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Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Bible Lessons: Calamity, Catastrophe and Disaster

Bible Lessons:
When Calamity, Catastrophe and Disaster strike, does it mean that those people were more sinful than others?

Jesus answered questions like these in Luke 13:1-5.

Luke 13:1-3 NLT
1 About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple.

Pilate had punished subjects of Herod.
(“A heathen governor had polluted the temple of God with human blood.” Paul E. Kretzmann).
Pilate in his temper, had his soldiers, execute them.

"Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?"

Jesus asked. "Is that why they suffered?

Those who came before Jesus, surmised, that those slain, surely must have been more sinful than others.

But Jesus stated...

3 Not at all!
And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God.

Our Lord's answer was, no!

The plain fact is ...

Matthew 5:45 KJV
...for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”

Good and bad, happen to all.

The most important thing, Jesus says, is to be ready, before, disaster strikes.
Many times, there is no time to pray and get right with God.

Hebrews 3:7,8 KJV
[7] Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear His voice,
[8] Harden not your hearts,...”

II Corinthians 6:2 KJV
“(For He saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

Then Jesus, gave a second example...

Luke 13:4,5 NLT
4 And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem?

A tower many believed to have been near the pool of Siloam.

Pilate had commissioned work in the area, for an aqueduct. Perhaps the aqueduct work had precipitated the towers fall.

At any rate, when it fell, it killed eighteen people.

Again our Lord's questioners, surmised, that these surely must have been evil people.

And our Lord's reply was...

5 No,
and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too."

And again....

John 9:1-3 KJV
[1] And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
[2] And his disciples asked Him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
[3] Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

How careful we must be not to judge others!

Matthew 7:1,2 KJV
[1] Judge not, that ye be not judged.
[2] For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

Job 42:7-9 NLT
7 After the LORD had finished speaking to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite: "I am angry with you and your two friends, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has.
8 So take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer on your behalf. I will not treat you as you deserve, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has."
9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite did as the LORD commanded them, and the LORD accepted Job's prayer.