{"id":3260,"date":"2005-09-23T02:10:59","date_gmt":"2005-09-23T02:10:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=3260"},"modified":"2019-07-21T14:08:26","modified_gmt":"2019-07-21T19:08:26","slug":"is-god-cleansing-the-earth-with-these-recent-storms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-god-cleansing-the-earth-with-these-recent-storms\/","title":{"rendered":"Is God cleansing the earth with these recent storms?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t

Question:<\/h2>\n

Is God cleansing the earth with these recent storms? If so, is it because of divorce and the return of the Nephilim?<\/p>\n\t

Answer:<\/h2>\n

While the Bible discloses that God has used storms in the past to accomplish His will, the Bible warns man not to try and second guess God. ““For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts”<\/em>” (Isaiah 55:8-9). The only way we would know for certain if there was a purpose behind the storms is for God to tell us. “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God<\/em>” (I Corinthians 2:11). As we mentioned in a\u00a0previous answer<\/a>, God has chosen to remain silent for this period of earth’s history.<\/p>\n

Does that mean God accepts our widespread divorce rates? Of course not! We don’t need storms to tell us that; we can read it in God’s word. ““For the LORD God of Israel says that He hates divorce, for it covers one’s garment with violence,” says the LORD of hosts. “Therefore take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.”<\/em>” (Malachi 2:16). But let us assume just for a moment that it is possible that the storms are due to divorce? Why would the storms strike this particular region of the country? Its divorce rate is not that much different from other areas of the country. And how are these storms going to make an impact on the country’s divorce rate? If these storms serve as a warning in regards to a particular sin, then we have a problem — a warning doesn’t work well if we don’t know what we are being warned about.<\/p>\n

God also tells us “for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust<\/em>” (Matthew 5:45). Weather events happen to both good and bad people. You can’t tell a person’s spiritual condition by the climate he is currently living within.<\/p>\n

The Nephilim are mentioned in\u00a0Genesis 6:4\u00a0as living in the world prior to the flood. The word in Hebrew means “giants” not necessarily in stature, but mighty men with a negative sense. In other words bullies and tyrants. It is defined within the verse when it mentions that they were might men and men of renown. Some attribute this to angels interbreeding with men, but if you read the verse carefully you will find that these giants were in the world prior to the sons of God marrying the daughters of men. The phrase “sons of God marrying the daughters of men” is simply stating that righteous people were marrying unrighteous people leading to fewer and fewer righteous people in the world.<\/p>\n

There is no mention in the Bible of a race of people called the Nephilim returning to the world. Hence, it cannot be a cause of the storms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question: Is God cleansing the earth with these recent storms? If so, is it because of divorce and the return of the Nephilim? Answer: While the Bible discloses that God has used storms in the past to accomplish His will, the Bible warns man not to try and second guess God. ““For My thoughts are…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[167,410,631,182,188],"class_list":["post-3260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-divorce","tag-judgment","tag-nephilim","tag-suffering","tag-trials"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":29707,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-meant-by-gods-ways-being-higher-than-mans\/","url_meta":{"origin":3260,"position":0},"title":"What is meant by God’s ways being higher than man’s?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 24, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: It says in\u00a0Isaiah 55:9, \"For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.\" I don't completely understand. Answer: You will run across people with all sorts of excuses as to why they are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":31426,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-a-person-who-was-once-a-christian-but-now-is-as-worldly-as-anyone-else-come-back\/","url_meta":{"origin":3260,"position":1},"title":"Can a person who was once a Christian, but now is as worldly as anyone else, come back?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 22, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, I John 1:9\u00a0says that \"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.\" but would that apply to someone who's a baptized Christian\u00a0but has been away from God for several months,\u00a0committed\u00a0fornication and has been very\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":39981,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-keep-promising-god-to-do-good-but-i-always-fail-how-can-i-not-let-god-down-anymore\/","url_meta":{"origin":3260,"position":2},"title":"I keep promising God to do good, but I always fail. How can I not let God down anymore?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 22, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have made many promises to God. I have said this is enough I will do good from now on no more bad, but every time I fall back. I feel as if God is tired of me and is done. \u00a0I don't feel good enough or worthy enough\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":42064,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-i-know-if-the-thoughts-i-had-are-mine-or-from-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":3260,"position":3},"title":"How do I know if the thoughts I had are mine or from God?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 17, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: How do I know if the thoughts I had are mine or from God? How to know if God wants me to do something? Answer: \"For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":24113,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-you-think-god-would-judge-us-by-our-lives\/","url_meta":{"origin":3260,"position":4},"title":"Do you think God would judge us by our lives?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 21, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: did you really think that god would go by our days? have you takin a look at what was made? Read the bible again if you wan to go by that cause he says no one will life past a day seems to me not on even the oldest\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15929,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-does-the-unsearchable-riches-of-god-mean\/","url_meta":{"origin":3260,"position":5},"title":"What does “the unsearchable riches of God” mean?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 27, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: There is a phrase used that I've heard which I am not sure I understand. The unsearchable riches of God. Why do people say, \"unsearchable riches?\" By reading and study of the Bible, we can learn what God wants and learn what Jesus did, said, and taught. 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