Does God ever send disasters?

Over the course of time, we’ll all see different viewpoints on this question on my title. Some feel, since God is love that surely God therefore would never ever be the One causing any disasters, catastrophes or “bad things” of life that often end up with the death of various ones. Satan would get all the blame in that viewpoint for anything and everything “bad” that happens. On the other hand there are those who feel that everything that happens is by the will of God, and therefore the other extreme is some people believe everything that ever happens - - good or bad – is always by and through God. Even insurance companies often refer to disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes as “acts of God.”  Are they right?

In fact, is either viewpoint totally correct? Or are both wrong and incomplete? What does Scripture actually tell us? Here at Light on the Rock I try to avoid just sharing my opinions – but sharing what God’s word actually says. Many of you may find this blog to be eye-opening if you feel God is never the one who sends any “bad” things.

I’m going to show you that God’s word says God does send and cause many – but not all -- of the catastrophes countries and individuals go through. I’m referring to some of the famines, droughts, earthquakes, hurricanes, typhoons, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and various plagues of disease, plagues of locusts and other awful things. But I don’t believe every disaster is from God, as I’ll show by scriptures – but probably more are sent by God than many of you might think.

We do know that Satan has deceived the whole world. He is the one who tempts mankind to sin and go against God’s rules, as he did with the very first couple – Adam and Eve. Satan, the father of all lies, lied to Eve and deceived her. In this case, Satan instigated the sin but the ones who actually sinned were Adam –who even knew better, and was not deceived – and Eve. God gives us free will and a free choice to decide to obey Him or sin. Then God imposes the penalty when WE decide to sin and go against Him. In this case Adam and Eve were ejected from the paradise garden of Delights (what “Eden” means; “delights”).

So don’t misunderstand me. When we look around the world, we see a world with problems and pain and suffering without number. This is Satan’s world, yes, and so he is largely involved in all that, but the responsibility for our sins is on each of us, not Satan. He is the Tempter, the liar, the one pushing us to sin  - but we are still the ones who decide whether to sin or not. Then when God punishes for sin, we can’t blame the punishment on God or Satan – but the blame for being punished falls on US because of sin.

But never forget, God is such a great God of mercy and grace and will actually lead us to repent, be washed clean in the blood of the Lamb Jesus Christ, for every single one of our sins we repent of and turn away from, no  matter how bad each sin was that we committed. Praise our dear Abba and Jesus too.

So yes, among those whom God is not calling yet or choosing to be His Elect, when disasters come upon them, I’m sure Satan is very involved in a lot of those. He hates mankind. But when we study the book of Job, we see that God gives strict boundaries on Satan on how far he can go against God’s people. So yes, Satan is very involved in many disasters coming on many of the people of the world.

Let’s get back though to the question of whether GOD himself ever brings on and causes any or some disasters?

The worst and biggest disaster the earth has ever known so far was the great worldwide flood in Noah’s day. God gave mankind a lot of time to repent but they did not. So God was the one who commanded the waters of the deep to break open and for torrential rain to fall non-stop for forty days, killing all life except those in the Ark. Clearly God sent that greatest disaster, caused by the unspeakable evil of humankind at that time.

Genesis 6:7-8    So YHVH said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them."  But Noah found grace in the eyes of Yehovah.”

For another example, remember the TEN Plagues against Egypt, as God was preparing to bring Israel out of captivity. Who sent those, Satan or God? You might remember some of them. If you’re unfamiliar with them, read Exodus 7-12 .  

Let me remind you, I’m going through this because too many preachers are saying NO disasters are ever sent by God. That is so false.

The next example: the Ten plagues against Egypt, which included: turning the Nile into blood, the various plagues of frogs, the awful lice or gnats, the swarms of flies everywhere (Ex. 8), the death of Egyptian livestock, painful boils and sores that broke out on the Egyptians and their animals, devastating severe hail that totally ruined crops, trees and livestock out in the open. Plus there were swarms of locusts that ate whatever vegetation and crops were left. Then there was a thick darkness that covered Egypt for three days, though there was light where the Israelites lived. And finally the death of all the firstborn sons of all families and their livestock who had not brushed on the blood of their Passover lamb on their door post and sides of the door post.

Who sent, who caused, all those plagues? Obviously, it was God who sent those plagues. In fact, God was not just destroying the power of Egypt but was demolishing all the gods of Egypt by those plagues (Exodus 12:12). Practically every single animal or creature in Egypt was a god to them, even dung beetles. The only animal that was not a god to the ancient Egyptians was – are you ready? -- the lamb or sheep. Isn’t that thought provoking?

Go back and read Exodus 7:17 where God said to tell Pharaoh that the GOD of Israel would strike the Nile and turn it to blood. Yehovah God was the one doing it. Also Exodus 8:1-3 – where GOD says HE will be the one to send the plague of frogs. This goes on through all ten plagues. God caused every one of those plagues and disasters.

I’ll come back to several more examples where scripture clearly show God can and God does send terrible disasters at times. But now let’s look briefly at Satan’s involvement in disasters we see from time to time now and historically.

In the days of Esther, who put it into Haman the Agagite’s mind to eliminate all the Jews? That surely was from Satan, not from God. Satan was trying to destroy the possibility of the Son of God being born as a Jew in the future so he decided to inspire Haman to kill every Jew. Without Jews, Jesus could not have been born. But God inspired Esther’s actions which actually resulted in the death of Haman and his entire family.

Another example of Satan’s involvement in some disastrous events, happened shortly after Yeshua’s birth (Matthew 2:1-15). The family was living in a house by then (v. 11), and Yeshua was a young child or toddler when wise men or magi from the east came to worship him. No, they were not still in a manger. When Herod found out, what did he do? And who inspired him to do it? Read Matthew 2:16-18. That was without a doubt from Satan, when Herod decreed all boys under age 2 had to be killed who lived in or near Bethlehem, but God had warned Joseph in time in a dream to flee at once, and they escaped to Egypt. But the slaughter of the babies was surely from Satan, the Adversary. God was delivering Joseph and his family out from Satan’s attacks, just as He had done for Esther and her family. The one causing those disasters in those cases, were Satan.

Who sent the catastrophes on righteous Job? Was it Satan or God? Think carefully on this one. If you don’t know the story of Job, read at least the first two chapters and the last chapter of the book of Job to become more familiar with it.

In Job chapter 1, Satan told God that Job was righteous and obedient only because God had mightily blessed him and had “put a hedge” of protection around him. Satan dared God: “take away your protective hedge and strike all that he has, and you’ll see….”  (Job 1:9-12 – please read it carefully). So God gave Satan permission to strike all that Job owned, except his own body. Remember that Satan can do to you and me only what God allows. Never forget that. Job remained faithful (Job 1:13-22) though Satan killed all of Job’s sons, servants, livestock and everything he had – except his wife and Job’s body itself.

In Job chapter 2, God allowed Satan to strike Job’s body with incredibly painful sores and boils from head to toe (please read Job 2:4-9). Job never cursed God himself, though he understandably wondered where God was in all this and why this was all happening. When we come to the end of the story of Job in Job 42, there’s a startling statement:

Job 42:10-11    And YHVH restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed YHVH gave Job twice as much as he had before. 11 Then all his brothers, all his sisters, and all those who had been his acquaintances before, came to him and ate food with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversity that THE LORD had brought upon him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and each a ring of gold.”

            Read Job 42:11b again. It clearly says, the “adversity that the LORD had brought upon him.”  

            Surprised? So even when Satan gets involved, God can always turn things around AND in the end GOD is the One always in total control. And our Adversary (what “Satan” means) can only do what God allows him to do to us, the people of God.

I could easily write at least 100 more pages of examples from the Bible of where God says HE would send disaster if His conditions (usually repentance) were not met. You surely know the story of Nineveh in the book of Jonah. Who would have wiped out that big city – Satan or God? God said HE would do it if they didn’t heed Jonah’s warnings.

In the “Blessings and Cursings” chapters of Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28, who would send the blessings for obedience, and who would send the disasters for disobedience? Read those chapters. The answer to both is that GOD blesses and curses.

Leviticus 26:14-19    'But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments,  15 and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant,

16 I also will do this to you:  I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart.

And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

17 I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies.

Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you.

18 'And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. 19 I will break the pride of your power; I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze.”

And He goes on even longer after that. Are you getting it? Did you notice how many times God says, “I WILL do this and do that”?

Let’s look at two more examples. People love to quote 2 Chronicles 7:14 and how God will hear them and bless them if they turn, but rarely do I see verses 12-13 included in the reading. Let’s read the whole context and see who it is who does bring on some disasters frankly in order to get our attention and lead us to repentance. Notice especially the verse before the popular v 14.

2 Chronicles 7:12-14   Then YHVH appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: "I’ve heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Who’s the one shutting up the rain when we turn from God? Who sends the plagues of locusts? Or the pestilences? Clearly God says when it comes to his people disobeying Him, HE will be the one punishing them with disasters.

Finally, this is very important. For those who say God just can’t be the cause of sending terrible things happening to the world, they simply don’t know their Bible.

Think about the series of SEVENS in Revelation. The Seven SEALS of Revelation 6-7,  the SEVEN TRUMPET Plagues of Rev. 8 and 9, and finally where the WRATH OF GOD is poured out full strength on earth in the Seven Last Plagues of Revelation 16  -- WHO is the One doing all those? It’s not Satan. It’s all from GOD, called the “Wrath of GOD.”

Revelation 15:1   “Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of GOD is complete.”

Revelation 16:1  “Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of GOD on the earth."

So I h0pe it’s clear. Satan does cause his share of troubles, that’s for sure. But many disasters are also sent from God himself, especially on those destroying the earth (Rev. 11:18b).