Sermon Central
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What South East Asia's Tsunami Tells Us!
Contributed by Clifton Cooley on Jan 17, 2005 (message contributor)
Summary: Natural Disaster Like South East Asia’s Tsunami stagger our minds. What God can tell us through them can challenge our hearts to great changes.
What South East Asia’s Tsunami Tells Us!
Matthew 24:43; II Peter 3:10-11; Revelation 3:3; Ezek 3:16-21
1. We Must Be Ready: Matthew 24:43
2. We Must Keep Our Priorities Right:II Peter 3:10-11;
3. We Must Warn The Wicked: Ezek 3:16-19
4. We Must Warn The Righteous: Ezek 3:20-21; 1Revelation 3:3
Introduction:
John Barnett, Pastor of Tulsa Bible Church wrote in a news letter that secular writers and news reporters have used words such as “apocalyptic” and of ‘biblical proportions” as they tried to describe the devastation and death caused by South East Asia’s Tsunami.
“Some have even began to talk about what if there was a catastrophe so big, so deadly that it could wipe out life on our planet--an asteroid, a comet, a complete climactic shift away from a life sustaining world. In other words—people are briefly thinking and talking about—the End of the World.”
The world as we know it will end one day with the number of eclipsing the one hundred and fifty thousand plus people killed by this natural disaster by 20,000 times in the tribulation.
Barnett continues with these mind staggering prophetic Biblical statistics;
• The world has over six billion people alive today.
• God’s Word says that more than half of the population of planet earth will perish in the Great Tribulation. Most scholars believe this occurs in the second half which lasts for 3 ½ years.
• So three plus billion people perish in 42 months or 3 ½ years.
• Would that be equivalent to an event as big and deadly as this recent tsunami daily for three and a half years? No an event like the tsunami each day would not be big enough to equal the death toll of the Tribulation. For 150,000 to die a day for 42 months only equals 189 million deaths.
• If half the world’s population were to die by quake and tsunami in 42 months—there would need to be one each hour, 16 hours per day, for three and one half years.
• That will be more bodies to bury than we can even imagine. That is what Jesus warns about when the end of the world comes.
Measured in lives lost, this is one of the ten worst earthquakes in history.
It is also the single worst tsunami in history; the previous record was the 1703 tsunami at Awa, Japan that killed over 100,000!
What are we to learn from South East Asia’s Tsunami?
1. We Must Be Ready:
a. It has been noted in the information about the South East Asia’s Tsunami that despite a lag of up to several hours between the earthquake and the impact of the tsunami, nearly all of the victims were taken completely by surprise; there was no tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean to detect tsunamis, and equally importantly, warn the general populace living around the ocean quickly.
Matthew 24:43; But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
b. The Tsunami was totally unexpected; even though the possibility of one occurring exists there is no way to know when one might develop.
c. When Jesus comes to usher in the tribulation period, will first take those in Christ out!
d. So since we do not know the hour or the day Christ will come for His church we must maintain a readiness in our lives at all times.
e. The New Testament writers under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost maintained a belief in imminent coming of Christ!
What is the biblical definition of imminency? Dr. Renald Showers defines and describes imminence as follows:
1) An imminent event is one which is always "hanging overhead, is constantly ready to befall or overtake one; close at hand in its incidence."
• Thus, imminence carries the sense that it could happen at any moment.
• Other things may happen before the imminent event, but nothing else must take place before it happens.
• T. Pierson has noted that, "Imminence is the combination of two conditions, viz,: certainty and uncertainty. By an imminent event we mean one which is certain to occur at some time, uncertain at what time."
f. What then is involved in Being Ready.
• The absolute first thing is that to be ready one must be Saved, Born Again, by recognizing ones own sin, Seeing a need to turn from that sin and turn to God!
• The second thing according to Jesus is to be watching for His imminent return!
Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: 36Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. 37And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
