The Coming Storm

"The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup." (Psalm 11: 5, 6 KJV)

"Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people." (Psalm 50: 3, 4 KJV)

"Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand." (Isaiah 28: 2 KJV)

"Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire." (Isaiah 29: 6 KJV)

"And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones. " (Isaiah 30: 30 KJV)

David the Psalmist and Prophet, and Isaiah the Prophet, both spoke much about the coming storm of divine judgment upon the wicked world.

The language, in the above prophecies, is not simply symbolic, but literal. True, it is not a normal rain of water and ice, but a rain of hail, and fire, and brimstone; nevertheless, it is rain, or a downpouring, or a tempest, though of a different nature, having celestial and supernatural aspects.

The only difference between the literal storm of water of earthly hail and the coming storm of divine judgment, is simply that the elements are different.

How terrible are the storms of earth! Nature's tornados and twisters leave a mass of destruction in their path. The apostle Paul knew first hand the horrors of being in a huricane at sea, and in a small ship! He encountered a "tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon." (Acts 27: 14 KJV)

With modern television we are able to witness the power of storms, storms of all kinds. Volcanic eruptions create their own unique storms, with violent lightnings and thunderings, with the sky raining ash and hot coals.

When Lord God appeared in his awesome glory and manifested presence, on Mt. Sinai, such a scene was witnessed.

"For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more." (Hebrews 12: 18, 19 KJV)

So terrible will be the coming of Christ and his Father, at the end of this age, that sinners will fear and quake in the same manner as did the ancient Israelites when at the foot of smoking and stormy Mt. Sinai. No sinner, outside of Christ, will find any place of shelter from that coming storm of divine wrath.

"Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps: Fire, and hail; snow, and vapours; stormy wind fulfilling his word." (Psalm 148: 7, 8 KJV)

"The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet." (Nahum 1: 3 KJV)

"Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?" (Job 38: 22, 23 KJV)

There is an air of awesome power and glory surrounding monstrous storms. These powers of nature are the very powers of God, under his direct supervision. They form a small part of Lord God's massive and mighty "arsenal" of weapons of destruction. He has already used them and has promised to use them once again on a far grander scale than ever before.

"He gave them hail for rain, and flaming fire in their land." (Psalm 105: 32 KJV)

"But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all." (Luke 17: 29 KJV)

Lord God gave us a preview of what is coming in earth's final storm of divine wrath and judgment in the storms of fury he literally poured out upon Egypt and upon Sodom and Gomorrah and upon the "wicked cities of the plain."

"And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD." (Ezekiel 38: 21-23 KJV)

Such is the prophecy of a coming storm of divine judgment upon the land called "Gog" and "Magog," enemies of Lord God and Israel as mentioned in the Apocalypse (20th chapter). In fact, it is in the Apocalypse, or at the time of Christ's revelation and appearing, that the ancient prophecies of the final great storm are literally fulfilled.

"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; 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. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places." (Revelation 6: 12-14 KJV)

"The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. " (Revelation 8: 7-11 KJV)

"By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths." (Revelation 9: 18 KJV)

"And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail." (Revelation 11: 19 KJV)

"And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. " (Revelation 14: 9-11 KJV)

"And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great." (Revelation 16: 17-21 KJV)

This will all be in answer to the prayer of the righteous, who pray according to the will of God in this matter.

"As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire; So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm. Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD." (Psalm 83: 14-16 KJV)

"Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked: further not his wicked device; lest they exalt themselves. Selah. As for the head of those that compass me about, let the mischief of their own lips cover them. Let burning coals fall upon them: let them be cast into the fire; into deep pits, that they rise not up again." (Psalm 140: 8-10 KJV)

Having failed to heed the warnings of the coming storm, and having not fled to the specified refuge, and making refuges of their own, sinners will be utterly destroyed by this storm, this "besom of destruction." (Isaiah 14: 23 KJV)

"Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land." (Isaiah 32: 1, 2 KJV)

This is the place for all sinners to flee who would seek escape from this coming storm! All other shelters will fail. The only safe place is to be sheltered in Christ and in his love. The promise to such is this:

"And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence. And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the day time from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain." (Isaiah 4: 5, 6 KJV)

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (Psalm 46: 1 KJV)

"But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge." (Psalm 94: 22 KJV)

"In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge." (Proverbs 14: 26 KJV)

Friend, if you have heard the words of Christ and have believed them, and have made Christ and his word your "foundation for life," yea, your "rock upon which to stand," for all eternity, then the promise of Christ is - "And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock." (Matthew 7: 25 KJV)

Will your house and life be destroyed by the storms of life, or in the coming storm of divine wrath?