Tsunami
God sets the bounds for the oceans and seas. If not, the tides would be unpredictable and tsunamis would be a frequent occurrence.
Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?Jeremiah 5:22
Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.Psalms 104:9
Just a few unpredictable waves that quickly flowed back to God’s boundary created astounding destruction. The cleansing destruction during the great worldwide flood should leave no doubt to God’s wrath over sin.
On CNN’s Larry King Live, President Bush, Senior and President Clinton talked about their faith in God and deftly and with political savvy responded to the question of, “How could a loving God allow this to happen?” I say this respectfully, because to answer this question without offense to others of differing faith, yet without undermining the Christian position, was quite remarkable.
Unfortunately, they missed a great opportunity to clarify the Christian position. I can only believe they were unaware of how to really express themselves in this important area.
When our Christian faith concerning disasters is challenged and a genuine answer is being sought, it is not a mystery hidden in some obscure Biblical code. Rather, it is simple and glaringly evident throughout the Bible. Yet, so many Christians seem to struggle with resolving death, suffering, and calamity in the face of a loving God.
President Clinton said that being a person of faith does not give a ticket for a free ride through this life, where we experience no suffering or tragedy. Rather, the world should look at the person of faith (and here I add, Christian faith) and see an outpouring of the love of God that defies reason.
Genesis starts with a beautiful and perfect world with no pain, suffering, or death. Then a wrench was thrown into the purring jet engine and all hell broke loose. Sin and the curse shattered the peace and beauty, bringing pain, suffering, earthquakes, tsunamis, World Wars, Hiroshimas, September 11s, and every imaginable evil. There is no immunization from the curse, only an end to it when the Lord returns and restores everything to a better than Eden. At times through history, God gives us a taste of what is to come as the deaf are made to hear, the lame to walk, the lepers healed, and the dead raised to life. But, that is but a taste to let us know the ugly destructive curse will pass. It will pass, for the Kingdom of God is come and its finality is nearly upon us.
Like the tower of Siloam that fell unexpectedly on a group during Jesus’ earthly days, so tragedy can strike any of us at any moment.
Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.Luke 13:4,5
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:Hebrews 9:27
Whether a tsunami, September 11, a car wreck, heart attack, cancer, or a random drive by shooting, God tells us to be ready to meet our Maker.
Could God have miraculously held back the destructive tsunami like the Red Sea that the Israelites passed through during their exodus from Egypt? Could He at least have saved the children? Consider the choice of little one’s dying in a tsunami and then going to Heaven or having long life and prosperity and going to Hell. What would you do, if given the power? Can we in our arrogance, stand and judge God as to what is right or wrong?
So, how does a believer display himself during a calamity? Certainly with what we see on CNN every day: with love, compassion, and an outpouring of caring, expressed in word and deed. Yet that is but temporal. We must share even more. We must warn of an even greater tsunami to come. We must warn them to be prepared for the return of the King.
We must warn our children and grandchildren about the need to be prepared. They must understand that Jesus is not returning to this earth like a gigantic jolly Santa Clause. He is coming to complete the cleansing his holiness demands. God’s wrath will be poured out without mercy and the blood will be splattered all over his garments.
I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, …Isaiah 63:3,4
Today’s children fear tsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, and terrorists. And this lists only those things that can kill the body. Unfortunately most Christians don’t teach their children to fear the Lord.
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.Matthew 10:28
Most churches today soft-pedal the gospel to draw in the postmodern crowds. When is the last time you’ve heard a hellfire and brimstone sermon that brought on tremors of fear? I can guarantee a vacation on an ocean beach would bring terror now if you suddenly saw the water rapidly disappear. Why? Because you’ve been warned! You’ve been taught to look for the signs. You now know the disappearing waters mean it is building up in the ocean’s depths and is about to crash down in fury. You know now to run. Run for your life. Run to safety.
The signs are all around us. Prophecy is near an end. All the signs show the waters are retreating and building strength and God’s thunderous tsunami wrath is about to crash down upon this world. Will we busy ourselves struggling to maintain our own personal peace and affluence? Or will we like crazed people run up and down the beaches screaming for people to escape to higher ground?
How many of the victim’s would have loved to have had someone scream at them to flee before the waves crashed upon them? How many would have loved the firm embrace of someone leading them to safety?
Money and compassion is helping many who survived the earthquake and tsunami. This is after the fact. We are before the Great and Terrible Tsunami. We must embrace other desperately caring Christians who are willing to break through their inhibitions and plead for people to flee the wrath to come.
Even if few people would have believed our pleas had we been there before the Indian Ocean waves crashed, we would have still shouted for them to run. And today we are called to declare the only way to be saved from God’s terrible and holy wrath is by the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
After the tsunami, fingers were being pointed all over the place as to why there wasn’t a warning system in place. “If only they could have been warned!” was the cry. “How many lives could have been saved by a warning?”
The cry for a warning should be a parable for all Christians. The tsunami of God’s wrath is bearing down upon this world. We should have received the message in the Word he commands us to read and study each and every day. For it tells us that we are God’s early warning system. Isn’t our silence then criminal? The world’s system of impure justice would surely condemn someone who could have sounded the warning about the tsunami and didn’t. Will God merely wink at our criminal action and look the other way? Hear what God said to those who were called to warn Israel.
Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.Ezekiel 3:17-21
We likewise, have been called to warn the world! Side by side, we must warn unbelievers to repent of their sins and turn to God through Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Then they can join us with confidence, facing all obstacles with this assurance:
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.Romans 8:35-39
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.Psalms 46:1-3
The tsunami of God’s wrath is nearly upon the world.
Watchman, take your post.
Cry loudly, for all to hear.
Scream like a mother for her babies,
Shout with clarity for all to flee
To God the Savior,
To higher ground,
To the Son of God.
Ralph Wendt