Japan

The earthquake was devastating. The tsunami was cataclysmic. But the radiation fallout could be apocalyptic.

It’s hard to keep up with the various explosions happening at different nuclear plants but it appears that we are now looking, in the very least, at a partial meltdown of the reactor cores at two or more nuclear power plants, and a lot of people know it could get a lot worse. The consequences of this will be staggering.

Inevitably, when events like this take place in our world, some will suggest that it is some type of judgment. After all, Japan has proven to be one of the most resistant cultures to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I’m sure that more than one Japanese citizen has wondered in recent days, “What did we do to deserve this?”

But, Jesus warns us away from such conclusions (Luke 13:1-5). He teaches us that we need to be like the God we serve who causes the sun and the rain to shine and to fall on both the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45).

We tend to the same kind of thinking when we are personally stricken with an illness or suffer in some way, perhaps the consequences of an accident. We wonder if God might be punishing us. Yes, there are times when such things can be consequences of our own actions or the behavior of others. And God is certainly able to use all types of events in our lives to measure out judgment. But we must be very careful not to make rash assumptions in these areas. (John 9:1-5)

It is really important in these times to remember that the whole of creation has been subjected to decay and is groaning under the weight of ALL our sin (Romans 8::18-25); that is our sin as a human race collectively and without exception. (Romans 3:23)

We live in a fallen world; a broken world and one that is ‘passing away’ (1Corinthians 7:31). I was just talking with a good friend yesterday who mentioned that six of the ten most powerful earthquakes the world has ever seen have happened in the last ten years. (I think I got that right?) And the Bible says that there is a day coming when …“The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.” (2Peter 3:10).

Why? Because God is going to remake this old earth and completely refurnish it. It will be a new creation. You can read about it in Revelation 21:1-5.

And you can share in it too.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2Cor 5:17

What this passage is all about is the opportunity God has provided us for entrance into that new world. This world is passing away. Even if you and I manage to avoid any kind of disaster like the one happening right now in so much of the world, our day is still coming. Death is a certainty, and ultimately, our only hope is Christ. That’s why we really need to be sharing the gospel because He is their only hope as well.