"Whirlwind" Within The Scriptures 🌪 Judgement?

I've read different comments on different Christian forums regarding the three current hurricanes, two in the Atlantic, and one in the Gulf of Mexico. Some believe that they are simply natural occurrences and that it's simply a way for the planet to cool itself. While others believe that what we are seeing right now is either divine judgment or signs of the end-times. I personally love to look at the different Biblical accounts that involve any subject, to see for myself what it means.

So I'm doing that right now, with you, (well sort of...) But the verses shown in this article are all of the verses on the subject of a "whirlwind, contained in the KJV bible.

Whirlwinds

"And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal." 2 Kings 2:1

The very first mention of a "whirlwind," in the KJV Bible involved Elijah being taken into heaven by a whirlwind. That forms a very cool picture, and there's nothing about wrath or judgment against anyone in it. The same chapter goes on to say:

"And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven." 2 Kings 2:11

The book of Job mentions a "whirlwind," three times. Two of the mentions involved God answering Job directly, "out of the whirlwind."

"Out of the south cometh the whirlwind: and cold out of the north." Job 37:9

"Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said," Job 38:1

"Then answered the LORD unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Job 40:6

The book of Psalms has a rather interesting mention of "whirlwinds," and it does speak of "wrath."

"Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men? Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth. The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear; Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD. Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces. As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun. Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath." Psalms 58:1-9

The book of Proverbs makes two mentions of whirlwinds, both in the form of analogies. Neither verse is speaking of a literal whirlwind.

"When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you." Proverbs 1:27

** "As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation." Proverbs 10:25**

Isaiah makes several mentions of a whirlwind, many are analogies about Judgment and battle. The first is speaking mainly about those who have on the full armor. Both passages here remind me of what Jesus said about the storms coming, and the two houses, one being built upon the rock, and the other upon the sand. Most all say, "as or like a whirlwind."

"And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly: None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken: Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses' hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind:"Isaiah 5: 26-28

"The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind." Isaiah 17:13

"The burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the south pass through;so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land. A grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease." Isaiah 21:1-2

"It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble." Isaiah 40:22

" Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel." Isaiah 41:16

"For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire." Isaiah 66:15

The book of Jeremaih seems to pick right up where Isaiah left off...

"Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled". Jeremiah 4:13

"Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked." Jeremiah 23:19

" Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, anda great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth." Jeremiah 25:32

"Behold, the whirlwind of the LORD goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked." Jeremiah 30:23**

The last two verses seem to be speaking of the entire world, "from nation to nation," evil goes forth, and a "great whirlwind," shall be raised up." "A continuing whirlwind, that will fall with pain upon the head of the wicked."

Ezekiel and a vision.

" And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire." Ezekiel 1:4

The one mention of a whirlwind in Daniel speaks of a war, and the "king of the north coming against the king of the south, like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen." This is an end-time verse.

"And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over." Daniel 11:40

The book of Hosea uses the word, whirlwind in regards to sowing and reaping. The verse itself can be tied to the many in Isaiah, and Jeremiah, and the parable of the seed sower.

"For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk; the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up." Hosea 8:7

The next mention in the book of Hosea ties into the same principles.

"Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud and as the early dew that passeth away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney." Hosea 13:3

"But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devour the palaces thereof, with shouting in the day of battle, with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind: Amos 1:14

"The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet." Nahum 1:3

Habakkuk uses another analogy saing, "they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me..."

"Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages: they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me:their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly." Habakkuk 3:14

The first mention of a whirlwind in the book of Zechariah is regarding Israel being driven out of their nation and scattered among other nations. It says that "they," laid the pleasant land desolate." The Lord said that they would not hear Him, so when they cried out to Him, He did not hear them. This reminds me of Leviticus 26, where it says the exact same thing in regards to heeding the voice of God. (I encourage anyone to read the full chapter of Leviticus 26 so see the connection for themselves.)

"Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts: But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate." Zechariah 7:13-14

"And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the LORD God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south." Zechariah 9:14

And that is the very last mention of the word, "whirlwind," within the scriptures.

Seeing the many times that the word, 'whirlwind," is used in the form of analogies, I can't say one way or another if a whirlwind itself is judgment." Surely judgment affects an entire nation, and with three hurricanes currently swirling about in the sea and in the Gulf, I will say that I fully believe that it is one of those signs, mentioned about the end times.

For those that think that it is a judgment on a particular city, well it could be, but what city in what nation abides in God's will?

If it is indeed judgment, then what will be the judgment that comes on every city? I'll say that it will be "like," a whirlwind, as so many verses and passages imply.

Those are just my thoughts. But one thing I will say without a doubt is that God is in control, and He knows every detail of what He's doing for His purpose, and as His word says:

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

In looking at these verses and considering other passages about building our houses on the rock and on the sand, and having on the armor of God, His people will see storms and we must be rooted and grounded in the sure foundation which is Christ Jesus, the chief cornerstone, who upholds it all.

I believe that it's so important that we look at each aspect of what God's word says in regards to any subject, and rightly divide it as Paul instructed because that is the only way to get the full picture in order to "rightly divide," in the first place, and "rightly dividing," does not mean that we remove anything that is written, but examine the entire subject prayerfully.

Thank you for joining me in thie examination of the scriputres. Please feel free to comment and share what you see in all of this.

September 7 - 2017.

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