The Northeast has just recovered from a horrible storm system. I was lucky and lost only two big trees. They did not impact the home but fell in the yard instead. I was not flooded out. Again, I was luckier than most. Many meteorologists have said the causal agent could be a freak weather pattern, a unique boundary storm system, or perhaps unusual weather. I am starting to think differently than the average bear. I am not an excessively religious man but I do have some thinking ability and I see these patterns connected somehow. My considerations are not alone in these matters as you will read. I recommend two books that the source list below will identify and that I have correlated with this piece.
The United States has gone through some horrific disasters and so has Europe within the last 10 or so years so, perhaps the cause is more than something that is “just out of place.” Perhaps the planetary issues can be connected to decisions rendered by mankind and their relationship to a certain focus regarding a higher power and the consequences of those renderings. I do not think that all catastrophes relegated to proportions of significance regarding man’s experiences on this orb are happenstance however, do I believe that man is responsible for many of the occurrences that wreak such destruction in his life only because of the secular attitudes that blind him to a reality he cannot confront.
These are just some of the many connections that I truly think bear consideration. When the Chairman of the PLO left the Middle East to meet with President Clinton in 1997 after the PLO Chairman complained about Jewish housing in East Jerusalem, incredible tornadoes and rainfall decimated the country from Texas to West Virginia. 67 Deaths and more than $1 billion was incurred (Koenig, 50-51.) President Clinton needed a peace agreement even at the cost of Israel and in January through February of 1998 continued to apply that pressure. The first two months of 1998 were the wettest in 104 years according to NOAA records with the El Nino events costing $550 million in damage and 17 deaths for California. 35 California counties were declared a disaster area and the flooding was the most severe since 1909. In Florida on February 23, tornadoes destroyed 800 homes, 700 non livable, 3,500 damaged and 135,000 without power. This event left 67 counties as disasters and the cost estimated at $500 million (Koenig, 60-61.) President Clinton was determined for peace and met with both Arafat and Netanyahu between September 24-28, 1998 to convince Israel to give up 13 percent of its land. On the 27th of September, Hurricane George struck the Gulf Coast’s with 110-175 miles per hour winds. From Mississippi to Florida extensive damage leaving upwards of $1 billion was incurred. The Hurricane ended when Arafat completed his speech (Koenig, 68.)
Interesting correlations between national leaders, proclamations and atmospheric phenomena occur at times when presidents give a policy speeches. Such was the time when President Bush was speaking at the UN on September 21, 2004 stating that Israel should freeze settlements, dismantle outposts and end a perceived abasement of the Palestinian people (Koenig, 150.) Hurricane Jeane had been proceeding on an east-northeast track away from the United States until this speech was made, then Jeane changed to southeast, south and finally west gaining strength while continuing to the coast of Florida. Hurricane Jeane struck Florida near Stuart on the 25th of September and left about seven billion in damage and three million refugee statuses. According to Mr. Koenig, the following data is presented for your consideration. The Madrid Peace Conference was a point in the United States history when president’s George H. W. Bush, William Clinton and George W. Bush attempted to coerce Israel into giving up its covenant land to Palestine and other sub factions such as Hamas and Syria which would have established additional hostile activities against the Hebrew peoples. Nine of the ten largest insurance events in history occurred during this time, nine of the Top 10 Natural Disasters as ranked by FEMA occurred at these times, five of the costliest hurricanes in United States History occurred during these times and three of the largest Tornado Swarms in United States history occurred during theses times (Koenig, 155) and before proceeding, I should clarify that there are many, many instances more than just the few I have brought to your attention. To be fair regarding the leaders in the Israeli coercing process, let us take a look at the Middle East leaders who participated these acts against the Israeli people and see how their lives were impacted. Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was assassinated, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir lost his position as he was castigated by the country’s populace for his conciliatory practices, Israeli Prime Minister Yatzhak Rabin was assassinated, Jordan’s King Hussein developed lymph cancer and died, Syria’s President Assad died of heart failure, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak lost his position when the people threw him out, Yassar Arafat died of a blood disorder in France (Koenig, 291-297.)
Is the United States the only focus here? No, it is not. The European Union is not forgotten in matters such as these. The “Land for Peace” effort contained the EU’s hand print as well for in the year 2003 countries of the European Union, United Nations, Russia in the accompaniment with the United States now termed the “Quartet” (Brennan, 108) continued their insistence on Israel with the Quartet’s position being that the Palestinian state could only be achieved through its origination on Israeli land. Aside the Mediterranean Sea the weather is mild and has been to such an extent that for many years the region has been the summer destination for world travelers seeking refuge from the rest of the world’s summer heat. This comfort in the climate is now the final destination of many during the summer months. When the 562 tornadoes ended in May of 2003 denoting the “worst weather in the history of the United states” (Brennan, 109) patterns of climatological horridness did not abate. The Great Heat Wave began in Europe during June of 2003 and continued through the first two weeks of August of that same year. Rivers, crops and fires ravaged Europe created from temperatures running 20-30% above normal. Glaciers in Switzerland decreased their mass upwards of 10%. Nuclear reactors that required river water for cooling in France had to be shut down causing further misery to those relying on air conditioning. The death toll was unbelievable with more than 14,000 dead as a result of a nonexistent emergency plan for catastrophic heat conditions. None was required due to the paradise weather having been experienced in the European community for so many years. Approximately 3,000 people died in Italy, about 2,400 in the United Kingdom with 900 dying in one day in August. Temperatures in Belgium reached levels not seen since 1833, Germany lost 7,000 people to the heat wave and the rivers of the Elbe and Danube became unable for shipping to navigate (Brennan, 111.) Five percent of the countryside was destroyed in Portugal through fire, and death tolls in Italy have since been revived to number in excess of 17,000 with 9,000 during the month of August (Brennan, 111.)
Estimates of death tolls as high as 52,000 are being considered as a result of the most unusual heat as propagated over the European countries between June and September of 2003. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 came to the United States on the heels of the removal of Jewish settlers in August of that year (Brennan, 114.) There are so many issues that we are not connecting when it comes to Israel and God’s people and this article only addresses a very limited amount. It would certainly appear to me from the evidence and alignment of these and other numerous correlations that a deeper understanding of forces surrounding our lives that should be considered when confronting Middle East issues that have a concern in scriptural context.
Sources
Koenig, William. 2004. Eye to Eye. Alexandria, VA: About Him Publishing.
Brennan, David. 2009. The Israel Omen. Metairie, Louisiana: Teknon Publishing.
