By Zhao Yan
Alarming Disasters Happening Recently
Some media reported:
On September 16, 2018, Typhoon Mangkhut struck in succession Philippine—where 64 people lost their lives, 33 were injured, and 45 were missing—Hong Kong, Macao, provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan, and so on. When Mangkhut arrived in Guangdong Province of China, it killed two people and left many others missing.
On September 28, 2018, Indonesian island Sulawesi was struck by a severe earthquake and ensuing tsunami. By October 1, 1,400 people had been killed.
On October 1, 2018, the National Weather Service announced that in the following few days the tropical storm Rosa would bring a storm to the United States. In the vast western and southern regions, including Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Flagstaff, and Salt Lake City, more than 12 million residents would face the threat of storm and flooding.
The Frequent Disasters Show the Fulfillment of the Prophecies of the Lord’s Return in the Last Days
After reading the reports, I couldn’t help but think of the prophecies in the Bible: “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21). “For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created to this time, neither shall be” (Mark 13:19). Today disasters occur frequently; this shows that the prophecies of the Lord’s return have been fulfilled. Is this warning us that now is the time when the Lord comes back? In recent years there have been increasingly more devastating disasters. What they bring to us is not only economic and material loss—houses are ruined, public facilities are damaged, crops are destroyed, livestock are killed, and so on—but also a serious threat to our lives, making us feel that a disaster would occur and take away our lives at any moment. We can regain the lost materials, but we can never regain our lives once we lose them.
Our Reaction to Disasters
When disasters happen, many people feel alarmed or terrified, but after the disasters they look as if nothing had happened. Few people consider why disasters descend, and few people seek a way to change the situation. Some people may ask: “Isn’t it that there are disasters every year? There isn’t any special sign that shows the Lord Jesus’ return.” But the Lord Jesus said: “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:37). Let’s think about this: During Noah’s time, people didn’t know how to worship God. They focused on eating, drinking, and having fun, engaged in fleshly enjoyment. Noah preached for over one hundred years, asking people to repent and listen to God’s word, but no one believed him. In the end, when they saw the heavy rain, it was too late to repent. As a result, the eight members of Noah’s family boarded the ark and survived, while all the other people of that time were drowned by the flood. Today, many of us, just like the people in Noah’s time, are indifferent before encountering disasters; many regard making money as the only goal to pursue, bustling about all day to make more money; also some are pursuing political power, angling for fame and fortune…. We don’t know even if we gain lots of money, fame, and position, none of them can save our lives when disasters strike. Just as the Lord Jesus said: “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26).
Our Human’s Real Refuge
Now many countries are building different shelters in an attempt to escape the disasters. But with the disasters happening frequently, can these refuges really guarantee that we will survive the disasters? Actually, many disasters happen in the blink of an eye and we even have no opportunity to rush into the refuge. It is obvious that man-made refuges can’t give us a real guarantee. Then who is our real refuge? God said: “Only I am the true God; only I am your refuge. You can only now hide in My secret place, only within Me, and the disasters will not befall you and no calamity will come near to your tent.” “I am your Savior! I am your Almighty One! Keep watch! Keep watch! Time lost will never come again, remember this! There is nowhere on earth where you can buy medicine that will soothe regret! So how shall I say this to you? Is My word not worthy of your careful consideration and repeated ponderation? You are so careless with My words and so irresponsible with your life; how could I bear it? How could I?”
From these words of God, we can see that only God is our real refuge. Only if we find God’s appearance, follow God’s footsteps and truly confess our sins and repent before God can we survive the great disasters in the last days. God’s intention is to do His utmost to save every person. He cannot bear to see people created by His own hands destroyed in disasters. Before the disasters descend, God speaks words of salvation time after time calling to us to return before His throne. As long as we seek the truth and pay attention to listening to God’s voice, we will gain God’s salvation and enter the refuge God prepares for us. Just as God says: “Enter into the refuge and all grace and blessings will be upon you, famine and plague will not be able to touch you, wolves, serpents, tigers and leopards will be unable to harm you. You will be with Me and walk with Me together into glory!”
