God Caused All These Afflictions As Chastisement Or Judgement

God Caused All These Afflictions As Chastisement Or Judgement

1) There are 14 specific famines affecting the lives of God’s people (the Israelites) that are mentioned in the Bible:

1) Abraham - Genesis 12:10

2) Isaac - Genesis 26:1

3) Joseph - Genesis 41:56

4) Naomi - Ruth 1:1

5) David - 2 Samuel 21:1

6) Elijah - 1 Kings 18:2

7) Elisha - 2 Kings 4:38

8) Elisha - 2 Kings 6:25

9) Elisha - 2 Kings 8:1 (7 year famine)

10) Isaiah - Isaiah 51:19

11) Nehemiah - Nehemiah 5:3; Haggai 1:10-11

12) Jeremiah- 2 Kings 25:3; Jeremiah 14:1; 52:6; Lamentations 5:10 (Siege of Jerusalem by Babylon during the reign of King Zedekiah)

13) The early Church - Acts 11:28

14) The whole world during the Tribulation period - Revelation 6:5-6

2) There are seven earthquakes associated directly with the first and second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ:

Two earthquakes recorded in the Gospels:

A.  When Jesus died on the cross - Matthew 27:50-54

B. The morning of the resurrection - Matthew 28:1-2

Five specific earthquakes are mentioned during the tribulation period (seven times the word earthquake is used in Revelation, but only five specific earthquakes are in view):

C. At the opening of the sixth seal, the midpoint of the tribulation - Revelation 6:12

D. Just before the trumpets begin to sound - Revelation; 8:5

E. After the death and resurrection of the two witnesses, at the end of the seven year tribulation - Revelation 11:13

F. When the temple of God is shown in Heaven, shortly after the last earthquake - Revelation 11:19

G. Immediately after the pouring out of all seven vials, Mystery Babylon is about to be destroyed, shortly before the battle of Armageddon - Revelation 16:18

3) There are seven historical plagues in the Bible where people were killed by God (not counting the plagues of Egypt - we are not given a death toll in those cases - or prophecies about future plagues):

Aside from the plague that occured when the spies came back with a bad report, it is interesting to note that each one of the seven increased in intensity and the death toll, AND the last one was the one that was halted at the place where the temple was built (and where Abraham offered Isaac). Notice how many people died in that plague.

A. Exodus 32:35 - on those worshipping the golden calf - 3000 died

B. Numbers 11:33 - on those murmurers who ate the uncooked quail -  unspecified

C. Numbers 14:37 - on the spies who came back with a bad report - 10

D. Numbers 16:46 - on the men who rebelled against God’s chosen leadership - 14,700 +250

E. Numbers 25:8 - on those who committed immorality and idolatry at the tempting of Balaam - 24000

F. 1 Samuel 6:4 - on the men of Bethshemeth because they opened the ark - 50,070

G. 2 Samuel 24/1 Chronicles 21 - on Israel when David numbered the people - 70,000

*For clarification: When a multiple of a number is used, it has the same meaning as the original number. For example, seven means perfection, completion, and is God's stamp on His Word. A multiple of seven has the same meaning, sometimes heightening or magnifying it, but the same underlying meaning. So 14, 21, 70, 490, etc. all have the same symbolic meaning in the Scriptures. There are so many sevens in the Bible, but you will often find many passages where a multiple of seven is used as well. Like here.

Jerry Bouey