I’m sure there are times you wonder why curses come into life and many innocent people are destroyed. Volcanic eruptions like Mt. Saint Helens, earthquakes and tsunamis in California, Japan, and Haiti, and hurricanes in New York and New Orleans are only a few catastrophic events that make us wonder who is behind it. Are these disasters a curse of God as some Christians believe or a curse of Satan as others believe?

Christians tend to over analyze the circumstances of life. On Christian television, there are those who appear to be experts about why “God sent catastrophes” to various parts of the world. There are actually two curses in this world that destroy innocent lives and property. Although the curse of the law exists, it is against individuals and not entire cities, states, or countries.

One curse originates from God and the other from Satan. As the Word demonstrates, both are capable of cursing the inhabitants of the earth. Yet, both have distinct characteristics revealing the course of the curse.

When God Curses

God can and does curse. There is no doubt He sent the flood of Noah. I heard a minister try to explain one time why the flood of Noah was Satan and not God. First, Satan is not that powerful. His curses can never stack up to the size and destruction of God’s. Even if Satan could send the flood, why would He destroy all of the unrighteous on the earth and leave eight righteous? Why would He also give the wicked 120 years to repent and be saved from the coming destruction? It is more than obvious God sent the flood. God also sent the destruction on Sodom and Gomorrah, the ten plagues on Egypt and the destruction to the inhabitants of Canaan for their resistance to His warning for over 400 years.

When God Sends Judgment and Destruction

1. God give warning far in advance.

2. God gives opportunity to repent and be spared.

3. God only destroys the wicked who do not repent.

4. God spares the righteous, even those who are carnal.

5. God removes the righteous before sending destruction or He protects the righteous during destruction.

Even when God sends a curse, He is a God of grace.

The Curse Caused by Satan, The Curse in the Earth

The curse in the earth came from Satan through Adam. When Adam sinned, a curse immediately went into the earth. Animals turned against each other, plants were infested with weeds and thorns, birds became prey to each other, and mankind was faced with wars, lawlessness, and attacks from nature including earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, epidemics, famines, and floods.

God curses at select times. Adam’s curse is on at all times, 24/7. God only curses the wicked and preserves the just (Proverbs 3:33).

Adam’s curse does not discriminate; it hits believers and unbelievers alike. God gives warning before He sends a curse. Satan gives no warning and the calamities of life can come suddenly.

In Luke, Jesus gave His disciples a good explanation of the curse of Satan and its effect on us.

Luke 13

vs. 1 “There were some present at that very time who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.”

vs. 2 “And He answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

vs. 3 “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

vs. 4 “Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem?”

vs. 5 “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

Jesus let it be known that the blood of innocent people, shed and mingled with the sacrifices, were not greater sinners than everyone else. The tower that fell on the innocent people did not aim for the worst sinners in the crowd.

Personal sins are not the criteria for destruction in the world. The curse caused by Adam is always at work and is increasing each day against all of us, righteous and unrighteous. Katrina, Mount Saint Helens, and hurricane Sandy were not from God, but a result of the curse of Adam, which is backed by Satan. This curse will be present until it is removed at the Second Coming of Jesus when He will rule over the entire earth.

Many Christians overanalyze evil circumstances, measuring them by the amount of sin present. Some claim to know why earthquakes hit San Francisco and Haiti; they are places filled with homosexuality and voodoo. They reason hurricanes and floods hit New Orleans and Burma because of satanic evil and false religion.  But if that is true, how can we explain the tornadoes that took out half of Joplin, OK? It is a family friendly city filled with many Christians. Was God upset with the Baptists, Assembly of God, or non-denominational people of that city? The answer is no.

Jesus shared something worth noting. He told His disciples to repent or they could die in the same way as the Galileans had. They too could have their blood spilled or be struck dead by a falling tower. Jesus told believers to repent to be spared from the attacks of life, the curse of Satan. Repentance for believers is not to go to heaven, but to be protected from the daily circumstances of life. Satan may aim for believers as well as unbelievers, but he is limited to seeking only the believers he may devour. That means there must be some he may not devour; those who have asked forgiveness for their sins and trust God for divine protection. If you make sure your life is clean from daily sin, God will protect you from the evils of life whether you know they are coming or not. When I get to heaven, I plan on talking to my protecting angel to see how I escaped attacks Satan had planned against me. As long as I am on this earth, I will keep serving God and my angel will keep serving and protecting me!