Natural disastersA

uth

or:

Boaw

orm

Natural disasters and

technological crises“In the same way that the twentieth century was the

century of world wars, genocide, and grinding ideological

conflict, the twenty-first will be the century of natural

disasters and technological crises … We have built vast

networks of technology. We have created systems that,

in general, work very well, but are still vulnerable to

catastrophic failures … Most importantly: we have more

people, and more stuff, standing in the way of calamity.

We’re not suddenly having more earthquakes, but there

are now seven billion of us, a majority living in cities …

Natural disasters will increasingly be accompanied by

technological crises – and the other way round.”

(Slate, May 17, 2011)

“What is man …?”

“When I consider thy heavens, the

work of thy fingers, the moon and the

stars, which thou hast ordained; what

is man, that thou art mindful of him?

and the son of man, that thou visitest

him?” (Psalm 8:3,4)

The domino effect

The domino effect

The domino effect

The domino effect

The domino effect

The domino effect

The domino effect

The domino effect

The domino effect

Refugees

According

to the UN,

one in

every 122

people

today is a

refugee.

An aerial view of the Zaatari Camp for Syrian refugees

in Jordan. Population estimated to be 83,000.

Israel and her neighbours (1)

Civil war in Syria

Influence of

Hezbollah in

Lebanon

Conflict with Hamas-

dominated Gaza

Israel and her neighbours (2)

“Anarchy surrounds Israel … the only two

borders left with any security are those of Jordan

(where the monarchy has its own troubles) and

the West Bank (where the IDF continues to

patrol) … [The] trend away from despotism and

toward anarchy is worldwide and especially

pronounced in the Greater Middle East, where it

also includes Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Iraq, and

Afghanistan.”(Daniel Pipes, National Review Online, July 18, 2012)

The Bible …

• The word means ‘the books’.

• 66 books: 39 in the Old

Testament; 27 in the New

Testament.

• The whole Bible has a

consistent message!

The Bible’s claims for itself

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16).

“God … hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:2).

“Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).

The Greek word (phero) translated “moved” above is also used of a ship driven in a storm (Acts 27:15,17).

God is central to everything

in the Bible: Old Testament

“In the beginning God created the heaven

and the earth …” (Genesis 1:1)

“From everlasting to everlasting, thou art

God.” (Psalm 90:2)

“Beside me there is no God.” (Isaiah 44:6,8; 45:5; 46:9,10)

God is central to everything

in the Bible: New Testament“There is but one God, the Father …”

(1 Corinthians 8:6)

“There is one God, and one mediator

between God and men, the man Christ

Jesus.” (1 Timothy 2:5)

“Our Father which art in heaven …”(Matthew 6:9)

God dwells in “light which no man can

approach unto …” (1 Timothy 6:16)

God is everywhere present

“Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or

whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I

ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I

make my bed in hell, behold, thou art

there. If I take the wings of the morning,

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy

right hand shall hold me.” (Psalm 139:7-10)

Evidence of prophecy: the Lord

Jesus Christ in Isaiah (1)

His birth: Isaiah 7:13,14 (see Matthew

1:22,23).

His death and resurrection: Isaiah 53 (note

Acts 8:34,35).

“Opened not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7; see

Matthew 26:63; 27:12; Mark 14:61; 15:5;

Luke 23:9; [Acts 8:32]).

Evidence of prophecy: the Lord

Jesus Christ in Isaiah (2)

“One appointed his grave with

wicked men, and with a rich man at

his death.” (Isaiah 53:9, Speaker’s Commentary)

“He shall prolong his days … he shall

see of the travail of his soul, and shall

be satisfied.” (Isaiah 53:11)

The caves at Qumran

The Dead Sea Scrolls

One of the jars

in which the

Dead Sea

Scrolls were

originally

stored.

Jesus foretold his own return

For example:

“A certain nobleman went into a far

country to receive for himself a kingdom,

and to return.” (Luke 19:12)

“For the Son of man shall come in the

glory of his Father with his angels …”(Matthew 16:27)

Testimony of angels & apostles

“This same Jesus …

shall so come in like

manner as ye have

seen him go into

heaven.” (Acts 1:11)

See also Acts 3:19-

21; 2 Thessalonians

1:7-10; 2 Timothy 4:8

etc.

Testimony of the Old Testament

For example:

“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed ... it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.”

(Daniel 2:44)

God’s promise to Abraham

“And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said,

Unto thy seed will I give this land.” (Genesis 12:7)

“All the land which thou seest, to thee will I give

it, and to thy seed for ever.” (13:15)

“Now to Abraham and his seed were the

promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as

of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which

is Christ.” (Galatians 3:16)

Our Opportunity!

See Romans 11:1,23-

26.

Israel is compared to

an olive tree; the

unfruitful branches

have been broken off,

and wild olive shoots,

the Gentiles, have been

grafted in. But Paul

speaks in verse 23 of

the grafting in again of

the Jewish branches.By en:User:Nickfraser (en:Image:Olivesfromjordan.jpg)

“I will not cast them away”“And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God” (Leviticus 26:44).

Deuteronomy 30:1-5 – God foretold that He would gather the people from all the nations where they had been scattered, and bring them back to the Land which their fathers possessed.

Later, Jeremiah emphasises God’s continuing purpose with Israel. See Jeremiah 31:35-37; 33:24,26. Note: “cast” is the same Hebrew word as in Leviticus 26:44.

These Old Testament passages are echoed by the Apostle Paul in Romans 11:1: “I say then, Hath God castaway his people? God forbid”.

The announcement to Mary

“He shall be great, and shall be called

the Son of the Highest: and the Lord

God shall give unto him the throne of

his father David: and he shall reign

over the house of Jacob for ever;

and of his kingdom there shall be no

end.” (Luke 1:32,33)

“Jerusalem compassed with

armies … the desolation”

The Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem, by David Roberts (1850)

Jerusalem destroyed – the

burnt house

The Arch of Titus

37

The Declaration of the Establishment of the State of

Israel.

14th May 1948

Signs of the coming of Christ

Luke 21:25: “Distress of nations with perplexity”.

NEB – “On earth nations will stand helpless,

not knowing which way to turn”.

Verse 26: “Men’s hearts failing them for fear,

and for looking after those things which are

coming on the earth”. NEB – “Men will faint

with terror at the thought of all that is coming

upon the world.”

Verse 28: “Look up, and lift up your heads; for

your redemption draweth nigh”!

Watch the signs!

“Watch therefore, for ye know

neither the day nor the hour

wherein the Son of man cometh.”

(Matthew 25:13)