Tsunami Deaths

"Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" —Luke 13:5

"There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." —Luke 13:1-5

These were the Words spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ. People back in the Bible were no different than people today... we all like to talk about people and news (especially if it's bad). These folks had heard about Pilate brutally executing some Galilaeans. They mentioned the bad news to Jesus. Most of us would have responded with sympathy for the victims. However, Jesus responded by informing them that they just might be next. Can you imagine the look on their faces? Jesus then decided to mention another tragedy where eighteen people lost their lives when a wall fell upon them. 

What did Jesus mean when He warned... "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish"? Our Lord simply meant that death often comes unexpectedly in life, and then it's too late to get saved. You see my friend, if you don't get born-again, then you CANNOT go to Heaven. Jesus warned them to REPENT because life is predictably unpredictable.

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." —John 3:3

The ONLY way for any sinner to get to Heaven is through Jesus Christ (John 14:6). Jesus has the scars in His hands and feet, so we must only trust ONLY Jesus to forgive us and take us to Heaven. 

On December 26th of 2004, a 9.2 earthquake in the Indian ocean generated a 30-foot tall Tsunami. 

The most powerful earthquake in 40 years erupted under the Indian Ocean near Sumatra on Dec. 26, 2004. It caused giant, deadly waves to crash ashore in nearly a dozen countries, killing tens of thousands.

The giant wave of water killed over 220,000 people throughout southeast Asia. I sincerely wonder how many of those 220,000 dead people went to Heaven? I sincerely wonder how many of those dead people went to Hell? If you are familiar with the Bible, then you know that MOST people go to Hell when they die (Matthew 7:13,14). God does not want it that way, but mankind is stubborn, sinfully proud and loves wickedness. Jesus warned the people in Luke 13:1-5 that death can come at any time without warning. 

A rescue worker walks among coffins in Phang-Nga, 110km (69 miles) north of Phuket, Thailand December 31, 2004.

A worker clears debris in the Thai resort island of Phuket, December 29, 2004. Rescuers scoured remote coastlines around the Indian Ocean for survivors of Sunday's devastating tsunami.

Those 220,000 people throughout India, Sri Lanka and many other countries didn't know what hit them! Tsunami's often strike with little or no warning. The earthquake happened hundreds of miles away so no one knew about it. Can you imagine any event so devastating that it would claim 220,000 lives in one day?  As a matter of fact, there is such a catastrophic event which occurs EVERY SINGLE DAY in this world... it's called "death." Billions of People are Going to Hell. 

 "Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." —Proverb 27:1
 

Thai health officials bury the dead in masses at a burial site in Takuapa, nearly 130 km north of the Thai resort island of Phuket December 31, 2004. The bodies were being buried until relatives could identify them by DNA samples taken earlier. The death toll in Thailand sprawled to 4,500 after a tsunami, caused by a magnitude 9.0 quake off the northern Indonesian coast on December 26, devastated the southern tourist isles and beaches. REUTERS/Adrees Latif

A Thai health official checks identification before hundreds of victims of Sunday's quake-triggered tidal wave are buried in a mass burial site in Takuapa, about 130 km (80 miles) north of the Thai resort island of Phuket on December 31, 2004.

A Thai man mourns a relative killed by the December 2004 tsunami in Khabi province south of Bangkok

The point that Jesus was making to those folks in Luke thirteen is that we must each individually prepare to meet God. Death can come suddenly and then it will be too late to repent of our unbelief and sin. What is repentance? Biblical repentance is the recognition of my sinnership — the owning before God that I am as vile as He has declared me to be in His holy Word. God will forgive anybody who looks to Jesus to be saved. The Word of God plainly teaches that eternal life is a FREE GIFT (Romans 5:15), paid for by Jesus' precious blood (1st Peter 1:18,19). Salvation is receiving, not giving. It is not what we do that saves us; but rather, what Christ has done for us in His work of redemption.

Salvation is of the Lord, not man. A person does not have to stop living in sin to be saved, for that would make salvation a reward instead of a free gift. A changed life is the result of genuine repentance, and not a part of saving-faith (2nd Corinthians 5:17). We don't give up our sins to get saved; we give up our sins because WE ARE SAVED. God makes the change. Salvation is by grace through faith alone in Christ (Ephesians 2:8,9).

Are you ready to face God? MOST people are NOT ready to meet their Maker, not at all ready. To be ready, you must be born-again Christian by trusting Jesus Christ to forgive your sins. We have all sinned. We are all guilty sinners. We all deserve to be punished in hellfire. To go to Heaven, you MUST get born-again (John 3:3). Your sins must be dealt with. Being religious is not good enough. Doing good works is not the way. Praying is not the way. Committing one's life to God is not the way. So then what is the way? Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

“The Gospel is not a call to repentance, or to amendment of our ways, to make restitution for past sins, or to promise to do better in the future. These things are proper in their place, but they do not constitute the Gospel; for the Gospel is not good advice to be obeyed, it is good news to be believed. Do not make the mistake then of thinking that the Gospel is a call to duty or a call to reformation, a call to better your condition, to behave yourself in a more perfect way than you have been doing in the past …

Nor is the Gospel a demand that you give up the world, that you give up your sins, that you break off bad habits, and try to cultivate good ones. You may do all these things, and yet never believe the Gospel and consequently never be saved at all.”

SOURCE: Pastor Harry A. Ironside, from the sermon: What Is The Gospel?

It is easy to be saved. Simply trust the Lord Jesus Christ as your payment for sin, because of His work of redemption. We are sinners and Jesus is the ONLY Savior! 

"Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" —Luke 13:5

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