By Bill McLeod

According to Revelation 11:18, this age will end with God and the world on a collision course, “And the nations were angry and Your wrath has come. The time has come for judging ....” (NIV)

Could it be that the time for judgment has already begun? Is God indeed judging the nations as He predicted through the Prophet Jeremiah? In 1:10 the prophet was told to tear down and destroy nations at God’s behest. In 25:29 God reminds the Gentile nations that since He has judged the city that is called by His Name (Jerusalem), will He not certainly judge them? He goes on to mention more than 20 nations that will fall under His judgment.

Could it be that Ezekiel’s prophesy of four dreadful judgments against Jerusalem—sword (war), famine, wild beasts and plague (disease)—are now being visited upon United States and Canada? (Ez. 14:21) Jesus added earthquakes to this list.

Could it be that the predictions of Hosea 4:3 and Zephaniah 1:3 —speaking of God taking away the fish of the sea because of the wickedness of man—explain the loss of our salmon, cod and halibut stocks?

Could it be that Canada has experienced the rain coming for correction (Job 37:13) in the last two years? And that the tsunamis were predicted (Amos 9:6). “Who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land—the Lord is His Name.” Further, Nahum 1:3 warned that “God has His way in the whirlwind and the storm.”

In an excerpt from his article, Is God Trying to Tell Us Something? Byron Paulus has this to say:

Have you ever read a historical account that is more analogous to the events surrounding Katrina? Have you ever read a piece of history that gave more hope?

Considerable debate among evangelicals has surfaced regarding the role of God in natural disasters. This is healthy. But when it comes to the church and what God is saying, there should be no debate. He is calling His children to a deeper and more integral relationship with Himself...

And, in the case of Katrina and Rita, I believe God is reminding us of our need for repentance. Like the hurricane of 1741, I believe God wants to use this calamity as a call for His people to return to Him...in revival.

The symbolism represented by the various locations of recent calamities is too obvious to ignore. First, terrorists attacked the national icons of our materialistic culture. Last year, the hurricanes along the coasts of Florida scarred a an area generally known for sexual perversion, as well as gambling, welfare, and crime. Rita even took a shot at our source of dependency...oil. Is it a coincidence that the name of Katrina means “purity?” Is God trying to get our attention?

Psalm 148:8 reminds us that “lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds do His bidding.” Can we really say Mother Nature is in control? Or will we acknowledge Father God?

Could it be that Ezekial’s prophecy of plague (disease) has also come true in our day? It seems our immoral lifestyle has provided fertile soil—two sexual diseases have now multiplied to more than twenty-five.

If our land would be healed we must come to that place where we humble ourselves and pray, seek God’s face and turn from our wicked ways. Only then will He hear from heaven, will forgive our sin, and heal our land. (II Chronicles 7:14)

[This article appeared previously in Revival News, Spring 2006, Canadian Revival Fellowship. Used with permission.]