How disastrous events can have more than one prophetic theme.

This article is a brief follow-up comment on last week’s two lead articles. One was by Clifford Hill in the wake of the hurricane in Texas (also reminding us of the 1987 hurricane in the south of England). The other was by Charles Gardner, looking behind the sad death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

This is a further reflection on interpreting signs, a process which takes time, patience and a willingness to look at events from multiple points, in order to achieve a balanced understanding.

Good Can Come from Disaster

When we prayerfully consider events in the world around us, we are often alerted to other perspectives on them that expand our thinking.

For instance, in relation to the recent storms and floods in Texas, the Caribbean and around the world, it is too simplistic to see these events as God dealing a hammer blow of judgment to punish a particular community. Indeed, great good is stirred up when disaster falls.

Back in 1987 when trees were ripped up in the south-east of England, blocking roads and damaging property, I recall many encouraging stories of how people immediately worked together to clear the debris and get life going again. Chainsaws were brought out from garden sheds and soon roads were unblocked as communities came together in common cause. This was surely pleasing to God, even though he had allowed the storm to bring general devastation to warn against corruption in society.

It is too simplistic to see events like the recent hurricanes as God dealing a hammer blow of judgment to punish a particular community.

Many indications of such a God-pleasing response to the Texas emergency have been shared in the news and on social media, as help for people and animals affected by Hurricane Harvey has arrived from all corners of the US and from further afield.¹ As one ministry leader put it, “Today…all of America are Texans”.² Such a prompt and earnest desire to assist will have been widespread across the States. Surely, again, God is pleased with this.

It seems that God’s signs, whilst carrying warnings and sometimes judgments, also stir up the best in us. Such responses were also seen in the Grenfell Tower disaster and after the terrorist attacks in London and Manchester. Surely there would have been similar care for neighbours after the collapse of the Tower of Siloam in Jesus’ day.

What then of the warnings that are the reason for God taking away his protection and allowing such shocks to strike communities in the first place, devastating so many? How do we read the signs when we are caught up in a shaking from God?

Fashion, Diana and the 1987 Storm

Madonna and Cyndi Lauper - two 1980s style icons. See Photo Credits.

By coincidence, as last week’s Prophecy Today articles were being finalised for publication, the BBC ran a programme on Radio 4 entitled ‘The Reunion’, which looked back at the development of the UK fashion industry in the 1980s. I found this to be a useful behind-the-scenes look at an example of what God was intending to say to our nation at the time of the 1987 hurricane.

In summary, the fashion world of the 1980s was gaining immense momentum as favourable exchange rates with the USA fostered trans-Atlantic trade. From a human perspective, Britain seemed to be a success story, its burgeoning pop culture generating huge revenues as an obsession with celebrity and fashion overtook the nation.

Those of us who were watching this at the time may recall becoming concerned as image-building became a high priority for many (particularly young) people and pop stars became worshipped as icons, their outlandish clothing and behaviour attracting cult followings. If this worried us, we can be sure it was also of concern to God.

God’s signs, whilst carrying warnings and sometimes judgments, also stir up the best in us.

Diana's famous Travolta dress. Of course, Princess Diana became a focus of the fashion industry. Her dresses were dazzling and she wore them like a model, being presented by the media as a sort of fairy princess from a Disney film – even a goddess. In her case, the media helped raise her up and in the end were partly responsible for her tragic death, although the greed and ambition of the fashion houses may also have had a part to play.

Somehow in all this there was a sense that things were getting out of control and contributing to the nation’s departure from the ways of God. Prior to the 1987 storm and financial shaking there were some warning signs in the financial markets because of some strain in the dollar/sterling exchange rate. When the hurricane hit and the financial markets reeled, the fashion industry slumped just as did, no doubt, many other areas of the business world.

Putting On a Biblical Mindset

As I watched the BBC’s account of this one industry at the time of the 1987 crash, and became aware of how it overlapped with both of last week’s lead articles, it made me think again about interpreting the signs that came from the severe weather of both 1987 and 2017, which were of course on my mind as well. It was interesting to hear this secular presentation on fashion and filter it through a biblical and prophetically-inclined mindset – something every prayerful believer can do.

By looking in detail at what happened in this one area, I have this week become aware that the Lord allowed the storm to make us think through and turn back from what was not pleasing in His eyes – which undoubtedly included the growth of a fashion-conscious, celebrity-obsessed culture.

I believe the Lord allowed the storm to make us think through and turn back from what was not pleasing in His eyes – which undoubtedly included the growth of a celebrity-obsessed culture.

This does not mean that good did not also come from the storm, as communities rose up to help one another in ordinary, everyday ways. But more broadly, this prophetic sign was sadly not heeded; the industry found ways to pick up and move on, remaining quite deaf to what the Lord was saying.

Understand the Heart and Purposes of God

Surely there are aspects of the Texas hurricane that speak of corruption in US society, whilst God will also be pleased with those helping victims recover. It is ‘both/and’, not ‘either/or’ – and by balancing these different aspects of the disaster we can understand the heart and purposes of God better.

Will the prophetic word to the US get out in such a way that the nation emerges better off than it was before? Human beings have the ability to deafen themselves to the word of God, pick themselves up and carry on in defiance, which can only lead to further shaking.

Similarly, we have written in Prophecy Today for some time that further shaking will come to the UK. From time to time we hear of warning signs from within our financial institutions (see, for example, here). In anticipation of greater shaking ahead, let us continue to become mature in the reading of the signs. Our Bible reference is Hebrews 12:26:

Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven. Now this “yet once more” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.

Therein is the balance.

References

1 Even the President has not hesitated to join the fray, serving meals to victims at a relief centre in Houston - read more here.

2 Pastor John Looper, Restoration Fellowship International. Email to supporters.