More Weather Woes!

Less than a year after Typhoon Haiyan (the strongest storm ever to hit land) struck the Philippines and killed more than 6,300 people, another powerful storm, Typhoon Rammasun (a Thai word for god of thunder), packing 100 mph winds pounded the Philippines this week. The typhoon toppled trees, destroyed thousands of homes, displaced nearly half a million people and left some 40 people dead (Houston Chronicle, July 16, 2014). Damage to infrastructure could run above $1 million and the loss in crops and livestock could exceed $14 million.

In the USA, California is in the third year of a crippling drought that has parched much of the American Southwest. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 80 percent of the state is listed as showing either “extreme” or “exceptional” drought conditions (droughtmonitor.unl.edu, July 15, 2014). In addition to the economic costs to the state’s farmers, ranchers and recreational businesses, this drought has serious implications for the rest of the nation as about half of all the fruits, nuts and vegetables grown in the USA come from California (International Business Times, July 15, 2014). Another consequence of this “worst drought in a generation” is that state fire officials say they have battled more than 3,000 fires so far this year—about 900 above the average—and they are currently preparing for “a potentially catastrophic fire season” and  “one of the longest and most difficult fire seasons in memory” (The Sacramento Bee, July 12, 2014). 

Bible prophecies have long warned that droughts, famines and increasingly severe disasters would be a prelude to the return of Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:3-7; Luke 21:11).

For more information on the significance of end-time events, see our booklet Fourteen Signs Announcing Christ’s Return.