On Friday, March 13, AccuWeather’s Anna Azallion gave a weather report that seemed bizarre at best. “A blizzard, dumping up to four feet of snow, tornados, damaging winds, hail, flooding. It’s all coming from one storm. A potential bomb cyclone this weekend into Monday is set to impact over 200 million people.”1 How could we have this all going on in one weekend?
Blizzard conditions paralyzed the north from Montana and Wisconsin across upper Michigan. In the south and up the east coast, torrential rains, hail, tornados, and flooding pummeled the affected states. For the states in between, including Ohio, we had it all. One day, the weather is beautiful, the next has temperatures in the basement while for three to four days we were beaten by brutal, gale-force winds over 50 mph. Squalls of blinding snow blasted us for a few minutes before clearing the way for the sun to shine for a bit.
Nationwide, the images are nearly unbelievable. Video can be seen of the ice-covered Mackinaw Bridge that is closed to traffic (as of 3/17) as well as dash cams from Oklahoma capturing semi-trailers being flipped over by the wind on the interstates. Other videos show tornados ripping through communities, obliterating homes, schools, factories, and businesses as debris flies through the air.
If this wasn’t enough, on March 17, ABC outlet WTAE channel 4 in Pittsburg posted the following article on their website: “If you were in Western Pennsylvania, you may have seen what has been described as “a very bright daylight fireball” across the sky Tuesday morning.
“In parts of Ohio, people reported hearing a boom and felt shaking. NASA confirmed it was caused by a meteor.
“An analysis of currently available data places first visibility of the meteor above Lake Erie,”
NASA said. “The fireball – caused by a small asteroid nearly 6 feet in diameter and weighing about 7 tons – moved southeast at 45,000 mph before fragmenting over Valley City. The fragments continued on to the south, producing meteorites in the vicinity of Medina County, Ohio.”2
If we think the current meteorological events are confusing, they are nothing compared to what is going to happen during the seven-year Tribulation period. Revelation 6:12-17 tells us what happens when the sixth seal judgment is opened. “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; (13) And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. (14) And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. (15) And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; (16) And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: (17) For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”
Things get exponentially worse when you read about the trumpet judgments in Revelation 8-9 and the vials-of-wrath judgments of Revelation 16. The earth and its inhabitants are the targets of these judgments. If the media is still broadcasting and newspapers are still being printed, I wonder what the explanations will be for these phenomena? Storm Iona is blamed for what happened in the middle of March. I’m guessing that quite a story will be concocted to cover up the fact that this is God’s judgment upon the world.
Strange weather patterns might pique our curiosity but should never cause us to fear. We know that God is in control and the worst that is yet to come will not happen until the church has been raptured out of the world. What we see today is only a minor preview of what’s to come.
Everything God will do is right and righteous. I leave you with Revelation 19:1-5 to remind us that God is holy even in His judgments. May we praise our God for avenging His saints and the blasphemy against His holy name.
“And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: (2) For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. (3) And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. (4) And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. (5) And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.”
1https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/blizzard-conditions-tornadoes-hail-and-flooding-all-from-one-weekend-storm/vi-AA1YvFp8?ocid=msedgntp&pc=LCTS&cvid=69b4176921964df9a9cd2460a79f7821&ei=33
2https://www.wtae.com/article/pennsylvania-ohio-fireball-meteor/70768828
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