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NOTE: This article or series has not been updated recently. As such, it may possibly contain some outdated information, and/or ideas and beliefs which I no longer embrace, or which have changed to some degree.



The following series is an offshoot of another article that
I first wrote in October of 1998 called "Halloween: No Room
For Compromise", which was expanded in November of 2009, and
renamed "Halloween And The Day Of The Dead". In that article
I discuss the ancient Aztec goddess, Mictecacihuatl, who was
known as the "Queen of the Underworld", and the "Lady of the
Dead". I go on to explain how in modern Mexico, this goddess
is now known as "Santa Muerte" -- meaning Saint Death -- or
"Catrina". In Mexican culture, this demonic female spirit is
represented by a hideous "calaca" -- or skeleton -- clothed
in a robe, and holding a variety of objects, one of which is
usually a scythe -- similar to the "Grim Reaper" -- and the
other a globe.

While pondering this Mexican demoness of death which bears
the name of "Catrina", I could not help but think of recent,
tragic events in the United States which are also associated
with the English name "Katrina". I am of course referring to
Hurricane Katrina which struck the US Gulf Coast during the
2005 Atlantic Hurricane Season. This Category 5 hurricane is
on record as being one of the five deadliest tropical storms
in the history of the United States. It's also now listed as
the 6th strongest storm in the recorded history of Atlantic
hurricanes. At its peak intensity prior to slamming into the
coast of Louisiana, Hurricane Katrina registered one-minute
sustained winds of 175 MPH. Although Katrina was downgraded
to a Category 3 hurricane before striking the city of New
Orleans, it still resulted in the confirmed death of 1,836
people, with another 705 persons reported as missing.

As some of you will already know, many of these deaths were
the result of severe flooding in some of the wards of New
Orleans -- particularly Ward Nine -- as well as in some of
the neighboring parishes, following the catastrophic failure
of the levee system of New Orleans. Ultimately, about eighty
per cent of New Orleans found itself under water. Damage to
the city of New Orleans, and the surrounding area, has been
estimated at approximately $100 billion dollars. Even today,
four years later, many people continue to feel the long-term
effects of Hurricane Katrina in their lives. Many continue
to live in temporary housing, such as trailers. Furthermore,
a variety of sources state that the city still hasn't fully
rebounded from Katrina, and only about sixty per cent of the
city's original population have returned to their homes.

In addition, tourism remains at dismal levels, and violence
is quickly approaching an all-time high. In case you were
not aware of this fact, the FBI recently rated New Orleans
as the murder capital of the USA, and the most violent city
in the United States, with sixty-four murders occurring per
one hundred thousand residents. This is in fact more than
ten times the national average, and surpasses the cities of
St. Louis, Missouri and Baltimore, Maryland, which are in
the number two and three slots respectively.

While many people -- including the American mass media --
tend to concentrate their comments on the widespread death
and destruction which resulted from Hurricane Katrina, or on
the gross failures of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and
the Bush administration both before and after the passage of
Hurricane Katrina, I must point out that there is another
aspect of this story which rarely -- if ever -- enters into
public discussion. The reason why this is so is very simple:
In a word, it is politically-incorrect to talk about such
things.

If you ask the average person on the street why New Orleans
was struck by Hurricane Katrina, the common answer that will
often be offered will probably be related to meteorological
conditions and the annual Atlantic Hurricane Season. However,
as Bible-believing Christians, we are obligated to look much
deeper into the matter, and ask ourselves if it is possible
that Hurricane Katrina may have been God's judgment against
that wicked city. That New Orleans is a wicked city there can
be no doubt. We have already seen that the level of violence
there surpasses every other city in the United States. Sexual
promiscuity such as prostitution and the annual Mardi Gras is
also rampant in the so-called "Big Easy". Widespread gambling
and related vices also plague the city.

New Orleans also happens to be a very spiritual city. Sadly,
however, that spirituality very often manifests itself in the
form of the works of darkness, which, as you may already know,
are strictly forbidden in the Scriptures. I'm referring to Old
New Orleans Traditional Witchcraft, Creole Voodoo, Hoodoo folk
magic (conjure), satanism, Wicca (the craft), rootwork, magick,
and other forms of the "black arts". Even people who one would
think are not likely be involved in these forbidden practices,
apparently are; such as Catholics who wear charms such as mojo
bags and gris-gris bags, or business owners who have conjure
bags on their office desks. Some residents of New Orleans also
own Voodoo spirit bottles. From what I have read, some form of
Witchcraft, Voodoo or Magick is deeply ingrained in many long
time residents of New Orleans, and it's second nature to them.

As I have pointed out in other articles, God's Word clearly
commands us to flee from the works of darkness, and to dwell
in the Light of Christ, as we see by the following verses:

"The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us
therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on
the armour of light."
Romans 13:12, KJV

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for
what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and
what communion hath light with darkness?"
2 Corinthians 6:14, KJV

"For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the
Lord: walk as children of light . . . And have no fellowship
with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove
them."
Ephesians 5:8, 11, KJV

"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath
translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:"
Colossians 1:13, KJV

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy
nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the
praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his
marvellous light:"
1 Peter 2:9, KJV

"If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in
darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:"
1 John 1:6, KJV

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and
he will flee from you."
James 4:7, KJV

"Neither give place to the devil."
Ephesians 4:27, KJV

Exactly what are some of these works of darkness from which
we are commanded to flee? Again, the Bible offers us a clear
answer with verses such as the following:

"Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek
after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your
God."
Leviticus 19:31, KJV

"And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar
spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I
will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him
off from among his people."
Leviticus 20:6, KJV

"There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his
son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth
divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a
witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits,
or a wizard, or a necromancer."
Deuteronomy 18:10-11, KJV

"And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have
familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that
mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the
living to the dead?"
Isaiah 8:19, KJV

"But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one
day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come
upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy
sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments
. . . Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the
multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from
thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be
thou mayest prevail. Thou art wearied in the multitude of
thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the
monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these
things that shall come upon thee."
Isaiah 47:9, 12-13, KJV

"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these;
Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath,
strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness,
revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before,
as I have also told you in time past, that they which do
such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
Galatians 5:19-21, KJV

In those last three verses from the Apostle Paul's Epistle
to the Galatian brethren, those two words "drunkenness" and
"revellings" remind me of the annual carnival festivities
which begins in New Orleans on January 6th; and as we have
already seen, witchcraft, sexual promiscuity and murder are
quite prevalent in that wicked city; so the Apostle Paul's
words very appropriately describe the sins of New Orleans.

What I have personally long found to be rather ironic, and
in fact hypocritical, is the fact that the carnival season
ends on "Fat Tuesday" -- or "Mardi Gras" in French -- and is
immediately followed by Ash Wednesday and the Roman Catholic
Lent season. In short, some of the Catholics of New Orleans
wildly indulge in every evil work of the flesh during the
weeks-long carnival festivities -- which in recent decades
has included public breast-flashing -- which end on Mardi
Gras -- or Fat Tuesday -- and then they turn around and
behave like sinless, self-righteous saints, and supposedly
demonstrate their repentance by having a cross of ashes
placed on their foreheads on Ash Wednesday. While they may
adopt an attitude of "forgive-and-forget", is this kind of
blatant hypocrisy truly acceptable to the Lord?

While I have focused on the occurrence of Mardi Gras in the
city of New Orleans, it is important to point out that this
"season of sin" is celebrated in various parts of the world,
from Mexico, to Rio de Janiero, to the nations of Europe, to
Australia; and in countries which are dominated by the Roman
Catholic religion, it always concludes on Ash Wednesday. In
fact, I first became aware of this hypocrisy over thirty
years ago while serving as a missionary in Mexico. Allow me
to likewise mention that Ash Wednesday is also observed by
certain other Christian faiths as well. These include some
Methodists, Anglicans, Episcopalians, Baptists, Lutherans
and a few other denominations as well.

Rather than indulge in these worldly pleasures of the flesh
during the Mardi Gras festivities, we would all be wise to
follow the example of Moses; who even though he could have
continued to enjoy the affluent, sinful life that he led in
the courts of Pharaoh, chose instead to leave it all behind,
in order to please and obey the God of Heaven, as we see
here:

"By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be
called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to
suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the
pleasures of sin for a season;"
Hebrews 11:24-25, KJV

So as you can plainly see, the works of darkness which God's
Word clearly condemns, are some of the very same things in
which some people of New Orleans have been involved for many
years; and in fact, for many generations, ever since their
ancestors were brought from Africa and the Caribbean region.
Precisely how many people are involved in these dark arts in
New Orleans, I honestly cannot say. In an effort to find out,
I conducted an Internet search, but I turned up empty-handed.
I even took the time to email over half a dozen witches, some
of whom are long-time residents of the city of New Orleans.
As of this writing, only three have responded, and none of
them have been able to provide me with a clear answer, or
simply don't want to.

If you happen to be a Bible-believing Christian like myself,
then it should not shock you, or offend you, when I suggest
that Hurricane Katrina may have been a judgment sent by God
against that wicked city. While God will sometimes take it
upon Himself to execute His judgments directly -- such as
in the case of the Genesis Flood -- we are also told in the
Scriptures that sometimes He will use Satan or lesser demons
to carry out His Will, as His instruments of judgment. If
there is one thing which the Bible makes very clear, it is
that spiritual forces are able to interact with and affect
our natural, physical world, including with our very own
bodies. This is a topic which I discuss in more detail in
such series as "Demonic Possession And Sickness: A Biblical
Perspective". As the Apostle Paul warns us in two of his
Epistles:

"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of
this world, according to the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:"
Ephesians 2:2, KJV

"In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them
which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of
Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."
2 Corinthians 4:4, KJV

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the
darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high
places."
Ephesians 6:12, KJV

It should be clear to you then from the previous verses that
there are indeed dark, evil forces at work in our world, and
these malevolent forces are capable of affecting our lives in
a variety of ways. As I said a moment ago, the Bible informs
us that God will sometimes use these forces of darkness as
His instruments of judgment when He deems it necessary. Such
was the case in the Book of Job when God allowed Satan to do
everything within his power, short of killing Job, in order
to test Job's loyalty to God. Consider the following verses:

"And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were
eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: And
there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were
plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: And the Sabeans
fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the
servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped
alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came
also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from
heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and
consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said,
The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels,
and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with
the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell
thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and
said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking
wine in their eldest brother's house: And, behold, there came
a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners
of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are
dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee."
Job 1:13-19, KJV

So here we witness God allowing Satan to cause a variety of
calamities to befall Job's family. Ultimately, Job himself
was afflicted with nasty boils, from the soles of his feet
to the top of his head, as we see here:

"And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea,
all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth
thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will
curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold,
he is in thine hand; but save his life. So went Satan forth
from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils
from the sole of his foot unto his crown. And he took him a
potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the
ashes."
Job 2:4-8, KJV

Let me reiterate that these tragedies befell Job's family by
God's Divine Permission, and were effectuated through Satan,
who served as God's personal executioner. Please also notice
that in the first set of verses, the last calamity to befall
Job's family was "a great wind". This wind caused the eldest
son's house to collapse which resulted in the death of Job's
sons. While we obviously don't know with certainty, it seems
to me that the son's house was probably hit by a tornado. If
we consider how fast a tornado can approach, this would help
to explain why the sons were unable to escape from the house
before it fell on them. Another possibility is that the sons
may have believed that they would be safe inside. Now if God
could use Satan to affect the weather, and send a tornado
thousands of years ago, is it really a challenge for Him to
send a powerful hurricane like Katrina in our modern day?

Taking the previous thought a step further, if Satan -- who
the Apostle Paul tells us is the "Prince of the Power of the
Air" -- can do such things, is it possible that other lesser
demonic forces in the world possess similar abilities? Do
they also have the power to afflict humanity with such death
and destruction? I obviously cannot solidly prove this point,
but I would posit that Hurricane Katrina suggests that they
can, and do. I just find it rather ironic that such a deadly
hurricane bore the same name as Mexico's "Lady of the Dead";
that is, Catrina. It was probably just a coincidence, but
nevertheless, it is curious.

In addition to using the natural force of the wind, please
also notice that in the previous verses, we are told that
"the fire of God" fell from heaven and burned up some of the
sheep and servants. Is it possible that this was a severe
lightning storm? If this is the case, then we now have two
examples in which God allowed Satan -- the false god of this
world -- to use the forces of nature as His instruments of
judgment; that is, wind -- possibly being a tornado -- and
the fire of God -- possibly being a lightning storm.

What we can learn from these two examples is that what people
today refer to as "natural disasters", may not be so natural.
As I have explained before, the whole idea of "Mother Nature"
is a cop-out in my view. There's simply no such entity called
Mother Nature. Even using that designation implies some form
of intelligence and/or personality. Are we to understand that
natural disasters are simply Mother Nature losing her temper
and going wild? In my opinion, using a phrase such as Mother
Nature to explain the many so-called "natural disasters" that
befall the Earth is a weak attempt to try to ignore the real
force that is behind these occurrences. It also reminds me of
how some of these misguided New Agers refer to the Earth as a
living entity called Gaia, which in Greek mythology is the
goddess of the Earth.

Based on the previous two examples from the Book of Job, we
need to consider that, in reality, natural disasters may be
God's Hand and Will at work. But alas, to even be willing to
admit this, we must also be honest enough to recognize that
God must be very displeased about something, as otherwise, He
would not allow these disasters to occur. Therein lies a part
of the problem; because in our increasingly secular world the
vast majority of people are not willing to admit that sin is
real, and much less that sin even exists in their lives, or
in their society or nation as a whole. Thus we see that using
terms like "Mother Nature" and "natural disasters" provides
people with an easy way to escape the guilt of sin that God
wishes to impress upon their consciences.

That God will sometimes use the natural forces of the Earth
as His instruments of judgment against rebellious unrepentant
people is quite apparent in other verses as well. In the Book
of Deuteronomy, for example, consider this serious warning
that God instructed Moses to give to the ancient Israelites.
The Lord wanted them to know exactly what would happen to
them if they failed to keep His Commandments. Moses stated:

"Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived,
and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;
And then the LORD'S wrath be kindled against you, and he
shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land
yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the
good land which the LORD giveth you."
Deuteronomy 11:16-17, KJV

So here we see a clear example where God will purposely hold
back the rain, resulting in drought and eventually famine. It
was not Mother Nature that held back the rain, it was God. We
see the same kinds of warnings and curses pronounced in other
books of the Bible as well. If we take an overview of all of
these verses, and others which I will not quote here due to
their large number, we see that God's instruments of judgment
can include, but are not limited to, such things as the wind,
rain, lightning, hail, heat, floods, frogs, locusts, snakes,
scorpions, flies, caterpillars, lice, mildew, and a variety
of diseases. In fact, as I explain in such articles as "The
Fruits Of Disobedience", God can likewise use human enemies
as His instruments of judgment against rebellious people, as
He did many times with the ancient Israelites. In addition to
the various plagues of Egypt, consider the following verses:

"When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they
have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place,
and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou
afflictest them: Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the
sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, that thou
teach them the good way wherein they should walk, and give
rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for
an inheritance. If there be in the land famine, if there be
pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be
caterpiller; if their enemy besiege them in the land of
their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there
be; What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man,
or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the
plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward
this house: Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and
forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his
ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only,
knowest the hearts of all the children of men;) That they
may fear thee all the days that they live in the land which
thou gavest unto our fathers."
1 Kings 8:35-40, KJV

"Then there was a famine in the days of David three years,
year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the
LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house,
because he slew the Gibeonites."
2 Samuel 21:1, KJV

"Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored
to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and
sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn: for the LORD hath
called for a famine; and it shall also come upon the land
seven years."
2 Kings 8:1, KJV

"Moreover he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the
whole staff of bread."
Psalm 105:16, KJV

"Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will
punish them: the young men shall die by the sword; their
sons and their daughters shall die by famine:"
Jeremiah 11:22, KJV

"And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence,
among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I
gave unto them and to their fathers."
Jeremiah 24:10, KJV

"And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom
which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of
Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of
the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the
LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the
pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand."
Jeremiah 27:8, KJV

"Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will send upon them
the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make
them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.
And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine,
and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed
to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an
astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the
nations whither I have driven them:"
Jeremiah 29:17-18, KJV

"Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye
feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and
the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after
you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die. So shall it be
with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to
sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine,
and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or
escape from the evil that I will bring upon them."
Jeremiah 42:16-17, KJV

"A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and
with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and
a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I
will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will
draw out a sword after them."
Ezekiel 5:12, KJV

"When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine,
which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send
to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and
will break your staff of bread:"
Ezekiel 5:16, KJV

"Thus saith the Lord GOD; Smite with thine hand, and stamp
with thy foot, and say, Alas for all the evil abominations
of the house of Israel! for they shall fall by the sword, by
the famine, and by the pestilence. He that is far off shall
die of the pestilence; and he that is near shall fall by the
sword; and he that remaineth and is besieged shall die by
the famine: thus will I accomplish my fury upon them."
Ezekiel 6:11-12, KJV

In the previous verses, please notice how many times the Lord
repeatedly states "I will" do this, and "I will" do that. So
again, it becomes very clear that, as with so-called "natural
disasters" which occur today, these Biblical events were not
just the forces of nature going wild on their own. They were
in fact controlled events, and the chastisements of God upon
a rebellious and sinful people. It was, and to this very day
continues to be, God who is doing these things, and not some
fictitious entity people call "Mother Nature". In the very
same fashion, when a people who claim to be God's people are
persecuted and oppressed by their enemies, it is not simply
because the enemy is stronger and has a military advantage.
As I explain in the series "The Fruits Of Disobedience", it
is because the Lord is using those enemies as His instrument
of judgment against His wayward, backslidden children.

In light of the aforementioned Biblical examples, and taking
into consideration the dismal spiritual condition of the
so-called "Christian" United States of America today, is it
possible that that nation will face a fate similar to that
of ancient Israel, and will be subjected to an assortment of
"natural disasters", as well as to attacks from her external
enemies, sometime in the future? The Biblical precedent for
such a possibility is very clear. As with the Israelites,
who God brought into a beautiful, plentiful place, but who
then defiled the land through their rebellion and spiritual
backsliding, so too, God brought America's early settlers
into a country beautiful beyond imagination, and rich in
natural resources.

In those early decades, Americans were a God-fearing people
who recognized and honored God in every area of their lives;
but in barely two hundred years, look how far Americans have
strayed from the path of righteousness, and turned away from
the Sound Truth and the Holy Principles of God's Word.

Sadly, today, laws have been passed, and rulings have been
made, which remove God from government, remove God from
certain areas of public access, remove God from the school
system, etc. It is as if certain Americans only want to be
reminded of God's existence and presence when they visit a
church building, and a small vociferous minority want to
completely push Him out of their lives altogether. Is this
the proper way to treat One who has given us so much, and
blessed us so much?

Please go to part two for the continuation of this series.


⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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