|
Recent
events along the coastal areas of the Pacific Ocean raised the
eyebrows of the people of the world. Within a few short
minutes, more than 297,000 innocent lives were swept away and
swallowed up by the giant killer waves. The common question
asked was: "Why did this happen? Had these victims done
some thing terribly wrong? Did they deserve such harsh
punishment?" For some of us, we might even feel a sense
of relief that such a tragedy had not happened to us. Are we
therefore in a safer place than they? One day, someone told
our Lord Jesus that Pilate killed some Galileans and mingled
their blood with their sacrifices and the tower of Siloam
collapsed and killed eighteen persons out of the blue. Had
these people done some thing terrible? Our Lord gave them an
astonishing answer: "Suppose ye that these Galileans
were sinners above all the Galileans? Nay, but except ye
repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Lk 13:2, 3).
What lessons can we learn from these terrible experiences?
"But
as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son
of man be" (Matt
24:37). At Noah’s time, before the great flood came, people
were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. The
world was so peaceful and the people would not care what God
wanted them to do. "God saw that the wickedness of man
was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the
thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen
6:5) The earth was filled with violence and the people were
wicked in the sight of the Lord. God therefore sent a great
flood and wiped them out from the face of the earth. All
except Noah and his family perished. The scenario was the same
as that of the tsunami except that it was in a much bigger
scale. The tsunami serves as a reminder to us about what our
Lord said: "And knew not until the flood came, and
took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man
be" (Matt 24:39). For those who still do not believe
in Christ and those believers who are still living in sin,
take note of the Lord’s warnings: "Except ye repent,
ye shall all likewise perish" (Lk 13:3); "Watch
therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come"
(Matt 24:42).
"For
when they shall say, peace and safety; then sudden
destruction cometh upon them" (1
Thess 5:3). On that fateful day, the beaches around the
beautiful islands in the Indian Ocean were so peaceful and
calm. People went there in order to escape the hustle and
bustle of life, hoping to get some peace from the rest of the
world. Who would know that in the midst of their enjoyment of
peace, sudden destruction came upon them! None of them ever
thought that destruction would come to them so swiftly and so
devastatingly. How sad! "But ye, brethren are not in
darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief"
said the Lord (1 Thess 5:4). The destruction by tsunami was
nothing compared with the great destruction that will come,
when our Lord returns. "Seeing then that all these
things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to
be in all holy conversation and godliness?" (2 Pet
3:11). Believers should not be ignorant about this. As the
Apostle Paul said, "But of the times and the seasons,
brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you" (1
Thess 5:1). What we need to do now is to repent of all our
sins and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
God is
"not willing that any should perish, but that all
should come to repentance" (2 Pet 3:9). The
tsunami reminds us of the coming wrath of God. Our God is a
holy and just God. He will not tolerate sin and will destroy
all who live in sin. Take note of what God said: "And
God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me;
for the earth is filled with violence through them; and,
behold, I will destroy them with the earth" (Gen
6:13). However, on the other hand, "The Lord is
merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
He will not always chide: neither will He keep his anger
forever" (Ps103:8, 9). He is not willing that anyone
of us should perish but that all should come to repentance.
That is why He sent His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to come to
this world to die for us on the cross of Calvary. What all of
us need to do is to come boldly to His throne of mercy and
repent of our sins, and He will forgive us of all our
iniquities and save us from the eternal fire of hell. Unless
we all repent, we shall all likewise perish — not in water,
but in hell fire.
Encouragement
Page Archive
2004
2005
Top of Page
|
