So on Tuesday, August 23rd–my birthday–an earthquake occurred near Mineral, VA and was felt as far North as Boston and as far South as the Carolinas. Here in West Virginia we felt a bit of it, but we immediately heard about it through Facebook. My newsfeed was full of phrases like “Did anyone else just feel that?” and “Earthquake?” and “EARTHQUAKE!!!!” Thankfully, no one was hurt but the 5.9 quake did some damage and sent people into a bit of a frenzy. I didn’t really feel it, but we have friends back in Lynchburg and Northern Virginia who did and when you feel something like that it….it does something to you ya know? I hate to use such a bad pun but it shakes you up.
After everyone checked on their friends and family and discovered everyone was okay, a different kind of fear and dread slowly started making its way around the states and especially the internet. Questions started rumbling forth. Is this the end of the world? Is Judgement Day coming? Will more earthquakes come?
Many Christians began to “answer” these questions by quoting verses and some momentum has taken place. I’ve heard that churches will be filled on the East Coast this Sunday and many people will be there because they think this may be the end of the world and it might be a good time to punch the old church time clock. You know….just in case. Some will be there out of raw fear. Others will be there with a sincere heart and mind…seeking answers.
May I be just full out honest with all of you for a moment? I’m worried about the answers the church will give.
I see A LOT of Christians giving full out wide open monologues on judgement and wrath. Using phrases like “God’s sovereign hand of justice” and “reckoning” and “Great White Throne”. I see these essays and diatribes and…rants maybe even…making their way around and I struggle with speaking up. Why do I struggle? Several reasons. First, I don’t ever want to misrepresent God so I’m very careful what I say about Him and what He is doing. Not hesitant…careful. Second, I never want to be in opposition to God, so I am very careful refuting or opposing other “Christians” because there is a chance they are right and then I find myself opposing God. Not a good place to visit. Definitely not a good place to live. Third, I don’t want to waste space on people’s prayer lists as they question my salvation and thus begin to pray for something to happen in my life that has already happened.
Possible Dialogue Example.
Person #1: “Did you hear about Jason?”
Person #2: “No. What happened?”
Person #1: “He posted a blog about the earthquake.”
Person #2: “Really?”
Person #1: “Yep…”
Person #2: “What did he say?”
Person #1: “I’ll let you read it for yourself…”
[insert ominous organ music reminiscent of Guiding Light's radio days]
Person #2: Reads with squinted eyes and furrowed brow.
Person #1: “So what do you think?”
Person #2: “I think we need to pray for him right here right now!!!!!!!!!!!”
[cue Rocky Theme Song as intercession is made for the salvation of a born again believer]
But I also want to make sure that God’s Word is accurately represented and for that reason I write this blog post today.
So lets tackle some questions together shall we?
Question #1: Is the judgement day coming? Yes.
Follow up question to Question #1: WHEN is it coming? No one knows. Let me explain by sharing one very powerful verse. “No one knows that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Matthew 24:36. This is referring to the rapture. So here’s the thing, if someone claims to KNOW when its gonna happen, then that goes against the verse that says NO ONE will know. There are many many verses that say His return will be unexpected so if people are expecting it, He won’t come on that day. So, no one knows. Not even the people who rent giant billboards. It seems basic, but the fact that people claim to know the day, actually gives us clarity that it WON’T be that day.
Question #2: Should I be scared of Judgement Day? Yes. We’re sinners and the God we sinned against will have us before Him and we’re unworthy and we will fall short, and we deserve punishment. HOWEVER, Praise God that He provided His Son as a sacrifice for our sins and by accepting that sacrifice, we actually receive Grace and Mercy instead of the judgement we deserve. So that “yes we should be scared” can become a “no, there is no need to fear that day” because of the work Jesus did on the cross on our behalf. If we accept that gift of Grace, then we are born again (Read John chapter 3) and Christ’s return, once we begin to look closely at what the Bible says about it, can be our “blessed hope” because Revelation 21:3-4 says “God will dwell with man and they will be His people and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore…” This is a promise Christians can hold on to. We can find hope in those verses, not fear. We can find reassurance, not insecurity.
Question #3: Is the earthquake a sign that the end of this world is coming? The answer is maybe. Jesus IS coming back. Eventually, after His return, this world WILL come to an end, but as I said before, we don’t know when. We need to note though, that in Matthew 24, when listing out the signs that would show the approach of the end of the world, Jesus listed “earthquakes in various places” as one of the signs. So, when earthquakes happen in places they don’t normally happen, its natural to think that MAYBE this is one of the things Jesus spoke about. But let me ask you to do this. Read Matthew 24 on your own. Not chopped up and served up by someone who might have an agenda, albeit a sincere one. read it for yourself, especially the first 14 verses. After you do, you will see that several things have to happen AFTER the earthquake signs. Verse 14 says “And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and THEN (emphasis mine) the end will come.” So you see, we can take hope that after the scary signs, the great and blessed hope of the Gospel will be preached in all the world. That means the Grace of our God will be preached throughout the world!!!!! Then, yes, this world will end and anyone who has ignored or rejected God’s grace and mercy will face punishment. And that is what people should fear. Facing a God you rejected is far more scary than a few cups falling off of a shelf. Its even more scary than the terror of watching buildings fall or lives end. But Matthew 24 gives us hope that IF the earthquakes are a sign of the end times, they are also a sign that the Gospel is going forth. Are you a believer and follower of Jesus? Then carry the Gospel forth. Be used by God to TRULY shake the world. If you are not, then I encourage you to take time now to discover the Truth of the Gospel (the Good News) and talk to the God you are scared of facing. Talk to Him with the confidence that He accepts and forgives a repentant heart. Read 1 John 1 and find hope, especially in verse 9, which says “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Question #4: Okay, then what do you REALLY think about the earthquake? Alright, let me clarify, I’m going to specifically now share my thoughts on the Virginia earthquake, and NOT some of these devastating ones like the one that hit Japan. Here are my thoughts on the earthquake from Tuesday. I think God allowed the natural movements and groanings of this earth to shake in the form of an earthquake. I think He allowed the earthquake and I think He allowed it to wake us up a bit. I think GENERALLY we are spoiled in America. I love America and I love Americans, but we are a bit spoiled. We live well and many of us live large. Compared to the rest of the world we live in security and prosperity. Hey, I’m not complaining, I’m just telling you what I think. I think within this security and prosperity we forget to pray for and have empathy for those who do not have as much as we do. And something like an earthquake reminds us of the temporal state of security we live within. It makes us think about what would have happened had the earthquake been stronger. What would it feel like to lose someone or many someones? What would it feel like to be homeless? To watch all of our precious STUFF destroyed? Those fears and worries and thoughts can be bad but they can also be very healthy if they lead to appreciation for what we have and compassion for those who have not. I think God allowed this quake to wake us up to the fact that we are richly blessed in this country. When we realize that we might take action. We may give to countries devastated by major earthquakes. We may give to missions in order to see the Gospel go forth according to Matthew 24. We may receive a call to the mission field ourselves or answer a call that came years ago. We may call up old friends or make new ones or enjoy the ones we see everyday. We may love stronger, laugh louder and hug longer. And more than that, to bring this full circle, we may start asking questions which lead us to the God who Loves us and yearns to reveal Himself to us in new and exciting ways. People may post questions on facebook or twitter and someone is going to answer those questions. Will it be believers who point them to the Creator of the universe or will it be someone else who is just as confused and lost. Will we let the blind lead the blind through the rough waters of this event or will we take someone’s hand and walk them to the security and peace that can only be found in Jesus? I choose to do the latter.
What will you do?
