December 31, 2004

The beautiful, balmy day ending 2004 belied the reality going on a half of world away.

I can’t even begin to comprehend the devastation going on in SE Asia and Africa. They were having a beautiful day there, as well, on that fateful morning last Sunday. People were going about doing the things they do everyday. Many (since the coastlines were involved) were vacationers planning how to leisurely spend the day. The sky was clear. There was no hint, no warning at all of the impending doom about to strike.

A 9 magnitude earthquake 5 miles under the water in the Indian ocean caused tsunamis with walls of water up to 30 feet high to destroy miles and miles of coastline in 11 different countries. It affected areas up to 500 miles away from the quake. The death toll leaps on toward 150, 000, but we are told that the number is so high that we’ll never get an accurate count. Hundreds, even thousands of people are still missing. The tide brings with it dead bodies strewn carelessly along the shore. The horror hasn’t stopped yet.

When we lost 3000 lives in the World Trade Center attacks, that was totally overwhelming to me. This number is just staggering. And it certainly isn’t over. How can one clean up such a disaster? How can the dead ever be buried (or cremated), much less all the destroyed buildings and belongings carted away? Millions of people have no home now. Sickness is sure to kill many more hundreds in the coming weeks.

At least the tourists that survived can return to their homes. The rest of the multitude has nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. The individual stories break your heart. The plight of these people seems so hopeless.

Help is pouring in, yet I wonder if it’s even possible to sufficiently help in the midst of such total devastation. There are some things that man just can’t fix, even with lots of money.

My heart goes out to these people, most of who had little anyway. The widespread grief and loss must be excruciating.

However, this also scares me. It scares me deep in the pit of my soul. I know the end is getting near. People love to laugh and poke fun whenever anyone mentions that, but I believe the Bible. The Bible describes how things are going to be at the end and it is a fearsome thing. And there will be an end. These things WILL come to pass. If the Bible says it, you can count on it. Even knowing that I am safe in the arms of the Lord, I can’t help but cower and shake under the wrath of the Almighty. This horrible disaster is a drop in the bucket of things yet to be. The Bible says people will be so scared they will be trying to commit suicide but won’t be able to.

Revelation 6:15-17 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

There will be a day when all the foolish men who have shaken their fists in God’s face and rejected His Son will be dreadfully regretting that choice. All the proud people who fancied themselves too SMART to need the CRUTCH of the Lord will see how very ignorant they really are. All the wolves in sheep’s clothing will have that stripped away, as well.

What will you say when you come face to face with the Lord?

Luke 21:11 & 28 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

(Do yourself a favor and read the entire chapter.)