For one quarter million South East Asians the end of 2004 was the end of the world – the tsunami killed them. For the rest of us the world goes on. The question is for how long? Our world is groaning under an already overwhelming burden of HIV-AIDS – the greatest humanitarian crisis in the history of mankind. Disasters like these should make us query why the UN called the 1990’s, "The Decade for Disaster Reduction". Only three years after the new millennium began 35% more people in the world were suffering from natural disasters than a decade before. Moreover, at the close of 2003 there was a fivefold increase in the death toll from natural disasters over the previous year. Are these coincidental or are they sign posts warning us that the end is drawing near?

Bill McGuire, an expert on global disasters, believes that the end may be closer than we'd like to admit. (‘A Guide to the End of the World’, 2002). This belief is not based on religion, neither does McGuire hint at any religious solution.

Long before McGuire researched his book, Jesus Christ foretold, "there will be war ... great earthquakes, famines and epidemics in many lands." He warned that this would be a time of Divine wrath against increasing evil and he said, "the stars will fall from the sky". He reaffirmed what earlier prophets foretold about the end times being "a time of greater horror than anything the world has ever seen or will ever see again." (Luke 21:10, 11, 22; Matthew 24:29, 21, 22)

In 1994, the world saw on TV an asteroid exploding into Jupiter with a force 15 billion times greater than the Hiroshima bomb. As a matter of fact, a small asteroid struck Siberia in 1908, laying waste 100 sq. km. of forest. One week before the epic quake hit South East Asia, CNN reported on a new asteroid which has a higher chance of striking the earth than any of the thousands of other asteroids which have been discovered so far. If this asteroid hits any of the oceans it will trigger a far greater tsunami than the one we have just witnessed. A couple weeks after the tsunami hit, newspapers reported the launching of a space probe called "Deep Impact". Ironically, the 1998 movie by the same name, depicts a desperate mission to stop a comet from colliding with earth. One part of the comet hits the Atlantic Ocean, causing tsunamis that destroy much of the eastern seaboard (USA). The movie accurately portrays how an asteroid or comet appears upon entering earth’s atmosphere - like a blazing mountain. Amazingly, this description corresponds with an oceanic catastrophe predicted by the apostle John; "something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea ... a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed." (Revelation 8:8,9) It’s frightening isn’t it? Most people would prefer to think of it as science fiction or not to think of it at all.

War, on the other hand, is something we can’t deny or ignore and, not surprisingly, war is one of the end-time signs prophesied by Jesus Christ. Indeed the Bible predicts that the Middle East, and more specifically Israel, will be the focus of an international war in the last days. As soon as the word Israel is mentioned, many people have a strong emotional reaction, either for or against. The prophets foretold a time of unprecedented trouble for Israel as discipline and punishment from God (Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 12:1). However, when the situation becomes seemingly hopeless, God will intervene and rescue Israel after she genuinely returns to him. The prophet Zechariah spells out this global conflict in more detail, "I will make Jerusalem and Judah like an intoxicating drink to all the nearby nations that send their armies to besiege Jerusalem. On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone, a burden for the world. None of the nations who try to lift it will escape unscathed." (Zechariah 12) Are we seeing the stage being set for the fulfillment of these prophecies?

Since 1948, countless UN resolutions - most of them condemning Israel - have tried to resolve the ongoing dispute between Israelis and Palestinians. Despite all these efforts, and the passing of Arafat, the conflict persists. The world is becoming very impatient and pressure is mounting to impose a solution on Israel. This pressure was notched up several ratchets in February 2005 when the American Secretary of State insisted that the Israelis must recognize that the proposed Palestinian state will require "contiguous land" which will mean splitting Israel in two. Another sign of mounting pressure is the deepening resentment against Israel, especially among the 57 Islamic nations.

One Muslim, Ruslan Tokchukov sounds a warning to his fellow Muslims. He analyses world history, noting the "brutal end" that befell "all those once-powerful enemies of the Jewish people: the Pharaohs of Egypt, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Roman Empire, the Inquisitor Spain, the Russian Tsarist Empire, the Nazi Reich." He concludes his careful study by mentioning, "a part of the Christian Bible about God cursing those who curse the Jewish people, and the entire world history seems to confirm it. Now, whether you are religious or not, whether you call it God's law or the law of history, you have to agree that not one nation that persecuted Jews had escaped very bad consequences. I don't think this law has an exception for the Arabs or any other Muslims." [*] Arab nations should pay attention to Ruslan's warning and stop their hostility towards Israel, otherwise they will suffer severe consequences.

Many people, especially Jews, Muslims and Christians cherish a hope that Jerusalem will live up to its name, ‘city of peace’. However, many unbelievers are becoming perplexed at seeing how all three monotheistic faiths expect the Messiah to usher in a global era where "the wolf will live with the lamb". This scenario is a striking contrast to what we see today – a so-called Holy Land that is the most critical flash point threatening world peace. Seeing this state of affairs, some skeptics ask God-fearing people, "You believe the ‘Prince of Peace’ will bring peace on earth, why then aren’t you more involved in peacemaking?" "Can’t you work harder to bridge the gap between yourselves that seems to be ever widening?"

May I humbly suggest how we can response to these concerns? Obviously the three great monotheistic faiths can’t gloss over serious differences of understanding about the Messiah but neither should we start by arguing and fighting with one another. Rather, shouldn’t we begin by talking about things we agree on, in a spirit of mutual respect?

Anyone interested in knowing more about peace can read "Converging Destinies: Jerusalem, Peace and the Messiah".

Note:
* Our Place in the World: Road map leads to darkness by Ruslan Tokhchukov, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 14, 2003

Some who read this article may wonder, "How can a good and peace-loving God allow innocent people to suffer? If he controls everything why does he allow war and natural disasters to destroy thousands of people, including innocent women and children?"

Originally the world was good but this idyllic, peaceful condition was shattered when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. All their descendants have sinned, and the whole world has been affected by man's sin (Romans 5:12; 8:18-22). Ultimately suffering, war, disease, natural disasters and death have all resulted from our sin. It is only because God is forbearing and merciful that any of us is not quickly destroyed. This is the first step towards understanding why God allows suffering. This is foundational since it corrects our misinformed assumption that some people are fundamentally 'innocent'. The fact of the matter is: All people are guilty of sin. Furthermore God punishes sin with death as we read in Romans 6:23. God would be within his rights to kill everyone in an instant but he restrains his anger, as it is written, "I will not always show my anger. If I did, all people would pass away - all the souls I have made." (Isaiah 57:16, NLT, cf. Matt. 24:21,22; cf. Lamentations 3, especially verse 22)

Perhaps an analogy will help to explain this. Suppose a father prohibits his children from playing with matches. Somehow his children manage to find some matches and, while playing with them, the children inadvertently start a fire which gets out of control. Is the father responsible for this disaster that threatens to kill them all? Will he intervene and try to save them? Of course he will.

God sometimes allows us to suffer as a way of disciplining us, for the purpose of healing us and restoring us to himself. This is true on a personal level (Hebrews 12:4-5) and also on a national level as was mentioned earlier in the article (in relation to Israel). Jeremiah was not the only prophet who preached about divine discipline. The prophet Hosea gives similar warnings but notice the good purposes behind the painful discipline, "I will tear at Israel and Judah as a lion rips apart its prey. I will carry them off and there will be no one left to rescue them. Then I will return to my place until they admit their guilt and look to me for help. For as soon as trouble comes they will search for me."

"Come let us return to the Lord! He has torn us in pieces; now he will heal us. He has injured us now he will bandage our wounds." (Hosea 5:14 - 6:1 NLT)

We often read in scripture how God used other nations to punish his disobedient people Israel. Sometimes God even allowed thousands to die in these calamities. But we must never forget God’s purpose was to eventually purge and restore his people. Speaking about the end times, God warned the Israelites, "I must discipline you; I cannot let you go unpunished... I have wounded you cruelly as though I were your enemy ... I have had to punish you because your sins are many and your guilt is great... but in that coming day I will give you back your health and heal your wounds." (Jeremiah 30)

Israel was not the only nation to experience national disaster. During the time of Moses God brought a series of disasters against Egypt when their leader hardened his heart. We must remember, however, that these plagues served a greater purpose than just punishing evil, they revealed God’s holiness, his greatness and spread his fame worldwide. Not only so, some Egyptians were so impressed with the awesome signs God did through Moses that they decided to join the Israelites on their journey to freedom. A closer examination of these 10 plagues shows us a glimpse of God’s mercy.

Notice, after the 7^th plague, God warned Pharaoh that worse disasters would befall Egypt. He declared, "by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth." (Exodus 9:15) Given such a horrific warning, we might expect that the death toll from the last three plagues would have been much worse. But God restrained himself from unleashing all his wrath. He commanded the death angel to kill only the first-born son’s. This 10^th and worst plague also revealed God’s mercy. Coupled with the plague God provided a way to spare the eldest son’s from dying in the plague, that is, by sacrificing a Passover lamb.

In the same way that God was forbearing towards the Egyptians in Moses time, so in 2004, he has shown restraint by not killing more people in the earthquake in SE Asia. John Piper, a well-known author and respected Christian leader, acknowledges that God controls disasters. He explains why God allows catastrophes, saying, "Every deadly calamity is a merciful call from God for the living to repent. That was Jesus’ stunning statement to those who brought him news of calamity. The tower of Siloam had fallen, and 18 people were crushed. ‘What about this, Jesus?’ they asked. He answered, ‘Do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.’ (Luke 13:4,5)"

Piper continues: "The point of every deadly calamity is this: Repent. Let your hearts be broken that God means so little to us. Grieve that he is a whipping boy to be blamed for pain, but not praised for pleasure. Lament that he makes headlines, only when man mocks his power, but no headlines for 10,000 days of wrath withheld." [*]

Piper appropriately cites a modern mocker who ridicules the idea of disasters as being a part of God’s purpose. David Hart, writing in the Wall Street Journal, says, "No Christian is licensed to utter odious banalities about God’s inscrutable counsels or blasphemous suggestions that all this mystery serves God’s good ends." Such blatant ridicule of Romans 8:28 prompts Piper to quote prophecies of how people in the latter days will defy God in response to punishing plagues that befall the earth; "They cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory." (Revelation 16:9)

Although God’s judgement will fall heavily on the earth in the last days, ultimately, his good purposes will prevail – God’s people, purged and pardoned from their sin, will inhabit a new heaven and new earth. Those who truly repent and believe in God’s Messiah, the Prince of Peace, will experience peace with God and harmony with each other. "In keeping with God’s promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness." (2 Peter 3:13)

Note:
* Tsunami and Repentance by John Piper, January 5, 2005