Tag: weather

Does God Still Send Disasters As Punishment?

When disaster strikes, people instinctively seek meaning. After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and earthquakes tore through Haiti, a famous televangelist swiftly claimed these events were acts of divine retribution. While such statements may seek to provide a sense of cosmic order, they often do more harm than good and reveal a troubling misunderstanding of God’s character in our modern world.

Brent Pollard

When disaster strikes, people instinctively seek meaning. After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and earthquakes tore through Haiti, a famous televangelist swiftly claimed these events were acts of divine retribution. While such statements may seek to provide a sense of cosmic order, they often do more harm than good and reveal a troubling misunderstanding of God’s character in our modern world.

This impulse originates from retributive theology, which holds that God punishes sin through physical means, such as natural disasters. This view has deep roots in the Old Testament, where Israel’s covenant promised prosperity to those who obeyed and calamity to those who rebelled. In this unique covenant between God and a nation, God linked physical blessings and curses directly to the nation’s spiritual faithfulness.

But does that system still govern our world today?

A Covenant of Earthly Consequences

To understand this question, we need to revisit ancient Israel—a time when God’s people constituted a literal nation with defined borders, laws, and a temple. In this theocratic context, God sent droughts, diseases, and foreign armies to discipline His people and urge them to return to faithfulness. Prophets like Elijah (1 Kings 17.1) and Amos (Amos 4.6-11) proclaimed these judgments with divine authority, and Israel’s history unfolded as a visible drama of obedience and its consequences.

Even within the Old Testament, a deeper mystery unfolds. The story of Job—a righteous man who suffers beyond human comprehension—challenges the idea of simple retribution. When Job’s friends insisted that his suffering must be a sign of hidden sin, God rebuked them (Job 42.7-8). Their critical mistake was presuming to speak for God about matters they could not fully understand.

A Kingdom Transformed

Christ’s arrival transformed everything as profoundly as dawn breaks the night. God’s people are no longer confined to a single nation or governed by stone tablets. We are now citizens of a spiritual kingdom, shaped not by geography but by grace, led not by thunder from Sinai but by the gentle voice of the Spirit.

Nowhere in the New Testament do we see God threaten the Church with natural disasters as punishment for sin. While divine discipline is still a reality—“the Lord disciplines those He loves”—its nature has undergone a profound transformation (Hebrews 12.6). The Spirit convicts hearts, churches correct, and the consequences manifest in individuals’ souls rather than in their harvests.

When Calamity Comes

This fact does not imply that God is distant when disaster occurs. He remains sovereign, with His providence still overseeing the wind and waves. However, we need to carefully distinguish between stating that God can use tragedy for a purpose and claiming that He caused it to punish specific sins.

When people asked Jesus about a collapsed tower that killed eighteen people, He did not speculate about the victims’ sins. Instead, He gave an urgent yet gentle reminder: “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13.5 NASB95). This statement suggests that tragedy is not proof of others’ hidden wrongdoings, but rather a call for us to examine our hearts.

All creation suffers under the weight of sin, and hurricanes, earthquakes, and fires are symptoms of a world fractured by the fall, not signs of an angry God pacing heaven’s battlements. Even amidst such brokenness, He draws near with compassion.

Discipline Refined

God’s discipline today is not diminished but refined. It comes through the quiet grief that follows sin, the loving correction of faithful friends, and the Spirit’s gentle whisper through the Word. No longer does God thunder judgments from mountaintops—He writes His corrections on our biblically trained consciences through grace.

Claiming that every disaster represents divine judgment misinterprets both the grace of the New Covenant and the nature of our Savior. Christ did not come to condemn the world but to save it (Luke 19.10). The cross speaks more profoundly than any hurricane—there, God’s justice and mercy met, and love triumphed.

Our Response

When disasters inevitably strike, let us respond with compassion rather than blame. Let us be Christ’s hands, lifting those who have fallen and rebuilding what tragedy has broken. Before we point out the faults of others, let us examine our hearts. Above all, let us offer hope instead of theories.

We live not under wrathful skies but beneath a gracious banner. If God speaks through storms today, it’s not to destroy but to awaken, not to punish but to invite.

In this broken world, the Church’s message must never be “They got what they deserved” but “Come, weary soul, and find rest in Christ.” He doesn’t send floods to wash us away but offers living water to make us whole.

Tempests And Tornadoes

Neal Pollard

In 2009, Gary, Dale, and I took a scenic route back from Neosho, Missouri, where I’d held a meeting, to Denver, Colorado. It took us through Greensburg, Kansas, site of one of the most destructive tornadoes in U.S. history. That was May 4, 2007. Just two years later, the nearest city to Neosho, Joplin, would experience one of the deadliest tornadoes in modern times. 160 people lost their lives. I have been to Moore, Oklahoma, several times. From 1998 to 2015, this Oklahoma City suburb experienced nine tornadoes, three of them large enough to take lives. One in 1999 claimed 46 lives, and another in 2013 claimed 24. Of course, we experienced a deadly, destructive tornado here in Bowling Green less than four years ago.

The Bible doesn’t use the word tornado (or hurricane). But, it does speak of violent windstorms (Zech. 7:14; Mark 4:37ff), tempests (Job 9:17; Psa. 55:8), whirlwinds (Hos. 8:7), thunderstorms (Exo. 9:18; Job 37:1ff), hailstorms (Psa. 148:8; Hag. 2:17), and similar natural events. Whether the ancients experienced an EF-5 or not, they saw the destructive force of nature often enough. Inevitably, inspired writers compared the trials and difficulties of life to storms. Think of some compelling parallels.

  • Both can come suddenly and unexpectedly.
  • Both can inflict damage that leave lasting consequences.
  • Both can evoke strong emotions like anxiety, fear, distress, and sorrow.
  • Both awake in us feelings of dependency and inadequacy.
  • Both should heighten our awareness of the God who rules wind, water, and world.
  • Both are no respecters of our status, education, income, age, etc.
  • Both are confronted better with adequate shelter and protection.

No doubt, this is an incomplete list. But, God’s wisdom included the inspired illustrations of physical storms to prepare us for the storms of life. Isaiah foresees a glorious future “like a refuge from the wind and a shelter from the storm, like streams of water in a dry country, like the shade of a huge rock in a parched land” (Isa. 32:2). In the face of a host of potential threats, the psalmist asserts, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!” (Psalm 91:1-2).

Perhaps you are facing something that you’d liken to a tornado or tempest in your inmost being. This will continue as long as we’re in this body on this earth and this life. God does not promise us exemption from their presence, but He does promise us escape from their power. If you are in the midst of the storm, hold onto Him. He promises that you will survive and that ultimately you will triumph.

A Biblical Flood In Our Time:

Hurricane Helene’s Lessons

Brent Pollard

In a remarkable display of divine providence, a changing storm pattern guided Helene far to the east, sparing my cherished home in the north Georgia mountains from its fury. Though this may bring scant solace to those affected by the storms in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, I reflect on the profound insights that the sorrowful occurrences of late September 2024 have unveiled. Sometimes, extreme weather events’ catastrophic character justifies using terms like “biblical.” Indeed, WUNC’s Due South featured an article on the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, capturing the devastation with the phrase “biblical destruction.”

Peter tells us that the great flood swept away the world existing before Noah’s days (2 Peter 3.6). Similarly, WSPA shared a segment from their newscast on YouTube, aptly titled “Hurricane Helene Geographically Changed Western NC River, Fire Chief Said.” In the report, the journalist referenced a first responder from Swannanoa, who shared that the landscape surrounding the Swannanoa River had transformed significantly over the three days of relentless rain and flooding. This change necessitated remapping the area to facilitate the rescue of individuals and the execution of other essential duties!

One might ponder how three days of rain could bring about such a remarkable transformation. Yet, Helene’s four outcomes turned the familiar into the terra incognito.

  • Channel shifts: Rivers and streams changed course, forming new channels or eroding existing ones.
  • Sediment deposition: Floodwaters transported significant sediment downstream, affecting riverbeds and water quality.
  • Landslides: Heavy rainfall created instability, resulting in landslides that blocked waterways and altered water flow. 
  • Erosion: Increased water flow has accelerated erosion, particularly in areas with vulnerable soils, altering the shape and depth of river valleys.

From September 25 to 27, Yancey County, North Carolina, got hit with a remarkable 31.3 inches of rain in just a few days. This recorded amount is the highest in the region, surpassing all others with noteworthy distinction. But what if you were to multiply that number by forty days? What wonders might forty days bring if three days can transform a place beyond recognition? Noah constructed the Ark as a refuge amidst the deluge that engulfed the earth, resulting from relentless forty-day rain and the shattering of the planet’s vast aquifers (Genesis 7.11–12).

Anyone who survived Hurricane Helene’s destructive energy will find it more difficult to dismiss the idea of an angry God using water to cleanse the world’s surface of a creation that had become too pesky with its sin. Indeed, it is not difficult to believe that God could use a flood to inundate the world, but that in so admits that there is One to whom we must all account (cf. Romans 14.12). This admission is what the skeptic and scoffer seek to avoid.

The profound effects of Hurricane Helene stand as a poignant reminder of nature’s untamed strength and our enduring fragility in the face of forces that lie beyond our grasp. Though our technological advancements allow us to monitor, assess, and occasionally foresee these devastating occurrences, nature’s power reminds us of her power to transform our world in just a matter of days. The changing landscape of western North Carolina resonates with timeless stories of divine influence woven through the fabric of nature, inviting both the faithful and the doubtful to ponder deeper truths about our connection to the world around us and, perhaps, to its Maker. As communities rise anew and adjust to their transformed landscapes, the teachings of Helene—echoing the timeless story of Noah’s flood—persist in their relevance, urging us to honor the power of nature and recognize our limitations as we journey through the challenges of our ever-changing world.

Worry Not; The Sky Is Not Falling

Friday’s Column: Brent’s Bent

Brent Pollard

If you asked me to belay the fears of those worried about climate change quickly, I would do so by citing one Scripture. Granted, this would only work for a minority of people who 1) believe in God and 2) accept the Bible as His infallible revelation to humanity. Nevertheless, I would still begin with God’s words to Noah. 

“As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.” (Genesis 8.22 NLT) 

If you are a person of faith, that is all you need to hear. It does not matter what computer models claim. Behind the climate change hype, one notes that, typically, politicians are trying to seize more money and control through industry regulation and carbon taxes. I realize that it feels empowering to think the task of saving the planet is yours to undertake. I imagine it gives a sense of purpose. Yet, a person of faith sees that this ability to “save the planet” exceeds his or her grasp. God told the patriarch Job that He alone could bring the sword to His creation (Job 40.15ff). 

Lastly, people of faith will likewise acknowledge that Holy Writ reveals a history of periods of extreme weather. In particular, one notes the seven years of feast and famine foreseen by the pharaoh and interpreted by Joseph via God’s Spirit (Genesis 41.29-31). That dearth of food, brought on by drought, was bad enough that it impacted even Joseph’s brothers living many miles away (Genesis 41.57-52.2). The foretold famine of Genesis 41 was not the only drought depicted in Scripture. The conditions leading to famine understood as drought, caused the patriarchs Abraham (then Abram) and Isaac and Naomi and her husband to take refuge where they could find food (Genesis 12.10; 26.1; Ruth 1.1).    

Drought was not limited to the Old Testament. For example, in Acts 11.28, the prophet Agabus foresaw a “great dearth” (KJV) that would occur during the reign of Claudius Caesar. Though people have repeatedly undertaken the challenge of disproving the veracity of Luke’s scholarship, Luke has always proven true. There were, in total, four famines noted in secular history during the reign of Claudius Caesar. One such famine centered in Judea and served as the impetus for Paul’s missionary journeys (Acts 11.29-30). At this point, hopefully, the person of faith has had his or her fears about “climate change” assuaged. But what about those who do not accept the existence of God or the inspiration of Scripture?  

Well, let’s play devil’s advocate. The late comedian, George Carlin, had a great point about “saving the planet” within one of his stand-up routines for those embracing evolutionary dogma. He mentioned that the planet has allegedly been here for billions of years by evolutionary timetables. In comparison, humans have supposedly only been here for a couple of hundred thousand years. Even then, humanity has only engaged in heavy industrialization for about 200 years. Yet, species of flora and fauna have come and gone whether “we” have done anything or not. Carlin says that nature takes care of itself.1 (By the way, Christians agree somewhat with this sentiment since we accept that Christ sustains His creation—Colossians 1.15-17; Hebrews 1.3.) 

Meanwhile, the evidence touted by academics promoting today’s climate change hysteria points to such things as more significant amounts of greenhouse gases in earth’s remote past “before man.” (These scientists said that our current greenhouse gases, purported to be thanks to human activity, now matchedwhat they observed in that distant past.)2  

Other factors impacting weather and climate have nothing to do with man. For example, thanks to volcanic activity, our world entered a mini-ice age persisting for several centuries, despite the birth of industrialization, into the late nineteenth century.3 And there are likewise such factors as orbital changes (i.e., Milankovitch cycles) and sunspot activity influencing the weather. Regarding the impact of sunspots, scientists note the Maunder minimum that persisted for over twenty years between the latter seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. It added bitterness to the already cold mini-ice age.4 

The weather is going to change. It always has and always will. Though the climate is different from weather, one notes climate is the weather record over a protracted period. And when was the last time your weatherman gave you an accurate weather forecast for a month into the future? Of course, they cannot do that, can they? No, they are constantly observing the computer models and giving you their best guess from their resources’ data. A forecast can drastically change within a day. 

Computer programmers have a mantra as old as modern computing: “Garbage in, garbage out.” In other words, a program is only as good as the data entered into it. Therefore, if you have bias, the results of your programming will reflect that bias. Those crying “climate change” benefit from computer modeling that paints an apocalyptic future picture. Fear is a great motivator. Unscrupulous people will use unfounded fear to get you to go along with the message they are peddling. 

Does this absolve us of our role as God’s caretakers (Genesis 1.26-28)? No, we ought to be good stewards. Therefore, we accept as a principle what Paul said of man’s stewardship of the Gospel: God must find us faithful (1 Corinthians 4.2). If God has given us stewardship of the planet, we ought not to pollute or abuse it. The Dust Bowl and Georgia’s Providence Canyon reveal what happens from poor farming practices that rob the earth of the protective soil: severe erosion. In like manner, belching industrial smokestacks and burning fires wreak havoc on the lungs of the asthmatic. Without rushing headlong into a hysteria that ultimately doubts God’s power or fails to accept His promise, we can grasp these truths. 

I will close as I began, with those words God spoke in the presence of Noah to all of humanity. 

“As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.” (Genesis 8.22 NLT) 

Sources Consulted 

1 Carlin, George. “‘Saving the Planet,’ by George Carlin.” Wheelersburg Local School District, Wheelersburg Local School District, www.wheelersburg.net/Downloads/GeorgeCarlin.pdf. 

2 Freedman, Andrew. “The Last Time CO2 Was This High, Humans Didn’t Exist.” Climate Central, Climate Central, 3 May 2013, www.climatecentral.org/news/the-last-time-co2-was-this-high-humans-didnt-exist-15938. 

3 Parry, Wynne. “Volcanoes May Have Sparked Little Ice Age.” LiveScience, Future US, Inc., 30 Jan. 2012, www.livescience.com/18205-ice-age-volcanoes-sea-ice.html. 

4 “Maunder Minimum.” Edited by Erik Gregersen, Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 25 Feb. 2011, www.britannica.com/science/Maunder-minimum. 

Seeing God In Nature: Volcanos

Neal Pollard

As we received word of the volcanic eruption near Guatemala City, Guatemala, yesterday, where Bear Valley Bible Institute has had an extension school for several years, we were reminded of the omnipotence of God. The power God displays through nature and His creation reveal how such a powerful effect reveals an even more powerful cause. Volcanic activity for which there is no recorded history, like at Yellowstone, Deccan Plateau, and Santorini, stand alongside several we do know about. Perhaps Pompeii or Mt. Saint Helens is most infamous, but the Mount Tambora volcano in Indonesia has been called the most explosive and deadly for which there is historical recounting. Mount Tambora’s eruption began on April 5, 1815, and the mountain blew apart on the evening of April 10th. “The blast, pyroclastic flows, and tsunamis that followed killed at least 10,000 islanders and destroyed the homes of 35,000 more” (britannica.com). It went from being a mountain 14,000 feet high to being a caldera (a crater) 3.7 miles across. Its effects were intense and global. It shot megatons of material into the atmosphere, preventing so much sunlight from reaching the earth’s surface that 80,000 more Indonesians died from famine and disease. The earth’s average temperature was reduced over five degrees. Western Europe and eastern North America experienced heavy snow and killing frost in June, July, and August, causing “crop failures and starvation in those regions, and the year 1816 was called the ‘year without a summer’” (ibid.).

Volcanos are so awesome and powerful that they evoke a strong response from us. They illustrate several things of a spiritual nature. As noted above, they are demonstrations of an all-powerful God. So often, they erupt without specific warning. There may have been tremors and signs for years, but nothing out of the ordinary. Then, too rapidly for many to escape, the cataclysmic occurs. It is a testimony of good that comes from tragedy, too. The Department of Geosciences at Oregon State University reminds us that volcanic soil is very rich and conducive to a dramatic agricultural comeback following these geological events (volcano.oregonstate,edu). These events should help remind us of a truth Bible writers like Peter teach us, that “…the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!” (2 Pet. 3:10-12). 

Please pray for our brethren in Guatemala and for the hearts of all men outside of Christ, that they might come to a saving knowledge of the truth before it is eternally too late. May the evidence gleaned from places like nature, including volcanic events, persuade mankind of the reality and power of God. So persuaded, perhaps their hearts will be open to learning more about Who this God is as we share the revelation of Him as found in His Word!

caldera_mt_tambora_sumbawa_indonesia
Mount Tambora caldera

GET READY!

Neal Pollard

As one who can count on one hand the number of snow events experienced in childhood, I have lived the last decade in Colorado where snow is more ordinary than oddity. Even so, the meteorological chatter is much higher in advance of an anticipated big storm this weekend. Because almost all my adult life has been spent in either Virginia or Colorado, we have heard many warnings.  In both places, it has seemed as though the weather experts were akin the boy crying wolf.  At the same time, in both places, we have had some huge surprises measured in feet rather than inches.

Perhaps because of this, locals in both places have at times been jaded and skeptical at these fearsome forecasts.  Their facial expressions say, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”  Why not? I remember a time in Virginia when the forecast was a foot of snow, all metro county schools closed in anticipation, and the next pre-dawn morning revealed starry skies without even a cloud.  Man, even with sophisticated radar and computer models, are at the mercy of the complexities of weather put in motion millennia ago by an all-powerful Creator.

We should not make the mistake of thinking God is like man (Ps. 50:21; Ezek. 28:2).  When He speaks of things to come, it is not mere prognostication or educated guessing.  He declares the end from the beginning (Isa. 46:10).  Thus, whatever He says is to come must not be dismissed.  It is a promise, as certain as His perfect character.

Throughout the New Testament, God is telling us to get ready for a day of judgment.  When writers say, “The Son of Man is going to come” (Mat. 16:27), “an hour is coming” (John 5:28-29), “all the nations will be gathered before Him” (Mat. 25:32), and the like, we should not expect a change in that forecast.  Just because it has not happened yet does not mean it will not come.  Peter warned of those who would say, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation” (2 Pet. 3:4).  Nonetheless, Scripture says, “Get ready!” We don’t know when, but we should not wonder if.

Unprepared For The Conditions

Neal Pollard

As one who was born in Mississippi and raised in south Georgia, I am very proud of my southern roots.  Frankly, I could not hide them even if I was inclined.  It is a heritage that includes the Bible Belt, sweet tea, BBQ, lemon icebox pie, peanut butter, gnats, humidity, pecan trees, Georgia mud cats, the Georgia Bulldogs, and the Atlanta Braves (including the bad years).  But, one thing we rarely needed to be ready for was treating the roads for snow and ice.  Therefore, even a light or moderate amount of snow means impassable roads and gridlock in traffic.  The historic snowstorm that has hit the deep south has come with power outages, massive traffic jams, stranded motorists, numerous wrecks, and seven states of emergency.  Typically, southern cities do not have chemicals for road treatment, a bevy of snow plows, or organized plans because these events are so rare.

 

I am not criticizing these locales and governments because of this lack of preparation.  Of course, I was not trying to get home from work or school in those conditions. If you were, you likely feel differently.

 

Yet, there is a general state of unpreparedness for something that is 100% likely to occur at some point in the future.  Every single person could potentially make completely ready for it.  It has been forecast with the greatest of certainty.  It has been described in clear enough detail.  The preparation is outlined in clear and simple detail.  There are even a number of people who have been employed and enlisted to aid in warning and educating the general public.  Those tasked with being prepared and preparing others will be held accountable for whether or not they were involved in enacting that plan.  Every single person who is unprepared will nonetheless be accountable and liable for the consequences of their not being ready (Mat. 25:1-13).  There is absolutely no reason why anyone should be unprepared for the Judgment Day.  May each of us do our part to help prepare as many as possible for it!