Are
nature disasters divine judgments or calls?
Some think that we could expect more earthquakes and more tremors in
the
oceans in this time because Jesus said in His discourses about the
end-time
that there would come earthquakes and roaring of the sea and the waves
and
because of that there would come great
fear and perplexity of nations with the foreboding of what is coming on
the
world, (Luke 25,26).
Just a brief review of what
happened already this century. On 26 December
2004 there occurred a tremendous sea- and earthquake, followed by a
tsunami
which caused devastations on many coasts round the Indian Ocean. On 12
January
2010 there occurred a heavy earthquake on Haiti, which caused great
devastations. Then, on 11 March 2011 there occurred a heavy earthquake
deep in
the ocean, East of Japan, followed by a tsunami which caused great
havoc and
caused many lives. A nuclear power-plant was heavily damaged which will
cause
nuclear defilement and danger for many
years.
The Isles of Japan where moved several meters to the west through the
enormous
movement of the quake.
The history of the planet shows
that there must have occurred from time to
time what we would call gigantic disasters. Jesus Christ told us that
in the
end-time, the time before His return,
again gigantic nature and cosmic disasters shall occur.
We live now (I write in 2011)
about two-thousand years later than the time
wherein Jesus gave these end-time discourses. Therefore we may be
certain that
the days which He referred to are much nearer now than when He
delivered them.
A recent research program has
shown that Christians think differently about
the divine purpose behind nature disasters. From a thousand American
believers:
30 percent
thinks that God is
punishing with such nature disasters.
40 percent thinks that God is
testing people with them.
56 percent
that God is making clear
in this disasters that He can intervene in this World.
66 percent of the evangelicals
and protestants think that God is making
clear that He can intervene in this World on every scale He wants to do.
Christians in Europe think also
differently about the purpose of great
nature disasters. Some, perhaps many, think that they are judgments on
people
because of their godless way of thinking and living. The disasters show
Gods fierce
anger about the godlessness. Reason enough for me to give a short
Bible-study
about this subject. As starting
Bible text I take Revelation 15:4:
“Who shall not fear and glory
thy name, O Lord? For thou alone art holy.
All nations shall come and worship thee, for thy judgments have been
revealed.”(RSV).
First of all I will explain the
exact meaning of the Greek word translated
here as ‘judgments, for this is in the Greek language in which
Revelation was
written, the word, ‘dikaiómata.’ The
better or even correct translation of this
word would be requirements, regulations or orders and righteous deeds.
The
Greek word ‘krisis’ is the word that clearly means judgment or verdict.
Just in
addition about the word crisis (Greek ‘krisis’) as we use it often.
When we use
the word crisis we mean a dangerous, difficult or a very difficult
situation.
In the book of Revelation in chapter 19:2,21 and 20:12, 13 we see that
the
Greek word ‘krisis’ is correctly translated as ‘judgment’ or ‘verdict.’.
In His discourses about the
end-time disasters Jesus does not speak of them
as judgments but He sees them as signs of His approaching return. He
urges us
to be watchful and to take a good notice of what is happening.
In Revelation we are informed
that the nature- and cosmic disasters take
place under the direction of heaven and that they are meant as serious
calls to
make people think about their way of life and attitude towards God and
repent,
(Revelation 9:20,21; 16:9 en 11). The Most High Lord God is hoping that
the
people on this planet will come to repentance through these disasters.
I see
three aspects here:
I am convinced on the ground of
the Greek Text of the Bible in the New
Testament that we should not think of nature disasters as those that
occurred
recently on and round Indonesia, Haiti and Japan that they are
judgments of God
over the people that live there. Is it not encouraging that we hear in
these
days (March, April 2011) that the believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ
is
increasing and at the same time idolatry and witchcraft are losing
their grip
on many people? Let us pray that also on the isles of Japan, the
country of
much superstition and the worship of predecessors, the message of the
love of
God as revealed in Jesus Christ will increase and many will come to
repentance
and to a renewing of their life.
Pastor T. J.
de Ruiter, The Netherlands, 30 April 2011
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Site 'Inspiration
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1997 / update 30 September 2011 / Pastor T. J. de
Ruiter /
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