HIS TEMPESTUOUS PRECURSORS
The Time of God's Controversy with the Nations — Sore Judgments Invited by Sin
WE are in the time of the most turbulent condition among men that was ever known in earth's history. The spirit of strife pervades every part of the world. And along with this strife among men, there is a growing turbulence in the elements. One of the greatest dangers in this time is that men will first allow themselves to become dazed and stupefied because of the awful conditions prevailing everywhere, and then, following this, they will become indifferent, and drift into a sort of careless fatalism. Instead of permitting ourselves to come into such a state, we should carefully study the meaning of the tremendous and unusual events in the world. There is a deep significance to all that we see about us, and we will do ourselves a great injustice if we fail to recognize it. A GREAT CLUSTER OF CATASTROPHES
THE first part of January gave us storms up and down the Pacific coast in which several persons were killed and there was great damage to property. The middle of January, the Pacific coast was visited with another flock of storms, in which gales of hurricane velocity demolished property and killed a number of persons. The dispatches of January 12 also reported storm conditions in the Middle West that demoralized train and street-car service, resulting in loss of property, several deaths, and "scores injured by falling debris blown before the blizzard." Heavy storms and excessively high tides on the coast of Holland January 14-20 resulted in property losses estimated at $100,000; and the reports also say that many lives were lost. On the twenty-first of January, the dispatches told of other heavy storms in the Middle West. Toward the close of the same month, a severe storm and flood visited southern California and northern Mexico. The dispatches told of fifty dead in the neighborhood of the Mexican border, as the result of this last onslaught of storms. There were also heavy losses of property by floods in connection with this storm. The dispatches of February 6 told of storm and flood that created havoc in Arkansas. A number of lives were lost, and considerable property was destroyed. February 16, storm and flood visited Louisiana. February 21, fifty-five persons were reported killed, and much damage was done, by storm, flood, and avalanche in portions of Germany. Dispatches of the same date told of storms and floods in Mississippi. March 21, a tornado visited eastern Illinois, practically demolishing one or two villages, and a number of lives were lost. The Indiana papers of March 22 and 23 told of a tornado that cut a "wide swath of ruin" and destroyed a number of lives. March 25, "eight persons were killed in a farmhouse two miles east of Davis, Oklahoma, by a tornado which struck that section." MARCH 29, Great Britain was swept by a storm said by the London Times to have been "the worst snowstorm known for many years. . . . The snow was accompanied by a wind of great violence, and messages from various parts of the country, from Cumberland to the Isle of Wight, report widespread damage." The Times also reported twelve deaths as a result of this storm. April 8, the dispatches told of a tornado that demolished the town of Belmont, Louisiana, but no lives were reported lost. The Kansas City Times of April 20 reported that "a succession of violent storms and tornadoes, developing in three extensive storm areas in Kansas and Missouri yesterday afternoon, caused the death of at least ten persons, and injuries to nearly one hundred others. Property damage, especially in central Missouri, southwestern Missouri, and southeastern Kansas, is said to be enormous." Another dispatch, referring to the same storm, said, "Three separate 'twisters' struck as many parts of Kansas, causing injury and destruction and death." June 5, a dispatch from Little Rock, Arkansas, said, "Fifty-nine persons are reported killed, and more than a hundred injured, in a series of tornadoes which swept Arkansas this afternoon." The dispatches the next day claimed that even a greater number had been killed by this terrific army of tornadoes. On June 7, dispatches from New Orleans reported the gulf storm that resulted in many deaths and much loss of property. On the same date, a dispatch from Memphis, Tennessee, reported "more than 167 persons killed by a series of tornadoes which swept sections of Tennessee, Mississippi, southwestern Missouri, Arkansas, and eastern Kentucky." This dispatch from Memphis shows that the tornadoes that swept through Arkansas extended to a large section of the Southern States, reaching clear down to the gulf. The photographs appearing on pages 8 and 9 of this issue will help to tell, more vividly than the tongue can, of the destruction produced by these great storms. July 5, a "tropical storm" did much damage in several of the Gulf States. The dispatches a few days later stated concerning this storm that about eighty-five persons were dead or missing; and the property loss, mostly crop damage, is estimated at nearly $10,000,000. July 12, "thirty-one persons were killed, and more than a hundred were injured seriously," in a tornado that visited a suburb of Vienna. The dispatches of July 16 and 17 told us of "serious floods in North and South Carolina and Virginia," which resulted in a number of deaths and much property damage. This storm is described as a combination of torrential rains, accompanied by a hurricane, which swept whole communities before them. July 19, wind, rain, and cloud-burst destroyed much property in Kentucky. During the same time that these larger storms were creating so much havoc in so many different sections, there were numerous "electrical storms" in many localities. A TEMPEST FROM THE UTTERMOST PARTS
THE foregoing is merely a brief review of but one line of calamities that are appearing in a remarkable way throughout the world. The prophet Jeremiah speaks of a time when "a noise shall come even to the end of the earth; for Jehovah hath a controversy with the nations; He will enter into judgment with all flesh: as for the wicked, He will give them to the sword, saith Jehovah. Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great tempest shall be raised up from the uttermost parts of the earth. And the slain of Jehovah shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the face of the ground." Jer. 25: 31-33, A. R. V.523 Observe that the text says that the Lord "hath a controversy with the nations," and furthermore, "He will enter into judgment with all flesh." He gives the wicked to the sword, and a great tempest raised up throughout the earth produces terrific slaughter. Some individuals scoff at the idea of such scriptures having an application in these times; but nevertheless, it is a remarkable fact that the Scripture warning and present-day conditions most impressively fit together. Another prophetic utterance reads: "Jehovah hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor goodness, nor knowledge of God in the land. There is naught but swearing and breaking faith, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery; they break out, and blood toucheth blood. Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away." Hosea 4: 1-3, A. R. V. BRING CALAMITIES UPON THEMSELVES
NOTE that this text also speaks of the controversy God has with the inhabitants of the world; and the reason why He has this controversy is because they are killing, and stealing, and committing adultery. They have created conditions that God must meet with His judgments; for, as Isaiah expresses it, "when Thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness;" but "let favor be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord." Isa. 26: 9, 10. God also speaks of His "four sore judgments," "the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence." See Ezek. 14: 19-21. Through judgments of this character, God pleads with wicked men and women. He says: "I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify Myself, and sanctify Myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord." Ezek. 38: 22, 23. SENDS JUDGMENTS TO ROUSE THEM
MEN become lost in wickedness; they become oblivious to every appeal; and under those conditions, the only thing God can in mercy do to help them is to send judgments that will arouse them to their condition. In this way, some will be led to see where they are standing, and accept the salvation that God is so graciously and so kindly offering. Many scriptures that might be given show that sin invites the judgments of God; and with tempest and tornado, with hail and flood, He is seeking to arouse the inhabitants of earth who are drunken with wickedness. These turbulent conditions that are seen all through the world in so many ways, not only in storm and flood, but in the violent strifes of men, will continue to grow worse and worse — indeed, they will grow worse most rapidly as the very last of the last days are speeding us on to the great climax of the second coming of Christ. God's word makes the meaning of these conditions perfectly clear. The Saviour said of the times just before His coming, that "great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven." He furthermore adds that "there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." Luke 21: 11, 25-27. In this time of God's great controversy with the nations, we should awake, and under the great light of prophecy, we should open our eyes to see the meaning of the events that are all about us, and that are so appalling in their significance. But right in the midst of these great convulsions of nature and the mad furies of men, God will save every individual who will permit Him. It remains for each one to decide whether he will have the salvation that is offered by Christ or the destruction that is coming as a thick cloud over every part of this earth.