In
the past two weeks the world has witnessed some incredible seismic activity as
fault lines buckled and mountains belched forth fiery plumes of destruction.
On
Wednesday, April 22, the Calbuco volcano in southern Chile erupted for the
first time in four decades. Quiet since 1972, it's blew its top twice,
generating striking images and concerns over the effects of both the lava and a
mammoth cloud of debris. The
column of smoke and ash that was ejected from Calbuco measured nearly 7 miles
into the atmosphere, so powerful that the blast generated its own lightning
storms.[1]
In
the wake of falling ash, entire towns have been buried in several feet of the
noxious slag, turning them into grey deserts. Amazingly, one hiker captured on
video the exact moment that Calbuco erupted the first time. The video (click here) couldn’t be a more stunning contrast of beauty and calamity, as the
exploding mountain is captured in the background of a picturesque scene of
gently falling waterfalls.[2]
If
that wasn’t enough to threaten mankind’s fragile existence, nature wasn’t done
yet. On Sunday, April 26, Nepal experienced its worst earthquake in eighty
years—a magnitude 7.8 that took the lives of more than 3,800. At least 18 were
killed and dozens more were injured on Mount Everest, where the quake launched
an avalanche. Meanwhile, the capital of Nepal, Katmandu, lay in ruins with centuries-old
Buddhist temples and towers toppled.[3]
Disasters
like this provide the Church with the opportunity to minister those who are
hurting and displaced by the devastation. In fact, Samaritan’s Purse and other
Christian relief organizations have already mobilized to make sure the people
in Nepal have the basic necessities. Even though you and I may not be able to
take a plane to ground zero we can donate our funds and prayers to help (click here to donate).
When
the church responds to the physical needs of the hurting we become the hands
and feet of Christ, which also opens the door to meet spiritual needs as well.
And so, the Church ministers to broken bodies, while the Gospel ministers to
broken souls.
We
can also use disasters like this to witness to the lost here on the home front.
In Jesus’ private briefing to the disciples about His second coming, also known
as the Olivet Discourse, He gave a list of signs correlating to the end-times
scenario, “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not
alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise
against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All
these are but the beginning of the birth pains” (Matt 24:6-8).
A
careful study of the Olivet Discourse will show that Jesus was describing the
events on earth during a seven-year period of judgment known as the
Tribulation. These catastrophes will happen after the Church is raptured (1
Thess. 4:13-18) and the reins of power are handed over to the world’s final
tyrant, the Antichrist (Rev. 13).
The
days just prior to the return of Christ will be a time punctuated with an
intensification of natural disasters, much like the two back-to-back seismic
events we just witnessed. In fact, Jesus used the analogy of birth pangs. Just
as a woman giving birth experiences more intense and more frequent contractions
as the time of delivery draws near, so too the earth will experience the same
build-up as the last days draw closer. The quakes and eruptions of late are
merely previews of coming attractions.
It
has been said that, “future events cast their shadows before their arrival.” A thunderstorm is signaled by a drop in barometric pressure and the budding flowers are evidence
that winter is giving way to spring. There is no doubt we are in the last days because of the preponderance of signs emerging (Luke 21:24), but it’s impossible to know the day or the hour of Christ’s
return (Mark 13:32).
This
is why Jesus spoke of the coming tribulation with such clarity. He has
graciously given us warning signs so that we might discern that we don’t have
much time to find refuge. The worst possible thing to do is ignore the warnings
signs because of unbelief. The only way to escape the coming tribulation is to
know Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. Are you ready? –DM
[1]
Bill Chappell, “Watch A Time-Lapse Video Of The Calbuco Volcano Erupting In
Chile,” NPR: The Two Way, 23 April
2015 <http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/04/23/401682275/video-of-volcano-erupting-in-chile-is-amazing-in-time-lapse?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20150426&utm_
campaign =mostemailed&utm_term=nprnews>
[2] Avianne
Tan, “Chile Volcano Eruption: Hiker Witnesses Exact Moment Calbuco Erupts,” ABC News, 24 April 2015
<http://abcnews.go.com/International/chile-volcano-eruption-hiker-witnesses-exact-moment-calbuco/story?id=30566077>
[3]
Katharine Lackey, “5 Things to Know about the Nepal Earthquake,” USA Today, 27 April 2015
<http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/04/25/nepal-earthquake-things-to-know/26367507/>
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