gorgeous weather year-round.

None of that negates the fact that God is indeed sovereign over all the earth. If He wants it to rain somewhere then it certainly will.

Eddie Robbins

Acts-pert Poster Posts: 16509 **6/10/16 3:19 pm**

I think that the judgment of God comes on judgment day. He makes it rain on the just and the unjust.

bradfreeman

Acts-dicted Posts: 9027 **6/10/16 3:24 pm**

"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." Mat 5:44.45

This means scriptures means God loves everyone! Sun and rain are blessings for everyone! These blessings have NOTHING to do with whether you're evil or good, righteous or unrighteous.

If you want to know what God is like, you need to look at Jesus. He showed us the Father.

At the end of the old covenant, no one had seen God at any time.

"For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him." John 1:17,18

Under the Law given through Moses, no one saw God.
When grace and truth showed up, the Son explained Him.

At the end of Jesus life, you can say "from now on" I've seen Him.

"If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” John 14:7

Jesus punished no one with weather.
Jesus did not come to destroy men's lives by raining physical fire.
He came to save men's lives by being the Son of righteousness burning up the law of sin and death that was cursing us.
Jesus did cause a physical storm, He calmed it.

Is weather a sign of judgment or blessing? No.
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I'm not saved because I'm good. I'm saved because He's good!

My website: www.bradfreeman.com
My blog: http://bradcfreeman.tumblr.com/

Quiet Wyatt

[Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 12817 **6/10/16 6:01 pm**

Jeremiah, appointed by God as a prophet to the nations, said something that appears to have bearing on the subject:

Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 7 If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, 8 and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. 9 And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, 10 and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it. 11 Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.’ Jeremiah 18:5-11 ESV

Old Time Country Preacher

Acts-pert Poster Posts: 15570 **6/10/16 7:27 pm**

Quiet Wyatt

[Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 12817 **6/10/16 9:49 pm**

OTCP,

Though I am literally about as far from being a Calvinist as can be, I have never understood why anyone would want to deny God's sovereign control over the physical universe. It's as if they think God's wrath and judgment is only an Old Testament concept, and now God wouldnt ever judge or bring righteous destruction on an individual, family, or nation that had become thoroughly wicked despite all His efforts to bring them to repentance. I have to wonder what they imagine Judgement Day will be like.

Cojak

01000001 01100011 01110100 01110011 Posts: 24285 **6/10/16 10:25 pm**

Cojak

01000001 01100011 01110100 01110011 Posts: 24285 **6/10/16 10:26 pm**

Change Agent

Acts Enthusiast Posts: 1449 **6/11/16 6:12 am**

Don't think God is venting his anger these days since Jesus died for the sins of the world. Rains falls on the just and the unjust. Storms hit the just and the unjust. There will be a judgement day, just not today.

diakoneo

Golf Cart Mafia Consigliere Posts: 3382 **6/11/16 6:46 am**

Dying in a storm or earthquake is nothing compared to spiritual death and an eternity away from God. Those who have rejected Christ stand condemned and face much worse fate than tornadoes, hurricanes and famines.

Eddie Robbins

Acts-pert Poster Posts: 16509 **6/11/16 6:59 am**

I got angry at Pat Robertson talking about the Haiti earthquake. There are some really sweet Christians there that live in poverty, something he would never have a clue about. Didn't he say something about a hurricane hitting Disney World or was that just made up? He says so many ludicrous things, I can't keep up with the real.

Quiet Wyatt

[Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 12817 **6/11/16 9:26 am**

The Deistic mindset says that God is no longer intervening in history, and that all weather or natural disasters are governed simply by cause and effect. It's just bad luck that _____ happened.

The "God has changed" mindset, in which it is claimed that "the Old Testament God of wrath is no longer that way because Jesus bore all the wrath of the Father," (or something quite similar to that idea) is much the same practically as Deism with regard to calamities that befall people. God's hand is not only not seen in such events, it is positively ruled out in their minds. Again, it's just bad luck when calamity comes our way.

With either of the above, "God wouldn't do this kind of thing," mindsets, wheneved tragedy befalls, the attitude must be self-pity ("Why me?") or just confusion in the face of apparently meaningless chaos, and can never be one of true worship in the face of tragedy, such as Job displayed when he fell on his face, worshipped and cried, "blessed be the name of the Lord."

If on the other hand, one already affirms God's sovereign control over the physical universe as well as God's perfectly wise and good character, then the only proper response to calamity is to fall on one's face and worship, knowing that His way is perfect, and He is working all things together for good for those who love Him.

diakoneo

Golf Cart Mafia Consigliere Posts: 3382 **6/11/16 2:02 pm**

"...Unless you repent you shall likewise perish."

Eddie Robbins

Acts-pert Poster Posts: 16509 **6/11/16 4:00 pm**

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Acts-perienced Poster Posts: 11849 **6/12/16 12:31 am**

Brad's position is too extreme. God makes rain fall on the just and unjust alike, but He also withheld rain when Israel broke covenant. God also allowed Satan to send a whirlwind in the book of Job.
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