The recent catastrophes that we have seen do not discriminate between third world countries in the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia or first world nations like those in North America and Europe. We are all being affected by catastrophic natural disasters. They come in the form of hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, fires, droughts, mudslides, or volcanic eruptions.
“The conditions prevailing in society, and especially in the great cities of the nations, proclaim in thunder tones that the hour of God’s judgment is come and that the end of all things earthly is at hand. We are standing on the threshold of the crisis of the ages. In quick succession the judgments of God will follow one another—fire, and flood, and earthquake, with war and bloodshed” (Maranatha, p. 67).
These things happen for one reason—to remind us of our mortality and that we are a judgment-bound people. Thousands of people are being blotted out of existence and many without notice. Just recently, the people of Iran and Iraq had seconds to meet their end after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake engulfed them into eternity. 530 perished and another 7,460 were injured.
When you have seconds left to live you don’t worry about your bank accounts, your social status or your mortgage payments. All the things of this world lose their value when you look at things from this perspective. Even with all the modern technology and science, man is incapable of protecting himself when God has drawn the limit. It’s hard to imagine that this is just the beginning of sorrows.
As Christian believers, we have a message to proclaim the hour of God’s judgment. Souls need to be warned before it is too late. Let’s not wait another second before another major catastrophe comes. Soon God’s people will be blamed for these occurrences:
“In accidents and calamities by sea and by land, in great conflagrations, in fierce tornadoes and terrific hailstorms, in tempests, floods, cyclones, tidal waves, and earthquakes, in every place and in a thousand forms, Satan is exercising his power” (Great Controversy, p. 589).
We cannot remain quiet; if we do we do at the expense of our own souls (Eze. 3:17-20). We are also warned that we must proclaim God’s message while prophecy is being fulfilled and disasters are happening.
“Are we to wait until the fulfillment of the prophecies of the end before we say anything concerning them? Of what value will our words be then? Shall we wait until God’s judgments fall upon the transgressor before we tell him how to avoid them? Where is our faith in the word of God? Must we see things foretold come to pass before we will believe what He has said? In clear, distinct rays light has come to us, showing us that the great day of the Lord is near at hand, ‘even at the doors.’ Let us read and understand before it is too late.” (Testimonies, Vol. 9, p. 20).
Our only safety is for our lives to be hid in Christ. And when this becomes a reality in our lives we will truly be a light to this world. We will not leave souls in darkness regarding the truth of the Sabbath, obedience, the signs of our Lord’s coming, and the urgency of preparing people to meet Him. Let us all work in such a way that all those poor souls that our dear Savior still has out there may be reached with the everlasting gospel before they meet their end.
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