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January 3, 2005

From Back To The Bible:
http://www.backtothebible.org/radio/south_asia.htm (http://www.backtothebible.org/radio/south_asia.htm)

The Benevolence of God and the Tsunami -  Page 1
Understanding Why God Allowed The Tsunami
     Back to the Bible's Disaster Relief

Update from Sri Lanka

Update from India

by Dr. Woodrow Kroll - President and Bible Teacher

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned:

    Be still, sad heart! And cease repining;
    Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
    Thy fate is the common fate of all,
    Into each life some rain must fall,
    Some days must be dark and dreary.

Some dark and dreary days are acceptable. We all expect them. But where was God when a 9.0 earthquake in the Indian Ocean caused a Tsunami on December 26, 2004 that devastated much of Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India and a half-dozen other nations in South Asia?

In my lifetime I have never seen devastation and death equal to this Tsunami.

It may not be the worst natural disaster in history. Not even the worst in the past century. But this Tsunami is our Tsunami. It touches us today, and it impacts much of the world where Back to the Bible ministers. We have lost Faith Partners and faithful pastors. Friends of our ministry have died.

How do we square the goodness of God with this kind of destruction? "Into each life some rain must fall," but this was a wall of water as high as 60 feet sweeping away everything in its path. Behind these clouds, is the sun still shining?

The Biblical Response to the "Why" Question

Asking God "why?" is not wrong if our motivation is right. I dealt with this question at length in my book, An Interview with God (Moody, 2004). Let's look for the biblical response to the "why" question. Any other response is not acceptable for the Christian.

Mourning for the dead

We are not seeking a physical explanation for the geological phenomena responsible for a 9.0 earthquake which caused this disastrous Tsunami. Instead we need answers to two deeper philosophical, theological and biblical questions:

   1. Why the Earth experiences this kind of natural disaster in the first place; and
   2. Why such disasters are not incompatible with a benevolent God.

Why Does the Earth Experience Natural Disasters


Here's what the Bible says about natural disasters.
At the end of His six days of creation (Genesis 1:31), God surveyed all that He had made, and proclaimed it not just good but very good. The Hebrew terminology used indicates that which was both complete and perfect. The rivers were running between their banks. The earth was stable and beautiful. The fish were swimming, the birds were singing. Missing from this scene was disease, drowning and death. There were no earthquakes or Tsunamis. Adam and Eve lived happily in an idyllic paradise and they shared such an intimate relationship with their Maker that God came to the garden "in the cool of the day" just to spend time with them (Genesis 3:8).

But the peacefulness and tranquillity of Eden was soon shattered. In Genesis 3—in fewer words than an anchorman on the TV news reports the lead story—under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God, Moses described how man broke the covenant relationship with God and sin entered our world. Moses also described the curses on the earth that resulted from that sin—including pain and death.

The apostle Paul, in Romans 8:19-20, declared that the entire creation was subjected to the enslavement that came from the corruption resulting from the sinful events that day in Eden.

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January 3, 2005

From Back To The Bible:
http://www.backtothebible.org/radio/south_asia.htm (http://www.backtothebible.org/radio/south_asia.htm)

The Benevolence of God and the Tsunami -  Page 2
Understanding Why God Allowed The Tsunami
     Back to the Bible's Disaster Relief
_______________________________________

Apparently the good earth deteriorated rapidly, as did earth's inhabitants. Just three chapters later, Moses wrote:

    Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air" (Genesis 6:5-7).

Genesis 6-8 records the global destruction resulting from the Great Flood that was God's instrument of judgment on a corrupt earth. The Bible indicates that the waters which caused the Flood came from two sources: (a) the fountains of the great deep; and (b) the windows of heaven (Genesis 7:11).

The recent South Asian Tsunami proves the destructive power of moving water. Fishing boats were pushed a mile inland. Villages were washed away. A train at Telwatta, Sri Lanka carrying 1,000 people to the sunny resorts near the town of Galle was swept out to sea killing at least 800 people.

Put that into perspective. Imagine the vast devastation that must have been created when all the forces of the earth worked together in the Great Flood. Rain dropped like a rock from the canopy above the firmament. Earthquakes shook the earth. Volcanoes erupted all over the planet. The tectonic plates of the earth's crust shifted under the weight of the water. Mountains lifted up. Canyons were pressed into the ground. Tornados, hurricanes and multiple Tsunamis were spun into existence. Havoc reigned in God's creation.

Prior to the Great Flood our world was much different than it is today. Numerous biblical scholars have suggested that in those days the Earth was devoid of natural disasters like the Tsunami (see A. M. Rehwinkel, The Flood (1951, St. Louis, MO: Concordia), or Joseph C. Dillow, The Waters Above (1982, Chicago, IL: Moody). Whitcomb and Morris (John C. Whitcomb and Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Flood (1961, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker) suggest:

    This is inferred from the fact that the "breaking-up of the fountains of the great deep" (Genesis 7:11), which implies this sort of activity, was one of the immediate causes of the Deluge; therefore it must have been restrained previously.... Thus the Biblical record implies that the age between the fall of man and the resultant Deluge was one of comparative quiescence geologically. The waters both above and below the firmament were in large measure restrained, temperatures were equably warm, there were no heavy rains nor winds and probably no earthquakes nor volcanic emissions (pp. 242,243).

It is not unreasonable to suggest that the global flood of Genesis 6-8 not only radically altered the face of the Earth, but also created the circumstances that are responsible for many natural disasters experienced since that time.

What causes natural disasters on the Earth today? One cause is the vastly different geological and meteorological phenomena now present. The drastically changed components of the Earth's crust (e.g., fault lines, the movement of tectonic plates, etc.) give rise to earthquakes which, when they occur under the sea, produce deadly Tsunamis like the one that took the lives of more than 120,000 people in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India and elsewhere.

The Bible describes the wickedness of mankind in Noah's day (which precipitated the Flood) as the root cause for the changes that today produce various natural disasters, such as Tsunamis. As Brad Bromling observed:

    While we may never know with precision what conditions prevailed between the Edenic period and the Flood, it seems that . . . since that event, man has been imperiled by tornadoes, blizzards, monsoons, and hurricanes . . . . Upon whom should we heap blame for the suffering resultant from such weather? Is it fair to accuse God, when He created man's home free from such things (Genesis 1:31)? In all honesty, the answer is no. Sin robbed us of our original garden paradise, and sin was responsible for the global deluge (Brad T. Bromling, "Who Sent the Hurricane?," Reasoning from Revelation, 4:17, September, 1992, p. 17].

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January 3, 2005

From Back To The Bible:
http://www.backtothebible.org/radio/south_asia.htm (http://www.backtothebible.org/radio/south_asia.htm)

The Benevolence of God and the Tsunami -  Page 3
Understanding Why God Allowed The Tsunami
     Back to the Bible's Disaster Relief
_______________________________________

Why does the Earth experience natural disasters? Not because God created a world in which natural disasters are natural. Natural disasters are not natural to God. God put the laws of nature into place but sin put natural disasters in place. Insurance companies often blame things on an "act of God" but God had nothing to do with it.

Today we inhabit a once-perfect-but-now-flawed Earth. Now, because of Adam's sin, earthquakes produce Tsunamis which produce deadly devastation.

Don't blame God for natural disasters. There were no disasters in His world, just the disaster of human disobedience and now we see the consequences of that disobedience.

Natural Disasters and a Benevolent God

It is true that the Bible teaches that God is benevolent. That means He is both all-powerful and loving at the same time. If the Bible is correct, how, then, can God allow natural disasters like the Tsunami to occur, even if He is not the cause?

Do the presence of natural disasters negate the existence of a benevolent God? Not in the least and here's why.

When God created our world it operated under the natural laws He established at the time of Creation. There were natural laws in force in the Garden of Eden. For example, if Adam jumped off a cliff in hopes of ending up in a cool pool of water below him, he was not disappointed. The law of gravity made sure he made it quickly to his cool dip. If Eve wandered into the path of a galloping zebra, she had to jump out of the way since two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time. The same laws that govern gravity, matter in motion, and similar phenomena also govern weather patterns and water movement. But before the Flood there were no disasters because in God's creation the laws of nature were in force but not the laws of sin. Thus God was both all-powerful and loving at the same time.

In addition, the same laws of nature that produce good for us also can produce great tragedy, as in the Tsunami. In addressing this point, Norman Geisler noted:

    In a physical world where there is water for boating and swimming, some will drown. If there are mountains to climb, there must also be valleys into which one may fall. If there are cars to drive, collisions can also occur. It may be said that tornadoes, lightning, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are likewise by-products of a good physical world. For instance, the purpose of rain is not to flood or drown, but the result of rain may include these disasters. (Norman L. Geisler, The Roots of Evil (1978, Grand Rapids MI: Zondervan, p. 72).

God's world was a world of order. The natural laws that God created were for our good. Natural laws allow us to produce fire, but the same laws that enable us to cook our food also allows us to destroy entire forests. Is that God's fault? Occasionally something happens on our now-cursed planet that produces its own natural disaster.

The tectonic plate on which the Australian continent rides has been pushing north at seven centimeters a year. Near Sumatra the plate is forced down and underneath another carrying the European and Asian continents. As the Australian plate pushes into the Earth, it drags the jammed Eurasian plate down. Stress builds up and on Sunday, December 26, 2004, the upper plate popped back up. The chunk of the upper plate 1000 kilometers long and 150 kilometers wide slipped perhaps 10 meters upward causing the Tsunami that took so many lives. Can God be blamed for the inevitable result of man's sin and the curse it brought to our earth?

God's natural laws are inviolate; they cannot be broken. They are also non-selective; everybody must obey them or suffer the consequences. In Luke 13:2-5, Jesus told the story of eighteen men who died when the tower of Siloam collapsed. Did these men perish because of their personal acts of sin? No, they were no worse sinners than others who didn't perish. They died because a natural law was in force. They fell because of God's natural law; they died because of sin's curse.
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January 3, 2005

From Back To The Bible:
http://www.backtothebible.org/radio/south_asia.htm (http://www.backtothebible.org/radio/south_asia.htm)

The Benevolence of God and the Tsunami -  Page 4
Understanding Why God Allowed The Tsunami
     Back to the Bible's Disaster Relief
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Conclusion

The Tsunami of December 26, 2004 is the worst disaster I have witnessed in six decades of life. The devastation is unspeakable. At Back to the Bible, we are grateful to the Lord because all of our staff in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and India are safe and unharmed. Praise God. But it could have been otherwise. James and Shevanthi Kanaganayagam and their children were scheduled to travel to Galle, Sri Lanka when they received a call not to come. The Tsunami had just turned Galle into rubble. And now they put their faith into action as they work to help themselves and others affected by a disaster work through their perplexity, pain, and sorrow.

We ask "why?" because we don't understand, especially when the magnitude of disaster is as great as this Tsunami, but we believe that after all is said and done, the Judge of all the Earth will do that which is right (Genesis 18:25).

Instead of blaming God when natural disasters strike, we must turn to Him for strength and let earthquakes and Tsunamis remind us that the world in its present state was never intended to be a final home (Hebrews 11:13-16). Our time on this sinful planet is temporary (James 4:14). While here, however, we will inevitably face the kinds of natural disasters that have become natural in a sinful world. But with God's help we are able to face such disasters with faith in the benevolence of God intact. We will experience pain, suffering, loss and lots of questions. But we can overcome whatever comes our way (Romans 8:35-39; Psalm 46:1-3) because, as Corrie ten Boom noted, "There is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still."

With Peter, we at Back to the Bible can echo the sentiment that God, " who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever" (1 Peter 5:10-11).

(Some material included here was adapted from an article originally written by Bert Thompson, but updated, edited and enhanced by Woodrow Kroll for the present South Asia disaster.)

Does anyone believe that the Tsunami was a sign of the end?

also all of the floods, landslides, etc. does it sound like the end times

I believe the Tsunami was a sign of shifting tectonic plates. This is a natural process.

 Hey BEP, thanks for that piece - great stuff. It does help clarify God's position in such a tragic time.



 Mat 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?  


 Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.  


 Mat 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.  


 Mat 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  


 Mat 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.  


 Mat 24:8 All these [are] the beginning of sorrows.

Bronzesnake

Hello Seeds,

I don't think that I've had an opportunity to welcome you yet, so WELCOME TO CHRISTIANS UNITE!

In answer to your question, I really don't know, but I do see many things in the world that lead me to believe that we are either seeing a preview of the end of this age of God's Grace, or it is happening right before our eyes.

For me, I simply feel led to pray that God uses me for His Will and purpose for as many hours or days that I have in this life. If Jesus comes for us this hour and catches us up for eternity with Him, it will simply be an hour of great joy for all who love Him. Whether it is the end of this age or not, I pray that all Christians have a heavy burden on their heart to share the GOOD NEWS of Jesus and the Cross with the lost. The time for this burden is always, but I personally believe that Bible prophecy is unfolding before our very eyes. My thoughts don't involve the natural disasters, rather all of the other things that are happening in the world right now. I certainly wouldn't argue with another brother or sister in Christ about this, but I think the end of this age is near.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Matthew 5:3-11  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

AMEN BRONZESNAKE!!

The answers from the Holy Bible are always perfect, and there are no opinions there - JUST THE FACTS!

Love In Christ,
Tom

Colossians 3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Bep,

(notice, I didn't address you as BEPS, cause you're only one now ;D)

When I read your post it reminded me of that old TV program, Dragnet, I think, with Sergt. Friday.  "Just the facts ma'm, just the facts".  Someone should have handed him a bible. ;D

cris

 

 ;D  Sister Cris, I remember Dragnet well. I couldn't speak for Joe Friday, but I will tell you that many real cops carry Bibles. The Bible is a mighty weapon and tool, and it many times works when everything else fails. "Just the facts ma'am".   :D

Love In Christ,
Tom

Psalms 62:7  In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

Amen BEP

Glad to be here

when God kills he is destroying evil

So true my friend.

Mark 6:11
And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

Our mighty God certainly showed those Moslem and Hindu nations just who is in charge.

More of this is to come if the world doesn't turn to Jesus.