Understanding the Time and Seasons We Are In

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.  Matthew 24:14

     There have been a lot of major things happening in the world.  People are concerned, worried, and even fearful as to what will happen next.  There are many opinions being given concerning these events and what the Bible says concerning things that are to come. 

     The recent earthquake in Haiti has brought about several different perspectives.  Some have reported that the earthquake is God’s Judgment on a sinful nation.  Others say that it is simply an act of nature and that God is not actively involved.  Other opinions fall somewhere in between.  There are also fearful opinions that the world could come to an end any day now.  These statements  and other recent events have caused several people to ask me about my perspective on what is taking place.

     I believe that there is always the possibility of divine judgment in any situation.  There will always be those who defy God and his will.  And, of course, we do not know all of what God is doing or his intentions.  However, the two main causes of the disaster in Haiti are poverty and geography.  The majority of the people of Haiti are too poor to build substantial buildings that resist hurricanes and earthquakes.  That leads to the second problem - geography.  They live in a place constantly hit by hurricanes and located in a fault zone.  Each time disaster strikes they are less able to rebuild than the time before.  Their poverty gets worse instead of better.

     There is something wonderful which I have observed in numerous disasters such as Haiti and with hurricane Katrina.  What occurs after the disaster is much like the Exodus (deliverance) of the Israelites from Egypt.  The Israelites had cried out to God for deliverance from a situation they could not get themselves out of.  When God responded to their plea, things got worse for a while.  Pharaoh got mad and increased their work load.  Not exactly the response they were hoping for.  Everybody suffered.  And Egypt was destroyed.  But the end result was that God set the Israelites free, relocated them, and radically changed their life.  Their time in the desert was not easy either.  But God was at work in their lives.  He wanted them to trust him - totally.  He did get them to a much better place physically and spiritually.

     After Katrina, I heard story after story of how people that were living in very difficult situations lost everything, were relocated to various parts of the country, given a better home, and blessed with a totally new life.  One family spoke of how they had lived in the projects in New Orleans and that their children had never seen a mountain or a stream or a snake.  But now they were staying at a Bible camp until a house they were being given was ready.  And, of course, there were many exposed to the gospel that may not have heard otherwise.  Already, we are seeing this type of thing happening in Haiti, especially with the orphans.  The eyes of the world are on Haiti, the poorest country in the world.  And I believe that Haiti will be much better off in the future.  It will certainly take a long time.  It took the nation of Israel 40 years to get from Egypt to a much better place.  But the gospel will certainly be preached.  The love of God will be displayed.  And the poorest county in the world will never be the same.

     Pastor Carl