Anniversaries of Two Major Disasters

September 11, 2011 marks the anniversaries of two major disasters: -

• On Sep 11, 2001 terrorists from Al Qaeda hijacked four commercial planes and ramped three into buildings killing thousands in the process

1. two planes hit the North and South Towers of World Trade Centre in New York bringing the entire complex of seven towers down in its weight
2. one plane hit the western section of the Pentagon Building in Washington D.C.
3. by God's grace, the fourth plane crashed onto a field when the passengers overpowered the hijackers.

• On March 11, 2011 a major earthquake of magnitude 9.0 shook Miyagi Prefecture in eastern Honshu, Japan causing a tsunami with waves in excess of 14 metres wiping out thousands of homes and killed at least 22,000 inhabitants in its paths. The quake and tsunami also caused one nuclear reactor at the Fukushima Nuclear facility to leak radiation to the surrounding land and seas.

And so today is a rather sobering day for many as we remember the tragic loss of precious lives. Some people would say that these were 'acts of God' (as in the insurance industry) but really, is God really responsible for all these tragedies?

To answer that question, I suggest we take a look at the life and work of Jesus when He was on this planet. Jesus said that He and the Father are one and therefore the best reflection we can ever have of the heart of God is to look at His Son whom He sent to us so as to die and save us from our eternal destruction. In the four gospel accounts of Jesus' work, we read of Him performing many miracles of healing the sick and even resurrecting precious lives from the dead. And so, if we say that God was behind all the calamities, then there is a major disconnect - how can a disaster-causing God be a loving and healing Jesus at the same time? I know Jesus is NOT a schizophrenic - sending death at one instance and then healing at another. NO, Jesus is the personification of love Himself and He will do no such thing as sending people to their death.

I submit to you that the real person who is causing all these deaths is the devil himself. He is feeling lonely and he wants to have as many people dead so that they cannot attain eternal life but will join him in the eternal lake of fire. And so, will there be any more horror events in the future? yes, there will be but as beloved children of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we can be protected when we turn to Him for His loving arms to shelter us from evil.