ALL OF CREATION IS GROANING--Pt.1

In light of the recent tragedies in Japan, I believe that it would behoove us to take a look at what's happening in our world through the eyes of Scripture. No matter what your preference is in cable news it seems as though all the news networks are asking experts why there is such an increase of natural disasters. We've been having history making snowstorms globally. History making droughts and wildfires globally. History making floods globally. History making number of volcanoes globally. History making tsunamis. History making earthquakes. History making tornadoes, which are no longer restricted to tornado alley. History making cyclones throughout Asia and the Pacific. History making low temperature. History making high temperatures. History making solar disturbances. Etc. etc. etc. Many of these experts are honest enough to simply say, "I don't know what's happening." "There is no logical answer." Even the Prime Minister of Japan stated that he believed the disasters are from heaven because of his nations greed. And of course the European "experts" who say the earthquake was caused by global warming.It is as tho all of creation is groaning.

Nearly all the prophetic voices, with an accurate track record, have had this to say about the year 2011. 2011 will be a year of unprecedented chaos, upheaval, tragedy, economic collapse, poverty, disease, and historical record making events. But all of these prophetic voices also seem to agree that in the midst of all this we shall see a great revival break loose in the church, a global spiritual awakening and the great harvest of souls for Christ. One such prophetic voice stated in December of 2010 on two different occasions that in March of 2011 there will be great tragedy and disaster coming to the world. This same person said on February 28 of this year, "An earthquake of a 9.0+ magnitude will hit Japan soon." Upon hearing this another prophetic voice who has prophesied many of the events of the past decade added that once "the big one" hits Japan, California will be next. In fact the same person said that they have seen in a vision the city of Los Angeles laying in ruins, soon. Geologists have even discovered new fault lines lying under the city of Los Angeles which would seem to indicate pending doom. And I myself believe that the city of Las Vegas will soon experience an earthquake that will leave the Stratosphere and many casinos collapsed.

Immediately following the earthquake in Japan I began to seek God as to why all these natural disasters are happening. The short answer God seemed to be saying to me was these things are happening because of the sin of man and that the end is near. He spoke into my heart that the earth is simply reacting to thousands of years of sin. To better understand this we need to look at Genesis chapter 1. God spent some five days of creation preparing a perfect place for a perfect creation. A creation that would be God's companion for eternity. A place of peace and harmony. There were no meat eaters at the time, thus animals could dwell among themselves, as well as with man, with no fear. Man was created perfect, sinless, to have dominion and authority, and to be eternally existent. God then created man from the dust of the earth. So the earth was for man and man was for the earth for they were made of the same substance. They were created to be pure, clean and supporting one another. Everything was created to bring praise to God.

Psalms 47:1 states, "O clap your hands, all you people; shout to God with the voice of triumph."

Psalms 98:9 states, "Let the floods clap their hands."

Isaiah 55:12 states, "For ye shall go out with joy, and be lead forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."

We can see from these verses of Scripture, as well as many others, that all of creation is to praise the Creator. In fact Jesus even said upon making his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, as the people were shouting and rejoicing as He came into town and the Pharisees ordered him to stop this outburst of fanaticism, "I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." (Luke 19:40). Then in Isaiah 49:13 we read, "Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; break forth into singing, O mountains." Just one more Scripture of many that we could share, Isaiah 44:23 states, "Sing, O ye heavens; for the Lord has done it; shout, you lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest and every tree therein." The earth, man and all creation were created to live in harmony and bring glory to the creator. We know that man has the ability to offer up a hand-clap praise unto God, but what about the floods (the waters of the deep), trees and the mountians clapping and singing before God?

As Jesus was making His triumphal enter into Jersalem and the religious leaders begin to rebuke Him because of the fanical praise of the people, He said. "I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out."(Lk.19:40) Is.49:13 states, "Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; break forth into singing, O mountians." Is.44:23 says,"Sing, O ye heavens; for the Lord has done it; shout, ye lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing, ye mountians, O forest and every tree therein." If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there, does it still make a noise? Just because man can not hear the earth clapping and singing doesn't mean its not happining--God hears it! We would never say that we have heard animals talk, yet Balaam's donkey carried on a conversation with him in Numbers chapter 22. With God all things are possible!! He created everything to to praise Him! Why would Jesus say that the stones would cry out if they could not be heard in heaven? Why would God say that the floods, trees, mountians and all of creation would praise Him if it were not true? "God is not a man that He should lie." Just because our finite minds can not see or hear nature praising God doesn't mean its not happening. "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith 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,"(Is.55:8,9) All of creation, man, earth and beast, were created to be a praise to their Creator.

Everything was going fine until Genesis chapter 3 where in verse 13 we see that Eve was deceived. Instead of accepting the absolute truth of God's word; that being, "That if you eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you will surely die," she and Adam chose to believe a delusion, the deception of Satan. As always Satan twisted the words of God to mean something other than what God intended. They chose the deception because it appealed to their flesh and thus sin entered a perfect creation--man's heart. Then man began to defile the earth. God pronounces a curse on the earth because this is where man came from. "Cursed is the ground for thy sake." (Genesis 3:17). "Because of the ground which the Lord has cursed." (Genesis 5:29). What Adam once had dominion over, now turns on him. The beast become carnivorous, flesh eaters, thus it was unsafe for man or animal to cohabitate together. The earth now begins to produce thorns and thistles instead of fruitfulness for man. This is to continue until, "In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, till you return unto the ground; for out of it were you taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shall you return." (Genesis 3:19).

The earth is reacting to a foreign substance--SIN! By earthquakes, it's trying to shake it off. By tornadoes and hurricanes and dangerous winds, it's trying to blow it off. By its floods, tsunamis and torrential rains, it's trying to wash it off. By drought and wildfires, it's trying to burn it off. Sin has and is defiling the earth!! As a dog with fleas or ticks attempts to scratch them off, so it is with the earth, she is tring to rid herself of sin.