THE world has been truly stunned by the images coming into our living rooms from the massive earthquake which violently shook the earth’s crust just beneath Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.
The sight of the desperate earthquake survivors working their bleeding hands to the bone to free those still trapped under the concrete rubble brought tears to my eyes.
At first, I could not bear the sight of such human suffering in an already impoverished country and quickly turned the TV off. President Obama amply described the quake as “cruel”.
A similar incident happened a few years ago in a different place. On December 26, 2004, there was an extreme fracture of the earth’s crust somewhere out in the Indian Ocean. This caused great tidal waves to go racing towards Indonesia and other island nations and left hundreds of thousands dead.
Some accounts say the ocean first receded, leaving fish, shells and other beautiful things stranded and exposed on the seashore. Folks on the beach could not believe their luck as they beheld the shells. Then suddenly, without warning, they came face to face with this great wall of liquid death racing at 500 miles per hour towards them.
Over 200,000 people died. Among them were honeymooners, intent on pleasure and happiness together, and a number of tourists.
Nations quickly put aside their ideological differences and came together to ponder what could be done. There was a diligent search for bodies, the rich and the poor, the educated and the illiterate, all equal in death.
One puzzle though, there was no carcasses of pets and other domestic animals, not even those of elephants and the buffaloes. It was obvious that these creatures somehow received and heeded a warning that humans had not been able to receive and left for higher ground earlier, thus avoiding the stampede.
The only animals that died were those that were chained or restricted. Only the supposedly intelligent human beings took no action, perhaps distracted by worldly pleasures and business pursuits.
I’m told animals have an in-built system of knowing when disaster will strike and are therefore able to take appropriate action. Over and over we hear of how animals had a head start over humans before calamity strikes. I’m sure even in Haiti, most animals left the danger areas well before the quake struck. God put this sharp sense in them.
Sharks too can detect the smell of one drop of blood in one million drops of water. Owls can hear the footsteps of a mouse half a kilometre away while elephant feet are padded in such a way that they can feel any movements of the tectonic plates. But we are not sharks, neither are we birds of prey, nor are we elephants. How are we to receive warning signals, you may ask? Through the Holy Bible!
The Bible warns that before Jesus Christ’s second coming, earth’s condition would be like in the days of Noah and also of Lot. According to the Genesis accounts, the earth in Noah’s time was filled with violence.
Look at today’s newspapers, and you’ll know that we are there. Even the UK government has considered arming the police with firearms to protect them.
What about in Lot’s day, how was it? The principal sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was sodomy and it’s the name of a pervasion in our day that is being voted as legitimate and acceptable in civilised and so-called Christian nations all over the first world. If you don’t go along with it you are in deep trouble and labelled as intolerant.
Talk show audiences around the world gaze star-struck as celebrities and ordinary folks appear saying “we’re coming out.” Then they jeer at anyone who dares stand up for God.
Even the clergy who are supposed to be holding high God’s banner are themselves perverts and will proudly tell you all about it. No wonder the average person would rather go watch a football match than go to church! But this is symptomatic of the days of our lives, the last days.
“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” [Matthew 24:7-8].
According to Jesus, worse is still to come. You ain’t seen nothing yet. For one thing, as we near the end, powerful quakes like this one will strike with increasing frequency and intensity. Watch what Revelation 16:18 says: “And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.”
Am I trying to scare anyone? The answer is Yes! I hope to God I can before it’s too late!
Some people are quick to point fingers and think the Haitians “called” this upon themselves by doing evil things. Are the Haitians more evil than other people? No. I respectfully disagree. It’s just the times. A similar incident happened in Christ’s day and He commented thus: “… those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” [Luke 13:4-5].
In insurance, they term such catastrophes “acts of God” but they are really the acts of the devil. The devil would like to kill us all if he had his way but Christ intervenes to protect us. It is, therefore, by the mercy of God that we are living today.
“…The earth will grow old like a garment, and those who dwell in it will die in like manner; but My salvation will be forever, and My righteousness will not be abolished.” [Isaiah 51:6].
When I was younger, and didn’t have much in the way of clothes, my garment would grow old and thread bare and tear up at the seats and my mother would mend it. But no sooner would they tear up on the sides and my mother would mend it and then to the front and so on.
God says the earth is waxing old similarly. It tears up in Cambodia and nations rush to mend it, then it’s Greece and they run to mend it, then it’s China and they run to mend it, then it’s Haiti and they run to mend it, then it’s Zimbabwe, and they will run to mend it.
Most people are tired of this place but don’t know where to look for answers. Some look to the forthcoming elections as an answer to their problems, hoping on a new government would help. No! It will be more of the same things, at best. Look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Only He can satisfy the yearning of our hearts.
Our life span here on earth Biblically is around 70 years (Psalms 90:10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten …). Our days on earth are filled with trouble, trials and illnesses. Moses appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration, a man of over 1,500 years of age, he did not have arthritis or back problems or any such illness that affect our aged.
God is promising us eternity, so if He would shorten my days on earth by just a few hours in exchange for eternal salvation will that not be great? Let’s stop asking God why He could allow even babies to die in the rubble of Haiti, but rather trust Him because He looks at things from an eternal perspective unlike us.
After all, didn’t Jesus allow His own cousin and forerunner, the one about whom He said, “among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist” to be beheaded by the adulterous king Herod? (Matthew 11:11).
John had heard that Jesus was in the vicinity and wondered why he is not being set free from prison. He then sent two of his aides to go and ask, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”
Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: “The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” (Matthew 11:3-6).
Friends, do not allow yourself to be offended of Jesus or the enemy will take away your salvation. Trust Him even when things don’t make sense.
When we come to the end of our journeys, wouldn’t it be great to hear the Lord say: “Well done, you good and faithful servant: you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things, now enter into the joy of Lord.”
So, where was God when the Haiti earthquake occurred? He was at exactly the same place He was when His only begotten Son, Jesus, died on the cross that Friday afternoon almost 2,000 years ago. His throne is an everlasting throne!
Well done Lot! people are not forced to believe in Him! I believe in Jehovah!!!!
Satan and his servants will attack and condemn those of you who speak the truth,people of Haiti Gave satan the legal right to attack them,by worshipping the devil (voodoo),dont blame god for that in the western world there is suffering because of their disobidiance from the lord dont believe the nonsense that you read in the press which by the way represents the interests of satan in the western world,there is poverty stress and millions live on welfare living a miserable existence.,all this is kept hidden by the same press but they are quick to show images of starvation and suffering in the so-called third world , on this earth man is still a very small and insignicant thing dont be fooled by the so-called advances in science God is the almighty king.the devil has clouded your small minds.and your suffering will never end until you repent.
Hey folks, lets get a grip on reality. Like I said before, the Haitian earthquake was well known to be due in the scientific community (as early as 2008)! PLEASE STOP HALLUCINATING ABOUT A DIFFERENT EXPLANATION. The fact is that since the last earthquake in the Caribbean region in 1770, the tectonic plates have been sliding past each other at a rate of 7 mm a year on average. Now that adds up to over 1.68 metres of stress over the past 240 years, good enough for a 7. 2 magnitude earthquake. http://www.jsg.utexas.edu/news/rels/011310.html
Religion grew in the past 2000 years or so because man needed an explanation of such things as this earthquake. In the absence of provable scientific knowledge, explaining things away as the work of God, if they are good, or the work of Satan, if they are bad, gave man the peace of mind he needed. BUT it is high time we use the knowledge available to us and see things just as they appear. EARTHQUAKES ARE NORMAL EVENTS WHICH DID NOT START RECENTLY AND WILL NOT STOP AT ALL AS LONG AS TECTONIC PLATES KEEP FLOATING ON MOLTEN MAGMA AS THEY DO.
There is a good reason why some among us want to continue propagating these fantastic theories about the “after-life”, “heaven”, “hell” and all these myths. The reason is that such people have carved up little niches of social power for themselves over time and do not want to let go of the positions they occupy in society. To maintain their “power” people like Masiane here, need you and I to remain in perpetual fear of the mystery of death. I HATE RELIGION, IN ALL ITS DENOMINATIONS, because it is partly to blame for the poverty in Africa and the rest of the “third world”. RELIGION DISEMPOWERS US TO BELIEVE THAT WE WILL LIVE A BETTER LIFE alright, but wait, IN HEAVEN! SO THAT WE DO NOT ASPIRE FOR A BETTER LIFE HERE ON EARTH. What a shrewd idea to keep people in line.
Some very interesting and rather intellectual appearances.the truth is that we all need Jesus and his salvation,what happened in Haiti is sad but remains a warning to all of us as stated in matthew 24.if some of you who believe solely in science then the truth is hidden from you because if you understood that the period mentioned in genesis 1 vs 1-2 and vs 3 your scientic theories would be quashed.God remains the one with the true wisdom and knowledge.all that I pray for is that we all come to repentance with God and find Jesus and then live for Him coz without him we are nothing John 15v5.Do not let the devil blind you with pride and arrogance in your so called knowledge and assumptions but seek the lord with all your heart and being and you will be rewarded.stay blessed.
where were you – don’t blame God. when HEsays come and worship yu don’t want – when yu are in trouble yu now ask where he is.
God only helps those who help themselves. This is instructive because if Zimbabweans would help themselves, you would find that everyone would return from the diaspora and enthrone the man and the party who won the 2008 March elections. But sadly Zimbabweans have a lot to say but when it comes to action – leave me out – is that attitude. So all you Zimbodians living in the diaspora, look forward to living where you are right now – for eternity.
***************A MUST READ*************
Great article with powerful applications Lot but however i do have 1 or 2 comments. Firstly, on your statement “Some people are quick to point fingers and think the Haitians “called” this upon themselves by doing evil things”. Biblically God is prompted to excercise earthly judgments in some cases because “their sin is so grevious”.. Gen 18:20-21 And Jehovah said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which has come to Me. And if not, I will know”.
Secondly, Moses died at 120 not 1500yrs! Noone in the bible is recorded to have lived to the age of 1500! “Deu 34:7 And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eye was not dim, nor had he lost any of his natural strength.”
All other points you raised were insightful also with a powerful conclusion. Salvation recipe.read John 3 vs 3… Unless a man is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God!*****************
don’t bother yourselves about where God was, because the survivors themselves still find the need to praise God… at least a month after the quake they gathered in their numbers and did exactly that…
Oh my God. My fellow black people, it scares me that this is the extent of your belief. Are we really this brainwashed? I am actually afraid now. I cannot even believe this trash got published on a supposedly reputable news site. This is embarrassing.
First of all, God (if he even exists) does not control the day to day happenings on Earth. These are driven by laws that have been in place from day 1. (Maybe created by “a” God, but we don’t know what the nature of this being is. Definitely not the one in the Christian conception.)
Secondly, if God did exist in the way you Christian folks suggest, then he doesn’t love black people, we can be sure of that… just look at history.
I actually this article was going to be challenging those who believe in the Abrahamic God and asking why it is that black people are among the most religious people on this Earth yet they suffer the most.
Lot Masiane, you not a book worm sir. You give books a bad name. Go read somemore books before you come around masquerading as if you know anything. You disgust me.
Great, great article. You can understand it by the choice of words coming from those who who say they don’t believe in God. These people believe but are in denial. The article has reminded them that they are travelling in the wrong lane. My advice is, mend relationship with him while there is still time.
“Our gracious heavenly Father,i pray that the spirit of the living God will manifest itself in the lives of the bloggers whose articles i have just read,full of blasphemy.I know that im no better than any of them but its you O Gog,who knows the affairs of the world.May you reveal yourself to us in times like these when we read that the world is almost coming to an end.Give hope to the lost,freedom to the captive,justice to the suppressed,faith to the unbelieving,knowledge to the dull,and grant forgiveness to those who sin against you.AMEN
“Our gracious heavenly Father,i pray that the spirit of the living God will manifest itself in the lives of the bloggers whose articles i have just read,some of which are full of blasphemy.I know that im no better than any of them but its you O Gog,who knows the affairs of the world.May you reveal yourself to us in times like these when we read that the world is almost coming to an end.Give hope to the lost,freedom to the captive,justice to the suppressed,faith to the unbelieving,knowledge to the dull,and grant forgiveness to those who sin against you.AMEN
All above is proof of gropping in the dark.It is written; you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free!Scare tactics will only work on the feeble, never on those who seek justice from the fair and ‘JUST God’.
The bible says in psalm 14 and 53, the fool sys in his heart, there is no God. Whatever you think to these things, Jesus prophesied it all in Matthew 24. I pray that God would open the eyes of those whose hearts are blinded by the god of this world. his job is to steal, kill and destroy. Look at matt 24 and you’ll find Haiti in it.
“By their fruits you will know them.What a powerful statement Jesus taught.The people are angry about the truth but their anger will not save them from the wrath to come,God gave us the holly spirit to guide us.Every day it speaks to us,whenever you want to do something wrong,your heart beats,even when you want to walk on the road,it tells you,use the pavement, the road is for cars.When you want to jump off the roof,it tells you DON’T jump you will die.Thanks Lot don’t give up!This reminds me of Acts 4 when peter and John where brought before the Sanhedrin and they wanted to stop them preaching about God.Verse 19 says,”But Peter and John replied,”judge for yourself whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God.Verse 20 For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard”.Never give up Lot,for you cannot help it to keep the good news you want to us read.Your faith is producing works that everyone is reading everyday on his computer!