Nothing takes place in a vacuum. Whatever happens God either causes or allows. Beginning with the fall of Adam and Eve, He has maintained a “Cause and Effect” attitude toward the acts, thoughts and words of mankind. This mindset is stated most graphically in Hosea 8:7 where we are told that the man who sows the wind will reap the whirlwind. In other words, relative to sin, what goes around comes around–with a vengeance. Proverbs 26:2 states that no curse comes without a cause. Sickness, poverty, “natural disasters,” etc. are the result of sin as the Scriptures attest. Man has sown and continues to sow sin, which has produced and is producing “natural disasters,” widespread physical and mental illnesses, personal and international conflicts, etc.  Because man continues to sin personally, nationally and internationally, the Horsemen of the Apocalypse–war, famine, sickness and death–are increasing in speed and devastation as we near the end of the age, exactly as Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24:6-8. While we watch the world experience one tornado, hurricane, earthquake, drought, flood, tsunami, volcano eruption, wildfire, heat wave, disease epidemic, famine, etc. after another–each worse than those that have preceded it–God’s people hear what He is “saying.” He is doing exactly what He said He would do if man rebelled against Him. Man, including Bible-rejecting churchman, lives in a constant state of rebellion. See the Introduction to this website and watch my YouTube presentations at proveallthingsofgod.

To fully understand God’s “Cause and Effect” strategy, we must realize that God is in ultimate control–He dictates what He wants to happen and allows other things to happen as man operates under His “C and E” system. An example of His control of nature is found in Mark 4:39 where we find Jesus and His disciples in a boat surrounded by a deadly storm. With a few words the man Jesus calmed the storm using the power of God’s Holy Spirit. Other instances include His turning water to both wine and blood, producing lightening, fire and hail, multiplying lice, frogs and fish, parting a sea, bringing water out of a rock, killing a fig tree, etc. In Psalm 148:8 He says through the Psalmist that He produces fire, hail, snow, fog and winds “to fulfill His Words”–the expression of His will.

The second thing we must understand is that God’s promises are both positive and negative and are conditional. To illustrate these Scriptural Truths let us turn to Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26. In Leviticus 26 the Lord tells His people (then and now–He is no respecter of persons–Acts 10:34) that IF they will keep His Sabbaths and obey His commandments and statutes He will bless them in a variety of ways (vss 4-13). Then in verses 14-39 He tells them how He will curse them IF they refuse to obey Him. In Deuteronomy 28:1,2 He promises His people that IF they will obey Him He will shower incredible blessings upon them (vss 3-14). Then in verses 15-68He warns them that IF they disobey Him He will afflict them with terrible curses. He is the Lord; He changes not (Mal. 3:6). He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8). THE GOD OF THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE GOD OF THE NEW TESTAMENT ARE ONE IN THE SAME. See The God of the Old Testament.

There are those who believe that the Old Testament has no place in the New Covenant Church, that the Old Testament was done away with at the first coming of Jesus Christ. God, who knows the end from the beginning, knew that such unbelievers would raise their voices in the future. Therefore He warned His saints about them in Ephesians 2:20 where He states that the New Covenant Church is FOUNDED  on the writings of BOTH the Old Testament PROPETS and the New Testament APOSTLES. There is no disagreement between them. Then in Romans 15:4 and 1 Corinthians 10:11 He tells us through the Apostle Paul that God’s dealings with ancient Israel was recorded for “our instruction” so that we can learn not to do what they did and suffer the same curses. The Lord being ultimately fair, what He did to Israel (defeat, destruction, death and enslavement) He must do to those who rebel against Him while calling themselves by His name in these end times. Now, as then, all of His promises and warnings are conditional. The Law of Cause and Effect is as follows: obey God’s Word=receive promises; disobey God’s Word=receive curses. The world’s so-called “Christian nations” have all sown the wind of rebellion and will be cursed with “natural disasters” which, as Jesus warned, are merely the “beginning of sorrows.” L.J.