About this eBook

The main purpose of my writing this book is to present a synthesis of the current precepts of the science of meteorology and what the Bible has said about the weather, and to show that they are not in conflict. In fact, I feel that what we read in the Bible is complementary to modern science and it should even provoke us to think a little differently and to do research in new directions. It is often said that if you are a good scientist, then you cannot be a true Christian, or the other way round. I feel that this need not be so.

Genesis, the first book of the Bible, begins by declaring that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Revelation, the last book of the Bible, ends with a vision of the new heavens and the new earth that God is going to create. In between these two descriptions, are hundreds of references that touch almost every aspect of weather, in the real or physical sense as well as allegorically. However, these numerous references bring out one common theme that all of nature does God’s bidding. God is in full control of every natural event that occurs on earth and every process that operates in the earth’s atmosphere.

The second purpose of my writing this book is, therefore, to reiterate that nowhere in the Bible is there any thought or suggestion that the elements of nature are God-like or worthy of adoration and worship. Only God, who created the universe, is to be worshipped and not his creation, even if it appears awesome, has great beauty or demonstrates mighty power.

As a meteorologist, I have spent a lifetime dealing with monsoons, droughts, floods and cyclones. In the course of my long official career, I have been involved in the predictions of such events and in the management of their aftermaths. Very often, while grappling with such events, I would wonder what God was doing or planning to do, but perhaps I did not think deeply enough. When I wrote this book after my retirement, those questions were still on my mind, but I had more time for reflection. I do have many of the answers now, and the third purpose of this book is to share them with my readers.

Since 2007, I have been putting down my thoughts on Bible Meteorology in the form of randomly written posts on my internet blog ‘Cloud and Sunshine’. The popularity of my posts has been one of the factors that motivated me to write this book. I have drawn heavily from my own blog, but the book is not just a reproduction or a mere collection of my posts. The book is the result of additional research and fresh thought, and it covers almost the entire range of meteorological phenomena mentioned in the Bible.

This book does not contain any theological arguments as I am not capable of making them, and I have discussed the science of meteorology in the simplest manner possible. The book comprises sixteen short chapters, which are related but make sense independently. They need not necessarily be read in sequence, but in any preferred order. I have enjoyed writing this little book and felt spiritually rewarded and blessed. I hope that my readers would have similar feelings while reading it.

R. R. Kelkar

Pune, India, 2 March 2010