|
|
And |
“How
can you believe in a God who permits suffering on this scale?’‘[1] Rowan
Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Anglican Church
“I don’t know why God is
testing us. It must be Kalikalam (bad times).”[2]
“… in
latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving
spirits….” 1
Tim 4:1
“In the village of Batiagon…. just 4 km
from the sea, there were just two buildings made of concrete: a church
and a rich man’s house. The rest of the buildings were straw and clay.
People rushed into the two buildings for shelter. About 300 people, both
Christians and non-Christians, jammed into the church. They cried out to
the Lord for His protection.“At around 11 a.m., a massive tidal
wave 30 feet high slammed into the village, instantly destroying the
shacks and sweeping away the rich man’s house. Witnesses inside the
church say the wave seemed to split and go around both sides of the
building. All 300 people who had taken shelter inside the church
survived…. All the people in Batiagon village confessed that God had
graciously saved their lives. The Hindus declared they would never again
oppose Christianity.”[3] Asia
Harvest
Asia’s devastating tsunami have
revived some age-old questions about the nature of our Creator: If God is
sovereign, why does He allow natural disasters? And how can a good God
condone such horrifying suffering?The world’s answers only deepen
the confusion. An article titled, “Archbishop
of Canterbury admits: This makes me doubt the existence of God,”
illustrates today’s
postmodern shift from truth and facts to feeling-based idealism. Notice the
new view of right and wrong in the following admission by Dr. Rowan
Williams, Archbishop of the Church of England:“The Asian tsunami disaster should make
all Christians question the existence of God…. In a deeply personal
and candid article, he says ‘it would be
wrong‘ if
faith were not ‘upset’ by
the catastrophe which has already claimed more than 150,000 lives. …
Every single random, accidental death is something that should
upset a faith bound up in
comfort and ready answers.”[1]
Dr. Williams, who “represents 70
million Anglicans around the world,” then raised this question: “How
can you believe in a God who permits suffering on this scale?”
You can’t, if your quest is
for an amenable God who conforms to our wants. Those who have re-imagined
God as a benevolent force more in line with Santa Claus or Hollywood’s
angelic helpers must close their eyes to His own self-revelations in the
Bible. As Mark L. Dickson wrote, “It almost
appears as if we are bowing down before this ‘golden calf’ simply because we
need an image of God that is more satisfying!”[4]
That’s the key. The world
wants a satisfying God — one who compliments its ways and affirms its
ideals. But the God who calls His followers to self-denial, obedience and
separation simply doesn’t fit the new vision of a collective global
community — a model of spiritual solidarity.
Before we look at the actual
answer to the archbishop’s question, consider some of the other questions
inspired by the heartbreaking devastation. The interfaith website beliefnet.com has
posted this question for its visitors: “Does God have a role in natural
disasters like the tsunami?” As you read the responses, remember that
beliefnet’s pluralistic “God” could represent contemporary Hinduism,
Buddhism, Islam and animism as well as Christianity.[1] “Yes, God is
punishing us. 3%[2] Yes, God is testing
us. 8%[3] Yes, the earthquake
and tsunamis were sent by God, but we don’t know what the purpose was.
30%[4] Although
I believe in God, the supernatural had nothing to do with this tragedy.
50%[5] God doesn’t exist,
and disasters like this are just forces of nature. 9%” [5]Number 4, the preferred
response, rejects the fact that God is both sovereign and compassionate. And
it begs another question: Just who or what is their God?
Two suggestions are posted on
the same website (beliefnet.com). Notice how the second quote (an
astrological view) redefines Biblical terms and adapts them to an occult or
politically correct context. That context is identified by the reference to Theosophy —
an insidious belief system that has greatly influenced education leaders
both in the United
States and the United
Nations
God’s Wrath in India?
“…some conservative Hindus have used
the tsunami to criticize both
a Hindu leader’s arrest and the
presence of Christian missionaries in India. …the widely-read
Indian news site Rediff.com suggested that the tsunami was a
sign of retribution against Christians, whose activities are seen as
betraying India’s essentially Hindu character.“[6]
The Planets and Stars of
Y2K5: “I attended a lecture in New York in which Betty Bland,
the National President of The
Theosophical Society in
America, told a familiar parable…. In hell,
an abundance of good food was available but people were starving and
miserable because they were being forced to eat with five-foot-long
forks. They couldnt get the food to their mouths. In heaven,
the scene was much the same, except for the fact that the diners were
using their five-foot-long forks to reach out and feed each other….“For when you are
anchored in your heart center, there’s room for all to be who they are;
only then will the cross
you bear transform
(itself) into a state of grace. May
peace prevail in your
heart and on earth.”[7]This noble sentiment hides an
occult suggestion that is driving both church and secular leaders toward a
new global ethic — one that sees social service and a new
way of thinking as the
pathway to personal and global peace. As I explained in my report on “Social
Change and Communitarian Systems,” there is far
more to the current paradigm
shift than meets the eye.
Behind the movement to transform
Christianity around the world
hides an incredible plan for global and spiritual transformation. It would
require a new “systems” view of the world — a unified global consciousness
of oneness — and
universal training in the New
Way of Thinking. Of course, every global disaster becomes a
useful crisis in this march toward oneness.
Beliefnet.com has another
page on Theosophy.
A key publishing house for theosophical teachings is Lucis Trust (changed
from Lucifer). It gives us a glimpse of the spiritual background — not
Biblical revelations, but the occult forces operating through its “Ageless
wisdom.” It calls for “world servers” and “service learning” in every part
of the world. A long Theosophical article titled “The
New Group of World Servers” shows us some of the forces that have
battled Biblical truth through the ages:“…think in terms of the one family,
the one life, and the one humanity. Humanity is not following a
haphazard or uncharted course-there is a Plan. Humanity determines the
speed of its own evolution….“The leaders of the New Group of World Servers are those who initiate
and carry forward activities which benefit humanity as a whole….They provide
the vision and mould public opinion. Behind these leaders… are the
Custodians of the Plan, ‘the inner spiritual Government of the Planet.’ [Compare
with the spiritual hierarchy described in Ephesians
6:10-12]“Working in all the main fields of human activity and in all countries
everywhere in the world, the New Group of World Servers acts as a synthesizing factor
within humanity and lays the foundations for right human relations and
ultimate world unity.
…“…two emerging patterns can be recognized. First, those people who, clinging
to reactionary methods of
finding and expressing truth, prefer obedience
to authority to clear
thinking and the self-imposed
guidance of their own soul. Second, those who… recognize that
response to human need and spiritual unfoldment are the determining
factors which will lead
humanity into a new age of
peace and plenty….“These world servers are the men and women who have an international
vision… They… enunciate the principles of brotherly
understanding, mutual goodwill and the fatherhood of God, upon
which all true brotherhood must be based. … they heal differences and
recognize the universality of truth… and they point to that spiritual
relationship to God and to each other which will bring
our religious differences to an end. … They can be regarded as the
embodiment of the emerging
kingdom of God on earth….“The Immediate World Problem[:] … Over-population, trade
barriers, the inequalities of
supply and demand and the uneven distribution of wealth are responsible
for the upheaval. …the true reason is deep-seated…. This reason is
the conflict between certain great ideals…. but all of them
prostituted to ends which lead to separativeness….”[8]Al Gore summarized the last point well during
a 1991 Communitarian conference in Washington: “Seeing ourselves as separate is
the central problem in our political thinking.”[9] Gore’s
conclusion was quoted in the book, Spiritual Politics, co-authored by
Corinne McLaughlin, the first task force coordinator for the President’s
Council on Sustainable Development. McLaughlin also taught her mediation
strategies at the Department of Education, Pentagon, and the EPA.[10]“There really is only one sin–separateness,”
she states in her book. “War is more likely to spring from rampant
nationalism, ethnocentrism, and intolerant religious fundamentalism — all
extreme and separative
attitudes. . . . What is needed as a cure for separateness is a deep
sense of community — that
we’re all in this together.”[11]This sense of community — both local and global — is essential to the
planned world order. And the above article, “The
New Group of World Servers,” lets us glimpse the transformational
process. As a starter, four different kinds of people must be identified:
“The uninformed masses. …
They are, however, enough developed to respond to the mental suggestion
and control of more advanced people.
“The middle classes. …they can
read and discuss and are
beginning to think….
“The thinkers everywhere. …They
stir the middle class to activity and, through them, arouse
the masses….- “Fourth, the New Group of World
Servers. These are the
people who are building the new world order. … They speak all
languages; they embrace all religions… Their characteristics are synthesis,
inclusiveness, intellectuality, and fine mental development…. They
own to no creed, save the creed
of Brotherhood, based on the One Life. They recognize no
authority save that of their own souls.” [These
four categories are discussed in the context of education and “service
learning” in “Serving
a Greater Whole“]The last group has two key functions: [1] “To
hold the vision of the Plan before the eyes of men, for ‘where there is no
vision, the people perish.’ [2] To
act as an intermediate group between the Hierarchy and humanity, receiving
light and power and then using both of these, under the inspiration of love,
to build the new world of
tomorrow. … It is a
group therefore without a
… bible of any kind; it
has no creed nor any dogmatic
formulations of truth. The motivating
impulse of each and all is love of God.”[8]But who is their God? It’s
certainly not the holy, sovereign Lord of the universe, who gave His life to
redeem His people and free us from guilt and bondage to sin and evil in the
world.
Instead, the world’s
counterfeit god[s] must be strong but
permissive; compassionate but amoral, unifying but tolerant toward all
beliefs except those that clash with the vision of solidarity. This new,
more affirming image has already permeated religions around the world. His
names don’t really matter, for they would all represent the same universal
deity — re-imagined under the banner of love, tolerance and unity. [In
contrast, see The
Names of [the Biblical] God]
The results are obvious. Through media images
and anti-Christian propaganda distributed by leading “World Servers,” the
old Biblical beliefs are fast becoming detestable to the world and
embarrassing to nominal Christians. True Christians will increasingly face a
choice: conform to the new solidarity — or face rejection and persecution. 2
Cor 4:7Two thousand years ago, God’s Word told us it would happen. It’s part of
His plan and character. Ponder
His character as you read the next six points.1. He knows everything before it
happens. By His
foreknowledge, he knew that a world government would one day arise under a
bloody anti-Christian puppet to Satan. When that time comes, the masses will
bear a bodily mark [imbedded transponder?] on “their right hand or on their
foreheads” and “no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark.”
[Revelation 13:16-17] Those
who refuse — mainly God’s faithful remnant — will be slaughtered. They
would far rather die a cruel death than deny their Lord. After all, eternity
with Him is far greater than anything this world offers.” [See Signs
of the times]2. God’s wisdom and timing. He
had already raised His missionaries to Asia and prepared them to bring
needed resources to survivors:
Native missionaries first on
scene with relief for tsunami victims: “…a
Christian mission that supports native missionaries in 10 Asian
countries was already on the scene, bringing pure water, food, clothing,
medicine and the hope found in Jesus Christ to thousands of the
terrified survivors. Gospel for Asia (GFA) reported that it had more
than 200 workers in the affected areas within a day, and now has more
than 1,000 of its 15,000 native missionaries involved in the relief
efforts in India, Sri Lanka, and the Andeman Islands.”[12]3. God’s love and truth reaching
out through His people. By
His grace, God is drawing unbelievers to Himself, opening the eyes of the
spiritually blind and enabling them to receive His truth, life and comfort.
Tsunami Survivors Desperate
for Help, Open to Gospel: “Christian
workers who are assisting the survivors are reporting that many are open
to the gospel. ‘As we go about ministering to the suffering people —
tens of thousands of people — I’m hearing that many are listening and
[asking] why it happened, saying ‘We prayed to our gods’ and ‘Our gods
did this to us.’… ‘Of course, our missionaries are able to explain to
them that God is love, [that] Satan is causing this disaster, and that
we can trust God,’ he says. ‘There’s such a dire need at this time —
and I pray that people of God will wake up and do what we should do at
this time.'”[13]
“Churches all over the state report growing
numbers of inquirers and more of an openness to the Gospel than before.
Through this disaster and the loving response of the Christians a clear
witness has been given about both the holiness and righteousness of God,
as well as His love and grace for all those who will humbly call on His
Name.”[3] Asia
Harvest
4. God’s concern over the evils that brings corruption and despair. Massive
natural disasters are not new to our times. To deal with raging moral and
spiritual corruption long ago, our God did use major devastations to awaken
His people to repentance, to purge evil and to carry out His uncompromising
justice. The most memorable event took place in the days of Noah. God both
foretold and initiated a flood that defies our imagination today. He opened
the “fountains of the deep” — underground reservoirs of water and lava —
and brought about geological changes in the earth structures that pushed up
landmasses, carved canyons and left petrified ocean shells in mountains and
elevations far from the coasts as a testimony to His astounding power and
sovereignty over all His creation.[14] See ““=”font-style:italic”>
We don’t know God’s timing,
but he does tell us that before His return we will see catastrophic events
that parallel those ancient times.
…as it was in the days
of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate,
they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the
day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them
all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank,
they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that
Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and
destroyed them all.” Luke 17:28-29
“…if God did not spare
the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them
into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare
the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people…. then the Lord
knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the
unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those
who walk according to the flesh… and despise authority.” 2 Peter 2:4-9
“He has promised, saying, ‘Yet once more I
shake not only the earth, but also heaven.’ Now this, ‘Yet once more,’
indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of
things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may
remain.” Hebrews
12:26God’s Word tells us that “He
makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just
and on the unjust.” [Matthew
5:45] This year’s
cataclysm may have been a warning to the world — an opportunity for many to
believe the truth, come to Him, and find shelter in the only ark that can
bring them safely through the storms ahead. But if it
was an act of God’s righteous judgment, there are some indications of
rampant moral and spiritual issues that might justify purging:
Indonesia bars children from
leaving country: “UNICEF
and other child-welfare groups warn that the gangs —
which are well-established in
Indonesia — may well be whisking orphaned children into trafficking
networks, selling them into forced labor or even sexual slavery in
wealthier neighboring countries such as Malaysia and Singapore.”[15] See
also The
fall and rise of human violence
Free Aceh Movement:
“Separatists who sought to establish an independent Islamic
state in the Special Region of Aceh in
northern Sumatra and
combined their religious and nationalist appeal with exploitation of
social and economic pressures and discontent, continued to cause unrest
in portions of the region. … the guerrilla campaign of the insurgents,
under the leadership of European-based [terrorist] Hasan
di Tiro and
with Libyan support,
renewed its hit-and-run warfare in the late 1980s, hoping to build on
economic and social grievances as well as on Islamism.”[16]
5. God’s absolute
sovereignty. In his article on
the Asian disaster, Pastor John Piper writes,“Even if
Satan caused the earthquake in the Indian Ocean the day after Christmas,
he is not the decisive cause of 60,000+ deaths, God is. God claims power
[over] tsunamis in Job 38:8 when he asks Job rhetorically, ‘Who shut in
the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb . . . and said, Thus
far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be
stayed?
“Psalm 89:8-9 says, O Lord . . . you rule the raging of the sea; when
its waves rise, you still them. And Jesus himself has the same control
today as he once did over the deadly threats of waves: He . . . rebuked
the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm
(Luke 8:24). In other words, even if Satan caused the earthquake, God
could have stopped the waves.”[17]6. God’s miraculous
intervention on behalf of His people. You
may have read the story about Dayalan Sanders,
a native Sri Lankan who immigrated to the United States, then returned as a
missionary to serve God in his native country:
Quick-thinking pastor and
his wife save 28 orphans in Sri Lanka: “In
1994, Sanders founded the Samaritan Children’s Home in Navalady, a small
fishing village that occupies a narrow peninsula on Sri Lanka’s
economically depressed east coast. …“[His wife] Kohila
ran to summon her husband, who went outside and looked toward the ocean.
There on the horizon, he said, was a ’30-foot wall of water…. With
barely any time to think, let alone act, he ran toward the lagoon, where
the orphanage’s boat chafed at a pier. By then, many of the children had
come running outside, some of them half-dressed. Sanders shouted as loud
as he could, urging them all toward the boat….“Crammed with more
than 30 people, the dangerously overloaded launch roared into the lagoon
at almost precisely the same moment that the wall of water overwhelmed
the orphanage…. As it made for the mouth of the lagoon, the boat was
broadsided and nearly capsized by the torrent pouring over the
peninsula. ‘The children were very frightened….’We were praying, ‘God
help us, God help us.'”[18]
God answered that prayer in His own wonderful way! But all around this
blessed orphanage — and across the oceans — over 140,000 people of all
faiths died. Thousands more are mourning their lost or dying from their
wounds. Which raises the key question again: “How
can you believe in a God who permits suffering on this scale?’‘
I can believe in my Lord because I know He is
perfectly omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), wise, loving
and just. In
the midst of natural disasters and man’s foolish illusions, God works out
His compassionate plan. Though the
results we see here on this fallen earth may seem incomplete or unfair, I’m
confident that He will work out His ultimate love and justice in eternity.
And for all the precious people who knew, loved and served Him, there will
be a happy ending — one that the world can never understand. “The
righteous perishes,” wrote the prophet Isaiah. “Merciful men are taken away,
while no one considers that the righteous is taken away from evil. He shall
enter into peace.” Isaiah
57:1
Oswald Chambers, the beloved author of My
Utmost for His Highest, summarizes both the victory we have in Christ
and the confusion faced by the world:“It is easy to say God
reigns, and then to see Satan, suffering, and sin reigning and God
apparently powerless. Belief in God must be tried before it is of value
to God or to a child of his. It is the trial of our faith that makes us
wealthy in God’s sight. We begin by saying, ‘I know that God is love,
that He is just and holy and true;’ then we come up against common-sense
facts that flatly contradict what we said we believed. Are we going to
succumb, as the psalmist nearly did, to the pessimistic moods of
intellect and say, ‘After all I must abandon that view of God?’“If we try to answer
the problems of this world by intellectual or scientific methods we
shall go mad, or else deny that the problems exist….“Jesus Christ makes
us open our eyes and look at these things. God is the only being who can
stand the slander that arises because the Devil and pain and sin are in
the world. Stand true to
the life hid with Christ in God and to the facts you have to face.
You will have no answer intellectually, but your faith in God will be so
unshakably firm that others will begin to see there is an answer they
have never guessed.”[19]
…the waves of death surrounded me, the floods of
ungodliness made me afraid…. In my distress I called upon
the Lord…. His way is perfect….” 2
Samuel 22:5, 31
Endnotes:
1. Chris Hastings, Patrick
Hennessy and Sean Rayment, “Archbishop of Canterbury admits: This makes me
doubt the existence of God,” http://www.news.telegraph.co.uk/,
January 2, 2005. http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/01/02/nbish02.xml
2. Rajeev
Srinivasan, “Give
so others may live again!”
12-27-04 at http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/dec/27rajeev.htm
3. From
an email received 1-4-05. After
writing to Asia
Harvest at http://www.asiaharvest.org to
verify the indicated source, we received a confirmation from Paul Hattaway,
the co-author ofThe
Heavenly Man. He also told us that this particular event dates
back to a 1999
cyclone that struck the coast of Orissa in northeastern India and
produced tsunami-like waves that killed thousands of people.
He said, “In Orissa there were bodies of
humans and animals found 30 feet (10 meters) up in trees…. I
was in Orissa a few days after it happened. The devastation is almost
identical to what happened recently, only on a much smaller area.” Though
that event preceded the
current disaster,
its message still fits:
Our God reigns
over the forces of nature! And in the midst of destruction and despair, He
demonstrates His love and mercy!
4. Mark L. Dickson “The
Purpose-Driven Movement,” 2004, http://www.sovereignlove.o-f.com/pd02.html5. beliefnet.com. The
responses to the poll were posted in this window: http://www.beliefnet.com/polls/poll_vote.asp?pollID=1187&voteType=result6. Arun
Venugopal “God’s
Wrath in India?“ (no
date) at http://www.beliefnet.com/story/156/story_15611.html7. Shelley
L. Ackerman, “The
Planets and Stars of Y2K5“ (no
date) at http://www.beliefnet.com/story/158/story_15865_1.html8. “The
New Group of World Servers” at http://www.lucistrust.org/goodwill/ngws.shtml#new
9. Corinne
McLaughlin and Gordon Davidson, Spiritual
Politics (New York:
Ballantine Books, 1994),147.
10. Stated
during a talk at a 1995 mini-UN Conference in San Francisco titled
Celebrating the Spirit, which I attended as a reporter.
11.McLaughlin,
147-148. Dr.
Brock Chisholm gave
the same message back
in 1946, shortly before he became the first head of the
UN agency assigned to conform the world’s “mental
health” to the UN vision of solidarity: The World Health
Organization.12. Jeremy
Reynalds “Native
missionaries first on scene with relief for tsunami victims,”
1-3-05 at http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/s05010014.htm13. Allie
Martin, “Tsunami
Survivors Desperate for Help, Open to Gospel,” AgapePress, 1-5-05
at http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/1/afa/52005d.asp14. See “
.=”font-style:italic”>“
15. Beth
Gardiner, “Indonesia
bars children from leaving country,”
AP, 1-5-05 at http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/10569543.htm
16. Free
Aceh Movement, GlobalSecurity.org at http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/aceh.htm
17. John
Piper, “Tsunami, Sovereignty, and Mercy,” Desiring God Ministries: December
29, 2004. Scroll down to article at http://www.missionvisionnetwork.org/prayer/news.htm
18. John
Lancaster, “Quick-thinking
pastor and his wife save 28 orphans in Sri Lanka,”
Washington Post, 12-30-04 at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/12/30/MNG63AJ2411.DTL
19. Oswald Chambers Daily
Devotional Bible (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publisher, 1992), page 560.
Provided by Berit KjosSee
our selection of wonderful
books by Berit Kjos
If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your
personal Savior, but have been very lukewarm in your spiritual walk with
Him, you need to immediately ask Him for forgiveness and for renewal. He
will instantly forgive you, and fill your heart with the joy of the Holy
Spirit. Then, you need to begin a daily walk of prayer and personal
Bible Study.If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as
Savior, but have come to realize His reality and the approaching End of
the Age, and want to accept His FREE Gift of Eternal Life, you can also
do so now, in the privacy of your home. Once you accept Him as Savior,
you are spiritually Born Again, and are as assured of Heaven as if you
were already there. Then, you can rest assured that the Kingdom of
Antichrist will not touch you spiritually.Finally, we would love to hear from you.You can contact
us by mail or email.
God bless you.
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