Day: February 16, 2026

Monday, February 16, 2026

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea…. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:1,4 KJV).

Indeed, there is nothing like witnessing the natural world destroy itself and give way to a new world!

As a firsthand scientific observer of a tornado that passed directly over my house, I stood in disbelief looking at debris fly across the yard. Seeing large trees uprooted, hearing gigantic branches snap like twigs, noticing shingles and tin roofs disintegrate, and hearing violent winds and heavy rains sweep across the land… I still have difficulty comprehending. The speed is equally stunning. What seemed like an eternity lasted less than a minute. Hurricanes (some disastrous) have come and gone here during my nearly 40 years of life; however, this tornado excelled them all in terms of destruction. No homes or lives were lost, but it was close!

Struggling to make sense of our tornado, I cannot even begin to fathom the Great Flood of Noah’s lifetime. Those rainstorms above and those floodwaters from beneath (groundwater) continued for 40 days until the ark was lifted and Earth’s mountains were covered (Genesis 7:10-12,17-20). Another 110 days passed as these waters peaked on Earth’s surface (Genesis 7:24). Mountains were eroded away. Forests were flattened. Almost all life outside of the ark, with the exception of some marine life, perished and were buried to rapidly produce the fossil record. The catastrophe that transpired beyond the safety of that ark will never be comprehended: God was definitely faithful in bringing its occupants through such horrors as He hid them from view. Water eventually drained off the land for some 220 days, forming deep canyons and new highlands. Ocean basins increased. The atmosphere was drastically altered. By the time Noah and his family exited the ark a year later, they entered a world that was truly unrecognizable.

Weather systems have been quite destructive ever since Adam plunged mankind into sin, further exacerbated by the changes that the Great Deluge brought. Thankfully, such devastation will all pass away in the grand scheme of things. Yes, the curse of sin will be lifted for creation to return to its original, pristine form.