The East Wind, Blight, and Drought

     God also said He is the source of wind, blight, and drought in His conversation with Job referenced last week.

     “By what way is…the east wind scattered over the earth?”  Job 38:24

     The east wind, commonly called ‘Sirocco’ is a hot oppressive and often dusty wind with its origin in northern Africa and reaching to southern Europe.

     The terms ‘east wind’ and ‘blighted’ also mean to be scorched with great heat.

    God confirmed to Job that such a wind and its distribution was entirely beyond man’s ability to control.

     Biblical teachings relative to the east wind are found back in history prior to the giving of the law.  Recall Pharaoh’s dream in Egypt.  The dream centered on seven fat cows and seven gaunt cows.  The seven gaunt cows ate and consumed the seven fat cows.  The dream was reinforced with a second dream consisting of seven healthy heads of grain on one stalk and then seven additional heads, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind.  The seven withered and thin heads of grain rose up and ate the seven full and good heads.

     Pharaoh, being totally perplexed by the dreams, called for all the magicians of Egypt and all the wise men, and told them his dreams, but none could interpret them.  Pharaoh then was told of Joseph’s gift of interpreting dreams and called for him.

     “Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, ‘the dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.’”  Genesis 41:26

     The sovereignty of God is shown by the words ‘God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.’

     The dreams were interpreted to mean that seven years of plenty were about to happen followed by seven years of famine.

     “Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt; but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land.”  Genesis 41:29-30

     Joseph then emphasized that God would plan and then surely execute His plan at His will.

     “And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.”  Genesis 41:32

     And so it was, there was great drought and famine ‘over all the face of the earth.’  Egypt, however, had prepared for the event under the advice and leadership of Joseph.  God had used His plan to bring Joseph’s brothers and his father Jacob to Egypt to reunite.

     Approximately a millennium later God spoke again about drought and blight, this time through the Prophet Amos.

     “I also withheld rain from you…I blasted you with blight and mildew…yet you have not returned to Me...”  Amos 4:7a, 9

     And then the inevitable was about to happen when a nation continuously rejects God.

     “Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel…Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!” Amos 4:12

     It was shortly after this that the Northern ten tribes of Israel were overrun by Assyria. 

     Have the nations learned the lesson?  Let’s look forward in history.

     “Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire.  And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.”  Revelation 16:8-9

     Scripture reveals that scorching heat is being reserved for use against the rebel nations in the future because men will continue to reject God in this age.  Note the above Scripture passage is written in the past tense, in other words it is a done deal.

     It is a sad commentary that our government’s leaders continue to reject the wisdom of God.  Even with increased tax revenue and delegated authority granted to EPA, all is vanity.

     Thus when our president proclaims that the debate over climate change is over, he prophetically proclaims the truth.

     We’ll conclude next week by addressing the aspect of weather factors such as cold, ice, and hail stones that will not only dent our cars, but crush them.

    

Climate Factors Downplayed by Whitehouse

     On May 6^th the Whitehouse sponsored a conference highlighting the present and future effects of human-induced climate change.  Apparently the term ‘climate change’ has replaced ‘global warming’ because previous conferences had to be canceled due to severe winter storms in the Northeast. 

     There are, however, many that think the conference was really called to disguise the historical record increase of Antarctic sea ice reported by NOAA.

     Whatever the reason for the conference, our president and his followers have declared that we are on the road to disaster and that ‘man made’ climate change is a proven fact and the debate surrounding the issue is over.

     Many today, however, have replaced both terms global warming and climate change simply with weather patterns.  Then there is the discussion about the source of such fluctuating weather patterns.  Is it human activity or natural phenomena? 

     Since 3 out of 4 Americans claim to be Christian, the majority would be expected to consult the Bible to see if anything is revealed about weather phenomena and its causes.

     An appropriate source for such information can be found in the book of Job.  The setting for the book of Job was during the patriarchal period before the law was given.

     After Job had failed all attempts to maintain his innocence and after hearing from his three consultant friends who agreed that Job’s suffering was due to unnamed sin, he requested audience with God to plead his case.

     Finally, his request was granted and God spoke.

     “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: ‘Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?  Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.  Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?’”  Job 38:1-4

     Several weather types are described.  This column will focus on rain and its source. 

     “Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water, or a path for the thunderbolt, to cause it to rain on a land where there is no one…to satisfy the desolate waste, and cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass?”  Job 38:25-27

     “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, that an abundance of water may cover you? …Or can you pour out the bottles of heaven, when the dust hardens on clumps, and the clods cling together?”  Job 38:34, 37-38

     The answers to the above questions are obvious, i.e. man has no control of the clouds and rain.  Such is at the total discretion of God Himself.

     Even before Job’s time the sovereignty of God over the weather, specifically the rain, was illustrated.

     Recall the saga of Noah and the destruction caused by the flood.

     “For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth, forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made.”  Genesis 7:4

     Note ‘I will cause it to rain’ and ‘I will destroy…’  God caused it to rain for His specific purpose.  Man had absolutely no say in the matter nor could naïve man affect God’s power, plan, and purpose.  Nothing has changed.

     After the time of Job and the law was given, God gave specific instructions relative to the blessings for obedience, or curses for disobedience, to His laws.

     “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments…the LORD will open to you His good treasure; the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its seasons…”  Deuteronomy 28:1, 12

     “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God…the LORD will change the rain of your land to powder and dust…”  Deuteronomy 28:15, 24

     Everyone can decide for themselves whether rain, or the lack of it, is attributable to the results of a heavy carbon footprint or the sovereignty of God.

     Next week we’ll examine the presence and cause of scorching heat and drought.  The week following we’ll conclude by discussing cold, ice, and hail and Job’s response to God’s speaking with him.

    

    

God's Eternal, Immutable Plan for His Chosen

     God’s purpose for man was determined long before earth was prepared to sustain him.  And while the plan was initially mentioned in the early chapters of Genesis, many details were shrouded in mystery until the earthly arrival of Jesus.

     “All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables… saying: ‘I will open My mouth in parables, I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.’”  Matthew 13:34-35

     A parallel phrase for ‘the foundation of the world’ is ‘the beginning of the creation’, or absolute beginning.  That confirms the truth that God’s plan for man was devised long before his creation.

     Several times the Apostle Paul spoke of the mystery kept through many generations and reserved for God’s chosen.  The mystery would not be revealed to those of the world but rather for the glory of God’s elect.

     “However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.  But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew…” 1 Corinthians 2:6-8a

     The mystery revealed to the church was the gift of redemption made possible by the vicarious sacrifice of Christ.

     “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord…who has saved us…not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed…”  2 Timothy 1:8-10a

     Paul used the same term ‘before time began’ when writing to Titus confirming that God promised eternal life to His elect before time began.

     And to the church at Colosse he wrote:

     “…the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.”  Colossians 1:26

     And in Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus he expounded on the origin of God’s plan and its contents.

     “To me…this grace was given…to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God…to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church…according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus…”  Ephesians 3:8-11

     The term eternal means without beginning or end.  Recall Melchizedek was described as having neither beginning of days nor end of life.

     The Prophet Isaiah revealed much about the eternal aspect of God.

     “Who has performed and done it, calling the generations from the beginning?  I, the LORD, am the first; and with the last I am He.”  Isaiah 41:4 

     The Hebrew for ‘first’ encompasses two aspects, i.e. beginning as related to time, and preeminence.  The term ‘last’ means the One to bring the termination of the age.

     “…I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.’”  Isaiah 46:9-10

     “Indeed before the day was, I am He…”  Isaiah 43:13a

     The Psalmist also spoke of the eternal attribute of God.

     “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”  Psalm 90:2

     Therefore, there was much activity before the earth was prepared for man and there will be much more activity after the end of this age.

     And since Jesus is deity, He is likewise the ‘first and the last’.

     “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”  Revelation 22:13

     In both Hebrew and Greek ‘end’ and ‘last’ can be used interchangeably.

     Thus, God’s plan for His elect was devised before time began and will never end.  His plan was not made known to the Prophets; rather His plan was a mystery until revealed with the arrival of Christ and the establishment of the ‘church’.

     The fulfillment of God’s plan for man is still in its early stages.

    

    

    

Angels in the Order of Creation

     The Bible reveals that Jesus and wisdom were in the beginning.  The Bible further reveals that angels were created after the beginning but before Adam.

     The Bible further reveals that angels were created not only to serve God but to minister to man who would subsequently be created in God’s image.  Angels would also execute judgment on the disobedient.

     The greatest of the created angels was Lucifer, son of the morning.

     “You were the anointed cherub…I established you…You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you.”

Ezekiel 28:14-15

     The iniquity found in Lucifer was pride and subsequent rebellion against his Creator.

     “For you have said in your heart… ‘I will exalt my throne above the stars of God…I will be like the most high.’  Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit.”  Isaiah 14:13-15

     The Bible describes the other angels that were created before man as ‘morning stars’ and ‘sons of God’.

     Recall when God interrogated Job:

     “Where were you…when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”  Job 38:7

      The Bible indicates that many other angels followed Lucifer in his rebellion.  In fact the Bible states that when Lucifer lost his place of authority in heaven he drew a third of the angels with him.

     “And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day.”  Jude 6

     The Apostle Peter recorded the same as he was describing future judgment.

     “For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment…”  2 Peter 2:4

     A sober truth is that fallen angels are condemned forever, i.e. there is no provision for redemption for them.  The lake of fire was created specifically for fallen angels and their leader. 

     When Jesus returns to earth after the tribulation and judges the nations, the redeemed will “…inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world…” but the condemned will join Satan and his followers.

     “…Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”  Matthew 25:41

     While Satan lost his position in heaven he has been given the title and position of prince of this world.  He still has access to the throne, however, to accuse redeemed man.  But even that access will be lost during the tribulation period.

     We recently spoke of the war in heaven where Michael and his angels fought with Satan and his angels.  Satan lost that war and was expelled from any access to heaven.

     “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”  Revelation 12:9

     The spirits of the angels who followed Satan are demons.  Many demons are chained in the abyss while many others are allowed to roam on the earth serving their leader until their final judgment.

     “Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates…and I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon…for they are spirits of demons…”  Revelation 16:12-14

     During the time prior to their judgment demons are subject not only to Christ, but to powerful good angels such as the sixth angel described in the above passage.

     Therefore, the great but fallen angel Lucifer was created before God prepared the earth for Adam and his descendants.  All other angels were also created before Genesis 1:2. 

     Angels were created to both minister to and chastise man who would later be created in the very image of God. 

     Angels are very powerful beings but are lower than redeemed man. 

     “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? …Do you not know that we shall judge angels?”  1 Corinthians 6:2-3

     It is very interesting to learn how much God did in preparation for man.   

    

Precursor to Adam

     The story of redemption becomes even more meaningful when one examines events that happened before Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden.  Borrowing a definition from Webster, the word ‘precursor’ as used in the title means ‘one that precedes and indicates the approach of another’.

     The first three words in the book of Genesis are ‘In the beginning’ and the Hebrew base for ‘beginning’ also means ‘first’.  Therefore, those initial three words confirm there were events or happenings that preceded the events recorded beginning with Genesis 1:2.

    There are other phrases in the Bible that confirm the existence of and the working of the mind of God prior to man’s physical creation.  For example the phrases ‘before time began’ and ‘from the foundation of the world’ are also found in the Bible.

     The first three words in the New Testament are exactly the same as the first three words in the Old Testament, i.e. ‘In the beginning’.  The Greek base for beginning also means ‘first’ and ‘before anything’. 

     “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.”  John 1:1

     This verse clearly ascribes deity to Jesus.

     The Greek base for ‘Word’ means the eternal expression of the divine intelligence and the disclosure of the divine essence.

 

     The Pharisees would not accept Jesus’ claim to deity.  They boasted of their status and security by claiming they were direct descendants of Abraham.

     “Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.’”  John 8:58

     The term ‘I AM’ means ‘I have always been’.

     The redemptive plan for man, particularly for gentiles via the church through the God/man Jesus, was not fully revealed until the New Testament.  The Apostle Paul taught that such a plan had been devised ‘in the beginning’ or ‘since the world began’.

     “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began, but now made manifest…”  Romans 16:25-26a

     The Greek base for ‘world began’ in the present context is chronois aioniois which means ‘before time began’.

     The very next chapter in the Bible reveals that the wisdom of God was/is embodied in Christ.

     “…but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”  1 Corinthians 1:23-24

     The Greek for wisdom in this verse means divine wisdom, infinite skill, insight, and purity.

     The Bible also reveals that wisdom was with God in the beginning, or before the preparation of the earth to sustain Adam and all mankind.

     In the eighth chapter of Proverbs, wisdom is personified.

     “I have been established from everlasting, from the beginning, before there was ever an earth…While as yet He had not made the earth or the fields, or the primal dust of the world, when He prepared the heavens, I was there…”  Proverbs 8:23-24, 26-27a

     These verses clearly reveal that wisdom, which would be embodied in Christ, has always been with God.

     Solomon then declares that wisdom’s greatest delight was to be with God’s highest creation, i.e. those created in God’s own image.

     “When He marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him, rejoicing in His inhabited world, and my delight was with the sons of men.”  Proverbs 8:29b-31

     One cannot grasp the love that God has for His Son and for those whom He would create in His own image.  Such love can only be embraced as the anchor of the soul.

     There are other great Biblical truths that tell of God’s detailed preparation and plan for those whom He was about to create in His image and place on the earth. 

     God’s plan for man began long before the dimension of time and the Garden of Eden and will last long after, when time will be needed no more.