"Earthquakes in various places"
Several
years ago one of my best friends, and the finest Christian writer I know,
published a book titled The Judgments of
God. Not many books are written on a subject like this, nor do many seek to
read them. We seem to crave in our comfort more "positive" and "uplifting"
volumes and teachers.
But the reality is, that even now, because of the curse of
the fall, our world is not so "positive" and "uplifting" but is rather under
judgment. As the Apostle John wrote in his gospel, apart from faith in Jesus
Christ we are "condemned already" and "...whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's
wrath remains on him."
The world
we live in is experiencing increasing natural disasters, and economic crisis. Islamic terrorism is threatening the survival of Christian civilization, and her closest ally, the nation of Israel.
It is easier to understand the causes of events like
terrorism. We know Satan was a "murderer from the beginning" who came to
"steal, and kill, and destroy." And we
can grasp the cause of economic crisis because of man's sinfulness, and the propensity of greed in
natural man.
But natural disasters such as the recent earthquake in Haiti,
Hurricane Katrina, and the devastating Tsunami in 2004, to name just a few,
seem more difficult for many Christians to understand.
I have found the following chapter
from Clay Sterrett's book, The Judgments of God,
to be most helpful in bringing these events into the light of God's Word:
God's Judgment
Through
Natural Disasters
An earthquake demolishes a city; a hurricane sweeps in and
hundreds are killed; a flood ruins the property of thousands, and many lives
are lost. Are such events "acts of
God"? How about famines, plagues, and
the AIDS epidemic? Are these to be
viewed as "judgments of God"?
Most likely, some of these events are judgments of God and
some are not. It is too simplistic to
say that God is the author of all that is good and the devil is the author of
all that is bad. On the other extreme,
we cannot say every time a natural disaster occurs it is a "judgment of God".
We Live in a Fallen World
Because of Adam's sin, nature itself came under a curse. Gen.
3:17-19 There is now a built-in
frustration and bondage in nature:
For the creation was subjected to
frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope
that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and
brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been
groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to
the present time.
Rom. 8:20-22
J. Rodman Williams in Renewal
Theology comments:
Not only is there a combination of
"thorns and thistles," but throughout nature there is universal bondage to corruption
along with continuous travail and groaning.
This situation can also account for such ferocity in the animal world
and the turbulence manifested in such upheavals of nature as earthquakes,
hurricanes, and floods. The travail of
creation at large thus is profoundly related to human sin and suffering.
Therefore, instead of
attributing all catastrophic occurrences to "acts of God," we should look on
them as basically demonstrations of this fallen creation which is subjected to frustration...groaning as in
pains of childbirth.
God regulates the universe by the mighty power
of his command. Heb.1:3 He is the
blessed controller of all things. I Tim. 6:15 He can speak and stir up a
storm or He can still a storm to a whisper. Psa. 107:25-29 In the middle of all the terrible events of
Revelation, chapter four, we see a throne
was standing in heaven and One sitting on the throne. Rev. 4:2 This chapter reminds us the Lord Jesus
is reigning, and in full control! George
Ladd comments in A Commentary on the
Revelation of John:
However fearful or uncontrolled the
forces of evil on earth may seem to be, they cannot annul or eclipse the
greater fact that behind the scenes God is on His throne governing the universe.
Good People are not Exempt
Because we live in a
fallen world, good people, even the dearest Christians, are not exempt from the
results of catastrophic events of nature.
Jesus said His Father causes His
sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous.
Matt. 5:45 This means that the righteous will sometimes suffer as
inhabitants in this fallen world and that unrighteous men will conversely be
blessed. A. W. Tozer in Of God and Men remarks:
There is a sense in which God makes
no difference between the saint and the sinner...It is strange that we rarely
notice the other side of this truth:
That God also visits His children with the usual problems common to all
the sons of men. The Christian will feel
the heat on a sweltering day; the cold will bite into his skin as certainly as
into that of his unsaved neighbor; he will be affected by war and peace, booms
and depressions, without regard to his spiritual state. To believe otherwise is to go beyond the
Scriptures and to falsify the experience of the saints in every age.
An example of this is
the life of the apostle Paul, who was shipwrecked three times because of
storms. II Cor. 11:25 Once he had to spend a night and day in the open sea. II
Cor. 11:25 Today, when hurricane winds
hit a Caribbean island, Christian homes and churches will be destroyed and
Christian lives lost. None of this
reality diminishes the precious promises we have in Scripture for those who
love the Lord.
(Clay
then has an excellent commentary on God's four dreadful judgments, war, famine, wild beasts and
plagues which is not quoted here. Ezek. 14:21-13 and Rev. 6:8 He continues his chapter with an examination of the phenomenon of earthquakes
in the light of God's Word.)
Earthquakes
While earthquakes are
not listed among God's "four terrible judgments," they are certainly a means by
which God exercises His displeasure in judgment:
The
earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they
trembled because he was angry. Psa. 18:7
He moves
mountains without their knowing it and overturns them in his anger. He shakes
the earth from its place and makes its pillars tremble. Job 9:5-6
You have
rejected us, O God, and burst forth upon us; you have been angry - now restore
us! You have shaken the land and torn it
open; mend its fractures, for it is quaking. Psa. 60:1-2
John Wesley said
concerning earthquakes: "Of all the
judgments which the righteous God inflicts on sinners here, the most dreadful
and destructive is an earthquake." In
Scripture we see Almighty God violently shake the earth at times to indicate
His awesome presence: Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the
Lord. Psa. 114:7 We see examples of
earthquakes at the giving of the law at Mt Sinai Ex. 19:18, Psa. 68:7-8; at
Jesus' death Matt. 27:51; at Jesus' resurrection Matt. 28:2; and at the second
coming of Christ Zech. 14:14. It seems
that natural phenomena often accompany spiritual phenomena; natural shaking and
spiritual shaking go together.
Earthquakes and other
forms of judgment may be God's voice getting our attention. During the devastating San Francisco
earthquake in 1906, one Christian journalist, who was also very involved in the
revival which began at the Azusa Street Mission wrote,
The San Francisco earthquake was
surely the voice of God to the people on the Pacific Coast. It was used mightily in conviction...In the
early "Azusa" days both Heaven and hell seemed to have come to town. Men were at the breaking point. Conviction was mightily on the people. They would fly to pieces even on the street,
almost without provocation. A very "dead
line" seemed to be drawn around "Azusa Mission" by the Spirit. When men came within two or three blocks of
the place they were seized with conviction. (Bartlemann, Azusa Street, p. 53)
During a recent
earthquake in California during January 1994, the Washington Times reported
that the epicenter encircled 70 companies that produce 95% of the pornographic
videos annually in the United States.
Was God speaking to these people in this wicked business? Obviously, the Lord did not make a "full end"
of the pornographers; most of the damaged businesses probably rebuilt and were
operating again within the year. But was
God saying something?
Earthquakes are
another sign of the final days before Jesus comes: There
will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pangs.
Matt. 24:7-8 When a pregnant mother
has birth pangs, it is a sign that labor is not far away. Something very significant is about to be
birthed! Earthquakes and other natural
movements like volcanoes and hurricanes are in some measure expressions of this
fallen creation. (Sometimes earthquakes are mentioned without any reference to
judgment or the anger of God - e.g., Amos 1:1) However, it seems
earthquakes especially are God's "sounding alarm", His wake-up call.
Earthquakes apparently
are growing in numbers and intensity.
While a lot of Americans' attention has been focused on earthquakes in
California, consider some of the following earthquakes in this century:
1920 - Central China 200,000
killed
1923 - Tokyo 142,800
killed
1935 - Pakistan 60,000 killed
1970 - Peru
67,000 killed
1976 - N. E. China 240,000 killed
1988 - Armenia 50,000 killed
(Since Clay's book was
published in 1994 we have seen the following large earthquakes:)
1999
- Turkey 17,000 killed
2001
- India/Pakistan 20,000 killed
2003
- Iran 31,000 killed
2004
- Indonesia 175,800
killed
2005
- Pakistan 86,000 killed
2008
- Central China 87,600 killed
2010
- Haiti 200,000 killed
One researcher says,
Time Magazine states that there have
been more major earthquakes in the past twenty years than in the previous one
hundred. In fact, there have been more monstrous killers in the half-century since World
War II than during the previous five centuries. A network TV newsman observed that there have
been twenty-eight macro-earthquakes since 1958, compared to twenty-four during
the whole period before that since the birth of Christ. Seismology historians have calculated that
major earthquakes have increased more than 2,000 percent since Columbus
discovered the New World. What is more
readily verifiable is that as many have died in earthquakes during the last
twenty-five years as had perished in the previous two hundred years. (John
Wesley White, Thinking the Unthinkable)
The Big One
There has been much
attention whenever earthquakes hit California that at sometime the BIG ONE is
going to hit those areas that lie along the San Andreas Fault. The book of Revelation describes a BIG ONE,
and it will be a lot bigger than California:
Then there came flashes
of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since
man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and
the cities of the nations collapsed. God
remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the
fury of His wrath. Every island fled
away and the mountains could not be found. Rev. 16:18-20
Revelation describes a
great earthquake four different
places and it could very well be the same cataclysmic, global event. Rev. 6:12;
11:13,19; 16:18 This final great earthquake will introduce mankind to the time
of God's great wrath, in which Babylon, the humanistic and antichrist system of
man, will finally be judged. This last,
great earthquake will prepare the way for God's final judgment.
The days ahead will be
times of much anguish, perplexity, and fear for those living on the earth as they
witness dreadful, unprecedented natural events.
All the shaking, however, both on the earth and in the heavens, should
not alarm those who love the Lord; our final redemption is about to come:
There will be signs in
the sun, moon and stars. On the earth,
nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the
sea. Men will faint from terror,
apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be
shaken. At that time they will see the
Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand
up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. Luke 21:25-28"
If you would like a
copy of Clay Sterrett's excellent book you can order one directly from his
website at:
http://www.cfcliterature.com/judgments.htm
When I was in India last month I took the following photos during an outreach to precious people afflicted with leprosy. In Jesus' Name Ministries is also supporting an outreach to handicapped people. Although great strides are being made in India to limit the spread of leprosy and polio, there are many who suffer the lasting effects of these diseases. We have come to know and love these needy people over the past several years. We deeply appreciate your prayers, and help, in expressing the salvation and compassion of Jesus Christ to these precious people.
A precious brother in Christ with leprosy.
"When you give a
luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or
your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be
repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the
lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you,
you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
The Lord Jesus Christ - Luke 14:12-14
lepers in India enjoying their favorite meal of rice with chicken curry.
Lepers in India humbly praying to the Lord Jesus Christ.
"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
The Lord Jesus Christ
Lepers in India who are joyful in Jesus Christ in the midst of their sufferings.
"Comfort, comfort my people, says your God."
Isaiah 40:1
In India these lepers, and many disabled people, are hearing the Gospel, and responding to our love and help. Please include them in your prayers.
Gratefully yours in Jesus Christ,
Court and Sandy Wood
