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Back in June, everything was bliss in the state of California after its Supreme Court, by a vote of 4-3, made same-sex marriage the law of California's lands, taking things a step further than even liberal Massachusetts did by allowing any same-sex couple, whether residents of California or not, to come there and get 'married.'
San Francisco's mayor Gavin Newsom rejoiced in what he saw as an opportunity for his city and California as a whole to reap a great economic windfall. He stated, in one instance, "I think you're going to see tens of thousands of couples and their families descend on San Francisco. People are looking at this as an opportunity to come and support their families, their partners and also the city's economy."
But something happened on the way to California raking in the profits of its decision to become a national exporter of what God called "abomination" in Leviticus 18:22.
California began to burn.
God's wrath?
Before I go any further, let me state for the record that I, in no manner, pretend to know the mind of God when it comes to how He expresses disapproval of the affairs of mankind.
As most of us can attest from personal experience, sometimes the Lord allows wickedness to go unpunished for a season; other times, however? It seems He strikes a blow against it almost instantaneously. What do we learn from that? His ways are not our ways; His thoughts not our thoughts and yet, occasionally, it seems that those of us who honor the Lord and respect His commandments can see His hand in action - to the extent that we can make a strong case that God has judged someone or some place for its sinfulness. Not only that, we can do it to the point it is near impossible to refute the possibility at the very least.
Is California burning due to God's wrath?
Consider the following:
Back in June, right after the same-sex marriages began in California, over 800 wildfires broke out in California after what Del Walters, assistant regional chief of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, referred to as an "unprecedented lightning storm" delivered 5,000-6,000 lightning strikes to the region. In the end, firefighters from neighboring states had to respond to help contain all the fires which, I feel quite certain, nullified the great economic windfall California was looking forward to reaping in its open defiance of the Most High.
A few days ago a reader of my site sent me some information concerning all the fire damage California has suffered this year that nearly blew me out of my seat!
If you haven't suspected at any point that God's hand of judgment may have played a role in the smoke-filled skies and charred earth of California this calendar year, I feel confident you're about to.
Ken Clark's Western U.S. Weather blog reports that, while 2008 has been an optimistic year thus far where wildfires are concerned, the exception is California. As I'm about to show you, this is dramatically true.
The following is an excerpt from Clark's blog that puts an exclamation point behind why Clark is calling California the "exception" this year (emphasis added mine):
According to Dan Sandek at the California Department of Forestry (CDF) the amount of acres burned SO FAR this season is at historic levels for any given year. Already over 1.4 million acres have burned. That number in itself is astonishing but lets put things into perspective.
-Since 1985 the largest acreage burned in an entire calendar year was in 2003 when 965,750 acres burned. Therefore, already this year over 1/2 million more acres have burned in the first 7+ months than in any other calendar year.
-Since 1985 the average acreage burned in a calendar year was 379,116 acres. So, compared to average more than 1 million more acres have burned in the first 7+ months than in an average year.
These are incredible statistics. Remember, the figures for this year are only through the beginning of August and I am comparing them to entire calendar years. The most depressing part of this is that the worst of the fire season is yet to come, especially in southern California. Historically the worst part of the fire season for southern California is in the Fall months when the Santa Ana season begins, the brush is at its driest, and some of the hottest weather occurs.
I know that, particularly in these days when political correctness, tolerance and moral relativism are expected to take precedence over all our opinions about anything, the opinion I'm about to state isn't going to rest well with many but I'm going to make it anyhow. Personally, I can't help but look at what has transpired in California and sense that God has expressed His displeasure or, at the very least, ensured that the state's use of same-sex marriage as an economic stimulus package has failed miserably.
What would a skeptic say of my opinion?
A skeptic would look at Clark's blog and surmise that, as Clark documents, rainfall dropped dramatically in California in March of this year and that is why conditions were ripe for all the fires to break out. There's no arguing that. It's a definite possibility but there is that "unprecedented" lightning event that lit all the fires to consider as well.
The skeptic would argue that the lightning storm was coincidental as well, I suppose. After all, there are abundant 'coincidences' and 'logical explanations' to take into consideration in every instance where God's hand is sensed to be moving by anyone these days, God no longer having a role to play in the affairs of mankind in the eyes of many. Me? I don't buy that type of thinking for a second! And why? Because I know, through events described in Bible prophecy that are posturing for fulfillment before our very eyes, that my God is alive, on His throne, and in control!
Let the skeptic beware!
It is from the supernaturally destroyed city of Sodom that today's modern word sodomy is derived.
In Bible prophecy we're told that the days leading up to the return of Christ will see conditions exist similar to those that existed in the days when Lot lived in Sodom and Gomorrah. (Luke 17:28-30)
While conditions in Sodom caused just and righteous Lot to feel vexed often, he was eventually and supernaturally delivered from that place by God. (2nd Peter 2:7-8) As soon as Lot was whisked away to safety, the wrath of God, in the form of fire from heaven, fell upon the wicked and destroyed them all. (Luke 17:29)
I submit to all skeptics what I always do, which is that Bible prophecy is closer and closer to complete and perfect fulfillment with each and every day that passes. This is observably true to all those willing to examine current events in light of Bible prophecy honestly.
As we look at the passages above, we see evidence indicative that the Church, much as Lot was moved from harm's way prior to Sodom and Gomorrah's destruction, is going to be moved out of harm's way as well that God's wrath may fall on a world that has forgotten Him. This event we commonly refer to as the Rapture of the Church. It could happen any day now, after which a seven-year period of time is going to follow that will make the California wildfires of this year, September 11th, Pearl Harbor and even the Holocaust look like a walk in the park! But what about now? What if the Rapture is some distance away, far enough away that the Church as well as nonbelievers could see some very difficult days come upon our nation because of its sins?
Will we call God's wrath down upon our entire nation?
The homosexualization of America stands to be dramatically advanced if one Barack Obama wins the White House in November.
OneNewsNow.com is currently reporting that Barack Obama has gone farther in supporting the homosexual agenda than any other presidential candidate in history! He supports a complete repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, favors gay adoption and takes no issue with the dissolution of the biblically-defined composition of the traditional family occurring on his watch!
Peter LaBarbera, founder of Republicans for Family Values, asks a question in ONN's report that is well worth every Christian pausing to ask themselves, "Can Barack Obama take these extremely radical, pro-homosexual positions and, yet, still pull the wool over the eyes of enough American Evangelicals to win the election?" Time will tell but, if he does, there is no doubt that America's existence as a global power will be threatened, potentially gravely, if he follows through on the promises he has made to his gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered supporters.
God's Word is clear in stating that He will not be mocked and any hope we may harbor that God wouldn't judge America isn't helped a great deal by the fact that there are churches galore here and any number of Bibles lying dust-covered in homes all over our country, any of which one could open to Leviticus 18 and read what happens to the very lands of a nation or people that makes it their policy to condone the open practice of the homosexual lifestyle.
Something for the Church to ponder as we draw closer to November: If we think, even for a moment, that California may have been judged for its sinfulness through the terrible fires it has seen this year, can we afford to allow a man who wants nothing less than what transpired in California to occur in all our lands gain our highest elected office? We have some thinking to do - and some praying as well.
