Is the terrible Asian Tsunami a sign of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ?

Our dearest prayer for this year is that Jesus will return. Preferably today.  But what would we do if he did? Let’s just take a quick look at Matthew 24. In this chapter, the disciples ask Jesus when the end of the world will come, and when he will be king. Jesus tells them of the signs which will come just before this will happen. Verse 6:

“you will hear of wars and rumours of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places”

On 26th December 2004, we witnessed the most devastating of earthquakes, which resulted in the tsunami that has killed thousands of people. Our prayers go out to them in their sufferings. The devastation is so significant, that the verse above could surely be a comment upon it.

Indeed, the parallel passage in Luke 21 also seems to draw attention to such disasters. Luke 21 and verse 25:

“25 There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. 26 People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see "the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

You might argue, well, there have always been earthquakes, and floods and disasters like this. But I think the scale of this disaster marks it out as being significant. Beware of dismissing such signs.

I once saw a film about a diamond robbery. The diamond was kept in a museum, in the centre of a room in a large display case. Thieves decided to steal the diamond, and their strategy was quite simple. They broke into the museum in the dead of night, and deliberately set off the alarm on the diamond’s display case, and went back into hiding. The guards came running, to find the diamond safe, and no intruders to be seen. The thieves set the alarm off on the display case a few more times. Each time the guards ran to see if the diamond was secure. Eventually the guards believed that the alarm was faulty, and when it went off yet again, they took their time in getting to the scene. With the extra minutes that this gave the thieves, they removed the diamond and made a quick getaway.

The moral behind the story is quite obvious. We should not dismiss this sign of the earthquake and Tsunami as being just another earthquake. Let’s keep watching intently, otherwise we will be taken off guard and will not be ready for the Lord when he returns.

The call has come. The Lord is here. Do we go to meet him, or do we falter because we do not feel ready? We just need a bit more time. Matthew 25 has the answer. The first 13 verses of Matthew 25 tell the story of the 10 virgins, or bridesmaids. They were all asleep when the bridegroom came. Five had enough oil to light their lamps and escort the bridegroom into the feast. Five had no oil and therefore no light. So they went to buy some. Let’s take the story up in verse 10:

“10 And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. 11 Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, "Lord, lord, open to us.' 12 But he replied, "Truly I tell you, I do not know you.' 13 Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.”

What would have been the best thing for these five foolish ones to have done? They didn’t have time to sort themselves out. Surely, they should have waited for the bridegroom – and said: “Sorry Lord, we have been foolish. We didn’t bring enough oil. Please have mercy on us.”

And this is what we should do when the call comes. “He’s here. The Lord Jesus has returned and he’s asking for you.” We cannot earn our salvation. We can’t put ourselves right with God, it is the Lord Jesus who does this. All we can do is that what is asked of us - to repent, be baptised, and to follow the Lord to the end.

And when that call comes, we must leave everything and go immediately, and cast ourselves on Jesus' mercy, in confidence of his love and compassion. To hesitate, and to have no trust in our Saviour, is to be lost forever. Drop everything, and go.

In the face of the mind-numbing suffering and distress that we see in the world, there is only one real hope - the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus returns he will raise the dead, judge the world, and establish God's kingdom of peace on earth forever. He is the Only One with both the desire and the power to solve all world problems.

Death and suffering, like that brought about by the Tsunami, will be a thing of the past:

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; 4 he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away" (Revelation 21).

So A New Year. 2005. We do not know what it will bring. But let us be alert. The Lord is about to return. When he gets back just drop everything, and answer that call. Answer it immediately, not confident in ourselves – but confident in him. He wants to save us. Even so, come Lord Jesus.