Tornado sweeps across Venice Italy

Italy has had it rough lately. The "weird" earthquake in their northern districts has damaged many industries and cost the nation millions. The emotional toll of structures that have stood for almost a thousand years crumbling before their eyes and blowing away as dust in the wind has been heart-wrenching. The economy is sinking rapidly and may also need to be bailed out after Spain. Now this:

A tornado swept across Venetian roofs this morning. Amateur video caught it. Here is a still from the video, located at the UK Telegraph. "Amateur footage has captured a tornado-like whirlwind sweeping across Venice, ripping up trees and scaring local inhabitants along the way."

The Telegraph reported, "The tornado roared through Sant'Erasmo island in Venice's lagoon on Tuesday, ripping the roofs off at least 12 buildings, media reports said.A funnel cloud was clearly visible from the centre of the town and from its canals, Youreporter and Venice Municipality video showed.The tornado caused major damage in several islands off the Venice lagoon, including Sant'Elena and Certosa islands, where many trees were uprooted, reports said.Dozens of small sailing ships were smashed in the port of Sant'Elena.No injuries were reported, the Municipality of Venice said."

A Wikipedia article lists European tornado outbreaks. In the 20th and 21st century in Italy there have been 5. Five. 1930, 1965, 1970, 2008, 2009. Now one in 2012. The article lists four between 1000 and 1899. Then the three in the 20th century and the three in the last couple of years. Not wanting to put too much stock in one article, you notice the progression though. A few in one thousand years, three a few decades apart and now four in rapid succession.

Tornadoes are not unknown in Europe. The UK actually leads Europe in tornadic incidents, having on average 33 per year. This is a far cry from the US average of 1400 per year however. And though tornadoes are not unknown in Italy, they are rare. And when they do occur in Europe, they are not muscular like the US tornadoes, but cause little to no loss of life and low amounts of property damage, according to this article.

So that is some weather news for you, and a bit of context. A tornado in Venice Italy. You never know what each day will bring.

Rare tornado in Tokyo kills one

Fox News reports,
"A tornado tore through an area just northeast of the Japanese capital Sunday, injuring at least 30 people, destroying dozens of homes and leaving thousands more without electricity. Firefighters and helicopter medical teams rushed to the area after the tornado struck the city of Tsukuba, 40 miles northeast of Tokyo. A 14-year-old boy was in serious condition, and 10 others were being treated at hospitals, the local fire department said. Details of their injuries were not immediately available. NHK footage showed rows of houses that had lost roofs, apartment complexes with smashed balconies and shattered windows, and crooked telephone poles that could barely stand. NHK also showed footage of a swirling gray cloud it said was taken by a passer-by. The number of homes damaged was still unknown, it said. Initially, the fire department had said 30 to 50 homes were destroyed. NHK TV reported that some 200 homes were damaged. Tokyo Electric Power Co. said 24,000 homes were without electricity as strong winds and lightning added to the tornado damage. Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, which went into multiple meltdowns from last year's tsunami, was not affected by Sunday's tornado or storm, TEPCO said. Tornadoes are relatively rare in the Tokyo area."

In Revelation, Jesus showed John visions of the future. John saw the weather act in ways that defied description. Angels held back the wind so no breeze blew. Hail fell that weighed 100 pounds each. There were droughts and famines and waters turning to blood and mega earthquakes.

In Matthew 24, the disciples asked "when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Mt 24:3). Jesus answered of the things that would happen and they were the same as the things He showed John.

Between His telling us and His showing us, Jesus has taken great care to alert the generation that will see these things come to pass. The purpose is to show the saved the truth of His word and to assure us that our Redemption draws nigh. For the unsaved, it is to let them know God is in control and that He is coming to judge sinners and to punish Israel. In effect, he is speaking to the entire world, because there is only saved, and unsaved.

The normal is becoming extinct as surely as the dodo bird and the passenger pigeon. The new normal is uncertainty, perplexity, and un-safety. Why is no place safe? Just because a place has never or rarely experienced an earthquake does not mean that they won't. Just because a place hardly or never has tornadoes doesn't mean they can't. Just because a volcano in your backyard never exploded doesn't mean it wouldn't. Eventually, all these things will affect all people, everywhere.

 "And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”" (Revelation 6:15-17).

You are able to stand because of your position before Christ. If you have repented and accepted Him as savior and Lord, you are justified. He, the Judge, has rendered the verdict, and that verdict is PARDON for your crimes (sins). If you have not repented, you are not justified and the Judge will render the verdict GUILTY. What happens to the guilty? They go to jail. In this case it is hell.

"For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”" (Acts 17:31). This verse is speaking of God appointing Jesus as Judge of all mankind.

There will not be a jury of your peers, there will not be a defense lawyer. There will only be you, and the Judge. Can you withstand the wrath of the Lamb? No. But you can escape it by repenting, announcing your guilt and the Judge who is merciful, will pardon you. You must do it before He arrives in the courtroom, though, (before your death) because after that, all is fixed. It will be too late.

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" (Hebrews 9:27).

And because you don't know the date of your death, you don't know when the arresting officers will come get you (the death angel), so announce your guilt now and ask the Judge for mercy. And you don't even have to wonder of the Judge will grant it, because He has already said that He will!

"That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:15-18)

Why is the heartland getting ripped to shreds by super large tornadoes? asks Michael Snyder

A good, fact-filled post by Michael Snyder on The Economic Collapse Blog:

Why Is The Heartland Of America Being Ripped To Shreds By Gigantic Tornadoes That Are Becoming More Frequent And More Powerful?

"In 2009, there were 1146 tornadoes in the United States.
In 2010, there were 1282 tornadoes in the United States.
In 2011, there were 1691 tornadoes in the United States.
In 2012, we have already seen one of the worst tornado outbreaks ever recorded in the month of March in all of American history. As of Tuesday, there had been 326 tornadoes in the United States so far in 2011. That is about twice as many as usual for this time of the year.
In 2012, we are on pace to far exceed the total we saw in 2011."

At the end of his article, the blog author asks if we have any theories as to why we are getting such enormous storms year after year. My theory? It's God. He's coming.

More at link. Below is a screen grab of one tractor trailer tossed hundreds of feet in the air by a tornado that isn't even present at the location yet. And below that if you can watch video, is the CNN video and narration of what is going on

Is your praise louder than the tornado's roar?

It is a sober morning as we wake up and as the daylight rises we see the overnight storm damage. I had a sleepless night as storm after storm rolled through, but the house is intact. I'm thankful for the Lord's protection. Now one may say, 'what about all those believers who prayed but whose homes were destroyed? Didn't they have the Lord's protection?' Yes, they did.

In my case, I prayed to the Lord for protection of my body and my home from storm damage. I have full faith and trust that He would do it, and He did.

Others who pray the same in full faith but whose homes are now rubble are also under His protection. The effects of sin in this world means that there will be suffering, but those who are suffering have a new opportunity this morning to turn to Him, and think of eternal things. It affords an opportunity for Christian ministries to minister in His name to the lost, the weak, the brethren. Living in a fallen world means bad things will happen.

I prayed for protection last night and I knew He is able to deliver it. But I did not pray, "Protect me, O Lord, for I am one of your children and You are on my side." That is testing the Lord. I know His will as it is revealed in the Word, but I do not know His will in each specific circumstance of my life. If I was to go through a trial by enduring a lost dwelling and possessions, let it be so. It doesn't alter my faith at all. When you have an eternal perspective, the temporary circumstances of my life gain their proper position. Now I'm not as strong as Paul who said of his trials, "Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:10) but his kind of attitude is my daily goal to seek and try and reach.

I think of Daniel 3 and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego standing in front of King Nebuchadnezzar, and they said, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up” (Daniel 3:16b-18).

The furnace was a room sized furnace you know. Picture the men shoveling coal into the Titanic's room-sized boilers, and that was what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were facing. These furnaces were searingly hot. They were so hot that when the King ordered the furnace to be heated 7 times hotter, the men who were ordered to throw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego inside were instantly killed by the heat.

Facing that, they did not waver. They did not say, "We are faithful and therefore He will not let us come to harm." Their prayer in the face of a fiery trial was strong, with the proper perspective of understanding that it may not be His will to allow them no harm. It didn't alter their faith one bit. He knew He would cover them, but if He didn't, that was OK too. God is still sovereign.

"The proof of conversion is that he who professes faith in Jesus perseveres in faith and grows in sanctification throughout his life." ~Paul Washer

That proof is the perseverance in faith especially when storms are ripping through, when death or loss or injury come, when we can say of this trial or that one, "Lord grow me in sanctification so that You are pleased with me." Sing praises to Him who saves, in the calm and in the storm. Their faith was startling to the King, and  Nebuchadnezzar replied in a fury. But when God chose to show Himself in the furnace the men said to the King, “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” (Daniel 3:25).

The King then did what? Praised God. "Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.” (Daniel 3:28-29)

When the storms come, sing louder, knowing that He is sovereign, and all things are working for the good to those who love Him who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28) Perhaps your purpose in your trial is simply to sing praises to him, louder than the storm, so that others may hear and believe.
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